What A Bummer
By Blake VandeBunte • Dec 15th, 2008 • Category: Yorman BazardoSometimes it’s really funny to think about how much things can change in one year when you’re talking about baseball. We all know what was going on with the Tigers a year ago, things sure were on the up and up. There were many pieces and people to blame following the disaster that was the 2008 season.
A lot has been made of the 2008 season and all that went wrong. I’m not going to go there, I’ve been there too many times. I want to take a look at a guy that we Tigers fans were looking forward to seeing in action when Spring Training started last February. So, what in the world happened to Yorman Bazardo?
Bazardo made 11 appearances for the Tigers in 2007 including 2 starts. In that action he posted an ERA of 2.28 and a WHIP of 1.01, both excellent marks by any measure. Bazardo earned his promotion to the Tigers by putting up a record of 10-6 at Toledo. All of that added up Bazardo being a prime candidate for a spot in the Tigers rotation in 2008.
However, Bazardo was awful during Spring Training and was even worse for the Tigers once the season got under way. He pitched only three innings and gave up eight earned runs. Those basic stats are bad enough, but Bazardo also walked five batters in his limited action.
He was promptly sent down to AAA to get himself straightened out but that didn’t exactly work out. Bazardo spent the remainder of the season at Toledo and got shelled. He finished with a record of 4-13 and had an ERA of 6.72 with a WHIP of 1.70, the worst mark of his career by a massive margin.
Bazardo is now a free agent and can be picked up by any team. He turned 24 this past July so he’s not that young any more. I just don’t see there being much of a market for him. You wonder if the Tigers will take another shot with him or if they’re just happy to see him move along. Bazrardo’s first season in the Tigers organization was a huge success, but this past season was a nightmare. The club gave him plenty of chances to succeed in 2008 and he just couldn’t make it happen.
The guess here is that the Tigers are just going to let him walk away and will search for fillers on their Minor League squads in different places. It seems safe to say that Bazardo’s time is up in Detroit.
Blake VandeBunte is a posting fiend.
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I wonder how much his father’s unexpected death in spring training effected him this season.
That’s right, I completely forgot that happened. Good point too because you never know how something like that will affect a player.