Alfredo Simon has given up a homerun in 5 of his last 8 appearances out of the bullpen. What people don't realize when they see that stat is that he actually gave up at least one homerun in 4 games in a row, then had 3 outings without one, and then just last night gave up another. So it's been rough lately for him, ever since transitioning out of the closer role due to a mixture of factors like poor performances and then solid performances by Koji and others in the role.
Alfredo had TJ surgery prior to the 2009 season, but ended up coming back in under 12 months, making a speedy recovery. His solid numbers early on made O's fans happy that, although doing it in worrisome fashion, they had a guy that could shut the door.
With the recent problems, is it time to shut him down for the year. Can't send him down at this point with Norfolk's season over, but it could be smart to let his arm rest after he has worked a ton this year. With a lot of positives to take out of his time with the O's, I feel there is no reason to push him farther and just throw all of his confidence down the tube. We have Dennis Sarfate, Troy Patton, and even guys like Cla Meredith and Kam Mickolio in the minors that could be used, so there is no issue with lack of arms.
Key question: Would you shut Simon down now or let him stay in the bullpen? And if you keep him in the bullpen, do you limit his innings, or just let it be how it is now?
