Jonathan Loaisiga rock'n, firing, and taking no prisoners in Spring Training 2020 by @whyimmorefoolishthanyou - Post Details
Jonathan Loaisiga rock'n, firing, and taking no prisoners in Spring Training 2020
From and 8th inning on February 27th, versus some Rays minor leaguers. This is not a blind fanboy post. I am fully aware that Gomez, Haley, and Whalen are dudes with no major-league experience at this point in their young lives. Dominating kids will, admittedly, not be the measure for Jonathan Loaisiga in 2020. But, man...dude was deal'n in his two innings against the Rays, on February 27th. I was going to cut this vid up so that the 8th and 9th were presented for your viewing pleasure. I was going to further dice the footage so it was just Loaisiga gas that you sat through. But part of the reason I got excited about the dude's showing was that Coney was just as amped up. I believe this was the Nicaraguan's second appearance this spring. After an injury plagued and shortened 2019, it doesn't matter if the candidate for 'next man up' in the rotation was burning the Rays' organizational depth. Dominating the strike zone with 96-97 up high and a curve/change to keep'em off balance is a hell of a lot better than the alternative. With ten pitches thrown in the featured 8th and eleven in the 9th, that was the type of spring appearance that forces the bosses to keep a hurler in mind when the 26-man and 40-man roster crunch rolls around. David Cone's late game excitement emphasized that. When the Yanks' legend and 90s ultimate hired gun mentioned the kid's big arm and attitude, a la, "here it is...hit it," you could tell he liked what he saw. And in true 'Coney in the booth' fashion, he made sure the descriptions of Loaisiga didn't devolve into overly optimistic spring gushing. Dude said that an evaluation of the pitcher couldn't be divorced from an injury history that has placed significant questions about durability in the pitcher's personnel file. God, I'm so glad the YES booth didn't loose Coney to a Yankees' on-field role. Cone's rationality and relish for the competitive aspects of the game brings so much to these broadcasts. Along with A-Rod, but in a more polished manner, Cone has rightly been described as the best colour-man currently in the game. His track record as a big-game dude and his detached commentary is the pedigree. I could listen to that guy make observations about the current game while spinning pop culture refs and stories about the glory years all game long. He's like those SNL skits about cowbell. You can't go wrong with more Coney. Similarly, you can't go wrong if Loaisiga can spin his shit like he did versus the Rays. When I look at Loaisiga, as Coney mentioned, I also wonder if a normal sized man can handle the starter role. There's a reason why the biggest dudes on a ball field have always typically been pitchers. The exertion of a pitcher doesn't translate on TV, unless the slow-mo machine catches the disgusting motions the trade demands from an elbow and shoulder. That's why I see latter career Tom Gordon when I look at Loaisiga. Average sized pitchers can be better protected when they're only asked to be electric in small doses. Considering the kid's aforementioned visits to the IL, I'd be more than happy finding him a spot in the pen; Boonie and Cash can figure out the leveraging as the season proceeds. But it is only the end of February. There's plenty of time for plans to change and then change again. That 8th and 9th was a fun watch, though. #Loaisiga #Yankees #Tampa #Rays #RaysUp #SpringTraining
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