From: scott@asd.com (Scott Barman)
Subject: Re: Tanana
Organization: American Software Development Corp., West Babylon, NY
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 22:02:07 GMT

In article <mcmath-231292082221@mcmathmac.nlm.nih.gov> mcmath@csb1.nlm.nih.gov (Chuck Totally Hair McMath) writes:
>	Maybe I was too harsh on Frank.  Ok, ok, he deserves a job.

My turn, since it was my posting that started this...

>	Let me rephrase the argument, then.  Don't you think you could find 3
>pitchers on each AAA farm team who could be counted on to put up similar
>numbers (+ or - a std deviation)?  Granted, the Mets just couldn't pick up
>any of these guys, so I was exaggerating.  So maybe I overestimated the
>talent pool.  

Overestimated?  Try over-exaggerated!

>But why would the Mets, who unarguably will be out of it in 93, want to
>give 200 IP to Tanana, when you could use those innings to find out if some
>of that AAA talent is legit?

What if they don't have AAA talent to see if he's legit?

>  And, I'd expect that any pitcher from AAA who
>would be promoted to the ML would be cheaper than Tanana, so you'd save
>money.

Money is one thing, being able to deliver is another.  If the choice is
between a AAA pitcher who has proven nothing and a (relativly) cheap,
one years stop-gap to see if the AAA pitcher is for real, why not go
with the one year stop-gap?

Why not let him prove it in the majors?  What happens to a pitcher's
psyche if you put him out there and he gets the hell beat out of him?
You can keep telling him he is a marvelous pitcher all you want, but
he's going to see high ERAs, short appearances, hear the crowd yelling
(and New York crowds are very creative, just ask Jose Canseco!), and
read the papers all saying what kind of stiff he is.  With all that, do
you know what you get?  You get Julio Valera thinking that the Mets
don't care about him and don't think he's really a good pitcher because
they kept telling him how wonderful he is after getting pounded night
after night by the National League, Mets fans, and media.  So he goes
out and tries to do his imitation of the Goodyear Blimp which lowers his
value and the Mets lose a good prospect because he is now traded for
someone they (think they) need.  Valera will be a good pitcher,
eventually, but not with the Mets after his "abuse" in 1991.

>  If worst came to worst, promote some career minor leaguer, give him
>a shot, and see if he comes thru.  If so, you're ahead.  If not, you
>*still* finish 5th or 6th, and who gives a flying farkle?

That's if you have the career minor leaguer.  You have to have someone
to promote, first!

>	While it's true you *might* end up with someone who's a lot worse than
>Tanana, you also might end up with someone who's better.  Tanana's a known
>quantity; the question is, is he a quantity you want, or can you do better?

How do you know you can do better?  You have to have something to do
better with.

>	The only reason to sign and pitch Tanana would be to prove that "we have a
>committment to winning, and we value the leadership of someone like Frank."
> In other words, your typical GM bullshott (love that word!).

Gee... if Harazin really said that you would sound real smart.  But as I
originally posted, he was brought in to be the fifth starter.  He was
not brought in for any "leadership."  They want 200 innings, not a
clubhouse lawyer!
-- 
scott barman			| <This space intentionally left blank>
scott@asd.com			|
 (I can barely speak for myself, you expect me to speak for my employer??)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball