Capozzi: Fox, Wiley Out

[Metes]

On the Bears?

[Ramp]

only one I know

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

as long as Rick Peterson doesn't come here, please

Funny that you mention this...

After a year away, Rick Peterson is primed for a return to the majors. Could his next pitching coach job be with the Marlins?

Reached earlier this week, Peterson wouldn't reveal whether the Marlins were among the teams he's spoken with so far. He did say the job would appeal to him.


"I'm definitely interested," Peterson said. "No question about it. I think they can win and I think they can win very soon. With their young pitching, obviously you have to keep them healthy and get a little more production out of them. That's pretty much been my track record in my career."

Peterson has some familiarity with the Marlins personnel from his days with the Mets. He spent five seasons (2003-08) as their pitching coach, leading that staff to the National League's third best ERA in 2005 (3.76) and 2006 (4.14).

Before arriving in New York, Peterson established his reputation with the Oakland Athletics, where he coached future 20-game winners Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. From 1999-03, Peterson's Athletics pitching staffs finished in the top three in ERA among American League teams each of those seasons.

Mulder, who's looking to make a comeback in 2010 after undergoing shoulder surgery, sought out Peterson last season as did Rays lefty Scott Kazmir.

Another of Peterson's assets is his understanding of biomechanics. Along with Dr. James Andrews and others, Peterson started 3P Sports, which provides amateur pitchers with a detailed motion analysis of their delivery and recommends adjustments to improve velocity and accuracy while reducing injury risk. That's only one facet of the program (the three Ps stand for Peak Performance Program), which also includes drills and covers the mental approach to pitching.

Rick Peterson interested in pitching coach gig

[Fritz]

Unless Peterson can supply us with the steroids that made Mulder into a beast, I'll probably have to pass.

[FishFanInPA]

Wasnt Peterson the one who fucked up Oliver Perez?

[nny]

Wasnt Peterson the one who fucked up Oliver Perez?

Oliver Perez was fucked up before he went to New York

But why do people not like him?
--------------------

What leap did JJ make this year? His 1.30WHIP and 3.10ERA in 2006 as a rookie and his 3.61ERA and 1.35WHIP in 2008 returning from injury weren't good enough for you?

There is a difference between his rookie year and since coming back from surgery though: Not just the fact he now hits 95 constantly (compared to 91 in his rookie year), but the fact he has a lot better control. His BB/9 his rookie season was 3.90, which is below average (average is normally around 3.50). Last year it was 2.78 and this year it was 2.50. His increased control does not just lead to more walks: by being able to locate the bottom of the zone constantly, he gets more ground balls, ergo less hrs and other XBHs.

However, I don't think this is any credit to wiley. Wiley's calling card of improvement seems to be locked into the cutter/slider. The only time we hear a success story for one of our pitchers, that's what it's credited to. This is one reason I'm hoping we do retain him, but more as part of the minor league overseeing staff, see if other pitchers can develop that pitch well.

JJ has credited all of his improvement to his new work out regime which is based off his rehab. And considering you can't really teach 4 MPH, and there's be nothing said of new mechanics to increase his control, I assume that it would be best to default to that as credit.

[Ramp]

Bryan Price turned down the offer

[dgriot]

Oliver Perez was fucked up before he went to New York

But why do people not like him?

I remember some Mets fans not liking him for having a uniform philosophy for every pitcher (e.g., always stay on the low corners), regardless of whether it catered to that pitcher's strengths...limiting Maine's 4 seamer, trying to be too fine with Pelfrey's sinker, etc. Don't know how true that is.

Peterson signed with the Brewers, so he's off the table, anyway.

[FishFanInPA]

Perez was semi-decent before he got to the mets.

[nny]

Perez was semi-decent before he got to the mets.

Uh....?

All but 2 of his 5 seasons before being a Met, he had an ERA over 5. His two years before becoming a Met: 5.85 and 6.55 ERA.

Only 1 of his 3 years as a Met has he had a ERA over 5, and that was this past season when he was injured.

His ERA is a met is lower than before he was a Met.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Mark Wiley doesn't hide his disappointment at being fired as Marlins pitching coach, but he takes solace in knowing that it wasn't the biggest shock of his career.

Wiley, 61, was fired as Cleveland's pitching coach after the Indians reached the American League Championship Series in 1998 and lost to the eventual-champion New York Yankees.

"If that can happen, anything can happen," Wiley said Tuesday.

Two weeks ago, the Marlins dismissed Wiley - who will retain a job in the organization- and first base coach Andy Fox after the club finished second in the NL East with an 87-75 record and the lowest payroll in baseball.

"I was surprised - I thought that the team performed well," Wiley said from his Boca Raton home.

The Marlins' biggest deficiencies came from the area that was supposed to be a strength - starting pitching.

Although Josh Johnson had a career season, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad and Andrew Miller all spent time in the minors after losing their rotation spots. Miller is now pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

"There are always players who step back and have to regroup," Wiley said. "That's all part of baseball."

Wiley added: "I felt like I did what I could do. I felt like I didn't want to put too much pressure on young kids early in their career."

None of the starters is more than 26.

"My experience tells me not to make them feel like they are getting blamed because the team is not doing well and they have to really step up when sometimes they're experiencing things they've never experienced before," he said. "That's just my philosophy and it may not be everybody's."

Wiley has accepted a job as a special assistant to the general manager, but he and the Marlins have agreed he can leave if a team wants to hire him as pitching coach. Wiley said he has received interest from at least two teams.

Two men the Marlins had interest in have taken jobs; Bryan Price was hired by the Cincinnati Reds and Rick Peterson by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Marlins are believed to be interested in Chuck Hernandez, the former bullpen coach with the Detroit Tigers and Indians. Other candidates could be former Indians pitching coach Carl Willis and former Washington Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire.

Mark Wiley philosophical about dismissal as Florida Marlins pitching coach

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

When Jeffrey Loria traded in the Expos to buy the Marlins in 2002, pitching instructor Randy St. Claire could have joined the southward migration with other members of the Montreal organization. But, due to family matters, St. Claire elected to stay behind.

"There were only a small handful who stayed back," St. Claire said.

Now, more than seven years later, St. Claire could receive a second shot to join the Marlins, who are in the process of interviewing him for the open pitching coach position. The Marlins also plan to talk to veteran pitching coach Chuck Hernandez. Like St. Claire, Hernandez has ties to current members of the Marlins front office. He was a minor-league pitching coordinator for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays when Dan Jennings and Mike Hill were in the Rays organization. Hernandez later served as the pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers and, more recently, bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians.

"I'd love the opportunity," St. Claire said of the Marlins. "They've got a lot of good young arms with a lot of potential."

St. Claire was working in the Expos' minor league system when Loria and his gang pulled up stakes and took over the Marlins.

"They told everybody they were invited to go with them, and most guys went with the group to Florida," St. Claire said. "But I had kids at the time and it was a really tough choice for me. At that point in time, it was more a family decision."

St. Claire was in his seventh season as pitching coach for the Expos/Nationals when he was fired in June.

"I'd love the opportunity to work with them," St. Claire said of the Marlins pitchers. "I'd like to try to get them to where they need to be to be successful."

Randy St. Claire Would Welcome Second Chance to Join Marlins

[emkayseven]

"They told everybody they were invited to go with them, and most guys went with the group to Florida," St. Claire said. "But I had kids at the time and it was a really tough choice for me..."

I wonder what happened to his kids

for real though, please, no st. claire. hernandez is fine.