Daniel Bard to be a starter in '12

[D-Lite]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/r ... ine_1.html

I thought they converted him to reliever because he didn't have the repertoire to start? And especially without Papelbon, this mean that supposed deal for Bailey is gonna happen now?

 

[scotty21690]

First of all, it doesn't say Bard is confirmed to be a starter next season. Just that he will be prepped as a starter in spring training, which means if we need a starter he will start and if we don't he will be in the bullpen.

Secondly, what is a Yankee fan like you doing on boston.com?

 

[D-Lite]

Ok, "prepped". Which basically means they don't see him as a closer or the 8th inning guy. Pretty much pitching purgatory then? Feels like the Joba Chamberlain treatment.

And I wasn't on boston.com. The article was linked through the LoHud Yankee blog (which boston.com writer Peter Abraham used to write for).

 

[mredsox89]

Ok, "prepped". Which basically means they don't see him as a closer or the 8th inning guy. Pretty much pitching purgatory then? Feels like the Joba Chamberlain treatment.

And I wasn't on boston.com. The article was linked through the LoHud Yankee blog (which boston.com writer Peter Abraham used to write for).

Prepped doesn't mean they don't see him as a closer. They did/said the exact same thing with Papelbon. The article and others even state that if he doesn't look good as a starter he'll move back to the bullpen during ST

 

[D-Lite]

Fair enough. All that said, what happens with Bard? Did they lose faith after the terrible stretch?

 

[mredsox89]

Fair enough. All that said, what happens with Bard? Did they lose faith after the terrible stretch?

No. But they have massive holes at the back end of both the rotation and the pen, and with the inconsistency of just about every RP (including Bard), it's probably easier to fill bodies in the pen, even with guys who struggled last year

 

[rymflaherty]

Maybe I'm not remembering things correctly, but I seem to recall Bard's issues being more with mechanics/delivery when he was starting in the minors than it being to do with his repertoire.
And if part of it was due to repertoire.....he's seemed to do a good job improving/developing pitches other than his fastball since he's been in the majors.

As for the why - I think the above poster is correct.
There are gaping holes in both the rotation and the bullpen. They don't seem to have the money (or want) to pay a #3-4 guy like 10 million a year, so if Bard proves he can start, it could prove more valuable and they can pick up some relievers once the dust has settled.

I like the idea/move. Though I did see somebody mention Joba.....that would be my fear, that he ends up in that in-between purgatory and it negatively effects him. Hopefully he'll succeed in whatever role he winds up in.....they're going to need him.

 

[mredsox89]

Maybe I'm not remembering things correctly, but I seem to recall Bard's issues being more with mechanics/delivery when he was starting in the minors than it being to do with his repertoire.
And if part of it was due to repertoire.....he's seemed to do a good job improving/developing pitches other than his fastball since he's been in the majors.

As for the why - I think the above poster is correct.
There are gaping holes in both the rotation and the bullpen. They don't seem to have the money (or want) to pay a #3-4 guy like 10 million a year, so if Bard proves he can start, it could prove more valuable and they can pick up some relievers once the dust has settled.

I like the idea/move. Though I did see somebody mention Joba.....that would be my fear, that he ends up in that in-between purgatory and it negatively effects him. Hopefully he'll succeed in whatever role he winds up in.....they're going to need him.

Joba struggled because the Yankees implemented absurd rules regarding how much and how often he could pitch.

Bard has developed into a much better pitcher compared to when he came out of college. He was essentially just a thrower who could gun it in at 100, and he's finally been able to be successful with his off speed stuff. His change up still pushes 90, but when his FB is at 100, it's still able to keep hitters off balance

 

[D-Lite]

Maybe I'm not remembering things correctly, but I seem to recall Bard's issues being more with mechanics/delivery when he was starting in the minors than it being to do with his repertoire.
And if part of it was due to repertoire.....he's seemed to do a good job improving/developing pitches other than his fastball since he's been in the majors.

As for the why - I think the above poster is correct.
There are gaping holes in both the rotation and the bullpen. They don't seem to have the money (or want) to pay a #3-4 guy like 10 million a year, so if Bard proves he can start, it could prove more valuable and they can pick up some relievers once the dust has settled.

I like the idea/move. Though I did see somebody mention Joba.....that would be my fear, that he ends up in that in-between purgatory and it negatively effects him. Hopefully he'll succeed in whatever role he winds up in.....they're going to need him.

Joba struggled because the Yankees implemented absurd rules regarding how much and how often he could pitch.

Bard has developed into a much better pitcher compared to when he came out of college. He was essentially just a thrower who could gun it in at 100, and he's finally been able to be successful with his off speed stuff. His change up still pushes 90, but when his FB is at 100, it's still able to keep hitters off balance

Joba was screwed up between the rules and the roles. The guy should've been left in the rotation to figure it out. He was effective there in his first full season, but they were overly cautious.

With Bard, what happened during the season that caused him to implode in seemingly every appearance? Mechanics?