Sheets watch (closed in deference to new thread)

[TheCrew07]

The point as far as late season pitching goes is that it's great if a guy helps get you get there, but if he doesn't pitch when you get there, what chance do you have? Is getting to the post season good enough, or is advancing the ultimate goal? I posted last year coming into the players that I'd feel better with Bush on the mound than Sheets, only because I'm always worried that he's going to pull something, get a blister, etc, etc... It's not really fair to Ben I guess, he's a very good pitcher but I just don't trust him anymore and never will again. After all of the abuse I took for supporting him with my friends and family when people were calling him Teddy Sheets I've come around to the opinion that it's not the injury itself, it's the frequency that becomes the issue.

 

It all comes down to trust, and like it or not, every significant Sheets injury has coincided with a Brewer collapse, so I don't think people saying Sheets wasn't there when the team needed him most is a stretch at all. He was basically the anti-Favre, the best player on the team with the most DL time, and that's probably why many of us don't trust the guy.

[jwill535]

reading between the lines I think the Brewers questions Sheet's toughness or the size of his fellas. This started to come out the last couple years in the way statements were made about Sheets regarding his "injuries".

[TooLiveBrew]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/2418477873_279b6b8228.jpg?v=0

 

 

For whatever reason (& we'll probably never find out), Sheets's return just seems out. To think of how emotional he was after the playoffs... saying, 'You can't invite yourself back...' I just think that if there's not something to what jwill is saying, there's something else.

[danzig6767]

For whatever reason (& we'll probably never find out), Sheets's return just seems out. To think of how emotional he was after the playoffs... saying, 'You can't invite yourself back...' I just think that if there's not something to what jwill is saying, there's something else.

 

Prior to the season and then whenever Sheets had the slightest sign of injury, he'd get asked about both his durability issues and his contract situation. During these interviews i almost always sensed an irritated tone to Sheet's responses, like he was beyond tired of answering these type of questions. That's when i started to get a very strong feeling that not only wasn't it likely that the Brewers would make a serious offer to Ben, but also that he was plenty ready for a change in scenery. Not so much that he hated playing in Milwaukee, more that we was simply tired of being asked constantly about whether he can stay healthy. I could see the annoyance in him build up quickly anytime the subject was broached, even when he was healthy most of the season. He'd be pitching well and say get asked, how does it feel to be pitching well and be healthy? Right away his facial expression would change.

 

I think he somewhat dreaded the idea of being back in Milwaukee again this coming year because if he had more injuries again, right away the Sheets can't stay healthy stuff would come back out in full force. Obviously he'll get health questions regardless of where he ends up signing, but i just got the sense that he was really really really tired of answering them here in Milwaukee and thus was ready to move on somewhere else.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Unfortunately for Sheets he's going to be asked if he can stay healthy wherever he pitches, since the facts are that he didn't make it though a full season during the past four years. It's not like if he signs with the Rangers or somewhere else that he's suddenly going to be cured of all his past health problems.

[phxMILWfan]

i was about to post the same thing chorizo. If you are having a hard time with fan expectations in Milwaukee, good luck in another city. Signing to play in NY would be the dumbest thing he could do then.

[lukevan]

No but the fans are more apt to be happy with his performance instead waiting to jump all over him if he gets injured.

[rluzinski]

There is a significant portion of the Milwaukee fanbase that believe Sheets is not a "winner", get's hurt because he's lazy and increases the downtime of his injuries because he's not manly enough. By changing teams, he get's to shed all that nonsense and start fresh. Yes, if he gets chronically hurt with his new team and/or grets poor run support, the same criitcisms will be levied. He won't have the impossible task of trying to change the minds of bitter fans who don't want to change their minds, however.

 

If he goes to the Yankees for $15 mil and logs a 3.8 ERA in 180 IP, Yankee fans be fine with him.

[Invader3K]

It's not like Yankees fans are going to be completely ignorant of his past health issues. There's a reason we're not hearing rumors left and right about teams interested in him...no one is eager to take on the risk associated with his injury history.

[JohnBriggs12]

There are a lot of pitchers over the years who have had injury problems but very few that have had so many instances where they've had to be removed in the middle of games often in the heat of a race.

 

Honestly I think the instance where Sheets "tweaked" his hamstring while warming up in a key September 07 start was the final straw. Right then I think Melvin decided he wasn't going to extend Sheets. He as much said so just after Gallardo got hurt when he said "it's too bad because this was the year we were going to have both Gallardo and Sheets".

[Ennder]

I wouldn't give Sheets 3 years and I'm one of his bigger apologists. I don't like more than 4 years for any pitcher and when you have one with an injury history I really don't like even 3.

 

If the Brewers were going to go after a FA pitcher I'd like to take a one year deal on RJ or a 4 year on Lowe rather than Sheets. Lowe is the kind of pitcher that seems to age pretty well as the extreme groundball type of guy.

[TooLiveBrew]

There are a lot of pitchers over the years who have had injury problems but very few that have had so many instances where they've had to be removed in the middle of games often in the heat of a race.

 

Twice?

[Godspeed]

There are a lot of pitchers over the years who have had injury problems but very few that have had so many instances where they've had to be removed in the middle of games often in the heat of a race.

It's almost as if he couldn't control it...

[RockCoCougars]

Before he went to Toronto, Paul Molitor was "hurt all the time" too.

[BrewCrewForever]

Before he went to Toronto, Paul Molitor was "hurt all the time" too.

That is a good point, and we all know how the rest of Molitor's career ended up. It was damn good.

[Mass Haas]

Newsday says the Yankees have dropped out of the Sheets chase, which is good, since the Brewers would have been stuck with no better than a 3rd round pick in compensation from the Yankees:

 

They have ruled out going after oft-injured Ben Sheets, someone familiar with their plans said, because of too many "red flags." Instead, they will await a decision from Andy Pettitte.

[Fatter than Joey]

That's interesting -- It looks like regardless of how you feel about Sheets, he is going to have to prove something to somebody with this next contract.

[dpapo]

Interesting line from that Newsday article,

 

"They have ruled out going after oft-injured Ben Sheets, someone familiar with their plans said, because of too many "red flags." Instead, they will await a decision from Andy Pettitte."

 

I know the Yankees checked Sheets medical records a few days ago, I wonder what is showing up. Maybe those, "red flags" is the reaason Melvin doesn't seem too interested in offering Sheets more than a 1 year deal, if at all. I think Sheets injuries may be more of a problem then we have been lead to believe. I mean, we know he's had injury problems, but maybe it's more then just being unlucky or injury prone. Maybe there is a potential physical problem that is showing up in his medical records.

[endaround]

Not, its the Yankees using up the amount of FAs they can sign while still wanting to get a hitter.

[Invader3K]

That's a good point...if they sign Sheets, they wouldn't be able to sign Manny or Tex, right?

[phxMILWfan]

I believe that is right Invader. They already signed 2 type A's and can only sign one more. It seems like a lot of people think that it is an uneducated fans opinion that Sheets is "oft-injured". I think it is obvious that other teams feel the same way. It isn't something personal with Sheets that he let us down two years in a row, its that he really is injured often. He also seems to take a longer time to heal than other players. Whether that is his body or he just doesn't want to rush back for personal reasons.

[rluzinski]

I think Sheets injuries may be more of a problem then we have been lead to believe.

 

Sheets and his agents have all the medical information everyone else has. They still decided to decline arbitration.

[PeaveyFury]

Not, its the Yankees using up the amount of FAs they can sign while still wanting to get a hitter.

 

Then why would they be turning their attention to Pettitte, who is also a type A free agent that wouldn't let them get a big free agent hitter?

[brewjihad]

Then why would they be turning their attention to Pettitte, who is also a type A free agent that wouldn't let them get a big free agent hitter?

 

Don't have time to look it up now, but wouldn't it be different if a team is signing one of their own type As as opposed to another team's? Maybe that's why they want Pettite.

[PeaveyFury]

Quite possible about their own free agents, but I'm not sure. Especially when they refused to offer arby.