Mercker predicts Milton will win at least 17-18 games this year

[princeton]

my guess is that Eric Milton will be a lot better this year

I don't think that the Reds have bullpen enough to keep 17 leads

[westofyou]

Pitcher
Empiracal
Comparison
Optimization
Test
Alogorithm

or

Malleable
Egregious.
Ridiculous
Crazy
Komrade
Estimate
Rambling


Take your pick, I know what I'm choosing

[M2]

my guess is that Eric Milton will be a lot better this year

What constitutes a lot better? Because he could be a lot better and still be awful.

[princeton]

What constitutes a lot better? Because he could be a lot better and still be awful.

yup, I'm really going out on a limb. But I figure that he either pitches better than awful or else the new administration won't allow him to pitch and blames DanO. And I think that we'll score runs, which will mean some leads.

and it was just a season ago that he won 14 games. Mercker's statement is silly more because we don't have Billy Wagner. 12-14 wins isn't out of the question. It's not that unusual for bad pitchers to win 12-14 games

cue: FCB: "why, I'd bet my second-born son..."

[registerthis]

and it was just a season ago that he won 14 games. Mercker's statement is silly more because we don't have Billy Wagner. 12-14 wins isn't out of the question. It's not that unusual for bad pitchers to win 12-14 games.

Yep. The Jimmy Haynes Smoke 'N Mirrors Show was good for 15 wins a few years ago. Steve Parris had a career year here once too.

[M2]

yup, I'm really going out on a limb. But I figure that he either pitches better than awful or else the new administration won't allow him to pitch and blames DanO. And I think that we'll score runs, which will mean some leads.

and it was just a season ago that he won 14 games. Mercker's statement is silly more because we don't have Billy Wagner. 12-14 wins isn't out of the question. It's not that unusual for bad pitchers to win 12-14 games

I'd say off the limb in this case. I don't think there's a power in the universe to drag his ERA below 5.00 and he's likely going north of 5.50.

So say he went gangbusters and posted 5.15 ERA. He could win 12-14 games with huge run support (though the Reds won't score a lot more than last year ... not that they need to) AND dynamite bullpen support. That's how Haynes did it in 2002. He also pitched a lot better, but the offense he had wasn't as good. If you're going to be a 6 IP guy, then the pen will make or break you. And if you're going to be an extreme flyball guy, then OF defense can also make or break you. The best pitching advice Browning could give Jr. would be to get a young Eric Davis to play CF behind him.

[flyer85]

wrong thread

[OldRightHander]

While part of me would be thrilled to see him put up good numbers, there is another part of me that is afraid that a good year would lead to a new contract, and that might be the last thing we want to see long term. It's not like we haven't seen that happen before.

[KoryMac5]

Mercker such a paractical joker.

[Caveat Emperor]

What constitutes a lot better? Because he could be a lot better and still be awful.

Technically, if you just look at the VORP numbers, if he blows his knee out stepping off the team bus then he makes the team "better."

[buckshotrod]

Maybe Mercker needs to be committed.....