1. Who is the better Twins relieving prospect Rob Delaney or Anthony Slama.
- Argument for Rob Delaney: Rob Delaney is one of best pitching prospects in the whole Twins organization. At age 24 Delaney can boast a very good minor league track record. In 2007 he set a Beloit record with 28 saves. He was the Milb relief pitcher of the year in 2007. 2008 Florida State League all star. In 3 full seasons he has compiled a 8-7 record with a 1.96 era. Along with 55 career saves. He has a low 90's fastball and good offspeed pitches to keep the hitters off balance. He has everything needed to be a very good relief pitcher for the Twins
- Argument for Anthony Slama: Anthony Slama has been absolutly dominate in his short Twins career. At 25 he is a little older than I would like for someone at AA but he has dominated every league he has been in. In 95 career games he is 8-2 with a awesome 1.31 career era. Along with that he has 46 saves in his career. What sets him apart from most pitchers is his strikeout totals he has struck out 192 batters in 123.2 innings. His only red flag is he has also walked 46 batters, which is a concern for a relief pitcher in the lower leagues.
- My take: Really there is no wrong answer for these two because I believe next season both will be with the Twins. I am a little higher on Slama because of his strikeout totals. When I am looking at a reliever I am looking for someone who can get a big strikeout to get out of an inning. Delaney is also very good but he can't get that big strikeout. Many will argue the walks well the more innings he has gotten the less walks he has committed and I expect that to continue. He throws harder than Delaney with more movement and his strikeout totals tip the scales in my opinion to Anthony Slama.
Your Take: You can give me your take either by emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave a comment in the box below. I really want some feedback on this because this is something we all have an opinion on and want to find a winner. I will keep the polls open until Monday at 5pm so let me know.
9 comments:
Slama's strikeouts are very impressive, no question. But Delaney has over a strikeout an inning throughout his minor league career too. he also has nearly seven strikeouts for every way. Slama's strikeout to walk is about 4-1, which as you said, isn't too bad for a guy with those kind of K numbers. You're right, you could flip a coin. I think people see Slama's upside as higher, but he is also a little older. I think both will be solid big leaguers.
For the sake of discussion... should any other relievers be in the "best reliever in the Twins minor league system" discussion? Morillo perhaps? Mijares, if he's still considered a rookie by your accounts?
Other names of note could be Spencer Steedley, Blair Erickson and Joe Testa. Good stuff, Travis. this should be a fun series!
I think Morillo has the highest ceiling because when you can throw 100 you have an edge. Erickson and Testa are decent prospects but i would not put them in the class of Slama and Delaney. Spencer Steedley I have very high hopes for I think him and Mijares could form a very good 1-2 punch from the left side in a couple of years. So yeah I look for Delaney, Slama, Mijares, Morillo, and Steedley to form a good portion of the bullpen for many years. Add in Joe Nathan, Pat Neshek you have a very good bullpen.
i watched Delany and Slama in person last night. For that game while both looked great. Slama seems to throw a little harder. The gun read them both topping at 93-94 but Slama's pitches seemed a little more dominant.
-Shawn in Binghamton
Great analysis, Travis. I agree with your list there, but you probably got to add a couple of dark horses to the relief mix: Mike McCardell. I know he has been a starter, but his stuff (and lack of stamina due to arm injuries) project him as a reliever. He is at Ft. the age Slama was at Ft. Myers, so that's not that out of place for the Twins' organization. The second is Alex Burnett another starter turned reliever with phenomenal results after the switch. He is 21 in Ft. Myers and dominant. I would not be surprised if he moves up to NB, when Delaney and Slama move to Rochester later in the season
I really like Mccardell too, but I view him more as a starter prospect because he has pitched into the 7th inning a few times and I think thats where he is best suited. Burnett I really can't figure out why he is in the bullpen because he had a good year last year as a starter. I would of moved Guerra to AA to start the season where he could either sink or swim.
Sorry to not talk about baseball, but your blog would be a lot easier to read if you decreased your font size and didn't have it bolded.
thanks for the advice i will do that thanks
Delaney averages 1 HR every 19 IP. Pretty good. Slama averages 1 HR every 70 IP. Phenomenal! That more than makes up for the higher walk rate.
I totally agree because a relief pitcher can't survive if they are constantly giving up homeruns. Delaney is very good at not giving up homeruns but Slama is excellent and that is a major difference between the two. I really think they are very similiar it probably is more a preference and my preference is Slama. I am sure many other people prefer Delaney and that is fine you can't go wrong with either one
Post a Comment