Game 82: Royals 8 Gil Meche....Done?

Will this jersey suffer the fate of Bob Wolcott and Russ Swan jerseys?


In 2003, Gil Meche was rolling. I had graduated from college in 2002, and, having worked for a year, I was ready to pony up the money for an M's jersey. The only question was-who do I get?

Ichiro? Nah. He's the superstar, but he doesn't do it for me like Griffey, Randy, or even ARod before he was evil.
Boone? No thanks. He's good and all, but the short-man disease is too prevalant.
Cameron? Love him, but so does everyone else.
Olerud? That's something a soccer mom would buy.

The decision was becoming difficult. If only it were 5 years earlier. It would have been Griffey in a heartbeat. I was home from Baltimore in June, and the M's were having a great year

It came down to two pitchers for me. Freddy and Meche. I loved Freddy. Still do. The guy is so great to watch when he's not imploding. But Gil Meche was looking like he was living up to the expectations that go along with being a first round pick and a stud pitching prospect.

I decided on Meche. When I bought the jersey, Gil was 10-3 with a 3.27 ERA. Over the rest of the season, he went 5-10 and his ERA finished at 4.59. In 2004, it was more garbage. He got off to such a rough start (1-5 6.97 ERA), he was sent down. When he was called up, he went 6-2 and lowered his ERA to 5.02.

Coming into this year, I felt like Gil Meche and Joel Piniero were going to be major keys to the success of this team. With the way Meche finished last year, I was expecting him to continue making strides towards being a good #2. The combination of Gil and Joel would rival any #2 and #3 in the league. Once the M's added an ace, the staff would be nasty. They were both young and would be a huge part of the M's future.

Unfortunatly, both of those guys have been inconsistent and frustrating this year. It's really disappointing. If it keeps up, and as I look at the starting rotation, I don't see anyone who would be part of the M's future plans. Sele and Moyer are probably done after this year, and Franklin is a decent 5th starter, but nothing worth getting too excited about.

In today's Seattle Times, you can tell that Hargrove is frustrated and Meche has no confidence. Pat Borders thinks he has ace stuff. Gil Meche and Joel Piniero-I am calling you out. STEP IT UP!!!


On a more cheery note, Beltre continues to get hot. The patience and singles hitting approach he took for a few weeks there has built up to some more power numbers. 4 HRs in the past 7 games. Now that's someone worth getting excited about. A core of Beltre, Reed, Lopez, Morse, Ichiro, Sexson, and now Snelling are what we should be focusing on right now. Willie Bloomquist also had a good game last night, and I wonder if a contender would be interested in him. He's got some speed and versatility on defense. He could be a nice addition to contending team, and worth considering as part of a trade package.

Oh, and Snelling is starting tonight.