Would you believe....Ben Sheets?

[splitterpfj]

Sheets threw for scouts today, several teams were there, I have no idea if the Brewers were.

 

He's got a rebuilt elbow, and he says he feels good. Sheets is taking the "Oswalt Approach"...he wants to sign with a contender for the rest of this season.

[TooLiveBrew]

Wow, I did not see that coming. Best of luck to you, Benny!

[lukevan]

Good luck to Ben, I hope he makes it back and can contribute to some team. I would enjoy watching him pitch again.

[rluzinski]

Wow, as a bit of a Sheets fanboy, I google him from time to time to see if he's been in the news. After over a year of nothing, I figured he decided to hang it up. He's only pitched 120 innings since 2008 is 33 years old, so it will be an uphill climb to say the least.

 

I wonder if he would consider coming back as a reliever, even if only to start? He's always been a 2 pitch guy to begin with. Then again, he did show some signs of needing an inning to get his velocity up, so maybe relieving would be an issue.

 

Let's assume he's lost 3-4 MPH and tops out at 90 MPH. I think think that will still be plenty fast when you couple it with his deceptive 12-6 curve. Of course it's quite possible that his days of even touching 90 are behind him, so we shall see.

[3and2Fastball]

I always loved watching him pitch. What a great competitor and pitcher he was (and hopefully can be again). It would be cool to see him back in the show, that'd be awesome

[monty57]

I never like it when a star athlete's career is ended with injuries, especially an athlete I've cheered for, so I'd love for him to be able to make a comeback.

[torts]

i doubt it'd happen, but i'd love to see Sheets return to MKE even as a reliever.

[Oldcity]

I think he should look to be a reliever as well. He might be able to get a few more years, Kerry Wood style. That would be great.

[RockCoCougars]

If Soup could make it back to the bigs, I'd bet that barring a injury setback, Sheeter will as well.

[PrinceEatMeat]

The Sheets 18 K game is still the best pitched game I've ever seen in person. I'll always remember that. I loved Ben Sheets. I wish he would've gotten to pitch for the Brewers once we actually had an offense. He was incredibly underrated.

[GormanHarvey]

I'm sure this comeback will be derailed by some weird, flukey injury

[thablingster]

It is easy for the mind to cloud how good Sheets really was due to the aliments and injuries (oh, vestibular neuritis, I remember you). I definitely wish him the best of luck. Hopefully he can come back and then go out on his terms.

[DHonks]

I'd take him at 80% over Estrada

[clancyphile]

I'd take him... as a relief ace.

 

Someone who could go 2-3 innings at a stretch.

[Vgmastr]

Braves sign Sheets to a minor league deal. He'll start July 4 at AA Mississippi.

[pacopete4]

It'll only tick me off if we didnt even give him a look. I mean, what could've it hurt?

[ninja33]

the brewers aren't really in the market for a SP. there's really no reason to have given him a look.

 

very excited he went to Atlanta though, I would love to be able to go see him pitch.

[brettac1]

Hope he makes it back up. Nothing but love for the guy.

[Oldcity]

Really rooting for him. Still will be a starter, it sounds like.

[JackNicholson1974]

August 26. 2005. Brewers v. Braves. Throw Back the Clock night. Ben Sheets wore a Braves jersey while pitching for the Brewers. In the eight inning of that game Ben Sheets tore his right latissimus dorsi muscle, thereby signaling the beginning of the end. That is some bad mojo for the Braves right there. I blame those jerseys.

 

Still, best of luck to my all time favorite Brewers pitcher, I will be following his starts.

[ecjimg]

the brewers aren't really in the market for a SP. there's really no reason to have given him a look.

 

......

 

Really? Who's in the rotation next year? Gallardo and? Fiers?

 

Disregard---- Its a signing for THIS year. Next season he will be out having surgery again.

[HiAndTight]

Wow, as a bit of a Sheets fanboy, I google him from time to time to see if he's been in the news. After over a year of nothing, I figured he decided to hang it up. He's only pitched 120 innings since 2008 is 33 years old, so it will be an uphill climb to say the least.

 

I wonder if he would consider coming back as a reliever, even if only to start? He's always been a 2 pitch guy to begin with. Then again, he did show some signs of needing an inning to get his velocity up, so maybe relieving would be an issue.

 

Let's assume he's lost 3-4 MPH and tops out at 90 MPH. I think think that will still be plenty fast when you couple it with his deceptive 12-6 curve. Of course it's quite possible that his days of even touching 90 are behind him, so we shall see.

 

 

It's refreshing to see people who actually appreciate Sheets. It seems as though the average fan ragged on him relentlessly after the injuries. As if he made the decision to get injured and, try to pitch through and eventually just make things worse.

 

Especially the last year here when he threw knowing how badly we needed another big start and another ace starter, he went out there and tried to throw. Who knows, maybe if he just shuts it down he's pitching for Texas the following season and he's maybe even still pitching...you never know how one injury impacts another, how you adjust how you throw based on an injury.

 

Anyway, he certainly made his injury worse, but his '04 season, in the midst of the steroid era is the best season by a Brewers pitcher IMO with Fingers MVP season coming in second only because Sheets pitched another 150 innings obviously.

 

Seriously, I'd love to see what numbers he'd put up pitching in 2012 like he did in 2004. I think Greinke if he pitches here all year this year could challenge, but it'd still be tough to match Sheets 2004 season.

 

He posted a ridiculous 8.0 WAR. Higurea had a 7.4 WAR and even CC's big year here and with Cleveland was only 7.6. It also puts Grienke's 9.3 WAR into perspective.

[fondybrewfan]

I will be cheering for him. It really sounds like ATL is going to try to rush him up to MLB.

[slappzilla]

According to what I read on twitter, he's going to make 2 starts in AA Mississippi, then the Braves are planning on putting him right into the rotation if everything goes well. Seems as if they're rushing him right into the lineup, but apparently he built up his arm strength himself over the past few months and is ready. Should be interesting.

 

Jon Heyman put out a bit today saying Greinke is interested in going to the Braves. That'll be something if the Braves have both Sheets and Greinke in their rotation.

[MJLiverock]

Wow, as a bit of a Sheets fanboy, I google him from time to time to see if he's been in the news. After over a year of nothing, I figured he decided to hang it up. He's only pitched 120 innings since 2008 is 33 years old, so it will be an uphill climb to say the least.

 

I wonder if he would consider coming back as a reliever, even if only to start? He's always been a 2 pitch guy to begin with. Then again, he did show some signs of needing an inning to get his velocity up, so maybe relieving would be an issue.

 

Let's assume he's lost 3-4 MPH and tops out at 90 MPH. I think think that will still be plenty fast when you couple it with his deceptive 12-6 curve. Of course it's quite possible that his days of even touching 90 are behind him, so we shall see.

 

 

It's refreshing to see people who actually appreciate Sheets. It seems as though the average fan ragged on him relentlessly after the injuries. As if he made the decision to get injured and, try to pitch through and eventually just make things worse.

 

Especially the last year here when he threw knowing how badly we needed another big start and another ace starter, he went out there and tried to throw. Who knows, maybe if he just shuts it down he's pitching for Texas the following season and he's maybe even still pitching...you never know how one injury impacts another, how you adjust how you throw based on an injury.

 

Anyway, he certainly made his injury worse, but his '04 season, in the midst of the steroid era is the best season by a Brewers pitcher IMO with Fingers MVP season coming in second only because Sheets pitched another 150 innings obviously.

 

Seriously, I'd love to see what numbers he'd put up pitching in 2012 like he did in 2004. I think Greinke if he pitches here all year this year could challenge, but it'd still be tough to match Sheets 2004 season.

 

He posted a ridiculous 8.0 WAR. Higurea had a 7.4 WAR and even CC's big year here and with Cleveland was only 7.6. It also puts Grienke's 9.3 WAR into perspective.

 

I always liked Sheets and used to get so annoyed/frustrated when fans complained about him or acted like he wasn't any good. I think it stemmed from his record, I used to hear him glossed over because he never won 20 games and was usually only around .500. Of course no on considered how awful some of those teams he played on were and just limited their offense was when the bottom half of the lineup was filled with Tyler Houston, Royce Clayton, Counsell, Moeller, types and then Sheets. I remember going to games not expecting a single base runner after the 5 hole. Sheets would have needed to pitch a complete game shut out nearly every outing to have a chance at 20 wins on some of those teams.