Rumors persisted for years that when the Cubs used the 10th pick in the 1993 draft on Brooks Kieschnick that they weren’t sure whether to use him as an outfielder or a relief pitcher. Those rumors said that the decision was made for them when they realized that the coaching staff at the University of Texas had basically given Brooks’ arm the Kurt Dressendorfer treatment and burnt it out on him.
Now, ten years later, Kieschnick is poised to make his first opening day roster in the big leagues. OK, it’s not really the “big leagues” it’s the Brewers. But his improbable story has an even bigger twist. Brooks is trying to make it as an outfielder and a pitcher.
Peter Gammons had this to say about it.
This is interesting from a strategy point. And somewhere, Tony LaRussa is throwing stuff in his office because he wanted to do this with Rick Ankiel this year and the sage Ned Yost has beaten him to it.
In the article Kieschnick talks about the trouble of trying to warm up in the bullpen only to have the pitcher’s spot in the order come up to bat and the manager want to use Brooks as a pinch hitter before he came in to pitch. So Brooks would run down to the on deck circle, take a few practice hacks and go bat. Then if he made an out he’d go back to the bullpen and keep warming up.
Say you’re Dusty Baker and you see Brooks warming up in the bullpen. The pitcher’s spot comes up and Brooks trots down to pinch hit. If you bring in a lefty, you pretty much know that Kieschnick has to hit against him or the Brewers have just burned a pinch hitter and a reliever all at once.
Damn, why did we ever let Felix Heredia go?
It’ll also be interesting to see what happens when the Brewers are in an AL city. If they use Kieschnick to DH and then bring him in to pitch they lose the DH for the rest of the game. Jimy Williams is the king of losing his DH.
I think the Cubs could do this. Rod Beck, shortstop? I think we’d all pay to see that.
You have to think thought that The Genius would have to consider letting Rick Ankiel get some innings in right field when JD Drew is out the first two months with his bum knee. Or how about Ankiel at first base instead of Tino Martinez?
Maybe he could figure out a way to hit his pitcher eighth and still have Ankiel in at first? Oh, that’d be great!
Pitcher/Outfielder you say? What is Kieschnick anyway? Mandarin, maybe? Hmmm… Yo-gi, can that Yo Ming play shortstop? I’ll show that Jeter who’s Boss.
I’m getting a little tired of all the Brooks Kieschnick hoopla. The guy never made the big leagues because he couldn’t hit. Why do we think that now, because he’s a pitcher, that he magically learned to hit? I predict that being able to hit better than most pitchers, and being able to pitch better than most hitters, won’t be enough to hold a roster spot anywhere but perhaps Milwaukee.
One feels inclined to say that the intention that man should be ‘happy’ is not included in the plan of ‘Creation’… We are so made that we can derive intense enjoyment only from a contrast and very little from a state of things. by texas hold’em