snowmanny said:
Against Boston in LA w/o the DH. Against the Yankees in YS3 with a joke of a lineup (only 3 hitters had an OPS over 700).
Chris Capuano Signed: Discussion Thread
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Against Boston in LA w/o the DH. Against the Yankees in YS3 with a joke of a lineup (only 3 hitters had an OPS over 700).
maufman said:
My comment had nothing to do with Capuanos salary. Just saying I don't expect his numbers in LA to translate all that well in the AL East and in Fenway. I mean, its not a bad signing for depth in case disaster strikes, but that's the only way he sees more than a handful of starts IMO. I think he is a definite downgrade from Dempster, but the savings allows them to spend more at the deadline if needed to fill any holes that develop. I would much rather some of the prospects get the starts if one or more of the starting 5 goes down for any significant time.
Here's what I wrote about Capuano when I drafted him in last year's SoSH Real Fantasy Draft. The info is a year old, but I can definitely see the logic in signing Capuano to be a long man with the upside of average-to-above average stretches of performance as a starting pitcher, because that's exactly the role I tabbed him for.
Hendu for Kutch said:The Blumpkin All-Stars select...
Chris Capuano, SP/RP
The name just drips mediocrity. Nobody has ever been excited by Chris Capuano, even Mrs. Capuano is just doing it out of obligation at this point. But you know what? The guy's actually pretty good.
Capuano had a decent start to his career, putting up 18 wins and leading the NL in Quality Starts in 2005, followed by an All-Star appearance in 2006. He had a mediocre 2007 that ended in Tommy John surgery that he had problems coming back from. Basically, he missed the better parts of 2 1/2 seasons.
Since he came back though, he's been sneaky good. He's got a 3.84 xFIP, which is just a touch under his ERA over that time. He puts up good K numbers while putting up excellent BB numbers. And he's been durable, making 31 and 33 starts the past two seasons, so his injury history doesn't concern me.
He fits my team well because he gives me the flexibility of having a good lefty starter and either moving Cashner back into a dominant pen spot, or as general injury insurance. He also has experience out of the bullpen, pitching there for a chunk of the 2010 season with the Brewers. So I could end up making him my long man. Either way, I'm happy to have a flexy-lefty who puts up solid numbers at this point in the draft.
judyb said:
Well, yeah, but Burke Badenhop is probably the better pitcher of the two, so that doesn't really prove your point.
I think this move only makes sense if we're using Capuano as a #2 LOOGY, which seems like a roster luxury, except that with Miller's track record it's probably a necessity. In this case, it's a #2 LOOGY who also doubles as the #6 or #7 starter, though you really only want him to start against weak opposition on the road. I do not want to see him pitching to righthanded hitters at Fenway on anything approaching a regular basis; that way madness lies.
My point was that they're paying him like a middle reliever who isn't free agent eligible yet to add some depth in potentially all 3 of spot starter, long reliever, and loogy, and that's a decent enough deal that I don't get the point of worrying about what happens even if he ends up being useless at all 3 of them.
judyb said:
Got it. That makes sense. There's a non-trivial chance he won't even earn $2.25M, but also a pretty good chance he will, and since it's not a lot of money either way, why worry about it? He's a reliable veteran who'll fill a (hopefully) minor but useful role. He replaces Morales, basically.
I thought you were saying "how can people say he's overpaid when he's only making a little more than Badenhop and he's way better?"
I have no real issue with this signing and there can be no doubt that Capuano at 3-5m certianly beats Dempster at 13.
That said, it does seem like somewhat strange insurance to purchase, given the surplus of young starters stacked up in AAA and Drake Britton appearing to be ready to step up if Miller isn't back. I certainly hope that we dont give to Capuano too many innings that otherwise could go to Workman or Britton for instance
That said, it does seem like somewhat strange insurance to purchase, given the surplus of young starters stacked up in AAA and Drake Britton appearing to be ready to step up if Miller isn't back. I certainly hope that we dont give to Capuano too many innings that otherwise could go to Workman or Britton for instance
One of the AAA gang is likelybetter than Capuano right now, but I'd rather have a rotation of five Capuanos than a Webster/Workman/Barnes/RDLR/Britto rotation. (Substitute Ranaudo, Owens, Wright, or whoever for one or more of those if you like; it doesn't change the point.)KillerBs said:
If the FO thought they knew which one of the kids was ready to step up, they probably would have passed on Capuano. But I don't think they know -- having enviable pitching depth on the farm doesn't necessarily translate to having one young guy who can reliably generate positive WAR on demand.
Bringing in Capuano buys time for the minor-league pitching to sort itself out. If someone steps up, he won't wait long for a big-league opportunity -- more than six guys will get starts for the Sox this season, and Capuano himself is hardly a good bet to stay healthy.
maufman said:
The $2.25-$5 million they will spend for Capuano will also delay the service time for whoever from among their pitching prospects will prove that they belong in the ML this year. This seems like little enough to pay to prolong their ability to cost control their young pitchers. As much as possible, I expect that management will follow the pattern now being pursued by the Braves to lock up their best young players for as long as possible during their prime years of production. Whoever emerges from among their youngsters will form the core (along with Pedroia) for the next seriously contending Sox team. If, like last year, everything breaks exactly right (all the youngsters exceed expectations), the Sox will again be the team to beat as soon as this season.
Seems like Capuano provides better flexibility than one of the AAA pitchers, too. If he can be a reliever most of the time who can also pitch 4-5 innings of a spot start when someone has to skip a start (but isn't hurt enough to go on the DL), then you avoid having to make roster moves. And most of the time you have a decent reliever, which you can't do with one of the youngsters without worrying about their overall development. If someone is out for an extended period, you can still bring up a Workman and give him a few starts, and leave Capuano in the same role.
#55 in your programs:
Between him and Andrew Miller, the Sox might find a lefty reliever with normal trouser length.
Between him and Andrew Miller, the Sox might find a lefty reliever with normal trouser length.