I hope you’re right, Jim. We’re pretty desperate for solid relief pitching. A return to form by Wagner would go a long way to making this team competitive.
EricTW
Honestly, I don’t really agree with that.
I know it’s not the popular opinion, but we don’t need a great pitching staff to be competitive. We need a decent pen and 5 guys in the rotation who can post mid-4 ERA’s. We have three now, with Harang, Claussen, and Williams. If we could sign one more good SP and have Wilson and/or Milton return to form, this team will be competitive.
I’m not saying they’ll make the playoffs, but they’ll post a .500 or above record.
Ken
Exactly! I recently posted this on the Pokey Reese thread:
“By the way, that 2000 team (85-77) is proof that you can be decent with a crummy staff. Only Neagle was good, and he was traded in July (for what eventually became Wily Mo). Some optimism for ‘06.”
Parris, Villone, Harnisch, and Rob Bell . . . these guys were all below average. ERAs in the high 4s and low 5s. Harang, Claussen, and Williams should all be better than that. And Milton/Wilson/Hancock can’t be any worse (right?). After these past few years, 85 wins sounds mighty good.
I hope you’re right, Jim. We’re pretty desperate for solid relief pitching. A return to form by Wagner would go a long way to making this team competitive.
Honestly, I don’t really agree with that.
I know it’s not the popular opinion, but we don’t need a great pitching staff to be competitive. We need a decent pen and 5 guys in the rotation who can post mid-4 ERA’s. We have three now, with Harang, Claussen, and Williams. If we could sign one more good SP and have Wilson and/or Milton return to form, this team will be competitive.
I’m not saying they’ll make the playoffs, but they’ll post a .500 or above record.
Exactly! I recently posted this on the Pokey Reese thread:
“By the way, that 2000 team (85-77) is proof that you can be decent with a crummy staff. Only Neagle was good, and he was traded in July (for what eventually became Wily Mo). Some optimism for ‘06.”
Parris, Villone, Harnisch, and Rob Bell . . . these guys were all below average. ERAs in the high 4s and low 5s. Harang, Claussen, and Williams should all be better than that. And Milton/Wilson/Hancock can’t be any worse (right?). After these past few years, 85 wins sounds mighty good.