Spotlight on… Brad Peacock
A live arm may be coming to DC sooner than expected but perhaps in a different role
Yesterday, Adam Kilgore confirmed what some folks suspected: The Nationals are experimenting with Brad Peacock as a reliever. As I tweeted to him yesterday, the changeup is what got Peacock from Potomac to Harrisburg.
I think it would be a shame if Peacock were converted to a reliever before he had the full chance to see what he can do as a starter. I totally get that this may be something that the organization needs, but if you’ve seen what that changeup — which may be his third-best pitch, but it’s his most important pitch to get over for strikes — does to hitters, you’d understand.
Peacock was a favorite of mine from this past season because of that changeup. Okay, maybe because it was also a thrill to see him throw a complete-game shutout. But guys that can deal 94-95mph are relatively common. Guys that can also throw a change that’s easily 10-15mph slower? Not so common.
Most of my “LNIW” posts involving Peacock were prior to the site changeover in hosting. As it so happens, he was the feature in the lone “LNIW” from our “mobile home days“, which gave me a chance to talk about what it means to go seven innings in the minors; a spiel I’d had “in the can” for years without a place to express.
Hopefully, that’s all this is: An experiment. But if it’s not? Please, let Brad continue to work on his change in some long outings.
Sue: I’m with you in hoping that Peacock goes back into the rotation at either Harrisburg or Syracuse for 2011. I know Rizzo has seen some recent success converting starters into hard-throwing relievers (Clippard, Balester), but the system isn’t exactly flush with SP’s who can control three pitches in the zone either.
Again, I agree. The value of a good starting pitcher is incredibly higher than a reliever, it’s not even close. I surely hope Sue is right and they’re just trying to find him innings & experience in the AFL.
He’s become so much better the last year it would be airhead territory to convert him to reliever.
We’ll never again find the likes of a Mike Piazza in the 67th round, but 41st round is still pretty sweet.
Peacock also throws a “show-me” curve that’s not half-bad, either. What makes his change so devastating — aside from the huge speed differential — is that the motion and release point is identical to his fastball. I let out a sigh when he got one over when I thought a fastball was coming; methinks the batters muttered something that rhymes with “truck.”
I haven’t seen Peacock so I can’t really comment on what I’d like to see them do with him. I listened to a couple of his games last year and it sounded like he was always this “loses command and gets hit 2nd and third time through” reliever kind of guy. We really don’t have too many guys at his level in the system with starter potential, though. We have room in the Harrisburg rotation for him. Seems to me you use him as a starter next year and see what happens.
Swing and miss stuff in our system is a rarity and Peacock should get every opportunity to start.