My thoughts on the Park/Happ Conundrum
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My thoughts on the Park/Happ Conundrum
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
I want you all to take a few seconds on click on this link and read the following story, because it does a good job of accentuating the uniqueness of the situation that the Phillies find themselves in with regard to their search for a fifth starter. The article is taken from the Korea Times, and it breathlessly reports Chan Ho Park's latest spring start and his standing in the competition for the No. 5 spot. While it may seem bizarre that an entire nation of baseball fans on the other side of the world is following a position battle at Phillies spring training, it seems that is what is going on. The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language daily newspapers in South Korea, and it is produced by the largest publishing company in the country. This recap of Park's latest start is linked, with a picture, on the front page of KoreaTimes.com with a headline that says "Start me up!"
How intensely are South Koreans following this battle? The article goes so far as to parse the words written by the Associated Press about yesterday's game against the Astros, attempting to find some indication as to the direction the Phillies are leaning.
Look at it this way: if you stopped a passerby on the streets of Seoul and asked him who J.A. Happ is, there is a good chance that passerby would answer correctly.
Kind of adds a new level of intrigue to the battle, doesn't it?
Chan Ho Park wants to start. He made that clear when he signed, he made that clear when he first arrived at spring training, and he made that clear yesterday when I asked him point blank if he would accept a role in the bullpen.
"Wait and see," was Park's reply.
It seems that this competition is not simply a matter of Park helping the Phillies repeat. It is about national pride. If Park loses the battle to Happ, there will be a story in the Korea Times that says this. And, judging by the way the battle has been framed thus far in media reports over there, it will be portrayed as a defeat.
If the Phillies decide to go with Happ, it will put them in a precarious position. Nobody knows exactly what was said between the two sides during contract negotiations. If Park really came away from the discussions thinking that all he had to do was pitch well to win the starting spot, then it will look like the Phillies are going back on their word if they do not give him the job. After all, he has struck out 25 batters and walked just two this spring. He has a 2.53 ERA. He showed yesterday that he can overcome a rocky start, something that is imperative as a starter.
But from an evaluation standpoint, the Phillies can make a strong case for Happ. Happ has performed well. He has a 3.15 ERA. He has allowed two fewer hits in 1 1/3 fewer innings, at least in Grapefruit League play (minor league appearances and simulated games are not factored into these statistics). And numbers aren't everything. Park faced a line-up yesterday that was devoid of Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee. It is very hard to compare apples to apples in the spring. Looking further down the road, the Phillies have a greater vested interest in Happ's future. At some point in time, they need to find out if he is going to be rotation-material for them down the road. Joe Blanton will be a free agent after the 2010 season and Brett Myers is a free agents next season. If both have good seasons, it is hard to imagine the Phillies being able to have enough payroll flexibility to afford both. Furthermore, Jamie Moyer is 46. And there is no telling where the futures of Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco lie.
Add in the contributions Happ made last season, and the work he has put in this offseason, and the fact that he has done everything the Phillies have asked him to do, and it would seem to be equally difficult to tell Happ that he just wasn't good enough this spring. Pitching coach Rich Dubee has said all along that he will not forget what Happ did for the team last season.
"Fit" is a word Dubee and Charlie Manuel have used repeatedly when explaining how they will make their decision. Asked yesterday, Manuel didn't say that the winner would be whoever has pitched best this spring. He said the decision will come down to whatever "fits best." Park proved last season he could have success as a reliever. The Phillies, meanwhile, have said all along that they view Happ as a starter.
Maybe Park is the clear-cut choice as a starter. He has certainly looked good. If so, the decision is easy. If he isn't, though, a logical scenario would seem to have Happ begin the season as the starter and keep Park in the bullpen as a reliever/insurance policy. If Happ pitches well, it works out best for the team. If he doesn't, then they can put Park in the rotation and give him his shot.
The problem, of course, is the one we alluded to at the beginning of this blog post. There is no telling how Park would react if the Phillies told him that his sparkling spring just wasn't sparkling enough. At that point, even the most rational of professional athletes would wonder whether the Phillies had ever considered him a realistic option for the starting rotation. The situation, it seems, is more complicated than a simple matter of "fit."
If you told Manuel and Dubee and Ruben Amaro Jr. in February that both Happ and Park would pitch as well as they have, they would have responded by saying that too many quality pitchers is a good problem to have. They would have told you that spring has a way of working these things out.
Well, spring is almost over. Whether the Phillies' problem is a good one or a potentially divisive one will be fascinating to see.
I disagree. I think Park should get the job. I trust him more as a veteran and he has proven himself this spring. Very impressive. But if he happens to stink in his first few starts then Happ could take over. What's the harm in that?— betsy72- Ok Murph, so Park did not face Bergman and Carlos Lee yesterday. But if my memory doesn't betray me, Happ last start was against a minor league team and he was hit hard a little bit. The bottom line is that there was a competition for the 5th spot between Kyle Kendrick, Carlos Carrasco, JA Happ and Chan Ho Park, and Park has clearly won it. The FO should put the best team out there and its hard to argue against Park being the #5 spot regardless of Happ being a future starter or not. They have to defend the championship now. If they want to find out about Happ, keep him in Triple AAA to see if he can have more success in the minors. So far he is being a .500 pitcher with a decent era. They wanted to find out if Gavin Floyd and KK were ready for the Big Show and it didn’t turn out very well. And I understood then. We didn’t have many options. Now we have the Mets and the rest of the league to worry about.— EL Zorro
- I think Park should get the nod as he has performed impressively. Why should Park work out of the bullpen instead of Happ, doesn't make sense.— Troy Winston
- Murph, I agree with your analysis for the most part. It is clear that both pitchers are major league quality, and the fact remains -- Park is a proven commodity in the pen whereas Happ has very little relief experience. And, as you stated, Happ's future is a heckuva lot more important to the Phils. However, I'm not so sure this Korean pressure will make it more difficult for Park to acquiesce to a bullpen nod. If you had an entire nation watching your every move, would you opt to whine and complain about it or, at least publicly, take it like a man and prove your country proud? What I'm more concerned about is the pressure on Happ to succeed with any Park controversies broiling. Buy, hey, this the majors. Toughen up.— e4stringer
- Amazing that a fine Irish Catholic lad named Murph is writing about conundrums, during Lent no less.— mick314
- I didn't mean to give the wrong impression -- I'm not endorsing either one of the two for the job. I'm just trying to set up both sides of the argument. Park has pitched great this spring. My only point is that numbers aren't everything. Set aside the numbers, and he has still pitched great. And Mick, I'm a protestant.
- What are the odds that Park could get traded for a right-handed bat?— werththewait
- Murph, you said that Blanton is a free agent after this season. Isn't he with the team for the 2010 season, as well?— DTrey
- Myers is a free agent after this season, but Blanton still has one more year of arb eligibility, he will be a free agent after 2010. Park is on a one year contract though.— Jonesman
- The Tigers just released Sheffield.— EL Zorro
- What position is more important for this team - a 5th starter or a 7th inning bridge guy? Park proved last season that he can handle that bullpen role. I think he would be of greater value to this team in the pen - appearing in 60-70 games - than he would making 30 starts in the rotation. Last year's WS was won in large part due to the strength of the bullpen, not the rotation. Park makes the pen that much better, particularly with Romero's absence and Durbin's late season decline last year. Park is a professional - he'll deal with the bullpen role like a professional should. Given that he was out of baseball entirely less than two years ago (and hasn't been an effective starter since 01), why shouldn't he accept whatever role he's assigned?— tjc
- Murph, It is hard to deny that Park at this point has some nasty stuff no matter who he is pitching against. What would be the harm in going with the guy who is hot now and worry about later down the road.I do think both will start anyway at one point.Maybe I just don't like the 3 left handers in the starting rotation.Does that concern anyone?— pattymac3
- Phew, a Prod, thanks Murph, I was about to report you to the Msgr. Appreciate your clearing things up.— mick314
- I have yet to hear a legitimate argument for choosing Happ over Park. Park won the competiton for the 5th spot. Nothing bad would happen from putting Happ at AAA. He would see that Park pitched better and the Phillies are a fair team that keeps it's word. Choosing Happ over Park would show that their word doesn't mean anything and logic isn't used in competitions for roster spots. This shouldn't even be discussed, Park wins. Congragulations Korea.— joey bagadonuts
- Park has earned it, still he would be valuable in the bullpen. Sheffield does have a career .945 OPS vs lefties, but hasn't been to great against south paws the last few years.— ktdb05
