Lucas Harrell Gets Bumped To The Bullpen

Yesterday, Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle reported that Lucas Harrell had met pre-game with skipper Bo Porter, and Porter informed Harrell that he had indefinitely been moved to the bullpen. Last night Harrell declined any comment on the issue, and did not talk to reporters. Today postgame, he called reporters over and inferred he was ready to talk regarding the issue. Harrell was quoted as saying he was "Shocked...really shocked" regarding his demotion from the rotation. He inferred he still feels he belongs in the rotation, making points such as, "I didn't realize this until someone told me today but i'm tied with Felix Hernandez for 10 starts with one run or less in all of baseball. I think that's kind of tough to move a guy like that down to the bullpen, but they made the decision so it's their call...". He cited all this as to why he was so shocked and "caught off guard" by the move to the 'Pen. One bit of the interview that some felt was a little controversial was when Lucas stated, "It's one of those things where you've got a new regime in here. They want their guys and it's coming later in the season; it's getting closer to September. So they're going to try their guys and see what happens". It's probably in his best interest for him to not predict the motives and call out the "regime". He's a competitive guy and I for one would probably have had worse to say, so I can't fault him at all for his remarks. Brian T. Smith made a comment regarding his role switch, saying that he believes the move was meant to send a message. That message may or may not have something to do with Harrell's public issues with the coaching staff regarding the shifts frequently deployed by Eduardo Perez and Co. I'd assume that may have factored in, but not too heavily into managements decision. Harrell has a valid point in that he at times been very successful  this year, but the inconsistency in the strikezone has spawned one too many a rough outing, putting a damper on his bright spots throughout the young season. His command has at times eluded him entirely, seeing his BB/9 move up to 4.6, while his groundball and strikeout rate have dropped, as well as his HR/9 rate has risen. Another reason for the rough year Harrell is having can be contributed to his incredibly elevated HR/FB % of 16.7, compared to 2012's rate of 9.7%. His BABIP this year sits at .303, where as his last years BABIP came in at .289. All of these factors ultimately lead to a rather tumultuous season considering the standard set by Harrell last year. I don't know that a move to the Pen is ever truly beneficial in attempt to salvage or refine an aspect of ones game, considering he's needed on a daily basis, therefore there's not much time for side work to refine aspects of ones game that may not be up to par or in need of work. Mechanically, there's not much disparity in Harrell's delivery from last year other than this whole randomly drop down sidearm jive he's implemented this year, so I assume he just needs to work on the most important and volatile tool a pitcher has in his arsenal, his head. He's a tough kid with nasty stuff who competes his ass off. I believe we'll see him return to form sooner rather than later, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him slotted back into the rotation after the break. A moderately elevated walk rate is something that is most likely standard fare with Lucas, and once those levels even out, and his groundball rate gets back up where it will most likely hover around career norms 57% +, his HR rate falls to where it should, and his BABIP settles down to earth, he will be just fine.

Also, on a closing note, I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Kraussmass. Marc Krauss connected for his first big league homerun today in a 5-4 loss to the Dallas commies. Chalk another one up for Stalin and the ideal of socialistic, totalitarian rule. Everytime something decent happens for South Oklahoma, an angel loses its wings. Go to hell, Dallas.