Update [2008-2-26 17:21:33 by lboros]: colby rasmus homered today in the intrasquad game.
[/update]
we haven't done one of these in a while --- and with anthony reyes getting some notice in the press yesterday and starting the first game of spring training on thursday, he seems like a fit subject. reyes was a fiercely debated figure here at VEB last season --- some of us saw a guy with no out pitch, no command, and no clue; others saw a pitcher with great potential who looked unhittable at times but didn't trust his stuff in tight situations and suffered from a general lack of consistency. i'd like to avoid rehashing that debate if at all possible; all the arguments have been made ad nauseum, and there's nothing to add. the proof will be in the putting.
the fact that reyes still has a chance to settle this debate on the field --- in a st louis uniform, anyway --- comes as a rather big surprise. give credit to mozeliak for not tossing the kid away for scraps. for all his struggles last season, reyes is still a sought-after commodity --- a cost-controlled starting pitcher. if he can settle into league-averageness, that's a big addition to the organization's talent base. the other day matt leach referred to reyes as the most pivotal player on the roster; i agree with that. i don't necessarily think he will make that big a difference in the 2008 standings, but if reyes can get his feet underneath him this year the team might actually have a surplus of pitching heading into 2009. that's what i'm rooting for.
the glowing reports on him from the other day are nice, but they don't particularly excite me. reyes looked great in jupiter last year, too --- he was playing the 2-seam and 4-seam off each other, throwing strikes consistently, and impressing all observers. in 5 grapefruit league starts last spring, he went 3-0 with a 2.70 era and 0.95 whip. as long as he performs well enough to secure his spot in the rotation, i'll be satisfied.
i need your projections in these 8 categories:
* * * * * * * * *
serious fantasy leaguers: ryan van bibber, the blogger at Cardinals Diaspora and SB Nation's own Turf Show Times, participates in a sabr-centric keeper league that has a few openings. the league incorporates stats like RAA and ISO --- if you don't know what those are, this is not the league for you. but if you can hack that level of stattiness and are looking for some challenging competition, get in touch with ryan at rv_vanbib AT yahoo DOT com.