It's a good move and a bad move. It's good because Davis still has some upside and the Jays don't have anything to lose by giving him a shot. On the other hand, there's now one less pitcher in the league that Toronto's offense can light up. :-)

I checked the last two BP's on Davis, and they seemed cautiously optimistic about him. So that's fine as far as it goes.

Who goes down? Kershner? Werth? Hudson? Miller?

I guess it depends on the role that Davis will play. If he's in the pen, it will be Kershner or Miller. But if he's a starter, I would think either Hudson or Hendrickson. Both have options, and both have things to work on. Werth hasn't hit well, but the team does need a fourth OF of some sort. I would have prefered to see Johnson stick around a bit longer, but I guess the team felt this was a good chance to see what Werth can do.

I heard Wilner say, I think, that Davis would be starting on Sunday and Walker would be bumped to the bullpen.

Interesting. Mick speculated last night on the Jays claiming Davis, and there it is.

Davis is your standard fastball/changeup/curveball pitcher. When on, his curveball is devastating. WayMoreSports describes his fastball as "very good," which is an overstatement.

Davis pitched effectively throughout the Ranger system after being drafted in 1996. He repeated at high-A in 1997 but jumped from AA to AAA in the middle of 1998. 2001 was the only year in which he spent almost the entire year in the Majors. In 2000 and 2002 he split time between AAA and Texas.

Davis has always pitched well, if not spectacularly, in the minors. He has an ERA of 3.46 in 252 innings in AAA, striking out 7.4 batters per nine innings with an excellent K/BB of 2.6. His career AAA WHIP is 1.30; Davis, even when on, allows a lot of baserunners.

Davis just hasn't pitched effectively at the Major League Level. He doesn't pitch agressively, preferring to nibble the corners. As a result, his walk and hit rates in the Majors are much higher than his AAA numbers. Per nine innings, Davis has walked one more batter and struck out 1.5 fewer batters per nine innings in the Majors compared to AAA. His K/BB for Texas is a tepid 1.40. The one facet of his game that hasn't suffered in the majors is his home run-rate. He allows one about every nine innings.

Davis will turn 28 this year. Not too late to resurrect his career, but close. His stuff, on the whole, isn't that great. He has to hit his spots perfectly just to maintain a 4.00-4.50 ERA.

I think Davis's upside would be a repeat of his 2001 season when he won 11 games with a 4.45 ERA. He could finally evolve into a useful 4th or 5th starter, maybe. But I wouldn't bet on it. Mick may disagree. Regardless, I wish Davis well. The change of scenery can't hurt.

Even though I just traded for him in the BB league (and I still think he's going to come around), I think Orlando Hudson is the likeliest to head down to Syracuse. He looks pretty lost out there right now, and watching Dave Berg play second base isn't going to improve things.

Regarding Davis, I'd be quite happy with this move even if the pitching staff weren't hemorrhaging. As Scott says, the minor-league performance record is there, especially when translated from PCLese. His tendency to nibble might arise from a fear of getting hammered all over the Ballpark at Arlington -- not that Skydome will be mistaken for Safeco anytime soon, but a change is often as good as an improvement. Interestingly, he's actually a slight groundball pitcher -- 1.16 GB/FB ratio in his battered major-league career. He's definitely worth a flyer, though to be honest, I might start him off at Syracuse to get him back on track. But the bullpen badly needs Pete Walker, so Sunday it may well be.

There's no doubt this is a good pick-up for Toronto, but it seems the Blue Jays are already bulging with fifth starter types; I'd like this move if they had more depth in their major-league rotation. But if Davis does take the Jamie-Moyer path -- i.e. becomes good when he's 33 -- and Halladay, Arnold and one other pitcher (names?) are around and as good as they are/could be, then the Jays will have a formidable rotation. But that's all the way in 2007. Who can wait that long?

As it stands now, the Jays badly need someone other than Halladay to step up and perform in the next two-three years, otherwise they will be the Texas Rangers North: world-class offence, world-class offencive pitching. Maybe it'll be Hendrickson, but I think he's more John Halama than anyone else: servicable, but hardly someone you'd build your staff around. Arnold certainly has the chance, too. Who else am I missing?

Have I mentioned how lucky the A's are to have three number-one starters in their rotation below market value?

Who else am I missing?

Corey Thurman? Justin Miller?

And apparently a fourth #1 starter coming in at the first-year rookie minimum some time in July, huh? Have you seen Harden, Gitz? Is he really that good? The numbers just look stupid.

"Texas Rangers North" ... I guess Davis and Catalanotto are as good a start as any to that end.

Speaking of "starting" I think that's what Davis has to do. Scott may have a better sense of the numbers overall but I have had the impression that, as erratic as DD has been in the rotation, he's been worse out of the pen.

I just heard on the FAN that Richard Griffin turns 49 today.

Many happy returns, Mr. Griffin.

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Isn't Coach also 49?

Is it possible Richard Griffin is leading a secret double life? The differences in opinion Coach and Griffin have may just be to throw us off. I know Coach claims to have talked to Griffin, but can anyone confirm seeing them both at the same time?

MP

[He would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for us meddling kids]

I've seen Harden pitch and he is very good. He has a real smooth delivery and looks effortless. I do have a few worries about him though, this is the first year that he has had good control, the other years he has had a ok, not great walk rate. He is only 21 so he has time if this is just a blip. He did dominate at AA but in AAA he has been more vulnerable and during spring training he didnt have very good outings against major league hitters. I dont think he will be ready this year but definatly next year.

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So is anyone following tonight's game? I'm stuck in the lab working, so I'm just following it on Gamecast. How does Sturtze look?

MP

I've added a new entry for tonight's game, so head there for comments.

No, I haven't seen Harden pitch. Hopefully when Sacramento comes up north to play the Tacoma Raniers, Harden will still be with the club.

Joe provided a good scouting report, though, particularly with respect to the control. Anyone who walks 4.5/9 will have trouble in the Show, since, typically, ML hitters have even more command of the strike zone. And, as Joe says, he won't help the A's this year, but next year he'll be in the mix for sure.

That said, he'll surely get the call at some point this season; I'd like to see Oakland break him in the same way the Astros broke in Oswalt: use him in long relief. Harden would immediately become the hardest thrower down there, and, at the risk of getting into a fray with Papa Burley, would be the strikeout pitcher I think they lack.

I know Coach claims to have talked to Griffin, but can anyone confirm seeing them both at the same time?

I -- sorry, we -- have had those people killed, Mike.

This is Moffatt's most preposterous theory yet. If R.G. wanted to have a double life, I'm sure it would be more exciting than mine. What's next? That I'm really Ken Huckaby?

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This is Moffatt's most preposterous theory yet.

You sound like a professor I had when I was doing my MA at Queen's. He didn't really care for my theories on voting.

Your statement is pretty strong given some of the theories I've had in the past. Besides, Bill James' Preposterity Index ranks me behind Gitz for fourth place on the all-time Batter's Box list. Good peak, but no longevity.

MP

Lets see, Doug davis has an ML ERA over 5, he strikes out 5.5/9 IP, and his BB/K ratio is about 1.5. Sounds like a lot of the other players on the Jays right now. Look for small improvements, not big ones.

This improves the bullpen more than the rotation, but it buys some time for someone like Thurman or Miller, and there's always a chance Davis will thrive in his new environment. I presume Kershner is going down, now that they've gone to a middle-infield committee.

I am surely higher than third on the Presposterity Index. Give me some credit here.

Where does that yahoo Doherty rank?

Gitz, like Gale Sayers, I Am Third.