Many times in baseball we see that a team looks like it has the potential to reach the post season based on the lineups. we all know the teams that start the season with what looks like a batting line-up with great potential, and a rotation that should go the distance. But then, only one pans out. The bats are hitting, but there’s no pitching. Or, the pitching is solid, but the run support never materializes.
This is frustrating to the casual fan, as seeing half of your team develop and contribute is great, but the lack of the second half of the puzzle is more than just a little annoying. The Toronto Blue Jays are a great example of this. Last year it was all pitching an no hitting. This year the hitting has been solid (with the exception of two notable players), but the pitching has experienced the greatest string of injuries that I have ever witnessed.
I was wondering if the same phenomenon can happen to a country. Can the Canadians in the major leagues experience this bi-polar problem? What lead me to thinking about this was reflecting on the World Baseball Classic, and the news that Colorado Rockies Jeff Francis is starting to throw again.
In the WBC, we had a very solid offense, with Jason Bay, Justin Morneau and Joey Votto leading the way. They did OK, but nothing spectacular. But then the pitching was very weak. Our ace was Scott Richmond, who never got into a game. The rest of our pitchers were minor leaguers, where a few had previous major league experience. Sure, there were some prospects like Phillipe Aumont, but they were prospects and not proven starters. This weak rotation was because Erik Bedard, Jeff Francis, and Rich Harden were injured. Adam Loewen is no longer pitching due to multiple shoulder injuries, and Ryan Dempster … well, he just didn’t show up. Overall, it was not the line-up we were expecting, and the results reflected this large weakness (yes, I am still bitter about those results).
So what is next for the set of Canadians who are major league pitchers. Well, Demspter has had a good year for the Cubs, and Francis is on his way to an uncertain recovery. Bedard has had a rough year, and is currently back on the DL. Harden has pitched well and been one bright spot in the Cubs rotation. But we also have not season any new pitchers emerge from the minors.
So all in all, next year seems to have a lot of potential for Canadian pitching. But potential is just that … potential. It is uncertain what we will see. Hopefully the injuries will subside and new stars will emerge. But lets just hope we don’t go through the same thing with the position players.
Baseball North 