Orioles Sign Johan Santana to Minor League Contract

[LT Profits]

He only topped out at 81 MPH during his "showcase" last week so he is a ways off from returning to the bigs it would seem.

[easyliving]

his been done, time to hang it up.

[Big Bear]

his been done, time to hang it up.

clueless as usual

[Wrigley]

He is done he will be cut by season end

[thirtytwo]

81 mph?? wow... hopefully he saved up enough from that 25mil/year contract he was gifted by Mets...

[EmpireMaker]

He is absolutely finished, he will be chased out of the minors in a hurry too.

[easyliving]

clueless as usual

[MexicanStallion]

I don't think it hurts to take a gamble on him, but he surely just dropped off hardcore from what he once was.

[BigSpoon]

Maybe time for some PED's to increase his velocity and hopefully not get caught.

[vividjohn45]

He used to be -400 for the twins at home

[You mad bro]

High school kids throw harder than that.

[BennyBigNuts]

You guys are all insane to just say he's done.
First off, HE'S a LEFTY, so he has plenty of value.
2nd, He's a battler.
His velocity was down with the Mets for quite some time and he was very effective.
He knows how to pitch.
Don't count this guy out.
Could be a solid contributor for this O's team during the 2nd half, maybe even as a lefty specialist out of the bullpen.

I'm sure he took some awesome new undetectable roids while rehabbing for over a year now as well.

[ZetaPsi808]

I heard that before.. why are lefty pitchers more valuable?

[BennyBigNuts]

I heard that before.. why are lefty pitchers more valuable?

There are less of them and they don't need to throw as hard as righties to be effective. Lefties tend to have better movement on their off-speed stuff. Easier to hold on runners, can come to the plate at different angles in the stretch because of it.
Also, it's a lot harder for a lefty to hit a lefty compared to a righty vs. a righty.

[LT Profits]

Don't forget he pitched a no-hitter for the Mets after he was supposedly "done". His velocity could still pick up, remember he is coming off of shoulder surgery so it takes some time. And besides, considering it's a minor league contract, it seems like a good risk with nothing to lose really.

[dudekid]

ive heard that he was going to be tried in the bullpen which makes sense. a lot of these guys reinvent themselves with a move to the pen. he could be a good setup guy or like someone mentioned above lefty specialist

[Otters27]

81 Is slow but if he learns how to pitch with that kind of velocity he can maybe have a chance

[LT Profits]

81 Is slow but if he learns how to pitch with that kind of velocity he can maybe have a chance

As I mentioned, he is probably not at full strength yet.

[Big Bear]

81 Is slow but if he learns how to pitch with that kind of velocity he can maybe have a chance

he is not expected to make his debut until June/July so he has some time for the velocity to pick up. Often times even pitchers who are known to throw hard take a couple months to reach max velocity.

Pedro Martinez was like this if i recall.

[ProPicker713]

Johan good for 8-10 wins this season if he debuts in june/july.

[LT Profits]

Johan good for 8-10 wins this season if he debuts in june/july.

Unless he pitches out of pen.

[Big Bear]

Unless he pitches out of pen.

his change-up was always his best pitch he just needs to throw hard enough to keep the hitters honest.

That change-up was so nasty guys had trouble with even when they knew it was coming

[Chi_archie]

ive heard that he was going to be tried in the bullpen which makes sense. a lot of these guys reinvent themselves with a move to the pen. he could be a good setup guy or like someone mentioned above lefty specialist

yep my thoughts too

no risk for Orioles with a pretty high reward ceiling

[imadegen]

barry zito jr. imo

[Wrigley]

Unless he pitches out of pen.

no way he gets 8-10 wins