Jason Motte and Mitchell Boggs are two homegrown prospects.
The St. Louis Cardinals farmhands are the only hard throwing relievers the organization has developed in multiple years.
Both can pump fastballs in the mid to upper 90's. Boggs regularly hits 98 mph while Motte has hit triple digits on multiple occasions.
Despite all the heat these two young relievers bring to the hill, manager Tony La Russa told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the duo would be better off cooling it down a little bit.
"It's pitching. It's not throwing. It's hitting, not swinging," La Russa said. "They need to make pitches. You can't throw the ball hard enough to get it by these guys if you're throwing the ball over the middle of the plate or you're throwing the ball with a 2-0 or 2-1 count and they know what's coming. There's nobody out there - I don't care who it is - who can pitch like that."
La Russa may be right. He does have valid points. Anybody can hit 99 mph if it is straight and right down the center of the plate.
But why mess with two young pitchers that make up the core of your bullpen? Two pitchers that figure to be the strength of a bullpen that has been weakened by departure of Kyle McClellan to the starting rotation?
And both right-handers were good in 2010, Motte especially.
Motte appeared in 56 games in 2010, posting a 2.24 ERA and striking out 54 hitters in 52.1 innings.
Meanwhile, Boggs appeared in 61 games in 2010, second most on the team. His numbers were not quite so good with a 3.61 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.
Messing with these two flamethrowers seems to be risky and once again is another example of the manager imposing his will on young players.
But I think the manager is smart enough to know he will have to lean on these homegrown pitchers.
At least I hope he is.
Sources:
The St. Louis Cardinals farmhands are the only hard throwing relievers the organization has developed in multiple years.
Both can pump fastballs in the mid to upper 90's. Boggs regularly hits 98 mph while Motte has hit triple digits on multiple occasions.
Despite all the heat these two young relievers bring to the hill, manager Tony La Russa told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the duo would be better off cooling it down a little bit.
"It's pitching. It's not throwing. It's hitting, not swinging," La Russa said. "They need to make pitches. You can't throw the ball hard enough to get it by these guys if you're throwing the ball over the middle of the plate or you're throwing the ball with a 2-0 or 2-1 count and they know what's coming. There's nobody out there - I don't care who it is - who can pitch like that."
La Russa may be right. He does have valid points. Anybody can hit 99 mph if it is straight and right down the center of the plate.
But why mess with two young pitchers that make up the core of your bullpen? Two pitchers that figure to be the strength of a bullpen that has been weakened by departure of Kyle McClellan to the starting rotation?
And both right-handers were good in 2010, Motte especially.
Motte appeared in 56 games in 2010, posting a 2.24 ERA and striking out 54 hitters in 52.1 innings.
Meanwhile, Boggs appeared in 61 games in 2010, second most on the team. His numbers were not quite so good with a 3.61 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.
Messing with these two flamethrowers seems to be risky and once again is another example of the manager imposing his will on young players.
But I think the manager is smart enough to know he will have to lean on these homegrown pitchers.
At least I hope he is.
Sources:
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