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And Dusty had nothing to do with the starting pitching problems.
Please, Sava. Dusty is WELL known for overworking young starting pitching. Prior, Wood and Zambrano have been abused over and over by Baker. Instead of being on strict pitch counts, Baker let them pitch.
Interesting article (from the beginning of this year) to look over:
3. Should I expect the same thing from the starting rotation as 2004? I mean, will the consequences of Dusty's abuse just carry over?
Sure looks like it, huh? Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, who as I noted last year were both in the top five of the 2003 Pitcher Abuse Points (PAP) rankings, have been hurt again this Spring Training. This is not good news for a team that was so held back last year as their two stars gave them just 43 starts with a combined 3.86 ERA. I mean, the two contributed 25 fewer Win Shares than they had in 2003!
So it is safe to say that those two right arms are the key to the Cubs' 2004 season, as eight wins were given up as a result of Dusty's pressure. Since neither player was around long enough for Baker to abuse last year, he focused his efforts on another stud right-hander, Carlos Zambrano. While hoisting the rotation on his shoulders for the better part of the year, Zambrano ranked third in Baseball Prospectus' PAP.
Personally, my guess is that Zambrano is in the same mold of Livan Hernandez, Bartolo Colon and Russ Ortiz: the special group of players blessed with a rubber arm and thick, strong thighs. I will assure Cubs fans to expect more of the same from him in 2005, as there was no sign of him letting up last year. The one good thing you will hear me say about Dusty is that he loved Z from the first time he saw him, and even predicted he might be the best of the three young righties. Bold prediction then, nearly a fact now.
Next, we have Greg Maddux. Maddux defied the prediction I laid out for him last year, with a 4.02 ERA, 32 starts and more than 150 strikeouts. While the likes of Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens make us think that defying age is something that can be done, it is hardly something the Cubs should depend on. My thinking is that Maddux will retire in a Cubs uniform, following the 2006 season. Expect that in the next two years, Maddux takes a step back.
The fifth starter spot is another place where Dusty's affinity for sample sizes is apparent. Glendon Rusch, who was so influential in the Cubs staying in the hunt last year, will likely not begin the season in the rotation. Because of his poor spring, the Cubs will be left to decide between Ryan Dempster and Sergio Mitre. One thing you can depend on: Rusch will be back before too long. Or better yet, the Cubs will bring up Angel Guzman, giving Dusty Baker another young arm to terrorize.
Sure looks like it, huh? Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, who as I noted last year were both in the top five of the 2003 Pitcher Abuse Points (PAP) rankings, have been hurt again this Spring Training. This is not good news for a team that was so held back last year as their two stars gave them just 43 starts with a combined 3.86 ERA. I mean, the two contributed 25 fewer Win Shares than they had in 2003!
So it is safe to say that those two right arms are the key to the Cubs' 2004 season, as eight wins were given up as a result of Dusty's pressure. Since neither player was around long enough for Baker to abuse last year, he focused his efforts on another stud right-hander, Carlos Zambrano. While hoisting the rotation on his shoulders for the better part of the year, Zambrano ranked third in Baseball Prospectus' PAP.
Personally, my guess is that Zambrano is in the same mold of Livan Hernandez, Bartolo Colon and Russ Ortiz: the special group of players blessed with a rubber arm and thick, strong thighs. I will assure Cubs fans to expect more of the same from him in 2005, as there was no sign of him letting up last year. The one good thing you will hear me say about Dusty is that he loved Z from the first time he saw him, and even predicted he might be the best of the three young righties. Bold prediction then, nearly a fact now.
Next, we have Greg Maddux. Maddux defied the prediction I laid out for him last year, with a 4.02 ERA, 32 starts and more than 150 strikeouts. While the likes of Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens make us think that defying age is something that can be done, it is hardly something the Cubs should depend on. My thinking is that Maddux will retire in a Cubs uniform, following the 2006 season. Expect that in the next two years, Maddux takes a step back.
The fifth starter spot is another place where Dusty's affinity for sample sizes is apparent. Glendon Rusch, who was so influential in the Cubs staying in the hunt last year, will likely not begin the season in the rotation. Because of his poor spring, the Cubs will be left to decide between Ryan Dempster and Sergio Mitre. One thing you can depend on: Rusch will be back before too long. Or better yet, the Cubs will bring up Angel Guzman, giving Dusty Baker another young arm to terrorize.
And the preview for the year before:
Finally, Dusty Baker must stop worrying Cubs fans about the right arms of our young starters. The Cubs were far and away the leader in Baseball Prospectus' Pitcher Abuse Points (PAP), a statistic measuring how much stress a pitcher's arm handles. Kerry Wood ranked first in the system, Mark Prior third, and even Carlos Zambrano finished in the top 20. 130-pitch games with an 8-0 lead just don't make sense, and Baker must learn from his mistakes.
And this site has a great nickname for the man
Dusty “Death to Pitching Arms†Baker
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