Yost Destroying This Team? Wes Helms part II?

"He's going to bring veteran leadership," Yost said. "He's a solid player, nothing flashy but he's a solid defender. He's a lot like Cirillo in a lot of ways. He's a smart hitter."

I don't think there is any secret that Yost didn't want...

...Jorge De La Rosa on this team. JDLR, in 2005, went long stretches without seeing any action. After April of 2005 JDLR never got more than 7.2 innings of work in any month that season, culminating in a 3.1 inning September. In 2006 Yost went to a 13 man pitching staff most likely to make a point to Doug Melvin along the lines of, "you are making me keep him, but I don't have to use him."

In the first inning of his first major league start on May 30, 2006 Jorge De La Rosa struck out the side, catching two of them looking. He would get three more strike outs in the next two innings before surrendering a crushing 3 run homerun, and leave the game after just 3 innings and 6 ERs. He threw 72 pitches. In sporatic work throughout the year the 25 year old only broke 34 pitches once.

In his next start, June 4, 2006 Jorge De La Rosa cruised through 5 innings (allowing a solo shot by Alfonso Soriano, and a run on some terrible defense) before running into control problems in the sixth inning after 72 pitches. Amazingly, despite JDLR's clear control problems, Yost calls for an intentional walk of Mike Vento, who at this point had a grand total of 4 major league hits, to get to Tony Armas who was throwing a 1 hitter through 6 innings. JDLR walks Tony Armas, and Yost brings in arguably the last man in the bullpen Joe Winkelsas to face Alfonso Soriano with the bases loaded and Winkie surrenders a grand slam.

Finally, in his 3rd major league start and last as a Milwaukee Brewer, on June 9th 2006, JDLR met his end. JDLR again started strong, striking out the side in the first allowing only an infield single in the second and getting two ground outs in the third before having control issues again. a double, a walk, a wild pitch, and another double allowed amazingly only two runs before JDLR got out of the third.

In the fourth inning JDLR threw 9 pitches, one of them a strike, and one of them a wild pitch. Yost paid a visit to the mound. Interestingly, Yost brought a trainer out with him.

As De La Rosa was in the process of walking the bases loaded to begin the inning, Yost and a trainer went out to examine the middle finger.

"He didn't say it was bothering him but I noticed he kept looking at it," Yost said.

On the mound, "I could see that it was cracked open," Yost said.

De La Rosa stayed out for one more batter, but after the third walk he was removed. And after the game, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

After that third walk, JDLR was removed for, guess who, Joe Winkelsas, who then proceeded to allow all of those walked hitters to cross the plate.

JDLRs three starts: 11.2 IP, 18 H, 15 ER, 10 BB, 13 K, 11.57 ERA, 2.40 WHIP.

Not too pretty, JDLR just couldn't get through 3 innings. If you look at his first two innings in each of his three starts his line is this:

6.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9K, 1.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 13.5 K/9

Dominant, but just as JDLR was turning the corner, he was thrown onto the fire and didn't have the stamina or coaching or relief pitching to get through it. When JDLR was gassed, it was clear, but the 'battling' philosophy of the Milwaukee Brewers leaves a 25 year old LH hard throwing reliever out there to work through it. When he came out of his three starts, Winkelsas allowed all of his inherited runners to score, that's 6 extra runs tacked on to JDLR's ERA over those 3 starts.

He's not a starter yet. Clearly. But if you can get those first 2 innings out of JDLR while he still develops he is helping the team now and tomorrow. Here's what happened. Yost quit on him and told Melvin, I don't want JDLR on the roster. He then requested a veteran 'battler' with a low strikeout rate. The Brewers misused and then gave up on some great talent for nothing.

The truth of the matter is that LH pitchers take longer to develop. None of the great LH pitchers in baseball had success in their first 95 innings, and very few, I can only find a couple, had success before their 26 year old season. LH talent like JDLR's just doesn't come along very often, and small market teams HAVE TO invest in the future. We can't afford to let bad coaching get in the way of player development.

Look at this line from his rehab stint and tell me he's not worth another shot:

30.0  IP, 31 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 23 K, 2.40 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 7.67 K/BB, 0.9 BB/9

This is a disastrous change in philosophy. It is time for a coaching change in Milwaukee.