* Kudos to Gil Meche. After signing a $55 million contract that was maligned by everyone except him and the Royals, he pitched a great game against a Red Sox squad whose offense should be formidable.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I heard many broadcasters yesterday say that maybe Meche will be worth the money after all. It’s way too early for that. Meche has a long way to go to prove that he’s a consistently solid starter.
Take a look back to last year. There were times when Meche was dominant. For instance, last June he had a 1.60 ERA with the peripherals to back it up: 26/10 K/BB in 34 2/3 innings, just two home runs allowed. But then came July, when he had a 5.67 ERA. And August, where his earned run average ballooned to 6.87.
Don’t buy into the hype you’ll hear on TV and the radio. And if Meche has a few more good starts, you might want to sell high -- history indicates he won’t be able to sustain a hot streak.
* Nook Logan is already hurt. Chris Snelling will see plenty of time in left field while Logan is out, and the Nationals called up Kory Casto to replace Logan on the roster.
Casto is an interesting player. There are a lot of positives here. Last year at Double-A, he walked a splendid 81 times (albeit with 104 strikeouts), got on base at a fine .379 clip, hit for some power (20 home runs) and flashed a little speed (six steals). We’re not talking Willie Mays here, but he certainly is a nice player.
All that being said, there are many questions with regards to Casto. He hasn’t played above Double-A -- can he handle the majors now, or does he need more seasoning? Also, how much playing time is he going to get? And can he hit for power at RFK?
All remain to be seen. In a deep yearly league, Casto is worth a pickup, but don’t go crazy to get him. Too much uncertainty here.
* John Kruk, during yesterday’s Yankees-Devil Rays tilt: “Robinson Cano is like a young Bobby Abreu.”
OK, John.
Abreu last year: 124 walks. He plays right field.
Cano last year: 18 walks. He plays second base.
I see the resemblance.
Tomorrow: A look at Colorado’s curious decision and any other new developments around the big leagues.
