The Mets' own Marshall Plan

[Frayed Knot]

From Adam Rubin's blog at NYDN:


The Mets have claimed lefthanded reliever Jay Marshall off waivers from Oakland. Here's the official release:

Marshall, 26, spilt last season between Oakland and Sacramento (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League. He started 2009 with the River Cats, appearing in 50 games and going 5-3 with seven saves and a 3.20 ERA (18 earned runs/50.2 innings). After a promotion to the Athletics on August 9, the 6-5, 205-pounder went 0-2 with a 14.73 ERA in 10 appearances out of the bullpen for Oakland.

Marshall was taken by Chicago (AL) in the 25th round of the 2002 First Year Player Draft and made his professional debut the next year with Bristol ® of the Appalachian League. His first major league action came in 2007 with Oakland and for his career, the lefthander is 1-4 with a 7.66 ERA.


Marshall - a lefty reliever w/50 ML innings under his belt. Maybe a LOOGY although it's a bit hard to tell from his brief ML splits (where he hasn't really been good against anyone) or maybe just a guy to keep Pedro F. company.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He came up in 2007. Do the Mets have to put him through waivers to assign him to Buff?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

One of our submarines.

[Valadius]

You know, I'm getting ready to propose an honorary Chad Bradford/Joe Smith Submarine Pitcher Roster Spot.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, the tradition is that a designated spot becomes established only in the names of deceased players from Championship-winning squads.

[seawolf17]

If I'm Roger McDowell, I politely decline Valadius's dinner invitation, then.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, I think sidewinder Terry Leach (6 2/3 IP in 1986) would have to be our victim. (Danny Frisella didn't do it sideways, did he?)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Leach is more it than McDowell. Rog was more "sidearm" than "submarine," strictly speaking.

As to Marshall... I'm just hoping he can get lefties out, and maybe grow some fun, Clay Zapada-like facial hair thing. (Part of the job as a LOOGY, in my mind, is amusement value.)

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sidewinders I can think of (*=Metly):

Old School
Ted Abernathy
Elden Auker
Dick Hyde
Walter Johnson
Carl Mays

Middle School
Mark Eichhorn
Jeff Innis*
Terry Leach*
Dan Quisenberry
Kent Tekulve

New School
Chad Braford*
Todd Frohwirth
Jason Isringhausen*
Jay Marshall
Steve Reed*
Joe Smith*
Scott Sullivan
Billy Taylor*
Kelly Wunsch

[seawolf17]

Can we go get Clay Zapada? I'd ask one of our guys to grow a silly moustache, but then we'd just be copying him. I'd rather have the real thing.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Hey, it doesn't HAVE to be a Zavada-stache (I sic'ed myself). After all, you can't really top the Mustachioed American of 2009, can you?

Hell, he could just grow the beard out, or just the sides (a la old-school General Burnsides-'burns). Or a Sam Elliott brush. Whatever... explore the studio space a bit, you've got the time.

[MFS62]

Edgy, there was another one - Marty Kutyna. I tried to copy his delivery for a while, then gave up. It was not only side/ sub but "herky jerky" too.

Later

[Chad ochoseis]

Wikipedia has a nice series of freeze-frames showing Cla Meredith's pitching motion.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Edgy, there was another one - Marty Kutyna.[/quote:3tonaqn1]

I'm sure there are many many more. That's just what I dreamed up. Feel free to copy and add to it.

[Gwreck]

Brad Ziegler of the Athletics. Had something like 40 consecutive scoreless innings a year or two ago.

[Theoldmole]

Ewell Blackwell?

[MFS62]

Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell was a pure sidearmer.
BTW- Edgy, I had never heard that Walter Johnson had anything but a more typical (over the top or three-quarter) delivery. Was he a side-armer consistently?

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sure was.



Greatest pitcher ever. Sidearmer.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I had never heard that Walter Johnson had anything but a more typical (over the top or three-quarter) delivery. Was he a side-armer consistently?

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Beauitiful, isn't it?

It's hard to tell which are warmup pitches and which are against live batters, so you can't tell how much he dropped down, but my estimation is not much at all.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Awesome video.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Johnson had a nickname, didn't he? The Big Caboose, or Choo-Choo, or something. It's on the edge of my tongue.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Awesome video.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Johnson had a nickname, didn't he? The Big Caboose, or Choo-Choo, or something. It's on the edge of my tongue.[/quote:2d8s3hfs]

"The Big Mork". In fact, Mork from Ork was named Mork specifically because of Robin Williams' resemblance to the HOF Senator pitcher.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Stop trying to fuck with me. I'm unfuckable.

[Fman99]

Stop trying to fuck with me. I'm unfuckable.[/quote:20kj89tl]

That's what she said.

OH SNAP!

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

"The thing just hissed with danger". (Ty Cobb describing Johnson's fast ball).

A video excerpt from Ken Burns' Baseball on Walter Johnson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHV0-Zp3eTA&feature=PlayList&p=7E912007C6D80741&index=2

[batmagadanleadoff]

"The thing just hissed with danger". (Ty Cobb describing Johnson's fast ball).

A video excerpt from Ken Burns' Baseball on Walter Johnson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHV0-Zp3eTA&feature=PlayList&p=7E912007C6D80741&index=2

[Guest Edgy DC]

"Pre-Existing Condition": two words that keep armies of lawyers employed.

http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2010/02/ny_mets_trying_to_void_waiver.html

[smg58]

He's only making the league minimum, deal with it. Put him through waivers, and if somebody takes him in spite of the injury then fine, he's somebody else's problem. If not, free the spot on the 40, let him work his way back to health in the minors, and he still has the chance to be useful at some point.

The only reason why I could see this being a problem worth bringing to the commissioner is if the injury is season-threatening. Don't/shouldn't waiver claims get physicals too, though?

So has anybody figured out yet why Adam Bostick was never given a spot on the 40?