brianmctaggart Berkman said after game his calf felt good and he thought he would return sometime during Fla. series. But not on Monday. Still has to run.
I dont want to create a new thread for the subject, but talking about wagner and troy patton in this thread had me wondering about how the astros brought billy up through the system. I think he was a starter the whole time and never pitched in relief until he was called up to the astros. Why would they do that? It seems pretty obvious that he wouldnt cut it as a major league starter since he only has one(maybe 2 if you thought the slider was) above average pitch, a dominating fastball. Why did they jus not bring him up as a relief pitcher the whole time, instead of converting him once he got here. It worked out for him and all, but still..
The more innings pitched in the minors, the more arm strength built up, the harder he could throw. It also gave him an opportunity to develop other pitches to go with the fastball, which he didn't really do until later on.
