Tribe First-rounders Will Head to Goodyear
January 14, 2010NFL News: Joe Thomas, Josh Cribbs Get All-Pro Nod
January 14, 2010When talking about the Indians starting rotation for 2010, you know that Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, and most likely Justin Masterson are locked in. After those three, there are Shaquille O’Neal size questions marks for the last two spots. Sure, we know the names Jeremy Sowers, Aaron Laffey, David Huff, Carlos Carrasco, and Hector Rondon. But the name we don’t know anything about Mitch Talbot.
You may want to get to know the name, because he will end up making the opening day roster, one way or another.
How is that you ask? Talbot was acquired as the player to be named later in the Kelly Shoppach trade to Tampa Bay. He is a 26 year old, late-blooming right-hander who is out of options. The Tribe brass is said to be very intrigued by him, despite the fact that he is already 26 and only has three major league appearances under his belt, all coming in 2008.
Assistant GM Chris Antonetti, on the day Talbot was brought in, lauded his “above-average change-up and cutter” when selling him to the media. “He’s another upper-level starting option for us,” Antonetti said. “He’s a guy we’ve had interest in for quite a while. He’s logged close to 400 Triple-A innings, and we’re adding him to our mix to come in and compete for a spot.”
Here is the real question; why should we be impressed that he logged over 400 innings in AAA? Doesn’t that mean that he probably isn’t good enough to cut it in the majors? 4A if you will? Looking at his AAA stats, the one thing you can say is that they are on par with one-time phenom prospect and now Indians prospect Carlos Carrasco:
Talbot
AAA 2007: 161.1 IP, 29 starts, 13-9, 4.53 ERA, 1.42 WHIP
AAA 2008: 161.0 IP, 28 starts, 13-9, 3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
AAA 2009: 54.1 I, 10 starts, 4-4, 4.47 ERA, 1.56 WHIP (coming off an elbow injury)
Carrasco
AA 2007: 70.1 IP, 13 starts, 6-4, 4.86 ERA, 1.58 WHIP
AA 2008: 114.1 IP, 19 starts, 7-7. 4.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP
AAA 2009: 157.0 IP, 26 starts, 11-10, 4.64 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
Minor League Baseball.com’s John Sickels lists Talbot as the Indians #17 prospect for 2010 and had this to say about him:
Grade C+: This is a good pickup from Tampa. An older prospect, but assuming his elbow is OK, he could pull a Randy Wells in 2010. Has nothing left to prove in Triple-A.
Wells was a Rule 5 pick of the Toronto Blue Jays from the Chicago Cubs and was returned before the season started. Wells, out of options, stuck with the Cubs and was the surprise of their rotation, going 12-10 with a 3.05 ERA.
Talbot could sneak in as the 5th starter or most likely the long man to start the season. I will stop short of saying he is a right-handed Zach Jackson for 2010, but that is precisely what I expected of The Attack last year. But the reality is nobody really knows what Talbot can really contribute at this point. He is just another in a long list of guys that will battle for a spot at the bottom of the rotation.
For what its worth, today, On January 14th, I predict Laffey’s bullpen successes last year may have him ticketed there unfortunately. Huff will make the rotation as the #4 man and they will give Sowers one last shot as the fifth starter since he too is out of options. Talbot will start the season as the long man.
(photo via mlb.com)
9 Comments
“Is that you Talbot?? Ya know this izzn’t very funny. I’m hungOVER, my knees are killin’ me, and if you were gunna pull this [stuff] at least you coulda said you were from the Yankees.”
Man, I’d love to see Laffey in the rotation, but we need to get outs from the ‘pen, too. Not big on Sowers, but as the team stands right now, you’ve got to give him his final shot.
are you mocking me? w that headline
What a drop from a rotation that once boasted two future Cy Youngs in CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. It’s a shame the Indians organization doesn’t understand that you need both pitching and hitting to win consistently. It seems like they either have one and not the other. Unfortunately their product is almost as bad as the Browns and because of that I just don’t care anymore. Shapiro should trade Sizemore now and just get it over.
@ #3 – With sites like WFNY around, you should know who this guy is already.
Can Shaquille O’Neal sized question marks jump? …or shoot free throws?
Talbot just seems like he’s been acquired to bring some right-handed balance to the Indians’ overwhelming stock-pile of left-handed back-of-the-rotation quality starters.
He’ll be just another placeholder arm while the Indians wait (pray?) for the development of Carrasco/Rondon/Gomez/Hagadone/Knapp/etc., though I do strongly suspect the Indians will give him a good long look this year given that he’s got a track record of adequate success in the minor leagues but has yet to truly be tested against big league pitching (unlike say, Jeremy Sowers, who has proven his worth as a batting practice pitcher at the big league level).
“He’s another upper-level starting option for us.”
Antonetti can teach my Euphemism Seminar any day.
Laffey was our best starter last year. I think he will be a definite starter all year long, he could potentially be a front end rotation guy for the club, may as well let him get that going now. Sowers will probably have the 5th spot at the start and have Talbot be the long man, cuz you know Sowers is only good for 3 or 4 innings at a time.