Swindler taunts me (cont'd)

Kuo likely starter in Schmidt's absence... Dodger manager Grady Little has indicated that he is leaning toward Hong-Chih Kuo (LHP, LA) as the starter on Saturday against Pittsburgh. With Jason Schmidt (RHP, LA) on the DL, Kuo would have the opportunity to remain in the rotation for at least a couple of weeks if he is successful. Kuo struggled in his most recent start for AAA Las Vegas, but he has 28 strikeouts in 20 IP at Las Vegas and has shown flashes of brilliance in his brief major league career. What might we expect from him? A comparison of his work last season in relief and in the rotation gives us a clue.

Role IP ERA Ctl Dom Cmd HR/9 OBA
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Starter 29 3.07 2.2 10.8 5.0 0.3 .257
Reliever 30 5.34 7.7 10.7 1.4 0.6 .232

These splits show both the promise and the problem with Kuo. In terms of promise, in 2006 Kuo had a great xERA of 2.98 with a BPV of 96. He had no difficulty striking out major league hitters. And in his five starts, he had three that were PQS dominant with no PQS disasters. But his work as a reliever shows his biggest problem--frequently he can't find the plate. So far in Las Vegas, he's been pretty good, with only 8 walks in his 20 IP, for a Ctl ratio of 3.6 and Cmd of 3.5. As the Baseball Forecaster put it, Kuo is "the ultimate high-risk, high-reward gamble." Whether he belongs on your roster depends entirely upon your level of risk tolerance.