Mike Leake to the Dbacks deal is now official

Broseph

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Sucks, you always want an AZ guy to do well but he may be done. We got him to "eat innings" but giving up 5-6 runs per start is just stealing money at this point in his career.
 

Azjose86

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Taijuan Walker was a good innings eater. Leake, not so much
T. Walker was a pretty bad pitcher too. I hope he stays away. His best record as a Dback was 9-9. After Tommy John surgery, he can go kick rocks for another team.
 

AZCB34

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T. Walker was a pretty bad pitcher too. I hope he stays away. His best record as a Dback was 9-9. After Tommy John surgery, he can go kick rocks for another team.

That seems a tad harsh. Walker was always meant to eat innings and go .500 or better. If yippy expected more I think you set the bar too high.
 

Azjose86

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That seems a tad harsh. Walker was always meant to eat innings and go .500 or better. If yippy expected more I think you set the bar too high.
If .500 is the expectation for a starting pitcher. Then I think you have this year's team who accepts mediocrity. We shouldn't settle for it and demand more out of our sports teams here in the valley, instead of just being a development team for teams who are willing to spend money.
 

Dback Jon

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If .500 is the expectation for a starting pitcher. Then I think you have this year's team who accepts mediocrity. We shouldn't settle for it and demand more out of our sports teams here in the valley, instead of just being a development team for teams who are willing to spend money.
Walker is a perfect 3 or 4.

Not sure what your expectations are for a middle of the road starter but Walker was solid for us
 

BC867

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Walker is a perfect 3 or 4.

Not sure what your expectations are for a middle of the road starter but Walker was solid for us

You expect your #3 starter to lose as many games as he wins? Add to that no-decisions
and it means that 3/5 of your starting staff would produce losing records.

That's a helluva goal. Whatever happened to rooting for your team to win?

Being a homer (as we all are here) does not mean expecting/accepting mediocre teams.
 

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The way they talk about this guy on 98.7 I thought he was good or at least mediocre. He’s not.
 

AZCB34

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You expect your #3 starter to lose as many games as he wins? Add to that no-decisions
and it means that 3/5 of your starting staff would produce losing records.

That's a helluva goal. Whatever happened to rooting for your team to win?

Being a homer (as we all are here) does not mean expecting/accepting mediocre teams.

But not every pitcher in the rotation should be expected to win 18 games in a given year. Every team will have a pitcher who eats innings and the record will end up being 11-9 or something. That seems to be Tijuan Walker.

And nobody said 3/5 of the rotation should be this type of pitcher. But you look at every successful andthere seems to be that one pitcher from 3-5 in the rotation who throws innings and for whatever reason he ends up with a record that seems poor but the circumstances lead to it. Bullpen blows it, hitters decide to take his turn in the rotation off from their jobs each time. It isn't just the pitchers ability that dictates this.

This has no bearing on fans expectations for winning it simply ends up being reality.
 

Dback Jon

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But not every pitcher in the rotation should be expected to win 18 games in a given year. Every team will have a pitcher who eats innings and the record will end up being 11-9 or something. That seems to be Tijuan Walker.

And nobody said 3/5 of the rotation should be this type of pitcher. But you look at every successful andthere seems to be that one pitcher from 3-5 in the rotation who throws innings and for whatever reason he ends up with a record that seems poor but the circumstances lead to it. Bullpen blows it, hitters decide to take his turn in the rotation off from their jobs each time. It isn't just the pitchers ability that dictates this.

This has no bearing on fans expectations for winning it simply ends up being reality.


Correct - whether he's the 3/4/5 (and really, unless you have an Ace and/or a clear #2, the distinction is meaningless. An innings-eating pitcher that is effective enough to keep the team in every game is very valuable - doesn't burn out the bullpen

in 2017 Walker, in 28 starts, failed to go 5 full innings only twice.

In 6 of his losses he gave up 3 ER or less.
In 9 of his no decisions he gave up 3 ER or less

He had 8 games where he gave up 2 ER or less and didn't get the win.

In other words, either the hitting or the bullpen failed him. He easily could have been a 15 win pitcher.
 

82CardsGrad

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If .500 is the expectation for a starting pitcher. Then I think you have this year's team who accepts mediocrity. We shouldn't settle for it and demand more out of our sports teams here in the valley, instead of just being a development team for teams who are willing to spend money.

Walker is not a #1... and he was never really a #2 either. And certainly, when he was brought here to PHX, he was a #3 and pehaps a #4 behind Grienke, Corbin and Ray. Any team would take a .500 pitcher along with a respectable ERA and WHiP from their #4 pitcher!
 

BC867

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All of the generalizations posted above would be true . . .

Except, with the trading of Greinke and the high pitch counts of Ray,
We don't have a #1 or even #2 pitcher to offset the rest of the
mediocre rotation.

So all of our starters are the .500 pitchers mentioned. Which logically
explains why we are a .500 team. Which, in fact, we are!

Add to that a worn out relief staff and constantly trying new faces,
and there is no current hope for us to rise above .500 anytime soon.

Isn't that the reality of the 2019 Diamondbacks, regardless of how
the fans want to hope for better?

The D-backs are a team of putting out fires. Hoping to get back to
.500 when falling below. Hoping to not sink back to .500 when two
games above. All season long. A teams that, at best, maintains,
rather than showing any upward growth as time moves along.

That is the ID of our team. Especially when you factor in our lineup,
a group of solid hitters, who are stuck in the mindset of all or
nothing. Two meaningless late inning solo home runs when clearly
out of the game. As in our most recent game.

Looking like the best hitting team in the league one night, then
helpless against a rookie or pitcher with a high ERA the next.

One of the responsibilities of the General Manager and Field Manager
is to show progress. The current regime has not shown the capacity
to achieve that. Which means they are falling short in their job.

Until the attitude and skill set change, nothing else will.
 

Broseph

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"Manager Torey Lovullo said after the game that he felt like Leake, while giving up eight hits, succeeded in preventing the Rockies from squaring up balls and making hard-contact."

LOL ridiculous comments Torey, Leake has been abysmal...
 

BC867

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"Manager Torey Lovullo said after the game that he felt like Leake, while giving up eight hits, succeeded in preventing the Rockies from squaring up balls and making hard-contact."

LOL ridiculous comments Torey, Leake has been abysmal...
It is why we have lost confidence in Torey.

His managerial behavior has not only been passive, obsessive and very
slow to react to situations, he does not listen to what he is saying.

And how it sounds to the public. He is not insulting our intelligence.
He is insulting his own. 'Not the MO of a leader. Sad! He is otherwise
a nice guy.

It is not easy commenting to the Press about a mediocre team day
in and day out.

MLB managers find a way to do it. This isn't 'A' League.
 
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