Griffin: Drabek clears Jays deck to clear his head

The move to option Kyle Drabek to AAA-Las Vegas had to happen for the immediate good of the Jays and the long-term good of the man who was the centre-piece of the Roy Halladay deal two winters ago. Drabek's demeanour, his body language and his string of frustrating mound failures are what led to his departing the major-league scene before making another start. On Tuesday afternoon the club did it, calling up righthander Zach Stewart, considered one of the organization's top starting prospects since coming over from the Reds in the Scott Rolen deal at the trade deadline, two years ago.

Drabek, the talented rookie righthander with the pouting air of petulance during games and his stoic acceptance of failure afterwards had become the symbol of what ails the Jays.

"What's wrong?" 

"Nothing's wrong." 

According to the 23-year-old with the impeccable baseball bloodlines, it was always a matter of one or two pitches in each failed start, a matter of working out small issues between starts, of getting it back together in time for the next outing. But it wasn't happening and the storyline was getting stale.

Face it, if outfielder Travis Snider was shipped out for not being patient enough at the plate and for not grasping the tenets of hitting that were being offered him by coaches, then how could the emotional Drabek be spared the same fate? 

Drabek was 4-5, with a 5.70 ERA in 14 starts. In his last five starts he had allowed 22 earned runs in 22-2/3 innings. Three starts ago he lasted just 2/3 of an inning. In his last outing he was pummelled by the Red Sox. He will be back, but not anytime soon.

The question was asked of Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos why Drabek was being sent to Las Vegas instead of just switching positions with Stewart in the Fisher Cats rotation. After all, the Jays have a history of leaving their top prospects in the pitcher friendly Eastern League, rather than exposing them to the elements and bad infields in the PCL.

“He's dominated that league, so what is he really going to learn?" Anthopoulos said. "So it's going to Vegas and having its adversities, its challenges. It's almost like because he hasn't failed before and he's failed a little bit up here, it's learning to deal with failure and going through it. Going to Vegas is the next step for him. He's dominated New Hampshire and it's really a chance for him to go and meet that challenge and hopefully get back here soon." 

Stewart, 24, was pitching at AA-New Hampshire which is not, in fact, a step down in the minor-league pecking order for Blue Jays pitching prospects, but is the preferred incubator of young starting talent because of its even playing fields and game conditions closer to the major leagues than the fast-living, hard infields, thin air and gusty ballparks in the PCL and at AAA-Las Vegas.

The choices at the Monday meeting that sealed Drabek's fate between Anthopoulos and manager John Farrell was from among Stewart, Brett Cecil and Brad Mills.

 “Zach was someone who was very close to a callup last year," Anthopoulos explained. "He's done everything what we've asked of him down there. He hasn't been up here before. His last few starts he's pitched well. Just being down there and talking to the staff well it's like he deserves an opportunity. It's really a good time to give him a shot, to give him a look and see how he does." 

The Jays rotation as of Tuesday seems vastly different than it did coming out of spring training. Right now it features Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Jo-Jo Reyes, Carlos Villanueva and Stewart. Gone is the trio of Jesse Litsch, currently on the DL, Brett Cecil and Drabek, now both in Vegas. 

Those changes do not represent a failure in Jays' planning as much as it is an adjustment to the realities that when you are going with a younger rotation you had better line up the top nine or 10 guys heading into the season. There is nothing as uncertain in baseball as a young pitcher the year after he has had some success. Even a pitcher with great stuff like Drabek can't continue to pitch the same way and expect to have success. Veteran major-league hitters watch video and make adjustments all the time. Pitchers need to realize this and make adjustments to the adjustments. A young pitcher that finds himself sitting on his laurels will soon find himself sitting in his economy seat -- on the way to Triple-A.

The Jays left Florida with an uncertain five-man major-league rotation but a strong organizational vision that included Romero, Morrow, Cecil, Drabek, Litsch, Reyes, then add Stewart, Deck McGuire, Chad Jenkins and Henderson Alvarez. They also knew there were other short-term starters available like Villanueva and Brad Mills to fill in at any time. This is also why the Jays front office knew better than Jays Nation that they would not be contenders in 2011 despite the slow start  of the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays that seemed to ope the door for an aggressive approach of adding a couple of short-term veterans.

The current personal setback for Drabek hurts but is all a part of the Jays' understanding of what they will have and what they will need in 2012. They need a lot.   

 

Comments

[Moon]

Can this Coaching staff actually develop anyone??? seems like they can't......or they have terrible judgement thinking these guys were ready.......

Other teams wait a few months like they did with Lawrie and then bring them up..........

Drabek, Cecil (whom has two complete game wins in last three games) Snider sent down, then you have Morrow (where did the 98mph fastball go by the way??)all three closer, Davis, Hill all having subpar years. Bautista's early start kept this team respectable.

and Zack did not earn this start with this years performance.........

[Penguin]

Richard, everyone you listed is a starter now or for the future. Would be good to read about who the Jays are developing as short relief and closers. Heaven knows we could use someone because the current lots of Francisco, Rauch, and Dotel have not been an improvement on Gregg, to say it kindly (I like Janssen and Rep and Villaneuva, when he returns to the pen, and the new kid (sorry, forget his name right now) also has looked mostly very good).

[Mark]

All hail 2013.

2012 would take some breaks. Cecil and Drabek and Morrow need to make it all the way back. Lawrie will still be a glorified rookie, the Hill-Escobar-Hecheveria question needs answering, Gose probably wont see the majors until late 2012, Snider is nowhere, and Arencibia is hot and cold, and we have no long termers in the bullpen.

Yesterday I tried comparing the Jays with the Yanks and Sox position for position for 2012 and beyond. If you were going to pick one team out of the Sox and Jays rosters, 3-4 Jays would make the team. Its maybe 5-6 with the yankees instead (this includes pitchers).

[The Fonze]

I dont see how the Jays "need a lot" to contend....if you consider that Lind has missed lots of games, and Snider and Laurie are yet to make an impact but almost certainly will soon and they still maintain a .500 record (essentially) Add in Cecil, Drabek, McGowen and an underperforming Morrow -certain to win a Cy Young in the future - the Jays are way closer than you say. Once the starting rotation is solidified and you have a pen with Villenueva and Reyes in it to go along with Rzeplinski and we have a super solid pen. I also assume AA will get something decent for Patterson and that with a now solid Lind and Aroncibea hitting after Jose that Davis will soon get out of his funk and be promoted back to leadoff. I also expect AA to make an interesting trade involving Aaron Hill soon. And finally, I am counting the days until E5's outright release.