AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 23
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Spell relief “REMLINGER”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When the Braves signed aging lefty Mike Remlinger, I’ve got to admit I didn’t think he could do much to help their questionable bullpen.
But after watching him throw batting practice a couple of times down here at spring training, I’m thinking the old man — old being relative term, of course — has got enough left to help out. Provided he can stay healthy, Remlinger could help not just with experience and leadership in a young pen, but with his versatility.
He was a fastball/changeup guy in his previous stint with the Braves from 1999-2002, and that changeup made him more effective against righty hitters than lefties. But now, with his velocity down a bit after arm problems and surgery in recent years, Remlinger’s added a sharp breaking ball that buckled the knees of some good hitters Thursday, fooling Andruw Jones among others.
He could be a solid complement in a bullpen that has a lot of potential, but little in the way of proven veterans.
Chris Reitsma has done the most of the bunch and is the favorite for the closer role, but the Braves are going to let a few others compete for that job this spring: Oscar Villarreal, Blaine Boyer, Joey Devine and Anthony Lerew all will get some consideration, and if one steps ahead of the others this spring, he could leave Florida with the closer job.
I’d still bet on Reitsma hanging onto it, but the more conversations I have with team officials, the more it sounds like the Braves are serious about letting those other guys compete for the closer job.
Whatever happens, they all figure to compete for jobs in a bullpen that could also include other good young arms like Lance Cormier and will certainly include young lefty Macay McBride, whose future looks bright. Some believe McBride also has closer potential, but that’s probably down the line. For now, he looks like a solid lefty setup man. Lefty John Foster’s also back, which is good news if he pitches like he did early on last season, but bad if he pitches like he did later.
It’s tough to get a feel for where this bullpen’s headed. I really think it has the potential to be quite good or very bad, or anywhere between, depending upon the health of several guys including Boyer, who will probably throw off a mound next week for the first time since his shoulder inflammation knocked him out of the postseason.
The closer job obviously is the biggest question, but the Braves feel confident one or more of those guys will come to the fore and handle it. If not, they will try to make a move, but that wouldn’t come until midseason, I’d imagine, after they’ve given the guys they have time to prove themselves.
As for Remlinger, he’ll be 40 in March, and the Cubs and Red Sox gave up on him last year, he was so ineffective. But Remlinger said his arm felt rejuvenated after four months of rest, and that’s why he called the Braves to see if they were interested. They figured what the hell, it’s a low-risk proposition with potentially solid returns.
Remlinger was a Brave from 1999 through 2002, the year he posted a 1.99 ERA and .198 opponents’ average in 73 games for a historically dominant bullpen (Smoltz, Hammond, Holmes, Remlinger were the big guns, with help from Ligtenberg, young Spooneybarger and a few others).
Remlinger parlayed that into a three-year, $10.65 million deal with Chicago, where his strikeouts fell and ERA nearly doubled in 2003. He worked more than 70 games for five consecutive seasons before shoulder surgery in October 2003.
On another note, the weather’s been spectacular so far, but rain is headed in for the weekend. I think it’s been 80 or higher and sunny every day but one in the first 10 days down here. So perfect night and day; haven’t even needed to run the air conditioner or heater at the rented house, just windows open all the time.
Oh, and thought I’d let you know, Brian Jordan is driving the world’s largest pickup truck. It’s gotta be the largest. The thing is absurd. The cab literally sits higher than the cab of a semi, and you have to step up a retractable ladder to get in. He insists it got 10 miles a gallon on the drive down from Atlanta, adding “Better than my Hummer.”
For Jordan fans, he’s surprised Cox, I think, by how well he looks running and hitting. But Bobby said he probably won’t play him in the first few Grapefruit League games, because he wants to be careful with him coming off offseaon knee surgery. I think Jordan’s got a chance to make it as a backup outfielder, but I don’t know if it’s a good chance. There’s not room for him, Kelly Johnson and Matt Diaz all to make the team, and maybe for only one of them, especially if James Jurries makes it as a first baseman and backup corner outfielder.
But those are questions that won’t begin to be decided for at least a couple more weeks.
