Saturday, July 28th, 2007 by Adam Wagner
Bye Bye Johnny Boy
John Van Benschoten seems to be trying to pitch his way out of the Pirate organization. It’s either that or Jim Colborn has a giant grudge against him, because the starter was shelled earlier tonight by the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up seven runs in two and a third innings. JVB has struggled since leaving a game against Florida early on June 27 .
It was at that point that Pirate pitching coach Jim Colborn decided to begin tinkering with the first round pick’s delivery. From that point on, it seems as if JVB has simply been a worse pitcher every time he’s taken the mound. After tonight’s start, for instance, Colborn stated that he would have been very surprised if Van Benschoten had any kind of success this time out. That does not sound like the type of guy you want starting a game for you . . . or is that just me?
Van Benschoten seems to believe that he did not learn anything in the minor leagues, so Colborn has decided to give him a crash course in pitching over a week or so in the middle of the season. The two problems with this are that it’s the middle of the season and Colborn is teaching Van Benschoten. Colborn manages to ruin pitchers faster than Kellen Winslow ruins motorcycles. To this point in his Pirate career, he has messed up Zach Duke and tinkered with Oliver Perez enough that the enigmatic lefty practically asked to be let go. Now it appears that Colborn has ruined another pitcher that the Pirates should be counting on.
Sure, JVB is sort of enigmatic. Of course he’s a better hitter than a pitcher, which everyone but Dave Littlefield seemed to know when the Pirates drafted him. Yes, he really does consider that slow pitch a fastball. Oh, and he had a 2.73 ERA through twelve starts in AAA before he arrived in Pittsburgh.
Van Benschoten did not simply forget how to get hitters out. He changed something about the way he pitched or he was injured. If he’s pitching injured, then why is he still out there? And if Colborn tinkered with the pitcher’s mechanics, why did he do that? Van Benschoten claims that he went through the Pirate system without a modicum of teaching. Up until he hit Pittsburgh, it seemed as if he was better for it.
Send him back to Indianapolis, away from Jim Colborn, and let him regain his form.
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