Ollie's like a box of chocolates . . . continued

I turn on the Mets pre-game and I see Kevin Burkhardt talking about good ol' Ollie and what the Mets decided to do. Well, turns out he's gonna be a left-handed specialist . . . .

As calmly and kindly as I can say this, WHAT THE $%&*#$%)*# ARE THE METS THINKING?!?!? That's not gonna work!! How can you put him in the bullpen at all? I understand the argument that you can't have him be the long man because you really don't know how often he will get action in that spot. But keeping him up as a specialist, while possibly building confidence on a batter-to-batter situation, will not help in building his confidence as a starter. And you can't argue "well, he can throw for 2 innings in the bullpen, come in get a batter or two, then go back to the bullpen and throw another 2 innings." He needs in-game pitching to fix whatever is wrong. And I believe that until he gets sent down to the minors, the odds aren't good that he'll be a successful starter. At least for this year.

Ollie's like a box of chocolates

Another start by Oliver Perez, another game where the bullpen has to clean up his mess. And for the most part, they did their job. But this is just another outing that makes me question why we re-signed Perez to a 3-year, $36M contract. Something has gotta be done to fix this. I don't want to give up on the 27 year old kid, he's shown signs of brilliance. But his consistent inconsistency makes him like a box of chocolates. Every 5 days, you never know what you're gonna get. Some have suggested that he be sent down to the minors. But he would have to accept such an assignment. I hope he agrees to it. Whatever is wrong with him (mechanics, mental stability, etc.) could be corrected. And this wouldn't be the first time something like this has been done.

Roy Halladay is one example. After having a decent year in 1999, he was sent down to the minors in 2000 (4-7, 10.64 ERA), eventually to Single-A to work on his mechanics and his mental approach to pitching. He spent the first half of the 2001 season in the minors as well. But since the 2002 season, he's had a 118-50 record, a 3.20 ERA, a 5-time All-Star, and a Cy Young award winner in 2003.

Another example is Steve Trachsel. Yes, he's mostly remembered for making the flow of molasses seem quick. But he was sent down for 3 starts in May 2001. Before his demotion, he was 1-7 with a 8.24 ERA. When he was called back up, he posted a 10-7 record with a 3.35 ERA.

A final example, which is currently in progress, is Dontrelle Willis. He was the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year and was second in the Cy Young Voting in 2005. But something went wrong somewhere and he was traded to the Tigers before the beginning of last season. Unfortunately, a change of scenery wasn't a solution for him. It wasn't. At the beginning of this season, he was placed on the DL for an anxiety disorder. He's made 3 rehab starts since and seems to have shown progress.

Ollie, if an assignment is offered to you to the minors, pleeeeeease accept it!! It's a win-win situation, for both you and the team!!