Jose Capellan

[Savoy Special]

What are your thoughts?

He will be better/worse in Milwaukee?

He will be better if he is a starter/middle reliever/closer?

[San D]

Worse in Milwaukee. No run support and no Leo Mazzone. I believe Milwaukee and Atlanta are both moderately pitcher's parks, so there's no change there. He's young with great stuff but will have control problems. He'd probably do well as a middle reliever. He'll probably start some games though and have a few stinkers that really hurt a fantasy team.

I like him long term as a very good starter, but I feel he has been rushed.

[kimchi_chigae]

he'll be given a shot at cracking the starting rotation next year. i have actually never seen him pitch, but from what i've read people think he's pretty good and if he is, even being so young, he should be in the brewers rotation next season.

it's a good trade for him cuz now he'll have a chance to pitch, but he won't have much run support.

[io]

i agree he'll get a shot at the rotation.... i dont think he'll have control issues, but he needs to develop a changeup and curveball. even without Mazzone, he can still improve. I saw him pitch in the future's game and he was blowing fastballs by Prince Fielder. David Wright got a base hit, but he k'd everyone else going 95-99 and VERY intimidating.. using him as a middle reliever is sort of a waste. he could eventually be the closer, but i'd rather see him start

[trevisc]

No doubt he'll have less run support but I do think he'll service them well enough. I don't think that he has a lot of fantasy value though. I guess i'll have to watch how he does in spring training.

[Dawgpound 1613]

I've read he'll begin as a starter. Unless he develops a 3rd pitch, I doubt he stays there long (or with much success). Eventually, I think he ends up being a closer. It may take two or three years before that happens, though. I don't believe he'll have much value until then.

[reiser]

I've read he'll begin as a starter. Unless he develops a 3rd pitch, I doubt he stays there long (or with much success).

that sounds about right-he got knocked around a good bit in limited starts for the Braves late in the year.

[ghostfacek]

How come Mike Maddux doesn't get any credit as a pitching coach? He did a good job with Sheets, Kolb, and Doug Davis last year.. nobody has the track record that Mazzone has, but maybe this guy can help Capellan.. i wouldn't count him out this year as a fantasy option

[raiders_umpire]

with only 2 pitches even though one of them is a 100 mph fast ball, i dont think he will be atop of the line starter...he will be more of a reliever which is why the braves must have moved him to begin with.......but since kolb is gone from the brew crew he could make a impact in the bullpen this year for the brewers if they dont put him in the rotation......

[Dawgpound 1613]

How come Mike Maddux doesn't get any credit as a pitching coach? He did a good job with Sheets, Kolb, and Doug Davis last year.. nobody has the track record that Mazzone has, but maybe this guy can help Capellan.. i wouldn't count him out this year as a fantasy option

Maddux may be a very good pitching coach. But if a player is unable or unwilling (don't know if either is the case with Capellan) to learn a new pitch, it won't matter how good the pitching coach is. There are countless examples of pitching prospects with every team that could never make the jump as they lacked the ability to consistently throw strikes with 3 pitches. Two good pitches (with 1 being a 100 fastball) can make you an excellent reliever though. If Capellan learns the change-up, he could very well be a front of the rotation starter. Maybe Maddux can do it. But based on the Braves track record (only Schmidt so far has proven them wrong), my guess is they feel he can't do it, so they traded a young future reliever for a more proven one.