2008 Woodie Awards
PTI: The trio gives Wilbon and Tony K. a rest
Brian Fitzsimmons, Mike Barrett, and Pat Pickens
Issue date: 3/30/06 Section: Sports
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Barrett: I think the Braves shortcoming this season will be the bullpen, and losing Mazzone will hurt. He was such a huge factor to their pitching. The Mets on the other hand have improved on the offensive side of the ball by adding Paul LoDuca and Carlos Delgado.
Fitzsimmons: Agreed, but the area where these two teams collide is in the bullpen. They both have bats, but only one of these teams has a true closer. As a matter of fact, that one closer is Billy Wagner and his dominance will let the Mets win close games. The Braves enter the season with Chris Reitsma as their stopper. That's about as comfortable as the hitters feeling when they will face Felix Hernandez.
Barrett: King Felix will have a very good season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he hits a wall and goes through a slump. They could also make the mistake of pitching him too much.
Fitzsimmons: Agreed, but Seattle management has said they won't allow him to exceed 200 innings, which is smart. The baseball world wants to cherish a young talent like him and we wouldn't Hernandez to become the next Mark Prior with injuries that were sustained as a young pitcher who threw too many innings.
Barrett: Mark Prior is a Cy Young candidate this year.
Fitzsimmons: It's extremely hard to root for this guy and pick him as a contributing factor this season for the Cubs. He's already complaining of arm pain, and will likely miss the beginning of the season. As for your predictions, he better be a Cy Young candidate if you think the Cubs are going to win the National League Wild Card.
Barrett: They still have Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano on the mound, plus the Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez tandem in the lineup.
Fitzsimmons: True, but Wood is unreliable as well, so my guess is that he and Prior have the same trainer. Zambrano is very good but is too much of a head case. Lee will have a hard time producing his numbers he put up last season, and there is nothing bad I can say about Ramirez. He's a player.