[USML Announce] Feliz Feliz Me

springkerb at aol.com springkerb at aol.com
Wed Dec 15 16:11:27 EST 2010


The list of starters (in many cases mediocre to lousy starters) who've made good closers is pretty long (Mariano Rivera, Carlos Marmol, etc.).  The list of stud closers who've converted to quality starters consists of Derek Lowe.  Notably, Lowe made that jump as a 29-year-old and after 4 full seasons in the majors, so he probably didn't have to figure out his secondary pitches against big league hitters.  I'd say history suggests it's not an easy jump to make. 





-----Original Message-----
From: Brad Jansen <bljansen at gmail.com>
To: USML Announcements <announce at usml.net>
Sent: Wed, Dec 15, 2010 3:35 pm
Subject: [USML Announce] Feliz Feliz Me


FROM ESPN.COM  (and my bold prediction: he saves 25, wins 15).......

he last few weeks, general manager Jon Daniels hasn't attempted to
ide the fact that his club is strongly considering moving Neftali
eliz into the starting rotation. The closer will be stretched out in
pring training and have an opportunity to compete for a starting job.
It's one thing to talk about the hypotheticals when you're flying to
rkansas three times and feeling like Cliff Lee could still come to
rlington. Now that he's not, I bet the Rangers pull the trigger and
nsert Feliz into the rotation.
Yes, they could make some other moves this offseason to alter that
hinking. But if he shows enough with his secondary pitches -- and
hose pitches improved as the season wore on -- the Rangers will feel
ike he can impact the club more starting every fifth day than he
ould out of the bullpen.
Does Feliz have good enough stuff to start? The club needs to find
ut. In a perfect world, he could have one more year to refine those
itches. But if he is the closer, he's not relying as much on the
econdary stuff. He'd be forced to work through his offspeed and
reaking stuff if he's in the starting rotation. The club would need
o show some patience, but if Feliz could handle the load, it would be
 big boost to a rotation that just took a hit with the departure of
ee. It's the difficult call of whether you move a guy who seems to
ave Mariano Rivera potential to the starting rotation. But at his
ge, if it didn't work, he could always return to the bullpen.
Daniels reiterated on "The Ben & Skin Show" this morning that it's
omething the club must consider. Daniels said it's not "comfortable"
ecause of how good Feliz was in the closer role in 2010, but the club
ill look at it.
"We've got to factor it in," Daniels said. "Look at the market. The
op starting pitchers are getting 20-plus million dollars a year. The
op closers are getting 10 to 12. There's a reason for that. The
ndustry has figured out that there's significantly more value if
eliz can be a top of the rotation pitcher. I don't know if he can be.
 know he's got some attributes that would make you think he can be.
ut he's just 22 years old. He's one of the youngest guys on our team.
t's something we've got to think about."
So the club will stretch him out as a starter, like they did in 2010,
nd see what he's got. They'll have to make a decision by the middle
f the spring. I think he'll end up in the rotation.
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