Dotel ready to bring heat to Pirates' pen

[buccoray61]

Dotel ready to bring heat to Pirates' pen
New closer had more strikeouts than any reliever in past decade
Friday, January 22, 2010
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Octavio Dotel and the Pirates completed their one-year, $3.5 million guaranteed contract yesterday and, shortly after doing so, the new closer readily cited three reasons for his choice:

1. He wanted to return to closing after two-plus years in middle relief, and general manager Neal Huntington was the only one promising him that status all through agent Danny Horwits' negotiations with several teams. Huntington reiterated yesterday it would be Dotel's "job to keep."

2. He welcomed the idea of pitching at PNC Park rather than at hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field, where he spent the past two seasons with the Chicago White Sox.

3. He would relish getting back to using his fastball more.

It is that latter wish, although not Dotel's top priority, that perhaps best defines what he is all about: He is 36, and he still aims to rear back and blow the ball past the bat.

"I love to throw my fastball," he said yesterday. "Here at PNC, I can throw my fastball more than I used to. I already throw it a lot, but here ... if you're going to hit it out, you've got to hit it."

Dotel threw fastballs for 82.4 percent of his pitches last year, the rest being sliders and the odd curve. And that, as Dotel suggested, was well down from the 90 percent he regularly threw while blossoming with the Oakland Athletics.

Who was the Pirates' most recent closer in this mold?

A young Mike Gonzalez pitched that way earlier this decade but, apart from that and a strong 1988 from Jim Gott, one might have to go all the way back to ... Goose Gossage?

The numbers powerfully back Dotel's case in the strikeout class: Since 2000, he has 745, more than any reliever in Major League Baseball in that span, just ahead of Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge and Mariano Rivera. His average of 11.6 per nine innings ranks fifth behind Lidge, Wagner, Rob Dibble and Eric Gagne.

Maybe most impressive, Dotel has maintained the latter figure at 10.83 over the past two years, despite age stealing some of his zip, despite U.S. Cellular and despite superior American League lineups.

"To us, the most important thing was that his rate continued," Huntington said. "While the velocity might not be what it was four years ago, it's still there between 92 and 96, and there is still a swing-and-miss capability to it."

To be sure, the Pirates could use some bullpen strikeouts after finishing 28th of 30 teams last year with 364.

"You do want that swing-and-miss capability from your back end," Huntington said.

What difference might PNC make for Dotel?

It is a tiny sample size, but he has pitched 12 1/3 career innings there without no earned runs and 16 strikeouts.

For his career, Dotel has a 3.11 ERA, 83 saves, and opponents have batted just .218.

But there are risks with Dotel, apart from age, including that he has been prone to the home run -- 19 in the past two seasons, split evenly between home and road -- and, above all, that he has not closed since a poor showing with the Kansas City Royals in 2007. He was flamethrower Bobby Jenks' setup man in Chicago.

Dotel clearly is embracing the chance to return to his old role.

"I feel like I still got a lot I can bring as a closer, and that's why I wanted to take this chance," he said. "It'll come back to me immediately. Being setup guy is same thing, to be honest. I know how to handle it, how it feels."

Another area where Dotel could add to the Pirates: He long has been known as having a highly visible -- and audible -- presence. Or, as his former Chicago teammate John Van Benschoten recently put it, "You'll always know when Octavio's in the room."

Dotel was asked about the difference he might see between the atmospheres of Ozzie Guillen, the richly animated manager of the White Sox, and the Pirates' ultra-reserved John Russell.

"To be honest, I'll make it loud here," Dotel said, fairly shouting. "This is my new house. I'm going to be loud and happy and try to win some games, to give the Pirates some energy."

Dotel could not stay in Pittsburgh for a news conference, as he returned immediately to the Dominican Republic to be with wife Massiel, who is expecting the couple's first child soon. Their plan is to move to Pittsburgh soon and have the baby here.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10022...#ixzz0dM29kuzb

[BigBen2112]

I look forward to seeing him close for us.

[buccoray61]

I look forward to seeing him close for us.

As do I. When his name was first brought up,I didn't
think the Pirates had a snowball's chance in signing him. I'm actually excited about the upcoming season.

[BigBen2112]

If only we had starting pitching.

[Lup]

Benny I like the starters. Ohlendorf and Morton IMO are going to have good years. Duke and Maholm as your 3rd and 4th starters is pretty good as well. I think Maholm improves on last year, while Duke may be a little worse. The 5th spot is in better hands than it has been in a long time.

[irahuss]

Benny I like the starters. Ohlendorf and Morton IMO are going to have good years. Duke and Maholm as your 3rd and 4th starters is pretty good as well. I think Maholm improves on last year, while Duke may be a little worse. The 5th spot is in better hands than it has been in a long time.

Regarding the 5th spot... does anyone believe Hart really has a chance? I think McCutchen would have to totally flop in spring training to not be given the chance to start.

He is just a steady pitcher who is almost guaranteed to give you 6 innings and give you a chance to win. I looked at his minor league numbers and actually can't believe he wasn't given the chance to start earlier back in 08 after we picked him up from the NYY. If I recall, we definitely had some struggling pitchers that year.

[Lup]

It seems we have some struggling pitchers every year.

[WeAreFamily]

Yeah, but even with average to below average starting pitching in the past, we still would have won more games if the pen wouldn't have imploded time after time. Actually, it was generally balls "exploding" off of bats, from pitches thrown by Capps. Have a nice life Matt Capps, and welcome Octavio Dotel!

[Kipper]

Regarding the 5th spot... does anyone believe Hart really has a chance? I think McCutchen would have to totally flop in spring training to not be given the chance to start.

He is just a steady pitcher who is almost guaranteed to give you 6 innings and give you a chance to win. I looked at his minor league numbers and actually can't believe he wasn't given the chance to start earlier back in 08 after we picked him up from the NYY. If I recall, we definitely had some struggling pitchers that year.

I've looked at it more as "who is the better fit for the bullpen" between McCutchen and Hart. Both have mixed results as Starters, so rather than trying to debate that point I look at the Pen...

Hart has a better fastball. As a starter his fastball is more on the average side and his secondary stuff is average, control is average. He's not stellar at all. Throw him in the BP and his velocity increases and that FB gets more zip on it and now you have a guy that can touch 97 mph in the BP with experience or enough as a starter.

McCutchen is more of a control guy. He's more built to eat innings. He doesn't have that type of stuff to come into a game for an inning or 2 and shut down a team like is expected out of a BP. Maybe as a Karstens long relief role type of guy... but personally between the 2 of McCutchen and Hart, Hart by far has the better makeup for success in the pen and McCutchen has the better control for a SP role.

Honestly, I have no idea which way NH is going to go with this. He might like Hart's velocity enough in a starting rotation that couldn't hurt from having a little more heat and view McCutchen in the same Karstens type role... I really don't know. I don't doubt that Huntington already has his answer, so you can throw away (as usual) the bogus belief of any sort of Spring Training/Grapefruit League competition

[exNCite]

As do I. When his name was first brought up,I didn't
think the Pirates had a snowball's chance in signing him. I'm actually excited about the upcoming season.

That's a big 10-4!!!

[Kipper]

Yeah, but even with average to below average starting pitching in the past, we still would have won more games if the pen wouldn't have imploded time after time. Actually, it was generally balls "exploding" off of bats, from pitches thrown by Capps. Have a nice life Matt Capps, and welcome Octavio Dotel!

That's not really fair... if you're using the past..

Think of how many times the BP had to come in, in the 3rd or 4th inning because Zach Duke and Ian Snell or Oliver Perez or Ryan Vogelsong, Tony Armas Jr. etc... got completely shelled.

Coming into last season, Pirates starting pitching was HORRIBLE in regards to pitching a quality game or even going 6 innings in general. It had been this way for years.

Looking at both Starters and Relievers for this year... this might be one of the more balanced pitching staffs that I can remember.

[Kipper]

It seems we have some struggling pitchers every year.

True. Hope fully by getting rid of our struggling pitcher from last season - Ian Snell, we can avoid that.

The worst that I'm hoping happens this year is that Zach Duke pulls a 2009 Paul Maholm and regresses to his career averages. If that's the worse the SP staff does, then we'll be in better shape than we've been in a long time. Would be nice to avoid the 1 starting pitcher that completely implodes annual tradition

[WeAreFamily]

That's not really fair... if you're using the past..

Think of how many times the BP had to come in, in the 3rd or 4th inning because Zach Duke and Ian Snell or Oliver Perez or Ryan Vogelsong, Tony Armas Jr. etc... got completely shelled.

Coming into last season, Pirates starting pitching was HORRIBLE in regards to pitching a quality game or even going 6 innings in general. It had been this way for years.

Looking at both Starters and Relievers for this year... this might be one of the more balanced pitching staffs that I can remember.

Yes, I know you are correct, but I'm sure I could identify a handful or more games where the starting pitchers turned the ball over to the bullpen late with a lead, and Capps blew the game.

[Kipper]

Yes, I know you are correct, but I'm sure I could identify a handful or more games where the starting pitchers turned the ball over to the bullpen late with a lead, and Capps blew the game.

Definitely... but that happened mainly last season It happened a few years ago when Torres was throw in as a closer and failed miserably blowing leads and games...

but even so, I'm not sure it matters either way. Starters, relievers, like the past 17 years... problems here, holes there, lack of talent there etc...

[ranrod7]

That's a big 10-4!!!

Yep!!!!! It must be that time of year again, cause I am really back on the bandwagon for this team again......I love the bullpen and we have plenty of choices for 5 starts (I think Hart will make the 5th starter)....but McCutchen is also a worthy choice.....hell Kartens and Bass might not even make the team this year.....at least one of em won't....and how bout Jabberwokey or whatever his name is.....no room on the team for all these guys!!!!!!
Yep, I am lookin forward to ST this year!