These are his Spring Training outings:
Feb 26th – 0.1 innings, 5 hits, 4 er, 1bb, 0 k’s
March 1st – 3innings, 3 hits, 1 er, 0bb, 3 k’s
March 6th – 3innings, 4 hits, 1 er, 0bb, 3 k’s
March 11th – 3innings, 8 hits, 2 er, 1bb, 2 k’s
March 16th – 1.2 innings, 4 hits, 2 er, 0bb, 1 k
= 11 innings, 24 hits, 10 er, 2 bb’s, 9 k’s
It is a rough 11 innings… there is no doubt about that.
Again though, why does it matter?
Pauley turns 26 in June… even if he is unlikely to be a part of your future core, he has that possibility at his age.
That is something that Baez, and Eaton lack.
In AAA last year, Pauley was 14-4, 3.55 ERA, 147 innings, 147 hits, 103 k’s, 41 walks
I was projecting him to start in the bullpen, prior to today’s announcement of Liz being out of the starter race.
I had previously projected Pauley’s 2009 stats as:7 starts, 3-3, 4.85 ERA, 85 IP, 105 hits, 55 k’s, 25 walks
You are looking for guys with youth, and some upside that can give you innings until your true group of pitching prospects can ascend to the Majors.
Giving innings to Baez, or Eaton that you could be giving to Pauley is a waste.
The only guys that you could logically replace Pauley with are Brian Bass, and Bergesen.
Bass is 27 years old, and was relatively effective in 90 Major League innings with the Twins, and Orioles last year, allowing 95 hits, 31 walks, 45 k’s.I am willing to concede he could be a bit of a late bloomer, as he did have a solid 2007 season in AAA as well. Overall though, his career minor league numbers are not impressive.
Pauley is a touch younger, with a better resume…. And would be my preference… if the team goes with Bass, so be it.
Bergesen turned 23 in September, and was 15-6, with a 3.22 ERA in 148 IP, 143 hits, 72 k’s, 27 walks at Bowie.
He is looked at as a guy that has fringy stuff (Like Pauley and Bass), but he has youth on his side.
I think Bergesen could be just as effective as either of Pauley or Bass this year… but why release Pauley for Bergesen?
Give Pauley the innings at the Major League level to definitively show what he is… to prove that 147 innings in AAA mean more than 11 innings in Spring Training.
If Pauley struggles, you can always replace with Bergesen in-season.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.