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Bannister Struggles and Teahen Needs To Move In The Lineup
Long title, but I’ve got a couple of prime thoughts brewing today.
Hmmmm… Second consecutive rough outing for Brian Bannister. What do we make of this?
For starters, he’s had similar rough patches before. Here are his stats from his last four starts:
21.1 IP, 33 H, 19 ER, 5 BB, 11 SO, 8.02 ERA
And here are his stats from his last four starts of 2007:
16.2 IP, 21 H, 19 ER, 8 BB, 5 SO, 10.26 ERA
Of course, that includes his final start of the season where he didn’t make it out of the first inning, otherwise the ERA’s are comparable.
I think what we’re seeing is the manifestation of the true Brian Bannister. No, I don’t think he’s really as bad as he’s pitched recently. What I’m saying is that I think he’s a very streaky pitcher. There are going to be times when he looks great, like he did in his complete game last month against the Twins. And there are going to be games where he’s extremely hittable, like he was on Tuesday.
The key, obviously, is that he has more good outings than bad. So far, he’s been doing just that: In four of his seven starts, he’s posted a Game Score of 51 or higher.
I’m not worried about Bannister - he knows what he’s doing and there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll make some adjustment and get back on track in his next start.
Other notes from Tuesday:
– A lot will be made about Garrett Anderson and his 5 RBI night and how he “single-handedly” beat the Royals or some such nonsense. Anderson benefitted from a lineup that was on base all night. The Angels two through five hitters each had two hits. If Bannister could have retired Casey Kotchman, it would have been a different ballgame.
– Twice, the Royals had a runner on second with less than two outs and Mark Teahen at the plate. Twice, Teahen struck out. He’s now hitting .271/.353/.381 overall and .250/.276/.357 with runners in scoring position.
Here are his fly ball rates going back to his breakout 2006:
2006: 35.4%
2007: 29.2%
2008: 30.1%
He’s never been a “true” fly ball hitter. His line drive rate for this year is solid at 21.5%, so pointing out the lack of fly balls isn’t a criticism - it’s simply stating a fact. Teahen makes good contact (when he’s not swinging at pitches out of the zone) but doesn’t generate loft very often.
Here are his HR/FB rates which tells us how often his fly balls clear the fence:
2006: 16.5%
2007: 5.8%
2008: 3.6%
That’s not supposed to happen. Teahen is 26 years old. His power should be developing, or at the very least, holding steady.
As we move further away from 2006, it looks more and more like Teahen’s power burst that season was a fluke. That’s fine, except that the Royals insist on using Teahen in the lineup like 2006 was a true indicator of his talents. There’s the problem.
With his skill set (good contact, low power) Teahen needs to be moved up in the lineup. Bat him leadoff or second, not third or sixth (where he hit on Tuesday.)
The entire Royals lineup needs an enema, so I’m not trying to single out Teahen. But Trey Hillman needs to make some changes and they need to be of the radical variety.
– With a pair of catchers on the roster who appear to be very similar when it comes to handling the bat, you have to ride the hot hand. There, I just made my case for Miguel Olivo to play ahead of John Buck. Olivo leads the team in home runs and has about half the at bats of the regulars.
Time to turn him loose.
– Alberto Callaspo needs to play everyday. Four plate appearances and he’s on base twice on Tuesday. But again, Hillman is playing his lineup in a manner that is way too rigid. Of course when Tony Pena is at shortstop you have to bat him ninth. He’s a liability with the bat. We know that. But to hit Callaspo ninth ignores the fact that we’re discussing two completely different (and by completely different, I mean one is good, the other is not) players.
Bat Callaspo first and follow him with Teahen and see what happens.
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14 Responses to “Bannister Struggles and Teahen Needs To Move In The Lineup”
May 7th, 2008 at 7:13 am
Good things about Teahen:
He has a strong arm.
He is tall.
He has a nice smile.
Thats about it.
Sorted by American League outfielders Mark is:
40th in RBI.
41st in sluggig %.
Most at bats of any outfielder with at least 1 HR.
While 13th in K’s.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:19 am
1. CALLASPO
2. DEJESUS
3. BUTLER
4. GORDON
5. GUILLEN
6. GRUDZ
7. TEAHEN
8. OLIVO
9. GLOAD
May 7th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Craig…nice comments. I can’t disagree with what you’re saying. I have become a HUGE Callaspo fan. Furthermore, I don’t know why Grudy has always sat rigidly in the #2 hole. Don’t get me wrong; I like the guy. Not saying he shouldn’t; just asking why he should. Ya know?
Any pitch count comments? :) Royals scored their runs jumping on first pitch fastballs. The first inning saw hitters taking first pitch strikes. Two strikeouts that inning (although both called third strikes appeared to be balls). My point is, I believe, that taking pitches is a situational strategy. I don’t believe that there should be an umbrella policy for sitting on first pitch strikes or taking pitches. Besides, I will again say that it largely doesn’t matter with KC cuz they can’t hit consistently anyway.
My RADICAL lineup…
1. DDJ LF
2. Callaspo SS
3. Butler 1B
4. Guillen DH
5. Gordon 3B
6. Grudy 2B
7. Teahen RF
8. Olivo C
9. Gathright CF
Not so radical, but it’s hard to make a rock bleed.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I have to agree with Callaspo and Teahen batting 1 & 2.
Here’s my lineup
1. Callaspo SS
2. Teahen RF
3 . DeJesus CF
4. Olivo DH
5. Gordon 3B
6. Butler 1B
7. Gurdz 2B
8. German LF
9. Buck C
Bench Guillen and Pena until they learn to hit.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:29 am
I think, at this rate, you need to try just about anything. Throw a lineup at the wall, if it stick..keep it.
1) DeJesus - I don’t think there is anyone else who should be hitting #1.
2) Butler
3) Gordon
4) Olivo (DH)
5) Grudz
6) Callaspo
7) Guillen
8) Buck
9) Teahen
You got to put your best hitters at 1-4, reguardless of who it is. If Buck is on a 19 for 25 tear, let him hit third. DDJ does a good job of getting on base, Butler could very well get him to third with a solid hit. Then you got two on for Gordon/Olivo/Grudz.
One thing is for sure. Guillen doesn’t work at 3/4/5 right now. If Teahen continues to flop, sit him for Gathright.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I agree Teahen needs to move. I was thinking Omaha or a different organization altogether. After 4 plus years with two good months I am ready to try Maier.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Terry…good delivery. Props.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I agree. Teahen has been disappointing. I’d love to see him break out as a Royal, for real, but maybe it’s best to trade him while there’s still hope. Buck is in the same boat for me. If we hadn’t traded Beltran away to get both, would they still be playing so often? There are so many guys in AAA that deserve a shot playing in the MLB for more than in September.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I think you’re being a little hard on Teahen, Terry. His numbers last year were pretty much on par with his 2006 numbers, except for the lack of power. Obviously the power is a big concern, but it’s not as though he reverted back to 2005 Teahen last year. “Two good months” was really more like three outstanding months followed by a pretty solid if not amazing season in 2007. People seem down on Teahen now because he’s unable to keep up with the ~30 home run pace he set for himself in 2006, but he still got on base at a decent .353 clip and posted an OPS+ of 98, just a touch below average. This season his OPS+ is 102 despite only slugging .381. Clearly he’s not the greatest outfielder in the world, but he’s still been a much better player than he’s given credit for. On a team that is posting a cumulative OBP of .308, 28th in MLB, you could do a lot worse than Mark Teahen.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Teahen is Paul O’Neill Lite. I think hes worth keeping and his OBP of 350-370 range will likely improve with time; though it isn’t bad now. I just don’t see the other options. If the Royals can somehow use Teahen/Davies,etc. to get Dan Uggla, I’d be all for it.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Meant that I’d only drop him if the return is very good; not a #5 starter prospect for example.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:38 am
we could have chosen Uggla instead of German in the Rule 5 draft. I am not sure if Banny is going to be so good for the Royals if his streaky bad is going to be this bad, including the Rangers game as well, we could have won this game if we could have held a 3 run lead, maybe we should trade him on his next hot streak, maybe the laws of BAPIB do rule despite his disagreements with those rules. Teahan’s one good half season of power is probably attributable to steroids or HGH, he was desperate at the time, sent to the minors and careeer in shambles, then “he suddenly goes back to the basics and develops power.” Yeah right. Buck also had only one half season of power, when they brought in the first catcher to challenge him as a starter, though he does appear to have some natural power, it is still just mostly locked up in there.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:34 am
We are an awful offensive club. Teahen is a poor outfielder, though he can through, and he hits like a 2B. Something needs to be done, but what are your options? It’s not like anybody else is hitting.
I would like to see Callaspo more. A bizarre thought is that maybe on the nights Greinke starts we let him hit and let Callaspo DH for Pena?? Okay, that’s silly, but we need some relief.
The real problem is not Pena, but Butler, Gordon, Guillen, and Teahen. If these guys don’t pick up the pace we won’t score 600 runs this year. I’m not down on Butler, but how have we turned a hulking 240 pound guy into an up-the-middle singles hitter??
May 9th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
You guys are idiots! The original post about moving Teahen–due to power numbers–made some sense, but the others are missing the point. Teahen’s OBP will be higher than most on the team, especially Guillen’s, he can run and he’ll hit for gap power. He’ll be ok.
At some point, Pena may have to be dumped, but people are jumping on Callaspo as if 30 ABs tell the whole story and fielding range at SS is insignificant. Hell, people are commenting on Teahen’s “fluke” 2 months. Then, what is 30 ABs? I can understand arguing against a guy hitting .150, but at least acknowledge what you give up in the field.
Guillen is your waste. The guy was hitting in the .170 range last time I looked–that won’t get it done from your 4-5 hitter. Hell, that’s not a 9 hitter…unless he has great range at shortstop…ha!
In short, everybody looks better that isn’t currently hitting .170, striking out, or not hitting with the power that they did two years ago. Because of the contract and past success, Guillen deserves time to pull out–although from the #8 spot wouldn’t be bad. At some point, a SS change may have to be made because Pena isn’t even looking like a major league hitter. But, that’s going to be bad because of the defense. Teahen definitely needs to be in the lineup and will be one of the better bats on a young team. Give up too fast, and you are just throwing darts randomly.
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