Morrow's starting days over

[blackery3000]

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/m ... ne_--.html

Well, I suppose that solves our closer worries for this season. Sorry Chad Cordero.

But I don't think this decision is going to (or should) make anybody happy. We didn't draft Morrow over Lincecum to be a closer, and that's not where he'll help the team best in the long term. Morrow has the stuff to potentially be a dominant front-end starter for us. Instead of him as our #2 over the next few years we now have a gaping hole after Felix, as Bedard will likely be shipped out of town before the trade deadline. Aumont's a year away and still has much to prove. Frankly, I think this decision sucks—but I guess it could be worse. If nothing changes, at least we won't have to worry about closer duties for the next several years.

But based on what I've seen this spring, I do not want to see RRS sent out there every five days when his fastball has topped out at ~87 mph. He's going to get crushed, plain and simple.

[Bulltalk]

How funny. Two of our top prospects are now both closers. Maybe I've been out of the gossip loop, but I was caught by surprise that this is what Morrow himself wants. If this truly turns out to be a long term thing, then I want Strasburg, and why did we win those games late last year?

I went from feeling pretty good about our future starting rotation to being iffy about it. When you think about it, Felix, Morrow, Tillman, Aumont was a promising young core of starting talent. We'll see.

[blackery3000]

When you think about it, Felix, Morrow, Tillman, Aumont was a promising young core of starting talent.

Very, very promising. As in quite possibly—if they were to all reach their ceilings—the best starting rotation the MLB has seen in years. Morrow, Tillman and Aumont all project as #2's, Felix has a Cy Young award somewhere in that arm, and then if you were to throw Strasburg in the mix ...

That rotation would be insane.

I know it's pointless to dwell on the past, but the Bedard trade and last year's season-ending sweep are becoming more agonizing to think about with each passing day.

[Ex-hippie]

I can't say I'm happy to hear this. If your choice is between 180 very good innings and 60 dominant innings, you go with the 180. And you have to give the pitcher at least a chance to show he can be very good, with the bullpen as a fallback option. But I'll try to look on the bright side and figure Morrow is on the Jonathan Papelbon career path. Papelbon was always supposed to be a starter, was thrust into a bullpen role out of necessity, and now no one would dare take him out of that role. In the very near future the team could have as good a trio of right-handed relievers -- Morrow, Fields, Kelley -- as any that we've ever seen. It could give us flashbacks to the Henke-Ward 'pen the Blue Jays had in their World Series days. The team would be able to use a top-notch reliever in all kinds of high leverage situations, not just save situations, and that can be a huge asset.

[Basketball Jesus]

Papelbon was always supposed to be a starter, was thrust into a bullpen role out of necessity, and now no one would dare take him out of that role.

That's partly true. Papelbon was a closer in college but the Sox thought he had the repertoire to start in the bigs. He was pretty damn good as a starter in the minors but he had trouble going deep into games. Through necessity, he found himself in the major league pen and, like Morrow, said he felt more comfortable closing than starting.

I really think Morrow's situation has more to do with his diabetes than he's letting on. He's made comments in the past how it was hard for him to monitor his levels between innings while starting; maybe he thinks closing gives him a better chance at a successful career?

But based on what I've seen this spring, I do not want to see RRS sent out there every five days when his fastball has topped out at ~87 mph. He's going to get crushed, plain and simple

Amen. I never got the fixation with RRS. To me he's yet another soft-tossing lefty that people assume will succeed because, hey, Jamie Moyer!