Adam Eaton pitched a great game last night… in 7.1 innings, Eaton allowed 6 hits, 2er, 0 bb’s and had 9 k’s.
By pitching so well, he allowed the O’s to win their 4th series of the year, and get back to 500 at 8 and 8.
However, his start tonight does not change much. It simply further delays the inevitable.
The Orioles have no aspirations of competeing in 2009… as such, the main-thing that can be accomplished this year, is giving as much time as possible to the players you believe can comprise your future core.
People talk about the ‘risk’ of bringing up youth, and having them fail.. the abuse that does to their psyche.
I find that to be an illogical argument.
Baseball is a game about adjustments, and dealing with failure. For the most part, many top prospects have never dealt with failure at any-level prior to ascending to the Majors.
Giving players time to go through failure at the Major Level, and make the necessary adjustments, is a required part of the learning curve.
How low can a players confidence get, if the Organization continues to show faith in them, and provide them innings/playing-time?
If you see a player not responding to failure, you gain a bit of knowledge about the player.
Getting past that tangent, lets get back to Adam Eaton himself, and remember why he does not make sense for this team.
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/E/adam-eaton.shtml
Eaton turned 31 in November…
In 2007, he was 10-10, with a 6.29 ERA, allowing 192 hits, in 161.2 innings, with only 97 k’s, and 71 walks.
In 2008, he was 4-8, with a 5.80 ERA, allowing 131 hits, in 107 innings, with only 57 k’s, and 44 walks.
Those numbers were in the National League.
In the American League, there is little reason to believe he even duplicate those numbers.
I understand that he has won 69 games in his career, and has pitched over 1,100 Major League innings… but giving extended innings, and time to Eaton through-out 2009 would be a mistake… when you have internal options who could be part of the future solution, and Eaton can not.
I do not think Eaton needs more time to prove what he is… you know what he is… you know he is a professional, that is an early 30s pitcher who will occasionally keep you in a game. You know that he will not do enough to raise his value, and trade him. You know that he will never be a part of the Orioles future.
The O’s are not waiting for Eaton to show what he is… they are waiting for the next prospect to show they are ready for promotion, and likely replace Eaton by the end of May.
Owner
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.