I give Sonny props, and have been the past few weeks. Even before his prevous 2 starts, the numbers might not suggest he has pitched very good but I have seen big improvements. Even when he was only getting into the 5th inning and getting shallacked hard in the first couple innings, I still saw improvements.

I think this post is kind of overblowing it a bit. Sonny and Jackson have both been above league average for their spots in the rotation. Both have shown improvements and both are getting better

I just find it funny that the stat jockeys fail to EVER give Jackson the credit he deserves the way I have no problem applauding Sonny and his efforts (even in starts when his “numbers” and “projectables” dont suggest he has been very good, but I isee otherwise)

I think we are very lucky to have Jackson and Sonny at the back of our rotation, but I still think Sonny is the first man to get moved to the pen and also I still think he has the best chance of anyone to be highly succesful in the pen

but when pitchers start getting a lot more wins than losses, I think there is something to it. Sonny has something to do with those 10 wins he’s got, even if his ERA suggests he is maybe only a 7 game winner at best. He deserves a lot of credit for having such a good record

Exactly those strengths and weaknesses of Sonnanstine that make him a potentially useful starter are those that make it unlikely he can succeed in the bullpen.

Weaknesses: He is prone to gopher balls, tends to give up hits, has no real “out pitch”.

Strengths: Can adjust to changing conditions during a game, durability, variety of pitches, excellent control

Aside from the control, his weaknesses would likely make him a very erratic reliever. Coming in with men on base or in a close game, you might expect him often as not to give up the tying hit or the go-ahead home run. Without a dominant pitch, and with no time to make adjustments, he would have to challenge hitters immediately, a terrible position for him to be in.

On the other hand, while he may never be more than a solid back of rotation starter (and we still need time to see if that will be the case), his adaptability, intelligence and stamina give hope. He can work carefully at first and afford a bad inning or two early because he will often be able to right himself soon enough. He can call upon a wide arsenal of pitches, some of them better than we may give him credit for, and without resorting to superstitions about intangibles we can still recognize that he has a plan on the mound.

I say this despite the fact that Sonnanstine became my favorite Ray during spring training. I think he can become a very valuable starter for the Rays, and I do not subscribe to the view that he will automatically be replaced by the more luminous stars coming up. I think a reliable, innings eater who can year in and out throw 200 innings of about 100 ERA+ is a significant asset. But I am dubious that he can be as useful in the bullpen.

Again, I am not completely confident he will work out as I hope, but I suspect he will. I am still convinced he will get bombed periodically, and I think he will about as often throw a gem while in most other games he should be able to keep the Rays competitive. Perhaps out of every 10 starts, 2 short outings giving up 4 or more runs, 2 seven+ inning starts giving up 0-2 runs and the other 6 in the 5-7 inning range giving up 3-4 runs.

If he does that, I consider him a solid #4 or 5 starter, but if he relieves like that he becomes a disaster. Of course, given his baseball intelligence he might make adjustments (as Howell has) to succeed in the bullpen, but for me that possibility is too speculative now.