Tonight, I'm taking a break from the heavy lifting, since a couple other guys have written some things to chew on. First off...
Nick SwisherMark Gonzalez gives us an update on Nick Swisher before he's introduced as a member of the White Sox at SoxFest this weekend. The thing that sticks out to me: The guy seems to say all the right things. Look:
- "They need more pictures of me in a Sox uniform."
- "I'm still learning the game and hopefully can learn more from [Sox veterans]."
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"I've already cut my hair short. I'm trying to make a good impression."
On top of that, he says he curtailed his nightlife habits (a veiled reference to Brian Anderson, perhaps?), and learned a ton from Frank Thomas during his one stint with the A's in 2006. Maybe Thomas could have learned from Swisher how to work the media a little better.
This could also be the birth of a new phrase in the grinder lexicon -- a "baseball rat." Swisher was also called a "gamer," which we have heard before, but not with "effervescent" preceding it.
Ehren WassermannI haven't come close to examining Wassermann's 2007 season -- Orlando Cabrera's preview is up next, whereas Wassermann will be near Opening Day unless his role is solidified earlier.
Baseball Prospectus' Rany Jazayerli took a nice look at the sidewinding righty, taking special note of his usage:
More importantly, in just half a season Wassermann may have taken the
evolution of the modern bullpen forward another step. We’ve had
LOOGYs—Left-handed One Out GuYs—for years. Under Ozzie Guillen’s care, Wassermann may have been the game’s first true ROOGY.
For one, he made 33 appearances for the White Sox, but threw just 23
innings and faced just 94 batters. No right-handed pitcher had ever
made 30 or more appearances and faced fewer than 100 batters.
The extreme difference in his splits were the reason, he points out:
- vs. RHP: .174/.227/.203
- vs. LHP: .533/.632/.733
Of course, the sample size is only 15 at-bats, so there isn't much reason to think that Wassermann could at least hold right-handed hitters to a sub-.500 average this time around.
On the other hand, it could stand to reason that Wassermann would face fewer lefties in 2008 -- or at least see them less frequently, since his raw total in 2007 only represents a half-season of work. I can see it both ways:
Ozzie had such a quick hook on Wassermann because the Sox played so many close games last year. Either the offense provided razor-thin margins, or the bullpen had erased a solid cushion and Guillen was just trying to hang the heck on.
If Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and Josh Fields see mild improvements and the upgrades represented by Swisher and Carlos Quentin materialize, there may be more situations where Ozzie lets Wassermann try for a 1-2-3 (or -4-5-6), say with a six-run lead in the ninth inning. There weren't many of those last season.
Then again, there are at least four right-handed relievers in front of Wassermann -- Bobby Jenks, Scott Linebrink, Octavio Dotel and Mike MacDougal. Jenks is Jenks, Linebrink is used to working full innings, and neither Dotel nor MacDougal have historically experienced significant splits.
That means Wassermann's role could be severely specialized to the point that he'll only be needed if Sox need a grounder from a right-handed hitter the opposing manager won't pinch-hit for. Given how hyperactively Ozzie managed the bullpen last year, that could be a dream come true.