Colon shaky in debut
Posted by scotgreg on Mon, 03/16/2009 - 15:40
GLENDALE, Ariz. _ Ozzie Guillen just came out and pulled starter Bartolo Colon with two outs in the second inning at Camelback Ranch.
Making his first spring start, Colon allowed 4 runs on 3 hits while throwing 40 pitches (22 strikes).
Unlike Jose Contreras, who made his spring debut on Sunday, Colon looked tentative on the mound.
The 35-year-old righty also looked rusty, not too surprising since he last pitched on Sept. 13 (with the Boston Red Sox).
At this point, results aren’t overly important. And as long as he stays healthy, look for Colon to lock up the No. 4 starter’s spot.
More later.
He is 35 coming off of surgery on his elbow. He has NEVER been mistaken as a guy who trained hard or took care of himself. We can see that he didn't start this offseason either. His velocity is at 90 which is impressive enough considering he hasn't built up arm strength but he has always been a pitcher that relies on velocity. So can he be reliable enough to be a #5 and make 25-30 starts? I don't think he can. Further more, I don't know if his results will be good enough even if he does.
At least his back didn't explode, or his arm fall off. Plenty of time for that later.