On Saturday afternoon, Buck Showalter named Ryan Drese the opening day starter for the 2005 season. I suppose it’s technically opening “night” starter, as we open the season on the road again against the Angels.
This is pretty cool for Ryan, and I’m happy with it. Last year, Ryan had by all accounts a stellar year (I’m starting to detest the term “breakout”). He went 14-10 with a 4.20 ERA. Struck out 98, and walked 58. Total of 207.2 IP. A decent season (by today’s inflated stats).
So yeah, he’s probably deserving of this based on how much better he was in 2004 than before. I will freely admit, I was part of the “Dump Drese” contigent to start the season. I didn’t much care for him, he kept getting lit up, and I wanted to put someone else in there. But I will also admit I was wrong on this. He seems to have figured it out, and doesn’t seem to be afraid of our own ballpark, which is a good thing.
I’m hoping he continues to do well in 2005, and I’m looking for another good season. I get a good vibe from him. He’s never going to be a Nolan Ryan type that totally dominates people, but he certainly now looks like a good, servicable pitcher for the rotation.
Also, Kenny Rogers was named the pitcher for the home opener on April 11th.