How does Parra compare to Morrow

[Hate those Rodents]

Just wondering on this one. We've added two lefthanders to the rotation in Wolf and Davis. We have a slight chance of adding Washburn if his desire to play here is such that his salary demands are too good to pass up. That would seem to me to make us at least consider trading Parra (although while his value is much lower) if his value is seen similarily to Morrow's. Any thoughts on this. There is a thread talking about dealing Bush or non-tendering him, but wouldn't Parra seem more likely to go (even if it is not a high chance) given that some team might still see real value in him?

 

I am also keeping in mind the chance that our best/closest ready pitching prospect in AAA will be Braddock, who some feel can make the change to a starter as well.

[Teatoe993]

I think it's to early to give up on Parra. He's got too much upside. If I was making the decisions, I'd see how Manny develops with Peterson's coaching. Wolf and Davis might even be able to mentor him a bit. He won't have the pressure of starting the season as the #2 guy anymore and I am hoping for a big bounce-back season for Manny. If he does, this team can go far in 2010. If he doesn't, then we'll probably have to pull the plug.

[thebruce44]

Parra is the exact type of pitcher the Brewers should be targeting, especially as the 5th starter on this team. Also in your proposal you seem to not take into account the Payroll. Parra is cheap, adding Washburn (while a little cheap) wouldn't be as cheap. DM is talking like we have lost a lot of flexibility heading into the season and we are sitting at around $85 mil. I don't see how adding 3 or 4 mil for Washburn makes sense and why it would necessitate a lateralish move to Morrow.

[JohnBriggs12]

It's not a question on whether it's too early to give up on Parra. If there were a couple stud young guys ready, I'd give up on him in a heartbeat. But that's not the case, so he likely gets another chance because he's still cheap and has shown he has physical ability. The clock's definitely ticking on him though. He's not going to be able to maintain a rotation spot if he's plugging along with a 6+ ERA a third of the way into the season again. I don't see them stretching their budget further on Washburn at this point. Would I prefer Washburn in a rotation over Parra? Absolutely. But I think the signing of Davis precludes them signing anyone much less another lefty.

[Invader3K]

Well, the nice thing about hanging on to Parra at this point is that they do have alternatives at this point. If he gets into late May and is still struggling (assuming he even makes the rotation out of spring training), they can insert Narveson or Suppan. They also may have viable options to call up from AAA. Parra can then be moved to the bullpen.

[TooLiveBrew]

I think not expecting progress from Manny this season is playing the wrong odds. I definitely expect him to be more aggressive/trust his stuff more this season, & imo we're going to be looking at a league-avg. guy, if not better.

[TheCrew07]

I'm not sure what to make of Peterson + young pitchers + pitchers that need to rebound. I normally put in my homework stats wise and have a good gut feeling about a guy, but I was so wrong last year about Parra especially that I'm 100% in wait and see mode. I'm very much fearing the worst and hoping for the best.

 

Mass has been linking the Hot Stove audio on the MLB forum and I found it odd that neither Yo or Parra had talked to Peterson yet. I always try to put myself in the other person's shoes and if I were Peterson I would have watched a ton of film on Parra, then I would have compared 2007 to 2008 to 2009 to see what was different and put a plan together for Manny. then I would have made a it a point to meet personally to get his ideas on where's he's at and discuss it with him, all within a month of being hired, because Parra could be the one player with enough talent to swing the entire rotation if he goes from bad to good. Not the the plan should be set it stone, because it's never that easy but I like the idea of giving players a road map (for lack of a better term) to success. I was sort of shocked when Manny said he pretty much wasn't going to change anything else from the time of the interview going into Spring Training. I don't have a problem with his idea that his release point was the crux of his issues last season, I used see it all the time with young QBs.

 

Once they lose confidence, and it could be the smallest adjustment like overstriding on a throw causing low inaccurate throws, but then everything else starts to come unglued as well. All of a sudden he's not following through properly, the arm is in a different plane (slot would be the baseball term) entirely, he's watching the ball fly through the air as if he's mentally trying to guide it home, some kids quit striding entirely, and so on. It's weird how one little problem so often snowballs into something bigger, I've gotten better at heading those issues off at the pass as I get older and have more experience coaching, but my varsity QB still did that to me last year. For some players, once they get an idea in their head it's very difficult to replace it with something else positive in nature.

 

Manny worries me, and he's always been a favorite of mine, after all us lefties need to stick together.

[logan82]

Something like maybe a sore non-throwing shoulder messing up his mechanics. Not sure if that was the problem, but something really came unglued for Parra last year. He simply hasn't been as bad as he pitched last year for a while.

[trwi7]

Let's not forget Parra had shoulder surgery after the season. Who knows how long he was pitching with that and who knows why he was pitching through something that needed surgery.