Late Friday afternoon, the Detroit Tigers and Washington Washington Nationals swapped once promising relief pitchers in what I like to call a classic “Change of scenery” trade. The Tigers sent RHP Ryan Perry to the Nationals for RHP Collin Balester.

Perry, who was the Tigers’ first-round pick in the 2008 June Draft, really struggled in 2011. Perry finished the season with a career-worst 5.35 ERA, 5.8 K/9, and 5.1 BB/9 in 37 innings. Manager Jim Leyland really never trusted Perry and didn’t use him in any big spots down the stretch.

Perry was once tabbed the Tigers’ closer of the future, so trading him just three years after drafting him has to be a disappointment to the Tigers. However, I think part of Perry’s struggles can be attributed to the Tigers rushing him to the Major Leagues.

Perry had only thrown 25.1 minor league innings before being called up to the Majors in 2009. I know Perry is talented, but going from the University of Arizona to just 25 minor league innings to the Major Leagues in less than a year is a lot to ask. If you remember, the Boston Red Sox did something similar to a “closer of the future” when they rushed Craig Hansen to the Major Leagues and that was a failure as well.

Now, Hanson had some other issues going on which hampered his success, so I don’t think Ryan and Hansen are 100 percent comparable. I do think there is a good chance that Perry can turn things around.

However, he is going to need to do a couple of things.

First, he is going to have to develop a secondary pitch. A 94 mph fastball might have blown hitters away at the University of Arizona, but in the Major Leagues, that’s meat. Perry throws a slider, but it’s not a plus pitch for him (-1.2 wSL for his career) and he dangles a change up every now and then, but Perry hasn’t established that pitch in any way, shape, or form.

If Perry is going to continue to rely on his fastball, then Randy St. Claire (Nationals’ pitching coach) is going to have to find a way to get more movement on Perry’s pitches. Right now, he throws a flat fastball with no movement. Again, meat for even the worst Major League hitter.

Take a look at his Horizontal Movement Chart from PitchFX from a game in September against the Oakland A’s in which he gave up three hits, two runs, and a walk in a third of an inning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, Perry’s pitches are as flat as the Nebraska grassland. At 24, I think Perry is worth the chance for the Nationals. He has the arm, now he just needs to learn how to pitch.

As for Balester, he was drafted in the fourth-round by the then Montreal Expos back in 2004 and while it may seem he has been around forever, Balester is still only 25-years-old. Balester has a career 5.17 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, and a 40.9 percent Ground Ball Percentage in 167 innings.

Much like Perry, Balester doesn’t have a secondary pitch to get batters out on a consistent basis. Unless you are Mariano Rivera or throw 99 mph, a pitcher needs a second pitch or else a hitter is just going to sit back and wait on his fastball and that is what hitters are doing to Balester. Balester throws a curve and like Perry, dangles a change up, but neither of them are effective pitches for him.

Balester has proven that he is a better reliever than a starter (5.87 ERA as a starter. 3.81 ERA as a reliever), but if he wants to take the next step, he is going to need to harness his control. 25 walks in 56 career innings as a reliever isn’t going to cut the mustard.

Both teams are taking a chance here that they can turn around someone’s failed prospect. I like Perry’s upside more, so I think the Nationals did well here.

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By The Baseball Index