David Steele, one of my favorite writers at the Baltimore Sun, wrote a column saying that Daniel Cabrera should be re-signed by the Orioles.Steele says that even though Cabrera has had enough time and we are all sick of him waiting to break out, he is a pitcher who has stayed healthy most of the season and that the constant change of pitching coaches and management has hurt his development. The Orioles also might be able to get him back relatively cheap.
When Cabrera was first starting out, he showed tremendous potential. He had a solid mid-90s fastball and could easily go 110 pitches a game. He just needed to work on his breaking pitches plus develop his changeup to take full advantage of speed. But over five years, he hasn't improved much. He still walks many people, and though he is hard to hit, a lot of damage is self inflicted. He'll have amazing starts, then awful starts; overall an inconsistent player.
A good point is brought up, the number of pitching coaches Cabrera has had to deal with. Ray Miller, Leo Mazzone, and now Rick Kranitz. Plus the number of managers with Lee Mazzilli, Sam Perlozzo, and now Dave Trembley. It is never easy to keep changing systems especially as a young pitcher. But, many have dealt with that and been just fine.
In my opinion, even with the Orioles pitching woes, the price tag should dictate if Cabrera comes back. If the Orioles can get him for less than four million a year, then I am fine with him coming back. But he isn't the future ace we all thought he would be, and likely isn't a part of the Orioles future. But it wouldn't be a bad idea for Andy MacPhail to get him back for cheap.
(Photo credit: Chang Lee, New York Times)
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