Colon: MLB's best off-season pickup?

by Randy Booth on Jun 12, 2008 6:00 AM EDT in News

After earning his fourth win of the season last night over the Orioles, Bartolo Colon improved his numbers to the following:

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2008 - Bartolo Colon	4-1	3.41	1.31	22	7

Not bad for a "washed up" former Cy Young Award winner, ey?

With his success right off the bat since joining the team from the disabled list, is Colon the best off-season pickup in all of Major League Baseball so far this season?

There are a lot of teams that would love to have a line like that from their fourth starter (at best). Three of those teams are in the AL East.

The wins are probably the offense's doing; it helps having the powerhouse of a lineup the Sox have. But 22 strikeouts and seven walks in 29 innings isn't too shabby from a guy the Sox stole off the scrap heap.

Considering Colon's paycheck, I think he's a damn good pickup. Colon has made $1.25 million already this year for just showing up in the big leagues. He'll get $7 million if he can make 30 starts or more. Will he do that? It's possible, but it's slim at this point. But if he does continue to pitch like this, 30 starts will be doable.

Has he essentially demoted Clay Buchholz? Probably, but I say let's ride this train while we can. It won't do any harm to Buchholz if he stays in Pawtucket much longer.

Bartolo Colon -- comeback player of the year?

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What goes through other GM's minds:

“Honestly, what team wants a 35-year-old with a history of shoulder injuries and weight problems? I’d much rather sign a reliable veteran like Carlos Silva. Signing Colon would be like taking a cast-off from the Twins who can’t even hit singles to the opposite field…”

Colon has been a great pickup, pitching better than expected and helping the team to weather the bout of injuries to the rotation. He could well become the come-back player of the year. That said, I think the ChiSox and Texas both made better acquisitions this past offseason, grabbing Carlos Quentin and Josh Hamilton respectively.

Based on his performance so far, should the Sox try to re-sign Colon for two or three years? Or should they let him go, hoping that he makes Type B or A status and nets them draft picks?

by 0157H7 on Jun 12, 2008 11:03 AM EDT reply actions

I say see what it would take to sign him

Figure Wake and Schill are both gone after this year, so a rotation of Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Buchholz, and Masterson would be just fine, but with Colon in the mix, Buch and Masterson could be 5a and 5b.

by RSNexile on Jun 12, 2008 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Type A or B status

I don’t know if he’ll make it. Isn’t it a three year average? And his last two years were crapola. I’d be surprised if he nets us anything.

Quentin was a steal. Hamilton is awesome, but that kid Volquez they traded for him has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, so it’s so far pretty even.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 12, 2008 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions

That said, I think the ChiSox and Texas both made better acquisitions this past offseason, grabbing Carlos Quentin and Josh Hamilton respectively.

No argument about Quentin – all of a sudden, the ChiSox look dangerous. I think Hamilton’s been tremendous, but so has his trade counterpart Volquez, so it’s not like “found money” for Texas (although it is for the Reds, considering that they got Hamilton for basically nothing – good for them). Dan Haren has also been decent. And Gagne’s been good… for me to poop on!

ahem…

No doubt, though, Bart has out-paced my expectations – which were a decent spot start, a medicore spot start, two starts where he goes less than two innings, and career-ending shoulder surgery. He’s been dependable in a year when the pitching has not been. And he only costs us a tiny bit of money – something which we have plenty of.

I think a decision can wait though. If he ends up with a 11-5 mark with a sub-four ERA, decent end-of-year velocity, and no serious DL stints, it might be time to sell high…

Manny, on the other hand…

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 12, 2008 11:25 AM EDT reply actions

Carlos Quentin and Nick Swisher

That’s a fucking great OF (Swisher has been bad, but give him time). Hamilton for Volquez was great for both, because the Reds had too many OFs and the Rangers didn’t know what to do with Volquez. It was a good trade for both.

That being said, Colon was a great pickup. Other than his sorry defense, he has been looking very good.

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

by MerryGoByeBye on Jun 12, 2008 12:18 PM EDT reply actions

Comeback player of the year

Is Lester eligible? He didn’t play a full year last year and his no-no will probably be one of OTM’s Top #10 moments of 2008.

"You know you're having a bad day when the fifth inning rolls around and they drag the warning track." - Mike Flanagan, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, 1992.

by SoxDevil on Jun 12, 2008 1:17 PM EDT reply actions

Kerry Wood

I think Kerry Wood will probably win comeback player of the year in the NL. He is lights out for the Cubbies this season.

Bartolo had great stuff prior to his injury. I am happy for him and the Red Sox. Makes things go a lot smoother when we have everyone, Beckett, Dice-K, Lester, Wake, Schill and Bartolo, rotating in the rotation.

by SoxAcumen on Jun 12, 2008 3:17 PM EDT reply actions

He'd need to make 25 more starts to get to 30

That’s 25 starts in 94 games. That’s really unlikely to happen.

by RSNexile on Jun 12, 2008 3:48 PM EDT reply actions

Comeback player of the year

Carlos Quentin, hands down. Okay, he only played half a season last year, but going from a 63 OPS+ to 145 is absolutely insane.

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

by MerryGoByeBye on Jun 12, 2008 10:34 PM EDT reply actions

He's one of those

“didn’t come back from anything” -guys. And I think the loose translation of the award is they have to come back from something and “have been good to begin with”. Quentin didn’t exactly have a track record of ML-success before this season.

"Are you a real doctor, or a doctor like Dr. Pepper is a doctor?"

by Allen Chace on Jun 12, 2008 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions

While you're right

On the NBA when a average player have a career year, he gets the award (Boris Diaw, just to name one, because he sucks). I’m not a big fan of awards, however, so I don’t really get most of them anyway (like, why the fuck did Derek Jeter win all those GG again?).

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

by MerryGoByeBye on Jun 13, 2008 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Well, exactly.

And they could give it to Quentin anyway. I remember thinking that Lowell got jobbed a couple years ago, but I think Thome moved to the White Sox that season too, and he was coming back from an injury, not just the mountain of suck that Lowell was in his last season in Florida. ;-)

"Are you a real doctor, or a doctor like Dr. Pepper is a doctor?"

by Allen Chace on Jun 13, 2008 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Lowell's last season in Florida

Was really bad. The only good thing about that year for him is that he stole a gigantic amount of 4 bases, and didn’t get caught once. :)

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

by MerryGoByeBye on Jun 13, 2008 2:55 AM EDT up reply actions