{"id":8625,"date":"2014-03-04T15:23:14","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T20:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=8625"},"modified":"2014-03-04T15:23:14","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T20:23:14","slug":"ask-boswell-3314-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=8625","title":{"rendered":"Ask Boswell 3\/3\/14 edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Walter's<\/a>

Walter’s hot start to the spring has him in a lot of people’s thoughts… Photo unk via wp.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Well, the entire DC area was off-work with yesterday’s (hopefully) final snowfall of the season snarling roads and cancelling work. \u00a0But\u00a0Tom Boswell<\/strong> was busy chatting. \u00a0Here’s how i’d have answered his baseball-related questions from his WP chat session on 3\/3\/14<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0Walters is 5-5 and making some impressive defensive plays. Do you foresee him being more than a September call up this year – perhaps a quality utility player? He also seems like a sharp kid and an interesting character.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Well, the only “impressive play” I’ve seen\u00a0Zach Walters<\/strong> pull off was a 2-run scoring throwing error … but that’s just a “short sample size.” \u00a0 To answer this question; yes I think Walters is more than a 9\/1 call up this year; I think he’s going to be the first guy called up (ahead of both\u00a0Jamie Carroll<\/strong> and\/or\u00a0Mike Fontenot<\/strong> at this point) if we need middle infield coverage. \u00a0I’m worried about his defense (as has been noted in this space before), so I dunno how much we want to depend on him … but so far he’s looking impressive indeed at the plate. \u00a0What more does he have to prove in AAA? \u00a0 The more he hits, the more he pressures the organization to give him a shot at the MLB level. \u00a0Boswell doesn’t know either; there’s no room at the inn for him here; maybe a trade is in order to either move him or free up space for him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0If Danny Espinosa can find his swing and cut down on the strikeouts, could Matt Williams get 300+ ABs for him alternating between 2nd\/SS\/3rd as a super utility?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: I’m pretty sure that’s the plan for him even if he doesn’t necessarily “find his swing” right now. \u00a0 Who would you rather go to war with as your backup infielder right now? \u00a0Danny Espinosa<\/strong> or a 40-yr old punch-less middle infielder like Carrol or Fontenot? \u00a0More and more I think the decision may be Espinosa vs Walters. \u00a0Boswell agrees, thinking Espinosa *is* going to be the primary utility guy for this team.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0Does Mussina get in to HOF?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Hmm. \u00a0 That is a tough one. \u00a0 On the one hand his career bWAR is *way* up there (82.7, which puts him in some very heady company right around 50th best in the history of the game<\/a>). JAWS likes him, and the “Hall of Fame Standards” metric<\/a> on B-R.com thinks he’s borderline. \u00a0On the other hand his ERA isn’t fantastic (career 3.68, career ERA+ of 123, which is about what\u00a0Jimmy Key<\/strong> or\u00a0Tim Hudson<\/strong> are pitching to for their careers). \u00a0Didn’t get the magical 300 wins or 3,000 strikeouts. \u00a0Never won a Cy Young but was in the top 6 in voting 9 times out of 18 years. \u00a0Five all-star appearances, seven gold gloves. \u00a07-8 with a 3.42 ERA<\/a> in 139 2\/3 post season innings, where he peaked in his 1997 exploits in an epic Baltimore vs Cleveland series. \u00a0I think he was unquestionably one of the best arms in the game for a period of time, even if Cy Young’s don’t show it. \u00a0He did not have the greatest reputation with the media though.<\/p>\n

Answer? \u00a0I’d vote for him, but i’m a “bigger hall” guy. \u00a0I think he’s the type who gets in after a few votes to gather steam as people remember how good he was. \u00a0But I think its also telling that his best player comparable on B-R is\u00a0Andy Pettitte<\/strong>, another very borderline hall-of-fame guy. \u00a0There’s certainly no PED usage issues with Mussina; maybe that’s enough to get him votes that other players will never get. \u00a0Boswell agrees with my sentiments here<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Q: What are the Syracuse Chiefs expecting in terms of a pitching staff this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: In December 2013<\/a>, here’s what I predicted for Syracuse’s pitching staff:<\/p>\n