Mike MacDougal is
the 19th member of the White Sox to be previewed for the 2008 season, but why stop talking about him there?
I almost used the words "roller coaster" to describe MacDougal's 2008 season, but usually that implies some thrills to go with the chills. This is about the only roller coaster that accurately replicates The Mike MacDougal Experience last year:
"We're doing all we can, but the casualties continue to mount. We're losing people to heart failure, spinal injuries, even drowning. It's been a real soul-shattering experience."MacDougal actually played the role of hero
in today's 8-8 tie against the Cubs, forcing the hot-hitting Micah Hoffpaiur and his .408 spring average to bounce into a double play with the potential game-winning run in scoring position in the ninth inning.
It marked the sixth straight scoreless outing for the spring, but on the other hand, it also marked the fourth straight outing in which MacDougal walked a batter.
It's hard to come to a conclusion about the walks right now, because the one he issued to Derrek Lee today likely was unintentionally intentional. He got behind 3-1 on Lee with four straight breaking balls down and away before missing with a fastball for ball four, also low and away. He followed up with a grounder on the first pitch that resulted in the 4-6-3 twin killing.
Still, he has five walks in 6 2/3 innings, though, and that's not going to cut it starting March 31 -- especially since he's going to be pitching the sixth inning and other low-leverage situations, when there are rarely any "good" walks.
The good news is that since his disastrous first two outings, he hasn't allowed a ball to leave the yard. MacDougal's one saving grace right now is that he doesn't allow many homers, and he can't afford to lose that ability now.
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Speaking of the bullpen, both
Joe Cowley and
Mark Gonzalez have given Ehren Wassermann a slight edge over Nick Masset for the last spot, based on this Ozzie Guillen quote:
"I think the [last] guy should be my best guy," Guillen said. "Why have
a long man when he's [messed] up? I would rather have one guy pitch one
good inning than a guy that gets beat up for three."
One, that's a refreshingly honest appraisal of Masset's ability -- especially if I've figured out what Ozzie said in place of [messed]. Two, the numbers back up the assertion of all three:
- Wassermann: 10 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, .587 OPS allowed
- Masset: 16.1 IP, 23 H, 12 ER, 5 BB, 8 K, 868 OPS allowed
Guillen is expected to give Wassermann the task of working multiple innings in the final week of spring, in the event that the starting pitcher fails to make it through the fourth or fifth inning when the regular season starts.
I still think Wassermann will have to pass this test with flying colors in order to get the nod, because I can't imagine Kenny Williams putting Masset on waivers until he absolutely has no choice. Even if there's a good chance Masset would clear them.
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While Ozzie manages pitchers better than hitters,
this illustrates why I'm not seeing him start the season without a long reliever right now:
Moving Owens does not stand as the only lineup change Guillen could
make, judging by the manager's comments made prior to Saturday's game
with the Cubs. Jim Thome, a fixture hitting third since joining the
White Sox, could move down in the order against certain left-handers
after producing a .196 average when facing southpaws last year.
Nick Swisher would move up to hitting third, in this instance,
with Guillen's desire to use Swisher's on-base potential to keep
runners on base in front of the big hitters. It's an idea that still
remained in its formative stages.
"I like to bat Thome low when we got lefties, but we got to
respect the man," said Guillen of his lineup. "The man is a Hall of
Famer for a reason. It's something I'm not going to grab a hat and do
it.
The Sox have had issues with the top of their order against left-handed pitching since
the first half of 2006, and only now are they beginning to address it. That's almost two full years after the problem reared its ugly head.
The same deference towards tradition that makes him an outstanding handler of pitchers hinders him when it comes to lineups and roster construction. He likes his starters to get wins and rides the hot hand in the bullpen (except in 2007, when he only had one reliever).
But we're seeing the shortcomings with the lineup. He flirted with the idea of batting Nick Swisher leadoff, but now he's hitting behind the Sox's biggest bats and slotting him higher in the order is now regarded as a radical idea.
And then there's the issue of Thome, who, barring some kind of incredible reversal, should probably be
sitting against most southpaws. No matter how you slice it,
.196/.314/.350 is awful, and it's worse when 1) it's coming from the middle of the order, and 2) it's the continuation of trend.
It's only human nature to give preferential treatment to those who have paid their dues and produced in the past, but if Guillen and Williams are truly serious about how much 2007 embarrassed them, they'll need to handle the left-handed pitching situation far more aggressively. That goes beyond dropping Thome down a couple slots, but giving Josh Fields Thome's at-bats (when he's on the team, that is) and using Juan Uribe and Pablo Ozuna, both better hitters against lefties than Thome, more creatively instead.
I'm sure it'll be a tough talk, but if Thome's as nice a guy as everybody says he is, this is one he should take for the team. Whether or not Ozzie will have the talk that soon is another issue, because it seems as though he'd be more concerned about going against the book than upsetting Thome.
That's why I'm thinking Wassermann will have to pass his test in near-flawless fashion in order to wrestle the last bullpen spot away from Masset. Conventional wisdom suggests a team with three question marks in the rotation needs a guy whose bread and butter is working multiple innings, and that's what Masset offers, though the bread is moldy and the butter is past its expiration date as well.