The fate of Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson will likely be decided by the next GM, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Five candidates have already been confirmed and Diamondbacks Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa expects to personally interview about ten before narrowing the list. La Russa “tried to put together a list that has a nice cross-section of talents.” It will be interesting to see which skill set Arizona chooses to complement La Russa.
- Also from Piecoro’s piece, the Diamondbacks hope to retain former GM Kevin Towers to oversee their scouting department. La Russa wishes to bolster both facets of the organization. He mentioned the possibility of hiring either an entry level or established analyst.
- Much has been made of the Phillies aging roster, although Chase Utley has done his part to contribute. Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders how long Utley can withstand the daily grind of the season. The 35-year-old has contributed a fine season including a .277/.346/.419 line. With Utley possibly under contract through 2018 (he has three vesting options), his presence could be an important stabilizing component of the club’s rebuilding effort.
- Many speculated that the White Sox would call up first round draft pick Carlos Rodon this September, but the club decided to forego promoting the youngster. Chicago pitching coordinator Curt Hasler says Rodon has all the stuff necessary to succeed, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Hasler cites a plus fastball, slider, and change. Rodon does need to work on his command, as evidenced by his 4.7 BB/9 in 24 and 2/3 minor league innings.
“Hasler cites a plus fastball, curve ball and change”
His best pitch is a slider not a curveball. Thats poor
That’s my mistake. Copying error. Thanks.
What do mean by ‘that’s poor?’
The article is correct. Something might have been lost in translation.
“Rodon does need to work on his command, as evidence by his 4.7 BB/9 in 24 and 2/3 minor league innings.”
That’s not command, that’s control. Command is the ability to locate a pitch within the strike zone. Control is the ability to throw strikes.
He is lacking in command. But maybe referencing the walks isn’t the best way to support that.
Didn’t Kevin Towers say that he doesn’t use analytics/advanced statistics? As a Dbacks fan I’m appalled that they would even consider putting him in charge of their analytics/scouting department when he himself admitted that he doesn’t do it.