Mark Mulder News....

[IEAngelsfan]

Blanton isn't needed regardless. I'd rather trot a leper with his arm barely hanging on by the skin out there.

Fixed.

[markb]

Even though the odds are against him, I still can't help feeling like I'd be more confident seeing Mulder on the mound every five days over Blanton.

[AngelsLakersFan]

According to some posters here, the only thing he's ready for is failure.

 

In all seriousness, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up the 5th starter and good one at that.

 

It's just that... no one has ever been able to come back from such significant injuries, after such a long time out of the game, at such an old age.

 

It's not that we don't want him to succeed, it's just that there are so many obstacles in front of him, it's hard to see a path that leads to prolonged success. 

[AngelsLakersFan]

I would love to see him earn a spot, but I am just not optimistic.  It is just too difficult to come back from so many arm problems, with so much time taken off, all while pitching at a relatively advanced age.  I don't see his arm holding up, and even if it does, the ability to control the strike zone and get hitters out is another game altogether.

 

But I sure hope to be proven wrong here.  I'd love to see him earn the last rotation spot.

 

Exactly.

 

If we assume first that the significant damage to his shoulder has healed there are still a ton of questions to consider.

 

1) The biggest question, is how sharp can he possibly be, how good can his command be after so many years off?

2) Assuming the rust wears off quickly, at 36 years old, with the past injuries to his arm, how good of a pitcher can he actually be?

3) If he answers the first two questions we have to wonder if his injuries won't reoccur once he starts throwing significantly

4) Lastly, and this is the biggest hurdle. If everything goes right, everything, how many innings can he really throw before fatigue sets in?

 

If Mulder is really interested in playing in the big leagues again I think he should resign himself to pitching out of the bullpen. Questions 3 and 4 are the biggest hurdles to long term success, and I can't see him answering both, but out of the pen they are significantly less difficult. The Angels will let him get his shot at the rotation because they need to find as many quality starts as possible, but there is just no way he sticks.

[Hollyw00d]

Muldy's throwin the ball real well, his arm looks real good and he's popping the catchers mitt nicely

[Ohtaniland]

Well.....lets see. Normally a simulated game won't last more than 3-4 innings and if the pitcher makes it through with a low pitch count then they will likely be ready to return to the Major Leagues.
So if he threw 100+ pitches in a simulated game he must be getting shelled. 

[ukyah]

dipoto's already said in so many words that blanton isn't getting released. you guys are waiting on something that isn't going to come. blanton's going to be a part of this team for one more year.

[Blarg]

Well.....lets see. Normally a simulated Blanton game won't last more than 3-4 innings.

 

Fixed.

[KevinStockerIsGod]

Well.....lets see. Normally a simulated game won't last more than 3-4 innings and if the pitcher makes it through with a low pitch count then they will likely be ready to return to the Major Leagues.

So if he threw 100+ pitches in a simulated game he must be getting shelled. 

 

I read it like he stretched out that far so early in the offseason, probably to see how he'd hold up.

[Ohtaniland]

Fixed.

Good point.

[Lhalo]

Don't forget Mark Mouldah!!!

[tdawg87]

I would not be shocked to see Mulder make the rotation. Whether he sticks there or not is a different story. One thing is for sure; you gotta love his confidence and the effort he has put in to make this comeback.

[fan_since79]

dipoto's already said in so many words that blanton isn't getting released. you guys are waiting on something that isn't going to come. blanton's going to be a part of this team for one more year.

 

The fans in the outfield seats are rejoicing. They're going to get a lot of souvenir baseballs.

[Homebrewer]

dipoto's already said in so many words that blanton isn't getting released. you guys are waiting on something that isn't going to come. blanton's going to be a part of this team for one more year.

Don't need TWO 6th starter/long relief guys on the 40 man. If Skaggs sticks, that makes it a competition between Blanty and Muldy for that swing man spot. I would be willing to hand it to Mulder without thinking too much about it. A starting pitcher somewhere will come up lame in ST, it always happens...and that someone will take Blanton's 8.5M contract for a mil.

[greginpsca]

dipoto's already said in so many words that blanton isn't getting released. you guys are waiting on something that isn't going to come. blanton's going to be a part of this team for one more year.

I think Dipoto is going to see how Blanton does in the spring. If he gives up 5 hr's in his first 10 innings, i bet Jerry will be making some calls trying to trade him. Or else, release him, if no takers.

[Homebrewer]

I think Dipoto is going to see how Blanton does in the spring. If he gives up 5 hr's in his first 10 innings, i bet Jerry will be making some calls trying to trade him. Or else, release him, if no takers.

The problem with that is that we have already seen Blanton's ST numbers mean nothing.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Don't need TWO 6th starter/long relief guys on the 40 man. If Skaggs sticks, that makes it a competition between Blanty and Muldy for that swing man spot. I would be willing to hand it to Mulder without thinking too much about it. A starting pitcher somewhere will come up lame in ST, it always happens...and that someone will take Blanton's 8.5M contract for a mil.

 

So when someone else's starting pitcher goes down they are going to want Joe Blanton from us... and inevitably when our starting pitcher goes down we are going to...

[Homebrewer]

So when someone else's starting pitcher goes down they are going to want Joe Blanton from us... and inevitably when our starting pitcher goes down we are going to...

Juggle what's available. Make a trade with some kind of package. Even if we give up too much, it is still going to be better than having Blanton in any role. You are right, there are going to be starters that go down. My fear is that if Blanton is around, Scioscia and Butchy are going to use him.

This cannot be allowed to happen.

Dipoto needs to get rid of him.

[Second Base]

The last time Mark Mulder won, Mike Trout was a freshman in high school.

What an amazing story it is already. If he actually provide the Angels with ANYTHING this season it would be something worth making a movie about.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Blanton isn't needed regardless. I'd rather trot a leper out there.

 

Wouldn't that be redundant?

[Vegas Halo Fan]

A starting pitcher somewhere will come up lame in ST, it always happens...and that someone will take Blanton's 8.5M contract for a mil.

 

Only if they want to spare the expense of printing playoff tickets.

[Homebrewer]

Only if they want to spare the expense of printing playoff tickets.

If an NL team has a starter who comes down with Madsenitis and wont be ready till Mid-May (snikker) he could be a cheap stopgap for a month or so. (rather than rushing up a kid that isn't ready)

[EDinTUSTIN]

Muldy's throwin the ball real well, his arm looks real good and he's popping the catchers mitt nicely

He's been puttin' in some overtime down in the pen - he and Butch have been workin' on some things to get him where he needs to be. We've liked what we've seen. He's gonna pitch some simulation situations, and we'll see where he is at.

[Jason]

We've already started a Scioscia quote thread?

[jsnpritchett]

The last time Mark Mulder won, Mike Trout was a freshman in high school.

What an amazing story it is already. If he actually provide the Angels with ANYTHING this season it would be something worth making a movie about.

 

Not really.  It's not like the Jim Morris story.  Mulder had a fairly long career with some success, then became an ESPN analyst before his comeback.  Hard for the average person to relate to that or find inspiration in it.