Tom Brennan - KYLE DOWDY AND JAKE DEGROM
I used to be in a bowling league years ago.
My style was all-out speed, eschewing the classic bowling hook. How fast could I let that bowling ball fly?
When I got strikes, the whole alley knew it. Fireball coming down the lane...KA-KRASH!!!! It would register on local seismometers, I've been told. It even woke the dead.
But I invariably could not be consistent enough to get my bowling average above the 160s (Jose Reyes feels my pain).
Consistency is quite often the difference between the OK and the great.
Bowling? I wasn't great. But enough about me...
Kyle Dowdy was recently acquired through waivers by the Mets and reportedly throws very hard.
But the former Tiger 2015 twelfth rounder needs to cut down on the bad outings and increase the amount of good outings.
So simple, right?
After going a fine 10-3, 2.84 in his inaugural 2016 season in Full A ball, he went 8-12, 3.83 in 134 IP in High A ball in 2017.
2018 saw him in AA and AAA, in just his 3rd season. How did the soon to be 26 year old do overall in 2018?
9-15, 5.15 in 124 innings, with a 1.48 WHIP. Ugh.
But first the good:
In 2018, he had 20 very good to excellent outings (12 of those in relief). In those games, he threw 96 innings, allowing just 79 hits, 24 runs (2.25 ERA), and 2 homers, and fanned 95. Nice. Real nice.
Now the bad:
In the other 10 outings, 8 of which were starts, he was awful: 26 innings, 55 hits, 18 walks, and 47 earned runs, for an ERA of 16.27! As in SIXTEEN TWENTY SEVEN! Bad. Real bad.
Without me asking, Jekyll and Hyde both remarked on how Jekyll and Hyde our Mr. Dowdy was in 2018.
To me, that smacks of a consistency problem, but also shows that when he is good, he can be very solid indeed. Like in his last start: 6 innings of 3 hit shutout ball, fanning 9.
Perhaps the maturity derived from the 2018 season's struggles set him up for a very solid AND CONSISTENT 2019, one perhaps that sees him in the big leagues late in 2019 or in 2020.
I always remember Jake deGrom in his 3rd pro season: 7-7, 4.51, 1.45 WHIP in AA and AAA. But he got a whole lot more consistent right after that, wouldn't you say? (Jake, by the way, congratulations on the $17 million contract, hopefully the first of many truly lucrative seasons to come).
Maybe Kyle can blast off too - he just seems to need more refinement and consistency.
He might be ready to "roll a perfect game" in his pitching career in 2019.
In 10 relief appearances in 2018, spanning 118 batters, he allowed just 9 runs and 7 walks, while fanning 28, and batters hit just .219 with a .283 OBP.
That suggests Killer Kyle can ramp it up as a reliever and pitch markedly better than as a starter.
I remember that description (shaky starter, much better reliever) describing well a current Met when he was in the minors. His name? Jeurys Familia. In Buffalo in AAA in 2012, he had a lousy 4.73 ERA in 28 outings, all of them starts. And saved 51 games for the Mets 4 years later.
So, remember the name Kyle Dowdy in 2019. He is likely a top 20 Mets prospect right now.
Before I sign off on this article, though:
Splits are always important to consider, too.
In 10 relief appearances in 2018, spanning 118 batters, he allowed just 9 runs and 7 walks, while fanning 28, and batters hit just .219 with a .283 OBP.
That suggests Killer Kyle can ramp it up as a reliever and pitch markedly better than as a starter.
I remember that description (shaky starter, much better reliever) describing well a current Met when he was in the minors. His name? Jeurys Familia. In Buffalo in AAA in 2012, he had a lousy 4.73 ERA in 28 outings, all of them starts. And saved 51 games for the Mets 4 years later.
So, remember the name Kyle Dowdy in 2019. He is likely a top 20 Mets prospect right now.
8 comments:
If he's top 20 then perhaps BVW has gutted the system too deeply.
It would be nice to uncover a "power arm" for the bullpen and/or spot starts, basically for free (Rule V). Looking at the roster, I am not sure where he ultimately fits? (unless someone else gets traded or starts in AAA, like Drew Smith, for example)
Plus, he has to stay up for the full year, right?
On a side note, I too play a "power game" at the bowling alley........in addition to terrorizing the pins (and the adjacent gutters), I nearly dislocated my shoulder trying to throw the "biggest ball in the place" (not like that) as hard as humanly possible.
Yes, I probably have a few issues!
He does have to stay up the full year, so if he's coming up in late 2019, it more than likely won't be with the Mets. He'd have to clear waivers with all other teams, after which he gets offered back to Cleveland for $50k. If Cleveland passes, only then could the Mets assign him to a minor league team.
Mike, we have issues.
Dave, you are right. Maybe this guy comes into spring and snatches the last pen slot. Seems iffy, at best.
Dowdy will need to be lights out to stick as the Mets gave a lot of similar arms that they can option if and when needed.
I too bowled many years ago and was convinced to abandon the throw it as hard as possible play. It took about five years to get a handle on the offspeed stuff but it did push the average into the mid 180s. Hopefully some of these bullpen fire ballers can master that offspeed stuff a lot quicker.
TP, from your bowling ball to God's ears.
I used to have a late hook which drew some admiration from teammates. One of them chose an unfortunate way to describe the technique and from then on I was known as a great hooker.
Gifted in that regard, no doubt
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