It's spring training time again in Arizona, huzzah! The batterymates are showing up this week, which means we can start reading tea leaves to figure out the Giants' most intriguing questions this spring. We'll look at a few this week, but first let's examine the biggest:
- Can Madison Bumgarner break camp as the fifth starter?
- Should Madison Bumgarner break camp as the fifth starter?
- For God's sake, why is Madison Bumgarner breaking camp as the fifth starter?!?
You see where I'm headed with this. Bumgarner didn't embarrass himself in his brief MLB debut last September, but there was no indication that he's ready for a full-time rotation job in the bigs. He was a two-pitch pitcher, which is fine if one of your pitches is named "Mr. Snappy" or "Ryan Express," but Bumgarner's stuff was closer last September to Scott Eyre than to Randy Johnson.
It's quite possible a winter of rest has recharged his arm and lurnt him a mighty fine change-up. It's more possible that another few months, perhaps another year in the minors, is what Bumgarner needs to build more stamina and refine his secondary pitches. In 2008, his first pro year, he threw 141 innings. Last year, he threw 141 innings. That's not a typo, unless it's these guys' typo. Bumgarner is 20 years old. Unless you're a make-a-man-outta-him-let-him-pitch! type of guy, you probably agree that Bumgarner shouldn't throw a full major-league season's worth of pitches in 2010. (Or unless you're Dusty Baker, in which case you think he should throw an average of 120 pitches every fifth day starting March 15.)
Besides, the Giants have Joe Martinez and Kevin Pucetas as potential fifth starters. I don't have high hopes for either, but neither will benefit much from more time on the farm. Let's see what they can do. The Giants also have Todd Wellemeyer, who has had one decent year as a big leaguer out of six or seven, and a couple other non-roster palookas in camp. Surely, they can squeeze a few decent starts out of one or more of these guys over April and May. If by June 1 Bumgarner is tearing up the Pacific Coast League, and the temporary palookas are sub-sub-replacement level, and Pedro Martinez or John Smoltz isn't available for a wee million or two, by all means reassess.
Meanwhile, get ready for the tea leaves: Bumgarner's radar gun readings on Feb. 26. Bumgarner's first Sports Illustrated interview. Bumgarner's first 450-foot bomb in pitcher's BP. (Apparently the kid can hit a little bit.) The size of Bumgarner's ice pack.
Stay tuned for more....Battery-Related Intriguing Questions From the First Week of Spring Training! I should probably work on that title. Until then, it's your turn:
Should the Giants MadBum-rush the show on April 1st?
