Ozzie Guillen and Questionable Decisions

About half the fun in being a blogger is questioning and scrutinizing the managers moves and what he says. I have not had a chance to do this with new Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen yet, but now he has provided me a chance to question him.

Something that Ozzie said recently has bothered me a lot and caused me to be concerned with how Ozzie is going to use the bullpen.

I don’t want him to have in the back of his mind, I only get paid to get lefties out,” Guillen said. “He’s got to be ready to get righties out too. Left specialists, that’s a good way to make money. Get one guy and get out. No, he’s got to be ready for righties too, because sooner or later we’re going to need him to get a righty.

If Guillen throws Randy Choate out to face right hand hitters in 2012, the Marlins could be in major trouble. Here is a look at his splits as a reliever against righties and lefties through his career:

Choate is unable to strikeout right handed hitters and walks too many of them to be effective. Choate’s FIP versus right handed hitters in his career is 5.63. He also allows a large amount of homers against righties.

Against left handed hitters, Choate is a completely different pitcher. Choate’s strikeout percentage goes way up and his walk rate takes a huge fall as well.

This was no different for Choate in 2011. Choate had a very impressive season versus lefties, but did not fare well at all against righties.

Last season showed why Choate is nothing more then a LOOGY, even though his stats last season were to the extreme against both right and left handed hitters.

Overall, it would make no sense what so ever for Ozzie to pitch Choate against anybody but a left hander. The Marlins have more then enough ammo in their bullpen to not be concerned with that.