This Sunday, sitting in a Chicago bar with knowledgeable fans of various Midwestern baseball teams, such as the Minnesota Twins, news that the Twins placed reliever Pat Neshek on waivers broke via twitter. Reactions varied from wait, what? from the unaffiliated towards the [expletive deleted] in the Twins fans in the group. Within
Orlando Scandrick Jersey Ten minutes, news broke, once more via twitter, that the Padres had claimed the 30-year-old righthander. Given the reaction from people who follow the organization along with the speed that Neshek was claimed, the move appears curious at the best.
A look at Nesheks career stats starts to explain the despair felt by the Twins fans at the table. Over his career, the sidearmer has posted a tremendous 10.5 K/9, and even with middling control (3.1 BB/9) and trouble with fly balls (32% GB rate), Neshek includes a 3.05 career ERA to choose a 3.58 FIP and 3.61 xFIP. Both peripheral minute rates are solid for any reliever, and may produce nearly a full make an impre sion on replacement in value over a 70 inning season.
Over the final three seasons, Neshek has thrown only 22.1 innings of mediocre baseball, including a completely lost 2009 to Tommy John surgery. He hasnt been great within the minor leagues throughout his rehab either, managing merely a 5.9 K/9 rate without improvements in other locations. Because of the Twins supervision of these struggles along with Nesheks spring performance, its feasible that theyve seen something that shows that Neshek is completed and beyond repair as a Major League pitcher.
I find two problems with this concept. First, the Twins cant manage to dump a reliever with
Byron Jones Jersey even a small po sibility of contributing this year. After Joe Nathan, their bullpen quality drops heavily. Another six bullpen positions will likely visit Matt Capps, Jose Mijares, Jim Hoey, Dusty Hughes, Kevin Slowey, and Glen Perkins. Slowey ought to be excellent in the pen (and should be a starter), and Capps and Mijares should be slightly above average. Others? ZiPS isn't confident, and also the depth just isnt there.
The second i sue is the most damning: Neshek continues to have a minor league option remaining, according to Dan Hayes from
Jeff Heath Jerseythe North Country Times. Whether or not the Twins had decided that Neshek wasnt ready to pitch around the Major League roster, they had nothing to lose by stashing him in the minor leagues to see if he could decipher it. Nesheks ZiPS projection isnt exactly pretty (4.57 ERA), but hes a bit of a special case due to his injury; he would po se s a sort of twin peaks projection. One of the peaks would match if he finds it again, and yet another if his injuries have killed his MLB talent. A proper Neshek might be projected for a 3.80 ERA or maybe even lower, which may put him on a single level like
Terrance Williams Jersey a Mijares or Capps.
A healthy and effective Neshek would be a huge boon to some Twins team which needs every win it may get in a tight AL Central. Instead it appears that the Twins decided that dumping Nesheks $625K wages are a far more worthwhile endeavor than attempting to work him to health. This isnt the type of mistake whose impact is going to be readily noticeable as the season wears on, but when right-handed batters clobber Twins relievers in the 6th and 7th innings this season, they'll wish that Neshek was still around.
