It's time for the Reds to have a knuckleballer

by jmcclain19 on Jun 23, 2005 4:55 AM EDT

And I have just the one in mind.

He's actually in the organization, pitching well, and has put up quite a season to date.

Knuckleballers, as the weather heats up, benefit from the humidity and hot weather like no other type of hurler.

Jason LaRue may not be thrilled - but it's time for the Reds to promote from AAA Jared Fernandez.

Here's his stats, start by start

4/8 - 6.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 3BB, 4K, 1HR
4/12 - 8.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 4BB, 5K, 1HR
4/17 - 6.2IP, 8H, 3ER, 1BB, 5K, 2HR
4/22 - 7.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 1BB, 4K, 0HR
4/26 - 5.1IP, 12H, 6ER, 4BB, 2K, 0HR
5/3 - 5.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 2BB, 4K, 1HR
5/29 - 6.2IP, 3H, 0ER, 2BB, 2K, 0HR
6/3 - 5.2IP, 7H, 3ER, 2BB, 2K, 0HR
6/9 - 7.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 3BB, 5K, 0HR
6/19 - 7.2IP, 7H, 3ER, 1BB, 7K, 0HR

That's 10 starts, six of them the "quality" type.

On the season that's good for

65.0IP, 60H, 28ER, 23BB, 40K, 1.28WHIP, 3.88 ERA, 8.31 H/9, 3.18 BB/9, 5.54 K/9.

All numbers you like to see from a potential MLB starter/reliever.

Think he could do much better than Milton, Ortiz et al?

I certainly do.

Jared is on the hill tonight (Thursday) against Charlotte.

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Comments

LaRue

ANd we think his passed ball count is high now? But, having a guy who can pitch deep into a game wouldn't be a bad thing.

Where is Mario Soto when you need him?

by Caleb on Jun 23, 2005 7:50 AM EDT reply actions

High passed ball count

I'm all for trying new pitchers. Couldn't be worse than Milton and/or Ortiz, right? Also, I love knuckleball pitchers. They bring an extra element of fun and risk to a game.

But before I would support it, I would want to know:

Is LaRue's passed ball count mostly his fault, or mostly the pitchers' fault? Has LaRue ever caught a knuckleballer before? What about Valentin? Sardinha? Freel? (j/k)

If the Reds don't have a knuckleball catcher like Wakefield's Mirabelli, then a knuckleballer could be worse than Milton and/or Ortiz.

We saw in the 2004 ALCS what happens when a knuckleballer throws to a catcher who hasn't caught knuckleballers much before (Wakefield to Varitek in 2 innings of very shaky relief, IIRC).

I think Uecker said once, "The best way to catch a knuckleball was to wait until it stopped rolling and then pick it up."

"Players have two things to do. Play and keep their mouths shut." -Sparky Anderson

by boohiss on Jun 23, 2005 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions

He has caught Fernandez before. He was up with the Reds two years ago. He left, and came back this year. LaRue was not very good with him though. He struggled a lot. I don't know about Valintine. I would think that they'd be able to work together because, well, what else does a back up catcher do. It would benifit Valitine because the Reds would have more of a reason to keep him if Fernandez pitches well.

by Tyler on Jun 23, 2005 10:05 AM EDT reply actions

LaRue

I remember Jason had like 4 passed balls in a game with Jared pitching two years ago. I think Corky was up at the time and caught him most of the time in 03 since he always caught in AAA. I think Valentin would probably have a better chance at keeping it in front of him. I wouldn't mind seeing Jared back up here, I agree that if your going to have a 7.0 era pitcher, he might as well be fun to watch.

by snohio on Jun 23, 2005 11:23 AM EDT reply actions

4 in a game?

Wasn't it more like 4 in an inning?

Brian B

by Brian B on Jun 23, 2005 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

4 in a game

Now that you mention it, I think it was, although Fernandez may have come out of the bullpen in relief so he probably only threw an inning or two. I'm sure that scorecard is out there somewhere..

by snohio on Jun 23, 2005 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions