Should Jim Johnson move to the rotation?!

[BuckMagic]

I have been going back and forth on this for a loooooong time, but I think I'd risk it and try Jim Johnson as a starter.

He has the stuff and command to succeed and could be a solid #3, I think.

Should he stay or go?

[Matt P]

Solid #3? I highly doubt it.

He's throwing around 97 out of the pen and he still has a mediocre K rate. How is that K rate going to be when he is throwing 93-95? I know some people argue that he pitches to contact, which if he does that's fine, but we don't have a good defense. He would likely be exposed his 2nd or 3rd time through a lineup.

Even in the minors as a starter he was never impressive.

[Jordan Tuwiner]

I have been going back and forth on this for a loooooong time, but I think I'd risk it and try Jim Johnson as a starter.

He has the stuff and command to succeed and could be a solid #3, I think.

Should he stay or go?

I'm completely against it. No close if Johnson goes to the rotation.

[osforlife]

I think a shutdown closer is more valuable then a 3/4/5 starter. Velocity would take a dip and stuff might get flatter after 2nd time through the lineup. CJ Wilson occasions are rare.

[Shorebirdfan]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This would be a bad move. Johnson belongs in the pen. Closer or set up man he is more valuable than an average starter. Personally, I don't think he would even be average.

[Rising O's]

The pen for Johnson.

[birdwatcher55]

NO!!!!! Why tamper with success???

[TuckerBlair89]

MattP and I talked a lot about this on another forum.
JJ does so well as a RP simply because his velocity is better during short bursts (usually the same with every pitcher). He can be 95+ during his 1-2 innings he pitches, and can place a lot more movement on the ball. This is all compared to 5+ innings where he has to slow his velocity for duration. He simply was an average starter at best in the minors, and I see no need to move him into the pen. I would be totally against it.

/edit : i see Matt already basically posted what I wrote lol

[Don]

Why mess with a good thing?

He is four years removed from starting that picking it back up is not the norm. I fear that his "stuff" would not play as well.

Again, you have a tough time finding guys that can eat crucial innings and bullpen arms on the cheap do not grow on trees.

Is it better served seeing a guy that I feel cannot go through a lineup more than once in the AL East through 5 inning chunks on the 4th turn?

A lot of questions are on the table, enough that it makes the case to keep him where he is at the moment.

[kbrooke]

I agree with most--why mess with success? Yes, we need SP, but we need solid pitching in general so moving a bright spot late in the game doesn't make sense to me.

[DougDE]

Yeah he wasnt really cutting it as a starter, so he became a darn good reliever. Dont see how any one could have much faith that after 4 or so years as a reliever he would all of a sudden be a good starter. Dont fix it if it aint broken. There's already enough broken that needs fixing

[Shorebirdfan]

Yeah he wasnt really cutting it as a starter, so he became a darn good reliever. Dont see how any one could have much faith that after 4 or so years as a reliever he would all of a sudden be a good starter. Dont fix it if it aint broken. There's already enough broken that needs fixing

Couldn't agree more. Too much to focus on to allow this to happen. It would be like moving Wieters to OF.

[A_K]

While I don't necessarily see why it'd be true that Johnson would now become a good starter, I have to say it seems odd to see so many people express confusion over a team moving a struggling young starter to the bullpen, then looking to move him back to the rotation after he experiences a few years of success in the bullpen. Isn't that a pretty common story on a year-to-year basis in baseball, as well as an historically proven system within this very franchise?

[DougDE]

While I don't necessarily see why it'd be true that Johnson would now become a good starter, I have to say it seems odd to see so many people express confusion over a team moving a struggling young starter to the bullpen, then looking to move him back to the rotation after he experiences a few years of success in the bullpen. Isn't that a pretty common story on a year-to-year basis in baseball, as well as an historically proven system within this very franchise?

Who has spent 4 years in the bullpen (their entire major league career minus a start or two), then come back to be a reliable major league starter? Dont think its happened much, certainly dont think it's a "proven system". Didnt research it though

[A_K]

"The Oriole Way" didn't include pitchers proving their worth in the major league bullpen before earning the opportunity to crack the starting lineup? Again, not saying that Johnson would succeed as a starter-- I don't see any indication that he would-- but it does seem odd to me that people are so perplexed that a team would transition a reliever to the rotation if they believe he would be successful there.