Emotions Aside, Can Sherrill Be Useful?

Hello again everyone from the northlands! We had a wonderful weather day today, reminding me of Michigan summers. But, like Michigan summers, it didn’t last long, with the rain and cold blowing into here again tonight. I guess that’s still better than the blowing that you guys down south had though, right?

Moving on to baseball, Fred and I have obviously grumbled about Sherrill for some time. It was my hope that he not make the roster, but he did. It was also my hope that he regain some semblance of talent, but it seems to me that any evidence of that having happened was illusory.

The serious question I have for the group is whether there is any way that he can be used effectively? It has been suggested that he could potentially still be effective in a LOOGY (left handed one out guy) role, but I think that the rules of the game and elementary tactical management, combined with Sherrill’s ludicrously atrocious performance against right-handed batters, makes that impossible or at least highly improbable. If you’re not following me, let’s look at what I think will be the normal tactical sequence. Sherrill is summoned to face a left handed batter. Unless said batter is a feared slugger, the other manager will always pinch hit with a right handed batter. The rules require Sherrill to face at least one batter. That batter will reach base 70 percent of the time. And if Sherrill faces a feared slugger, said slugger will be successful half of the time. The only consistent outcome is that bad things happen to the Braves.

Having watched this happen all spring, and to a not quite so extreme level most of last season, I was not surprised to see it happen this weekend. Obviously, even a blind squirrel gets an acorn every once in a while. But what I’m afraid will happen is that we’ll see the same scenario repeatedly play out, in the hope that the outcome will change. And we all know what that’s the definition of, right?

The best solution I see is to cut our losses. Our pen tilts heavily left, anyway. And Stephen Marek is ready to get Major League batters out right now.

So, is there a way to use Sherrill effectively? Can the Braves afford to spot the Phillies a few more games hoping to find one? Is there anyone out there with an opinion they’d share, as Fred and I are getting tired of talking to each other!