Promising Young Pitchers Are Treated With Kid Gloves By JACK CURRY Published: September 11, 2007 重点: 细心照护年轻的投手已是大联盟球队的共识 1. 当Clay Buchholz为红袜队投出无安打比赛的10天後, 洋基的Joba Chamberlain传送了 一段祝贺的简讯给Buchholz。Buchholz和张伯伦两个月前是未来之星(Future Games) 的队友。除了贴心的祝福外, 张伯伦也告诉八扣子去享受他的休息日。红袜为了保护 八扣子珍贵的右手臂, 决定本季将不再排定他为先发。张伯伦开始习惯了具有一条珍 贵的手臂的照顾方式, 就是好像有时候须把手臂包裹在防震泡膜以避免损伤。 2. 一个大联盟持续采纳的趋势, 就是费心的球队已经变得很注意如何照护年轻的投手。 在避免再一次的肩部或肘部的伤害可能危害投手的前提下, 洋基的总经理现金人对於 张伯伦使用的严格监督绝不让步。现金人说: "年轻的投手是洋基的资产。签下年轻的 球员发展他们的能力，却不小心的照顾是相当愚蠢的，我不可能不去注意一些专家对 年轻投手使用的建议。" 3. 当洋基到芬威球场从周五开始与红袜进行客场的三连战时，无法预测的是两个竞争如 此激烈的球队之间会发生什麽事。但可以预测的一些事则是，Buchholz和张伯伦两人 应该会发生什麽事。洋基对张伯伦的乔巴封印条款是他投一局则休一天投两局则需休 两天，如此张伯伦将不会连续两场出赛。八扣子的说明书则可能是他每五天才後援一 次，所以这三场比赛他可能可以出赛一次。 4. 红袜的总经理Theo Epstein说: "好投手是很难找到的, 实际上是不太可能从自由市 场找到好投手。就算你找到了, 也要付出相当昂贵的代价。所以年轻的投手是极端 贵重的球队资产。" 5. 但是, 是不是大联盟的球队对相当小心地照顾这些有天份的投手呢? 76岁的Jack McKeon曾在2003年担任马林鱼队的总教练同时赢得了世界大赛冠军的头衔，他说名人 堂的投手Bob Feller, Tom Seaver和Don Sutton曾告诉他说，他们相信年轻的投手投 球之次数其实不太足够。McKeon说："我是守旧派，你投得场数越多，你就会变得越好 。"是否张伯伦连续投两天他的手臂就会受伤了? 八扣子拿到无安打比赛那天投了115 球,假如八扣子需要投超过120球才拿得到无安打比赛，他是否就会经历手臂的伤痛呢? 红袜队後来透露，他们会在120球时把Buchholz投下场，即使当时还是无安打的状况。 6. McKeon提到了1959年到1983年在大联盟赢了283场的投手Jim Kaat时，他表示: "当 我在小联盟当总教练，19岁的Jim Kaat就是队上的投手，那年他为球队投了250局， 他的手臂却可以用了25年之後才报销。 7. 现金人和Epstein解释每个球队都有球员发展的会议，会议中在设立每位投手出赛使用 日程计画前，他们都会广徵所有球队主管们的意见。球队会为投手设立局数和投球数 的门槛，设定未出赛时训练的计画，并决定每位投手的投球状况需要做何提昇的改进。 现金人说已经有显着的统计资料证实，一个投手年轻时手臂负担越重，以後这个投手越 需要做越多的调适，也越可能有受伤的危险。虽然现金人欢迎任何其他的意见，但他认 为他不可能接受以"我们过去的习惯投手就是这样用的"来当作合理的论点。 8. 现金人提到了Bill Pulsipher, Paul Wilson和Jason Isringhausen，这三位1990年代 　 中期大都会队中大有前途的三位新秀投手，他们都历经了各种手臂的伤痛和复出的挫 败。K世代对於照顾年轻投手的重大性变成了深具重大启发意义的证据A(Exhibit A)。 後来只有Isringhausen成为红雀队的救援投手，只有他能够东山再起有了强壮长久的 棒球生涯。现金人表示: "你从K世代所学得到就是这些教训。" 9. Epstein说他觉得红袜已经变得太过顺从年轻投手的养成计画, 所以本季他们大约增加 年轻投手的局数和投球数大约一成到一成五。他拒绝说出明确的数字，但是大部份的 球队每年不会让小联盟的投手增加局数超过40局。Epstein表示: "我们不是在溺爱任 何选手。" 10. 就球队的养成计画而言，总还是不太容易想到Bucchholz或张伯伦会在今年冒出头。 　21岁的张伯伦他明年球季会回到先发轮值里, 在他小联盟三个层级的成绩是9胜2败 　　2.45的自责失分率。他仰赖他的快速球和滑球成为一个後援投手，目前在大联盟 14又1/3局的投球里还没有失分的纪录。一个23岁已经在生涯第二度先发拿到无安 打比赛的Buchholz, 实在让红袜队很难抗拒地想让他先发，但红袜队必须忍住这个 　　念头。八扣子本季已经投了143又1/3局, 已经接近红袜今年为他设下(未具体说明 的)投球限制。因为Buchholz在他的无安打比赛之前还未在一场比赛里投超过98球, 所以红袜表示假如他投球达到120球的限制将会将他换下场。Epstein说这说来"似 乎很荒谬"，但是他支持这是一种保护投手的方式，因为八扣子已经比他生涯单场 投出的球数多出了22球。Epstein表示:"假如你让一个投手变成肩旋转袖断裂(torn rotator cuff)或手臂过度疲劳, 你将不会有第二次重来的机会。" 11. 张伯伦和八扣子将成为季後赛期的万能鬼牌(wild cards), 两位年轻休息足够的选 　 手准备对关键时刻产生作用。Epstein不愿意谈论Buchholz是否有机会进入季後赛出 赛球员的名单，但是若将他的名字删掉又实在令人太过意外。 12. 现金人则信守保护张伯伦的封印真言，即使洋基在危机紧要的关头时都不能例外。假 如洋基在九月底争取外卡，需要张伯伦连续两天出赛时，现金人说他们也不会偏离 　　原先对张伯伦设下的保护计画。现金人说: "我宁愿用短期的痛苦换取长期的利益。" After Clay Buchholz twirled a no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox 10 days ago, Joba Chamberlain of the Yankees sent him a congratulatory text message. Buchholz and Chamberlain were teammates at the Futures Game two months ago. In addition to the kind words, Chamberlain could have also told Buchholz to enjoy his rest. The Red Sox are protecting Buchholz’s valuable right arm and are not scheduled to start him again this season. Chamberlain is familiar with having a precious arm that sometimes feels as if it were covered in bubble wrap. One of the continuing trends in the major leagues is how diligent teams have become about safeguarding young pitchers. With the next shoulder or elbow injury potentially an awkward pitch away, Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees, offered no apologies for strictly monitoring Chamberlain’s usage. “These are assets,” Cashman said. “It would be stupid to draft them and develop them and not take care of them. I couldn’t care less what people say. ” When the Yankees travel to Boston for a three-game series that begins Friday, it is impossible to predict what will happen between teams that are known for playing compelling games. But it is possible to forecast some of what will happen with Buchholz and Chamberlain. The Yankees’ Joba Rules call for Chamberlain to rest a day if he pitches an inning and to rest two days if he pitches two innings; he is not to appear in back-to-back games. The book on Buchholz is that he will probably relieve every five days, so he could make one appearance. “Pitching is so hard to find,” said Theo Epstein, Boston’s general manager. “It’s virtually impossible to find on the free-agent market. If you find it, it’s extremely expensive. Young pitching is an extremely valuable asset.” But are the teams being too cautious with these talented pitchers? Jack McKeon, 76, who managed the 2003 Florida Marlins to a World Series title, said the Hall of Famer pitchers Bob Feller, Tom Seaver and Don Sutton have told him that they believe young pitchers do not throw often enough. “I’m from the old school,” McKeon said. “The more you throw, the better you are.” Would Chamberlain’s arm hurt if he pitched two consecutive days? Buchholz tossed 115 pitches in his no-hitter. Would Buchholz have experienced pain if he needed more than 120 to get it? The Red Sox later disclosed that they would have removed Buchholz at 120, even if the no-hitter was intact. “I had Jim Kaat as a 19-year-old in the minor leagues and he threw about 250 innings for me,” McKeon said, referring to a pitcher who won 283 games in the majors from 1959 to 1983. “I guess his arm gave out after 25 years.” Cashman and Epstein explained how each team has player development meetings in which they poll team executives before outlining exhaustive daily plans for every pitcher. The teams establish thresholds for innings and pitch counts, set off-day workout plans and determine what pitches a pitcher needs to refine. Cashman said there was significant statistical data to prove that the more a young arm is taxed, the more a pitcher tries to make adjustments and the more susceptible he can be to injury. Although Cashman welcomes any input, he said he did not accept “this is the way we used to do it” as a valid argument. “You learn from Generation K,” Cashman said, referring to Bill Pulsipher, Paul Wilson and Jason Isringhausen, three promising young pitchers for the Mets in the mid 1990s who experienced various arm ailments and fizzled. Generation K became a revealing Exhibit A about the importance of caring for young pitchers. Only Isringhausen, the closer for the St. Louis Cardinals, has rebounded to have a strong, sustained career. Epstein said he felt that the Red Sox had become too passive with their program, so they increased their innings and pitch counts by about 10 to 15 percent this season. He declined to be specific about numbers, but most teams do not let minor leaguers increase their innings by more than 40 a year. “We don’t baby anybody,” Epstein said. Still, as much as the teams plan, it is not always easy to envision the emergence of a Buchholz or a Chamberlain. Chamberlain, 21, who will be returned to the rotation next season, went 9-2 with a 2.45 earned run average at three minor league levels. He is depending on a fastball and a slider as a reliever and has not allowed a run in 14 1/3 innings. As tempting as it would be for the Red Sox to start Buchholz, a 23-year-old who had a no-hitter in his second career start, they have resisted. Buchholz has already thrown 143 1/3 innings this season, which is close to the unspecified total Boston set as his limit. He has a devastating curveball, a fastball and a changeup. Since Buchholz had never thrown more than 98 pitches in a game before his no-hitter, the Red Sox said they would have replaced him if he had reached the 120-pitch limit. Epstein said it might “seem ridiculous,” but he defended it as a way to protect a pitcher who would have already thrown 22 more pitches than he had thrown in his life. “If you get one torn rotator cuff or one over-fatigued arm, you don’t get a second chance,” Epstein said. Chamberlain and Buchholz will be interesting wild cards during the playoffs, a couple of young, rested pitchers ready to have an impact. Epstein would not discuss Buchholz’s chances of being on the postseason roster, but it would be surprising if he was omitted. Cashman stuck to his mantra about protecting Chamberlain, even if it put the Yankees in a perilous spot. If the Yankees were fighting for the wild card in late September and needed Chamberlain to pitch on two consecutive days, Cashman said they would not stray from their protective plan. “I’m O.K. with the short-term pain for the long-term gain,” Cashman said. --

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