Turnbow Mouths Off...kind of

I like to hear what people think, have some glimmer of information about the clubhouse, but yeah, all Turnbow has to do is pitch well and like you say, its getting to be a while. He is so good when he is on, with a great fastball and off speed stuff that gets them looking. How often does that guy pitch though.

He looked really weak in his last appearance. If he doesn’t have velocity on his fastball, he’s near worthless. And I’ve never heard more conditions required as fans try and understand why he is so variable. He has to start innings, he can’t pitch with runners, he can’t pitch two nights in a row and others I can’t recall.

The fact that the agent is involved in communication makes me wonder about the quality of communication between Ned and the team. JJ also made public comments about dissatisfaction. Braun did as well.

My impression from the sofa was that Ned was fairly popular with the team. It could be nothing really, but perhaps the belief in him is waning or wasn’t that strong to begin with.

But here’s my shot:

I like the fact that turnbow wants to pitch in high leverage situations and his desire to continue being important to this ball club. But the fact is, and I’m sure he’s aware of this as well, he hasn’t performed well enough to warrant that. It’s like a free spender asking for $10,000 to put into a savings account, you know it’s going to get wasted. Ok, a terrible simile but that’s all I got for now.

My main problem with this is I’d rather Turnbow talk with Melvin and Ned personally than having his agent do that. I think that’s a cowardly move and speaks to his lack of desire in taking responsibility for his placement on this ball club.

I’ve always have a soft spot for Turnbow to succeed but more times than not he’s the little engine that couldn’t. I’m not sure if the Brewers can afford his performances anymore and to continue waiting on him getting it together. At some point the question needs to be asked, did a pitcher who has constantly struggled with control (save for 1.5 years) already go through his peak year(s) and he is now on a more hasty decline then the way he took to get up?

I’m hesitant to post simply because I don’t want to bring down the hefty words-per-comment average you have going on.

As for the article, I’m pretty tired already of the nominating of villains this season.

If I’m Doug Melvin, I welcome the opportunity to restore the confidence of one of the few pitchers on staff guaranteed to be here next year.

I think it’s easy for Melvin to say “Look, Derrick, I know we’ve set you back, but you’re still a key part of our plans and we’re looking forward to having you here long term. We just need you to do your part to prove you deserve it.”

I think it’s relatively easy to picture a world where Gagne, Torres, Mota (all free agents) and Shouse (almost 40) could be gone next year, and Turnbow and Riske are the best options at the end of the bullpen. If DM is half as smart as I think he is, he’s sitting down with Turnbow and pointing that out.

Is that you can never really know the tone a player says something in. Like the piece with Braun yesterday, maybe Braun has started to despise Yost beyond words because of having to sit, on the other hand, he could just be annoyed by it and is pissed at himself for not hitting better.

It’s possible Turnbow really wants to be traded, but it’s just as possible that he made some remarks about frustration to a reporter who spun it into a story.

Seems to me Turnbow would talk to Yost about how he’ll be used in games in the near future. He’d send his agent to talk to the GM if he was pretty sure he was going to get used in the way he wanted.

I’m not sure he’d have much value on the trade market right now, but I suspect they might be trying to get Melvin to look for takers who might put him in high-leverage situations.

On an unrelated note, I thought Chad Moeller looked great in his Yankees uniform last night. Joe Morgan thought his swing looked really good. I’m expecting a long and storied career.

I know Turnbow hasn’t been all that good this season so far, so when he mentions during his mini-tirade that he needs to pitch better, I thought pretty well of him.

I actually stopped to look at his numbers this season (courtesy of the links on the left side of the main BCB page - handy stuff, that!). Derrick’s lucky to still have a job. His ERA is just shy of TEN. Admittedly, it’s in fewer than four innings, but what in the name of lah-dee-dah is he complaining about?

I’ve mentioned before that Melvin seems to hold onto his reclamation projects a little longer than he should (like Podsednik) - that any success with them is bound to be illusory, and “sell high” should be the name of the game. I don’t really fault him for keeping Turnbow for as long as he has, but if Mark A. wants to buy Mr. Peabody’s Way-Back Machine, I think the offseason after Turnbow’s amazing 2005 season would be his first stop.