As everybody knows, the Yankees have signed seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens to a one-year $28 million contract.
Here’s what I don’t get: they’ve got him scheduled to pitch 2 or 3 games for minor league teams before reporting back to the majors! What’s the point of this?
The Astros apparently did the same thing last year with him.
It’s just weird to me. I can’t think of any other sport in which you would send an expensive star player off to another league for a few weeks.
When you’re throwing by yourself in the bullpen, I’m pretty sure you’re just throwing and that’s it. You’re not getting game experience - facing different hitters, pitching in different count and situations, that kind of thing. And besides, he hasn’t pitched in months. You wouldn’t want to throw him back in there against major league hitters.
Um… someone has to start those games for the Yankees. You want a guy who might be a little on the low end of Major Leaguers, or a guy who hasn’t pitched competitively in nearly a year? Once he comes to the team, he’s taking a spot in the roster for good.
Clemens didn’t get spring training to get his groove back. Minor league starts are common for major leaguers coming off long stints on the DL.
Bullpen sessions, or side sessions, are used to keep sharp between starts. Starting pitchers typically have very strict schedules. Start a game, take a day off, pitch a side session, ride a bike, day off, start a game, etc.
The majors have a roster limit of 25 players. So if they reactivate Clemens before he is ready, the Yankees lose a roster spot because they have to get rid of somebody who could be actually useful to them in a game. If Clemens pitches in the minors he can get real game experience and the Yankees have insurance if they need to go deep into the pitching staff.
Same thing for players who are disabled. Those on the 60-day disabled list (not the 15-day list) are not counted against the roster limit. So they can go to the minors and get in some practice first and only take up a spot on the squad when they are fully ready to play.
I think I can pretty precisely pin down the “minors rehabilitation starts” strategy. [While Clemens isn’t or wasn’t injured he is basically on his version of spring training, so same thing in the end analysis.] In 1985 the Cubs lost reigning Cy Young award winner Rick Sutcliffe for a spell, and when he got healthy enough to pitch again they promptly stuck him back in their rotation. He then proceeded to get injured again and put back on the DL. I don’t think the Cubs invented the rehab concept but someone around that time noticed what happened to the Cubs that year and from then on it was normal policy to give an injured hurler some time in the minors before he came back to the Show.
Marley has it. You don’t go from nothing to major league batters directly, you work your way up to it. Even a 20+ year veteren needs to get his arm in shape, get used to an umpire calling balls and strikes, and get back in the rhythm of setting batters up to get outs. There is also much less pressure in the minors, so the pitcher is able to practice his pitches in a game situation without worrying so much about the consequences, so he can be a little more loose and free with what he throws.
You also don’t go from 0 to 100+ pitches a game. Starting a few games in the minors lets you have a short pitch count without significant consequences.
Better to have a guy who can give you a shot at 6-7 innings than a guy you are planning ahead of time to pull in the 3rd.
Actually, strangely enough, it probably will not help much. The Tampa, Trenton and Scranton games are usually near capacity. It should help Tampa the most.
