time to move guzman to closer?

[mg420]

with veal, sean & now mateo ahead of him, it might be time to give him a try at closing games.

[jaxxradio]

None of those three pitchers are ahead of him. I think everyone needs to understand something, Guzman is coming off major arm problems. He is just getting back to 100% for the first time since 2003. Look for Guzzy to have a solid ending to this season and a breakout 2007 season in the majors.

[otis89]

Hopefully Guzman gets called up to start Thursday since Fatty pitched in relief yesterday.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

with veal, sean & now mateo ahead of him, it might be time to give him a try at closing games.

 

I still have Guzman ahead of the other three and I know I'm not the only one (heck Mateo is pretty far back). Let Guzman do what's best fo him, especially given the injuries he's coming off of. Ron's right.

[mg420]

with veal, sean & now mateo ahead of him, it might be time to give him a try at closing games.

 

I still have Guzman ahead of the other three and I know I'm not the only one (heck Mateo is pretty far back). Let Guzman do what's best fo him, especially given the injuries he's coming off of. Ron's right.

 

perhaps switching to closer might be what is better for guzman. i dont look at making him a closer as giving up on him but instead it would be filling a need & maybe putting him in a better position to succeed.

[Outshined_One]

perhaps switching to closer might be what is better for guzman. i dont look at making him a closer as giving up on him but instead it would be filling a need & maybe putting him in a better position to succeed.

 

While I understand the sentiment, there are a few things that make me inclined to disagree with it.

 

For one, with Greg Maddux gone and Kerry Wood likely to become a FA, the team has a noticeable shortage of starting pitchers. Zambrano and Prior, as of right now, are the only two guys guaranteed to be in next year's rotation. We already know about Prior's inability to stay healthy at the start of the season, so it's anyone's guess if he will be able to start the whole year in 2007.

 

That leaves three (and potentially four) rotation spots open. Thankfully for the Cubs, they have a number of in-house options in Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, Rich Hill, and JK Ryu. I doubt the team will give serious consideration to guys like Sean Gallagher (needs to adjust to AA, pitch against top competition in AAA), Donald Veal (pitching really well in High A, but needs to prove himself in AA and AAA), Chris Shaver (pitching well in AA, but as a soft-tossing lefty, he has to prove himself at every level), Ryan O'Malley (John Koronka Lite, from my understanding), Randy Wells (still has to adjust to AAA, seems like a bullpen candidate), and Juan Mateo (seems destined for a bullpen role, just got called up). Perhaps later in the 2007 season this may change, but for now, we have to work with what will likely happen in Spring Training.

 

Now, while it seems all but certain that Hendry will acquire at least one starting pitcher in the offseason, that still leaves a number of spots open for the aforementioned guys. I am quite excited for them as they mature...but there are problems with each that concerns me. Marshall and Ryu both have injury histories that are problematic. Hill has yet to show he can consistently get guys out at this level. Marmol needs to hone his control. The list goes on with each. None of these guys are can't miss prospects.

 

While Guzman also falls under that category, this is a case where quantity is most welcome. We all know Guzman could end up being an ace-caliber starting pitcher if he stays healthy. He has better stuff than those four and is a much more exciting pitching prospect. If he finishes up the season without any injury concerns, it could well be possible that he has overcome that hump. If that is the case, I want him starting on this team next season.

 

Secondly, we've seen the bullpen transition work out really well for a lot of highly-touted prospects. Papelbon and K-Rod are both good examples of it. However, I don't think the bullpen and closer are areas of concern for the Cubs. While Dempster has had his struggles, Eyre and Howry have shown they can close out games. Aardsma is promising, as is Wuertz. Will Ohman is a terrific LOOGY and should only be used as such. The Cubs also have a few guys in the minors who could serve the team well in a bullpen role next season.

 

If this is not an area of concern next season, why make Guzman into a reliever if he can prove that he's capable of starting?

 

Right now, I think the 2007 Cubs will need starting pitching much more than relievers. That's why I think Guzman should stay as a starter for as long as humanly possible.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

with veal, sean & now mateo ahead of him, it might be time to give him a try at closing games.

 

I still have Guzman ahead of the other three and I know I'm not the only one (heck Mateo is pretty far back). Let Guzman do what's best fo him, especially given the injuries he's coming off of. Ron's right.

 

perhaps switching to closer might be what is better for guzman. i dont look at making him a closer as giving up on him but instead it would be filling a need & maybe putting him in a better position to succeed.

 

He needs to work on getting himself some innings, and he'll be just fine. I look for him to be a solid #3 within 3 years. I really like da Goooooooz.

[goonys evil twin]

Right now, I think the 2007 Cubs will need starting pitching much more than relievers. That's why I think Guzman should stay as a starter for as long as humanly possible.

 

If he can't crack next year's starting rotation, he better be in next year's bullpen. He'll be 25 and will have spent 3 years on the 40 man roster. Time to get some value out of the guy. There's nothing to gain with him starting in the minors next year.

[treebird]

guzman's whole career is a giant return from arm injury. i'm not saying you cut him or anything, but thinking he's ever going to be healthy (unless you convert him to dh) seems pretty silly.