Marlins Spring Training 2013: Jacob Turner Likely to Be Demoted, Rotation Set
March 24, 2013 in Spring Training
Jacob Turner could not throw strikes and that was ultimately the deciding factor on his immediate future with the Marlins. In a rain-shortened 4-1 loss to the Astros, Turner walked the lead off batter in every inning he pitched and just struggled with his control. Getting more time at AAA New Orleans will allow him to work on his control a bit and focus more on “pounding the strike zone” as Mike Redmond wants to see his starters do.
In the meantime, the rotation has been pretty much decided. Ricky Nolasco will be the Opening Day starter followed by Nathan Eovaldi, Wade LeBlanc, Henderson Alvarez, and Kevin Slowey. John Maine will get a long relief spot, and may get an occasional spot start. This starting group won’t scare opposing teams, but if they can throw strikes and let the defense behind them control everything else, this team will have success.
As for Turner, he needs to put in more work on his repertoire and locating his pitches effectively. Getting back into the minors may seem like a step down, but Turner is only 21 and was rushed along in the Detroit system – something that adversely affected Andrew Miller and something the Marlins hope to avoid.
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by jonnylons
Is Miller Finally Becoming Reliable?
June 7, 2009 in Commentary
Andrew Miller got the win last night over the Giants and improved his record to 2-2 on the year. Since his return from an oblique injury, Miller has also been putting up more consistent numbers.
His ERA has dropped from 6.94 to 4.31 since coming back April 20th. Over that span, Miller has also struck out 26 batters while walking only 15. He has given up more than 2 earned runs only once in the 5 starts since his return and the Marlins are 3-2 over that span.
Who we see emerging is a pitcher that has the ability to control a game, strike out hitters, and give his team a chance to win. In short, we see the #1 starter talent the Marlins were hoping to find in Miller starting to emerge right now. Miller is still quite young, and the main obstacle for tall pitchers like Miller is keeping his mechanics tight and consistently throwing strikes. With Randy Johnson in the opposite dugout in this series, it is easy to make the comparison in regards to potential. It should be noted, however, that Randy Johnson was a late bloomer and it took him some time to really come into his own – it wasn’t until after he left the Expos for Seattle that Johnson started to dominate.
So, is Miller finally turning that corner? Keep an eye on his pitch counts and his strike to ball ratios. These are the defining stats – not his Ks – that will indicate whether or not Miller finally gets it. Perhaps also Miller’s psyche will start to turn into a hardened, mature professional competitor, too.
Tags: Andrew Miller, Starting Pitching No Comments »