Alright, so I’m a sample-size fascist. We have meetings and everything. One time, I forgot to reserve the meeting hall, and everyone was all, hey, you’re such a screw-up. But I said, "Sample size! It’s pretty likely that I’ll reserve the next 15 rental halls without a problem!" and no one could complain after that.
But one can be a sample-size fascist and have an appreciation for the subtle art of scouting. When Barry Zito has ten at-bats and gets one hit, not even sample-size fascists are saying, "Wait, wait, it’s too early to tell if he’s really a .100 hitter. Sample size!" It’s pretty clear that Barry Zito isn’t much of a hitter. That’s an extreme example, but it shows that we aren’t just in love with our spreadsheets. I mean, we probably won’t even call them the next day. And if we see them at a party, we’ll be polite and engage them in small talk, but that’s about it. It isn’t love.
Which brings us to the scouting report on Todd Wellemeyer, using the traditional, and still bizarre, scouting scale of 20 to 80:
Fastball velocity: 35
Fastball movement: 40
Curveball: 35
Slider: 50
Overall control: 30
Command: 35
Poise: 30Overall summation: Wellemeyer doesn’t really do anything well. He doesn’t throw hard, he doesn’t throw strikes, and though his slider shows some promise, he isn’t consistent with it at all. His big frame hints at untapped potential, so he might be worth a late-round flier. If he’s still there in the 40th-round, you could do wors….
Wait, this guy is in the majors already? That can’t be. I thought I was scouting a Spartanburg Methodist game. If that wasn’t a junior college game, what in the hell is wrong with that offense? What is going on here?
So while the stat aficionados might point to the high BABIP of a guy like Ricky Nolasco when he struggles, there’s no need to provide such context for Wellemeyer. He doesn’t have a pitching skill that, when compared to his peers in the majors, grades out to average. You can keep pointing out that he’s been unlucky with balls in play, but…
…
…wait, his BABIP is .217? He’s been lucky so far? My…uh…words fail. Welcome to Waiverville: population, Todd.
So this is an open thread to discuss the obvious: a new fifth starter. Madison Bumgarner is still quite young, and he’s only recently begun to pitch well. Kevin Pucetas will probably alternate between capable and horrid just like Wellemeyer, and the same would probably go for Joe Martinez. Eric Hacker has shown some potential, but he’d have to be put on the 40-man roster.
Martinez is the sentimental favorite, even if he’s not a sure bet to be better than Wellemeyer. But Wellemeyer gotta go. It’s been a chore to watch him this year, especially considering the other 80% of the rotation.