Vogelsong

Bob Smizik has a good approach to the Vogelsong situation. It's the same one I think we should use with Benson. We have to let these guys be who they are and encourage them to get better. The coaches have to teach them, make them better, and there's no point in Mac getting into the business of punishing guys who probably wouldn't enjoy this same opportunity on most other clubs.

Injuries have a way of cropping up at the most unexpected times. Just because the Pirates have not made a move with the rotation in some time, doesn't mean they need to make one now.

I have no idea if Vogelsong might be suited better for the bullpen. I don't know how the team determines who is a starter and who is a reliever, but a pitcher is a pitcher in my eye. It's all the same to me.

That said, if the Bucs slide him into the bullpen or return him to the minors. and bring up Burnett, then what will they do if one of the other starters needs a few weeks off to recover from some unexpected injury? Bring up Big Ben? They have to move slowly with these moves, and give the players plenty of time to show us who they are and who they can be. A half-season in the rotation for Vogelsong should produce some pretty conclusive statistics. If he's dominating NL hitters by mid-July, no one will care about how he pitched in April and May and June. He shouldn't have to worry about anything but his next start, and he should approach each one like he's just been recalled from the minors and has a chance to claim and hold a place in the rotation.

Burnett should have a strong run when he starts his big-league career since he has such an unusual left-handed delivery. The test of Sean will come when teams begin to see him a second time and have plenty of tape to study before they go see him. The quality of his delivery is such that he'll have a long career at the very least as a left-handed reliever capable of bringing a very different look than any of the pitchers before him. I wonder if the minor-league coaches see a drop in his effectiveness when his league gets a little more familiar with his delivery.