Conveniently advertised at the bottom of the very page I'm typing this on, maybe we should be sending some of these to those rounding out the AL All-Star team selections this year:
No thanks. He's been one of the best relievers in the league and one of our most valuable weapons out of the bullpen, no need to mess that up. Stretch Peacock out instead. He's been fine but nothing spectacular out of the pen. Some guys are probably just meant to be starters (like Liriano?). Plus, it would only be temporary, I believe.
The problem is, currently he's falling behind Rondon, Osuna, Pressley, and likely Devo (when he gets back) in the pecking order. All of the above have the ability to get a key strikeout, Devo/Pressley elite against LHB, all are career relievers. Last night, with the game on the line, Hinch went to Pressley over McHugh (at the time, not an indefensible decision). So, is McHugh as a 6th-7th inning guy at best more valuable than a starter? Not even close... of course you take him starting. I agree his numbers are great in the bullpen... but it won't always be consistently in high leverage situations.
Hinch went to Pressly yesterday, but he is a better relief pitcher than everybody in our pen except maybe Rondon and Osuna. Hinch has consistently been going to him in high leverage situations over the last month, and he has been delivering. He has been a dominant relief pitcher, not good, dominant, and he has shown no signs of letting up. If he in fact does fall to 4th or 5th option out of the pen before showing any signs of weakness, then that is a complete f**k up by our manager. Dominant reliever >>> 5th starter in the playoffs, and this late in the season
I'm guessing they have access to the same numbers you do... its a good problem to have. Just saying how it could play out.... there's also the fact that McHugh can start. The other guys can't. Nobody is talking about him starting in the playoffs... although Brad Peacock did start a playoff game last year which everybody seems to have forgotten. McHugh still needs innings/appearances to stay sharp. With the revamped bullpen, there's going to be less opportunities for some guys when they all come back healthy. Devo, when healthy, was dominant. They got Pressly due to his K numbers and his numbers against LHB. They certainly bolstered things with Osuna.
Ridiculous McHugh stat... As of today in all-time careers as an Astro... Win-Loss % 1. Roger Clemens .679 2. Collin McHugh .643 3. Roy Oswalt .636
McHugh: “When I got to pro ball, I did away with the slider and went curveball. Then I started to develop a little cutter, kind of halfway through my minor-league career. As I was rehabbing last year… I’d talked to Brad Peacock about a slider at the end of 2015 and in spring training of 2016. He throws more of a sweeper, kind of a frisbee-style slider with a lower arm angle like I have. I felt like that was probably an easier pitch for me to throw. I started to develop that over my rehab, and now it’s probably one of the more effective pitches that I throw. ... “I’m trying to see more of a horizontal sweep with less depth. I have my cutter, which I can kind of play like a short slider if I need to, with a little bit of depth and a little bit of sweep. And harder. This one is slower and kind of in between my curveball and my cutter. “Mine isn’t exactly the same as Peacock’s. It comes out of our hands a little differently, but it functions a lot the same way — more sweep, less depth, more of a weapon to righties.” Excerpt from https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/set...d-ryan-meisinger-on-developing-their-sliders/
McHugh won 19 games in 2015? I'm sure I knew that at some point, but it completely slipped my mind. It's amazing how little I pay attention to the W-L stat as an adult. It really used to be a big deal to me. Not bad for a scrap heap pickup. He was the first WTF result that signaled that our nerds might actually be on to something. Didn't pout about being forced to the pen either, even though he's a better than league average starter, he just owned it
I remember on sports radio Charlie Pallilo discussing his callup during the end of the dark years saying that he is just a spot starter and there's nothing special, and the revival hasn't started yet. Not quite like ESPN mocking Kurt Warner replacing Trent Green as their savior, but close enough... and still a ring to show for it.
Huh? Keuchel only gave up 2 runs over 5 innings yesterday. And then there were several pitchers between Keuchel and eventually McHugh. Did you even watch the game? Or is this sarcasm that I'm missing. I probably shouldn't even bother.
