Is Scott Richmond the Anwser?
A fresh face will be joining the battered Jays starting staff this week. Enter Scott Richmond, a 28 year old Rookie, who Toronto is going to love because he will be the first Canadian born hurler to start a game for the Jays in 12 years.
So, who is this guy? Richmond is actually in is first year in organised ball! He started the season with New Hampshire and was promoted to Syracuse about a month ago. Richmond is a big man, 6-5, 225lbs. He can bring it but has not been overly dominant at the Minor League level.
Richmond came out of Oklahoma State in 2005 to join the Edmonton Cracker Cats of the Northern League. Richmond was a Cracker Cat for three season and became a starter last year. He has had some success with a decent K:BB ratio and a very respectable ERA and WHIP. He does have a rather sour 19-30 career win-loss record. In five starts with Syracuse this year he is 0-2 with a 2.53 ERA and a WHIP under 1!
Now is he going to be the anwser or just a Vince Horsman type flash in the pan spot start? Perhaps, as an older dude he has the chance to be mentally tough and might spare some of the other younger marginal prospects JP has collected over the last 5 years.
The other options for the Jays are to bring up Davis Romero who is has been ok in Syracuse.
With Dustin McGowan out, Shawn Marcum has had trouble since returning from the DL and Jesse Litsch has been sent down to Syracuse to whip his butt into shape. So the once infallable Jays pitching staff is in tatters. Halladay and Burnett are a great 1-2 punch latley this is how it was supposed to be when AJ signed before the 2006 season. After that there are many questions. Marcum isn’t going anywhere and John Parrish is nothing more than a AAAA pitcher. Jeremy Accardo is due to be back soon. He has actually been starting in Dunedin on his rehab starts.
Anyways, I hope Scott Richmond the best but I cannot see his start tomorrow being the start of something good. I can’t see him really helping the Jays unless he can hit.
Against TB this is a game you need to steal if there are any thoughts of making the playoffs…Especially since it looks like the Doc is chalking up another loss to TB tonight. Why not give Parrish another shot at them, I don’t get it? Richmond doesn’t make sense on paper but I hope he pulls it off….or maybe it is a conspiracy to take Team Canada’s star and keep us off the baseball podium in Beijing.
RC
I think that Richmond just might surprise you today.
He’s always been a big game pitcher, with the mental toughness to rise to the occasion. He was considered Baseball Canada’s best pitcher for good reason, and has done well against the likes of Cuba, Korea and Mexico on the international stage, when there has been a lot on the line.
Good call, Earl
“I’m happy that I’m 28 doing this instead of 22 just because I can keep it under control a little bit more,” Richmond said. “I’ve been through a lot of hard roads and now that it’s all paying off, it’s like no time to be nervous, just do what you’ve grown up doing.”