Aaron Heilman eyes starting spot

by Rockkstarr12 on Feb 18, 2011 12:38 PM EST

An article on my favourite bullpen brat...Aaron Heilman :) Just my two cents here of course, but I would love to see Aaron get his shot and totally compete for a starter's role. He's slimmed down considerably and gotten himself in great shape to compete, so who knows? He could do it!

Here's the story I found about Aaron, courtesy of AZCentral.com:

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2011/02/17/20110217arizona-diamondbacks-notes-aaron-heilman-starting-spot.html

Tweet Comment 30 comments | 1 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I would rather Heilman start than pitch in the late innings.

He makes me nervous when he comes out of the pen.

by txzona on Feb 18, 2011 5:29 PM EST reply actions

I know what you mean

After his first bad outing, I started to get nervous for him, because as we all know and have seen in past games, anything is possible, and once a pitcher gets rattled it can be a dangerous outcome unfortunately :(

"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." ~Charles M Schulz

by Rockkstarr12 on Feb 18, 2011 8:22 PM EST up reply actions

I love the idea of giving him a shot...but

if Heilman makes the rotation, it means that another higher ceiling pitcher is either injured or ineffective. Probably more than one, in fact.

Unless of course he comes out in ST as the Ace we all knew he would be when we traded for him from the Cubs.

by Counsellmember on Feb 18, 2011 6:43 PM EST reply actions

and I wonder...

if Heilman is peeved at the extra SP depth the club brought in after he signed with us. Maybe he can use that anger to ~~turn to the Dark Side~~ make the rotation.

by Counsellmember on Feb 18, 2011 7:01 PM EST up reply actions

Channeling the anger

And harnessing it onto the mound could work for him…it has for Randy Johnson :)

"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." ~Charles M Schulz

by Rockkstarr12 on Feb 18, 2011 8:22 PM EST up reply actions

I was

wondering about that, too.

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 24, 2011 10:40 AM EST up reply actions

Like... who?

Wade Miley? He has a dozen starts above A-ball. Barry Enright? Upside isn’t his thing as much as innings-eating, grit, and cost-efficiency are. Armando Galarraga? He’s 28. Jarrod Parker? Dude hasn’t pitched a regular season game since Tommy John Surgery.

He wouldn’t really be blocking anybody…

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

by Dan Strittmatter on Feb 19, 2011 1:11 AM EST up reply actions

well

his statement could refer to Dan Hudson getting injured (knock on some serious wood)

or Joe Saunders and Zach Duke! who are going to be perennial cy young candidates from here on out!

by blue bulldog on Feb 19, 2011 5:07 AM EST up reply actions

He probably just means if Heilman is starting,

two of Kennedy, Hudson, Owings, Duke, Galarraga and Enright are injured. I think he is including Owings (who I know you dont like).

Per Mare, Per Terras

by justin1985 on Feb 19, 2011 11:13 AM EST up reply actions

It's not that I don't like Owings

I just don’t see his track record deserving anything more than a bullpen spot, regardless of how effective his bat may be.

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

by Dan Strittmatter on Feb 19, 2011 11:50 AM EST up reply actions

This, mostly

If Heilman is in the rotation, it means he’s there in place of Duke, Enright or Galarraga. I know Galarraga isn’t young, but we control him for another year so his value to us is more than Heilman, and I just think he has more upside anyway.

by Counsellmember on Feb 20, 2011 12:10 AM EST up reply actions

Armando Galarraga,

for whom we freaking traded, maybe?

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 24, 2011 10:41 AM EST up reply actions

But I don't see how Galarraga qualifies as "high-ceiling"

He’s at his peak.

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

by Dan Strittmatter on Feb 24, 2011 1:19 PM EST up reply actions

Younger?

More liked by Kevin Towers? I dunno.

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 24, 2011 1:46 PM EST up reply actions

High ceiling

A perfect game would qualify for me as “higher ceiling”. As would the facts that he is younger and controlled for longer than Heilman.

It’s clearly better for the Dbacks if Galarraga is better than Heilman.

by Counsellmember on Feb 24, 2011 2:25 PM EST up reply actions

Or

it’s marginal?

Blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in awhile. One near-perfect game does not undo 87 games with a 5.17 FIP.

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 24, 2011 3:04 PM EST up reply actions

yeah

I knew I shouldn’t have used that perfect game to justify anything; I agree that it doesn’t really factor in to his future.

I’m not sure where you guys disagree, though. Galagrraga is controllable for another year after 2011, Heilman is not. Who would you rather see succeed this year?

by Counsellmember on Feb 24, 2011 3:22 PM EST up reply actions

I just

don’t really think it matters?

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 24, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions

Fair enough

I guess Im talking to myself here, but I think it does matter.

We’ve got a ballclub attempting to rebuild, with a commodity that is controlled, fairly young, and coming off a season with a perfect game. Whether we hope he becomes a backend starter or (better yet) a tradeable piece (lord knows Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter helped us land Hudson), the team can’t just be focused on the Uptons and Drews.

by Counsellmember on Feb 24, 2011 7:19 PM EST up reply actions

All fair points.

We’ll see.

On another note, don’t ever worry about talking to yourself. Others see it and it may spark further debate.

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 24, 2011 7:56 PM EST up reply actions

Hmm

that’s not what my 7 foot tall invisible bunny friend said :)

by Counsellmember on Feb 25, 2011 9:54 AM EST up reply actions

Is Jimmy Stewart involved in any way?

Bad doormat! No stock options!

by Clefo on Feb 25, 2011 10:03 AM EST up reply actions

it is make or brake time for aaron

neither the mets nor the cubs gave aaron a fair sho at a starting role. heilman was a victim of the fallout from the kazmir trade in ny and lou piniella wanted a lefty-hander no-matter-what.

by brian custer on Feb 20, 2011 2:37 PM EST reply actions

Hi Brian :)

I so hope he’ll do well here! I’m cheering him on all the way!

"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." ~Charles M Schulz

by Rockkstarr12 on Feb 20, 2011 3:05 PM EST up reply actions

hi starr!

terrible post on my part, misspellings, bad syntax. i wish we could edit our posts. anyway, good luck to aaron. if gibby gives hymn a fair shot & i hope he will; heilman’s destiny is in his own hands. and that is pretty ok… right?

by brian custer on Feb 20, 2011 7:23 PM EST up reply actions

I believe it is, yes :)

"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." ~Charles M Schulz

'Last words are for fools who haven't said enough'. - Karl Marx

by Rockkstarr12 on Feb 20, 2011 8:50 PM EST up reply actions

I do have to agree

with April on the slimmed-down stuff. When jinnah, mrssoco, BattleMoses and soco and I wandered into the wrong locker room at FanFest, we saw (along with Sweeney and some other guy I can’t recall) Heilman — barely recognized him.

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 24, 2011 10:46 AM EST reply actions