Purcey not overpowering, but precise
It may have taken seven tries, but David Purcey finally picked up his first win of the season. After being penciled in as the Blue Jays third starter on Opening Day, Purcey has gone through the ringer this year trying to keep himself as a member on the 25 man roster.
As I watched last evening’s contest against the Baltimore Orioles, I noticed something interesting about David Purcey’s delivery: he can be precise, but he’s certainly not overpowering.
I don’t claim to be a scout … probably the furthest thing from it, but as an armchair manager it appeared as though Purcey was just lobbing it in there a la Tim Wakefield. While he topped 93.4 MPH on the radar gun, there was something about his delivery that made him look as though he was throwing an offspeed pitch.
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Of course, it wouldn’t be a typical David Purcey start unless there were at least three or more walks. Obviously, Purcey still needs to work on his control a little bit, but that’s what next year is for and hopefully Brad Arsnberg will address that and work with him in offseason.
Moving forward, Purcey’s role with the Blue Jays is very murky. I know the Blue Jays are trying to groom him to be a successful starting pitcher, however he lacks a go-to punchout pitch that all successful starting pitchers have.
I’ve talked to others and bounced around the idea of having Purcey in the bullpen as the long relief guy. It seems like a feasible idea as there will likely be a surplus of starting pitchers next year anyway.
Regardless of where Purcey lands on the roster next year, he needs to work on his control issues before he becomes a valued part of this club in the future.
Regardless of where Purcey lands on the roster next year, he needs to work on his control issues before he becomes a valued part of this club in the future.
That's Purcey in a nutshell. He's certainly not a bullpen candidate if he keeps walking batters.
One of the Jays problems is we have too many potential starters who are sometimes good enough for the rotation, but could be good out of the pen.
Cecil, R-Zep, Richmond, Tallet, and potentially Purcey.
It could be an area to trade from while they all still have starter potential.
BK, I don't think Purcey would work well in those high pressure situations. Maybe he'd be better off coming in when a starter can't put up a quality start and Purcey can be relegated to mop-up duty.
Nick, the Blue Jays do have a surplus of starters, but that's a good problem to have. As we've seen in the past few years, you never know when they will have to dip into the minor leagues and call somebody up. Whoever doesn't make the rotation next year will be in LV and can be in Toronto at a moment's notice.
Obviously this year was a bad one, but I'd give it another season of trying to slot Purcey into a regular starting role. We saw a lot of guys who really shouldn't have been starting this year, and it's hard to say the number of injuries that will be back in top form. I don't see a lot of value in him currently as long relief. (of course, last year I didn't see a lot of value in Frasor, period, so what do I know?)