BY SCOTT LAUBERIf Charlie Manuel could have Pedro Martinez, circa 1999, he'd take him. Who wouldn't? Back then, Pedro was positively dominant, and at the height of his dominance, he threw 10 scoreless innings against the Indians in the AL Division Series. In the decisive Game 5, he even tossed four shutout innings of relief on only four days' rest.
"Back then," said Manuel, then the Indians' hitting coach, "he was throwing great against everybody."
A decade later, Martinez is out of work and a shell of his future Hall of Fame self. And although Ruben Amaro Jr. has changed his mind about Martinez's potential to help the Phillies (the nearly non-existent trade market probably has done more to change Amaro's mind), Manuel isn't so sure. With the Phillies set to dispatch special assistant Charley Kerfeld to the Dominican Republic to watch Martinez's workout Tuesday, Manuel doubts whether Martinez would qualify as an upgrade.
"He can give you five, six innings, probably," Manuel said today. "His fastball is going to be 86 to 90. He's still got a good changeup. He's got a good feel for pitching.
"When I talk about getting a starter, I think of a top-of-the-rotation guy. I'm talking about a [No.] 1 or 2, a guy who can take you seven, eight innings. When he goes out there to pitch, you've got a good chance at beating somebody that day. Five-inning pitchers, I think you can find those guys."
Count that as a vote against Pedro.
1 comment:
Not a fan either. There are two solid lefties at the top of the rotation in Seattle with Washburn and Bedard, and with the Gillick ties to that club still somewheat fresh, i'll bet they search there if Seattle decides to be a seller.
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