Ben Sheets signs deal with Atlanta

[Goober]

Righty Ben Sheets threw for scouts today in Monroe, Louisiana, MLBTR has learned. Scouts from the Phillies, Braves, Yankees, and Angels were in attendance.

Sheets, 33, signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Athletics in January 2010 despite missing all of the '09 season due to a partial tear in the flexor tendon near his right elbow. He made 20 middling starts for the A's in 2010 before going down for a second flexor tendon procedure in August. At the time, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Sheets actually had three procedures done on his elbow, including Tommy John surgery.

Word is that Sheets didn't want to return to baseball unless he felt 100%, and he'd like to help a team down the stretch. Assuming he flashes his old form in throwing sessions, Sheets will be a popular free agent this summer.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/06/ben-sheets-throws-for-teams.html

This is pretty fucking awesome. I've been asking reporters what happened to Ben for over a year now, and everyone assumed he was done. I'll be cheering for whatever team he ends up on this fall.

 

[MVPete]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/06/ben-sheets-throws-for-teams.html

This is pretty fucking awesome. I've been asking reporters what happened to Ben for over a year now, and everyone assumed he was done. I'll be cheering for whatever team he ends up on this fall.

:huh:

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

gob is a twitter nag

 

[Slateman]

I wish him the best of luck

But maybe we should wait till he actually throws in a game before declaring him "back." Three surgeries is a lot to come back from.

 

[SuperKevin]

Seems like someone the Yankees would take a chance on

 

[Leftwich]

Gob you'll look forward to him playing for like his first 2 starts, realize he's a piece of shit pitcher and then forget about him.

Don't BS us and tell us you are looking forward to his 5.00+ ERA and his WHIP that will break the WHIP scale.

LIAR!

 

[Goober]

Gob you'll look forward to him playing for like his first 2 starts, realize he's a piece of shit pitcher and then forget about him.

Don't BS us and tell us you are looking forward to his 5.00+ ERA and his WHIP that will break the WHIP scale.

LIAR!

Ben Sheets has a career 3.79 ERA, and 1.22 WHIP. Please shut the fuck up.

 

[MVPete]

Ben Sheets has a career 3.79 ERA, and 1.22 WHIP. Please shut the fuck up.

You should report his post. :bazookajones:

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Ben Sheets has a career 3.79 ERA, and 1.22 WHIP. Please shut the fuck up.

Three elbow procedures, including TJ surgery, and he's 33. And when was the last time he pitched in a major league game?

There is about as much hope for Sheets having a successful return as the Brewers have for retaining Grienke, which is almost nil. I'll give anything the benefit of the doubt, of course, but there isn't much here.

 

[Leftwich]

Ben Sheets has a career 3.79 ERA, and 1.22 WHIP. Please shut the fuck up.

Taken out of context you fucking whiner.

I'm talking about what it will be this year. Hey emo-skinny faggot, where did i once say career? Please tell me you fucking pussy.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Sheets 2004 is one of my favorite pitching seasons ever.

 

[ZAN]

Is he going to changeup on his changeup? Because there is no way his fastball still has the zip to make his circle change effective.

I guess he could go the R.A. Dickey route and start learning a knuckeball....

 

[Goober]

Umm what? Sheets was hitting low 90's in Oakland, and that was coming directly off of surgery. He has waited two years since his last surgery to rehab and get his velocity back. Article notes that Sheets would only throw for scouts if he thought he was 100%. I'm sure he can still bring it.

Groaned for general lack of knowledge about the player. Sheets doesn't throw a circle change. His curveball has always been his best pitch.

 

[ZAN]

Point remains...too many surgeries, and his offspeed stuff won't work without his fastball being in the lower-middle 90s like it used to be.

And yes, he does throw a circle change. In fact, it's his most effective pitch in terms of "thrown for strikes %" which sits at nearly 73, according to pitch f/x.

Groaned for thinking groaning is punishment; as well as believing that the extra "umph" he puts into velocity for scouts at a workout to prove he still has it is how hard he'll actually throw in a game....

 

[Goober]

Three elbow procedures, including TJ surgery, and he's 33. And when was the last time he pitched in a major league game?

There is about as much hope for Sheets having a successful return as the Brewers have for retaining Grienke, which is almost nil. I'll give anything the benefit of the doubt, of course, but there isn't much here.

2010. I laugh how you guys blew your load when Jamie Moyer started for the Colorado "worst pitching staff in baseball" Rockies this year after coming back from arm surgery, but when Ben Sheets, a far better player, starts a comeback it's nothing but failure remarks. Sheets isn't the last option on the table for the Rockies, he has contenders calling his name.

I'm sure his curveball is still nasty. Ben will be a difference maker this fall for a lucky team. Also nice troll attempt. Bringing up Greinke is about as relevant to this conversation as "Zan's" made up circle change pitch. It's silly and quite frankly stupid to write off Milwaukee as a long term home for Greinke. The shoe fits every way you look at the situation.

 

[nwfisch]

2010. I laugh how you guys blew your load when Jamie Moyer started for the Colorado "worst pitching staff in baseball" Rockies this year after coming back from arm surgery, but when Ben Sheets, a far better player, starts a comeback it's nothing but failure remarks. Sheets isn't the last option on the table for the Rockies, he has contenders calling his name.

I'm sure his curveball is still nasty. Ben will be a difference maker this fall for a lucky team. Also nice troll attempt. Bringing up Greinke is about as relevant to this conversation as "Zan's" made up circle change pitch. It's silly and quite frankly stupid to write off Milwaukee as a long term home for Greinke. The shoe fits every way you look at the situation.

 

[Villain]

I laugh how you guys blew your load when Jamie Moyer started for the Colorado "worst pitching staff in baseball" Rockies this year after coming back from arm surgery, but when Ben Sheets, a far better player, starts a comeback it's nothing but failure remarks. Sheets isn't the last option on the table for the Rockies, he has contenders calling his name.

:dance3::freshdance: I was excited as a Dodger fan. :dance2::freshdance2:

 

[Goober]

Point remains...too many surgeries, and his offspeed stuff won't work without his fastball being in the lower-middle 90s like it used to be.

And yes, he does throw a circle change. In fact, it's his most effective pitch in terms of "thrown for strikes %" which sits at nearly 73, according to pitch f/x.

Groaned for thinking groaning is punishment; as well as believing that the extra "umph" he puts into velocity for scouts at a workout to prove he still has it is how hard he'll actually throw in a game....

Writing off a player because of a surgery nowadays is dumb, it's no longer a career ending operation. And 33 isn't that old. Once again you seem to have no idea what type of pitch repertoire Ben Sheets uses, or how he pitches. He relies on his fastball and 12-6 curveball. Pitch f/x has him throwing these two pitches over 90% of the time in his last two years in Milwaukee (no data before 2007), and as someone who has watched Sheets his entire career I can tell you that's how it has always been. Amazing command of the fastball and a great curveball.

Plenty of pitchers do just fine with a high 80's/low 90's fastball. The key is being able to command the pitch and not make mistakes. Once again this seems to work in Sheets' favor, as he has always had excellent command (2.07 BB/9). With his great curveball he can still work up in the zone with that type of fastball velocity.

LOL at your goofy pitch f/x stat. You do know there is a difference between a circle change and a normal changeup right? His change is nothing more then a show me pitch, nothing more. Look at the data for yourself: http://brooksbaseball.net/player_cards/player_card.php?player=282656

 

[Goober]

Taken out of context you fucking whiner.

I'm talking about what it will be this year. Hey emo-skinny faggot, where did i once say career? Please tell me you fucking pussy.

Yeah I guess reading comprehension fail on my part for not realizing how shitty your post was in the first place and not ignoring it.

So you're suggesting that a contender is going to give Ben Sheets a lot of money, even though he "sucks" now. And then bring him up to the Majors where he will "break the scale" as far as how bad he sucks. Cool fucking story dude, why don't you tell me some more about the latest Bubblegum bubble that Adam Jones blew, as that appears to be the extent of your baseball knowledge.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

2010. I laugh how you guys blew your load when Jamie Moyer started for the Colorado "worst pitching staff in baseball" Rockies this year after coming back from arm surgery, but when Ben Sheets, a far better player, starts a comeback it's nothing but failure remarks. Sheets isn't the last option on the table for the Rockies, he has contenders calling his name.

I'm sure his curveball is still nasty. Ben will be a difference maker this fall for a lucky team. Also nice troll attempt. Bringing up Greinke is about as relevant to this conversation as "Zan's" made up circle change pitch. It's silly and quite frankly stupid to write off Milwaukee as a long term home for Greinke. The shoe fits every way you look at the situation.

I believe I was cautiously optimistic of a Moyer comeback, but regardless, it is a good story for a guy who has pitched in MLB for longer than some posters here have been alive. Sheets doesn't carry that for as many people, and as a Brewers fan, I can certainly understand it.

How can you be sure his curveball will be nasty? The guy hasn't pitched in the bigs in over two years, and had three elbow surgeries during that time. For all we know, that curve could have caused all of the damage to his elbow.

Bottom line, we can't be sure if Sheets is back at all. We have just as much evidence that a Mark Prior MLB comeback will be as successful as a Ben Sheets MLB comeback.