Kenshin Kawakami: Time to Pull the Plug

Written by Colin on June 16, 2010 – 10:03 am

Kenshin Kawakami started last night. He went 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (only 2 of them earned, thanks to a plethora of errors), and landed his ninth loss of the season. Yes, that’s right, we have an 0-9 pitcher still in our starting rotation. Which I’m OK with, because Jair Jurrjens is still going through rehab. But let’s be honest, it’s time to pull the plug on Kawakami’s time in the rotation.

Once Jurrjens returns, he gets his starting rotation slot back. That’s not negotiable. But then who goes to the ‘pen and who stays in the rotation? Chris Resop helped matters by going 2 innings last night and giving up 5 earned runs. There’s no doubt HE isn’t our fifth starter. So does Medlen go back from whence he came or does Kawakami get the boot? Let’s look at some stats stripped of their owner.

  ERA WHIP K/9IP BB/9IP RS/GS GS QS QS% BA Against OBP Against
Pitcher 1 3.23 1.141 6.5 1.5 4.8 7 4 57% .267 .298
Pitcher 2 4.42 1.418 6.1 3.1 3.1 13 6 46% .276 .330

 

Pitcher 2 has gotten a little bit unlucky with run support, yes. But overall, Pitcher 1 is better across the board. Any of us would pick Pitcher 1 (who I’m sure you’ve figured out is Kris Medlen) over Pitcher 2. And Medlen is in his stride – he was absolutely dominant against the Twins in his last start. Medlen’s K/BB ratio (not included above) is 4.40, and Kawakami’s is 2.00. The bottom line is that Medlen is a better pitcher, more solid, and even though Kawakami has been unlucky, just a better pitcher. Medlen deserves the fifth starter slot. Period.

I’ve made the argument that we should be patient with Kawakami because we want to be able to sign other Japanese players, but I think we’ve been patient enough. It’s time to go with the best option we’ve got, and that’s not Kenshin, for all his effort.


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Posted in Pitching, Roster Moves | 29 Comments »

State of the Rotation

Written by Akshay on January 16, 2009 – 12:47 am

With just a few weeks left until the beginning of the 2009 spring training season, the Braves still have a few questions that need to be answered. The rotation is pretty much set (unless something crazy and unexpected happens in the next couple of weeks) and seven out of the eight fielding spots are set. We signed a back-up catcher in David Ross, who, with a .222 career batting average, is a huge upgrade over the backup catchers we’ve had the past few seasons.

Other signings obviously include Derek Lowe (Starting Pitcher), Kenshin Kawakami (SP), Omar Infante (2-year deal, IF util) and Greg Norton (PH). Omar Infante’s signing is very important because it gives us a legit utility guy that can play all eight positions and could probably pitch if you asked him to (….maybe not). Greg Norton gives us a great late game hitting threat and a guy that can play the outfield and first base in a spot start situation…he could probably pitch too…

Finally the signing of Derek Lowe, while ridiculous and criticized by many, gives us a light in one of the darkest off-seasons we have had. Lowe may not be the savior we were looking for in Jake Peavy, but there’s one major difference between the two: Lowe wants to be here. Yes, he is making 60 million over the next four years, but with the same money Peavy would not have been willing to be “the guy” and really did not want to be here even with the same money. Plus, I am of the mind that Peavy would have been more of a Mike Hampton than Lowe is with his elbow troubles. Lowe has pitched at least 30 times every year since his first year as a starter in 2002.

So with the rotation looking like it is, the Braves may have one of the better rotations in the league, far better than last year’s potential rotation of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Tim Hudson, Mike Hampton and Jair Jurrjens. This year’s looks like: Lowe, Kawakami, Javier Vazquez, Jurrjens and a slew of young talent headed by Morton, Reyes, Campillo and Hanson at the five spot.

Here’s the thing though, last season the Braves went into the season unsure about a lot on their pitching staff: Will Smoltz’s shoulder hold up throughout the season? Will Hampton actually throw an official pitch? Will Glavine have anything left after the meltdown in New York the prior season? Obviously the answer to the first question was no. Mike Hampton did throw a pitch, but too little too late. And Glavine barely made it into the summer before he landed on the DL for the first time for a pitching-related injury when he tore the flexor tendon in his left elbow. Tim Hudson, the most durable of the bunch, was not willing to disappoint the Braves by breaking the string of injuries to starting pitchers (seriously guys, I’m pretty sure ALL of the starters we used last year got hurt in some capacity, Smoltz, Glavine and Hampton are obvious, Jeff Bennett was out, Chuck James was shut down early as well and Jurrjens had that freak injury falling down the dugout steps in Chicago).

Should the Braves have the benefit of making the postseason this year, they will have one of the most dominant three or four man rotations with Lowe, Hudson, Jurrjens and Kawakami/Vazquez.

Here’s a numbers breakdown of the starters with respect to last season and their careers:

• Derek Lowe – 2008 – 34 starts, 14-11, 211 IP, 3.24 ERA, 147 Ks, Career – 255 starts, 533 appearances, 126-107, 85 saves, 1275 Ks, 3.75 ERA

• Kenshin Kawakami – spent 10 seasons in Japan, seven of which he pitched over 160 innings – 2008 – 16 starts, 20 appearances, 9-5, 117 IP, 2.30 ERA, 112 Ks, Career – 231 games, 106-62, 1201 Ks, 3.17 ERA

• Javier Vazquez – 2008 – 33 starts, 12-16, 208 IP, 4.67 ERA, 200 Ks, Career – 353 starts, 127-129, 2015 Ks, 4.32 ERA

• Jair Jurrjens – 2008 – 31 starts, 13-10, 188 IP, 3.68 ERA, 152 Ks.


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