Sidney Ponson
| G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | W | L | Sv | P/GS | BAA | ERA |
| 28 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 176.0 | 172 | 84 | 80 | 26 | 63 | 120 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 99.3 | .258 | 4.09 |
The ever-enigmatic Sidney Ponson. Every year, the Orioles expect big things from Sidney, as do the fans. To this point, Sidney has been nothing but reliable. At the end, when all things are said and done, he's always let everyone down.
There have been lots of rumors flying around Sidney for years...that he doesn't work hard enough, that he's too soft, that's he bullheaded, stupid, even, when it comes to pitching (think "Nuke LaLoosh"), that he likes to party too much.
One side of the coin looks like this:
881 IP, 940H, 131 HR in 135 starts, .274 BAA, 4.74 ERA.
The other side looks like this:
26 years old, just posted a .258 BAA, an ERA of just over 4.
Then there's that other side: how hard does he work, can he ever get his head together, and how likely is he to have arm problems, especially since he didn't have his arm repaired but instead rested it last season?
Less than a hit per inning, a 2:1 strikeout walk ratio...nothing to shrug at.
Yet, the Orioles are going to have to make that determination this coming season...to shrug him off, trade him, or sign him to a deal. It's likely that We'll know what the Orioles think of him pretty early on, as he's eligible for arbitration this season, and Mike Flanagan knows him pretty well from his Spring Training work and advisory capacity.
Ponson did drop nearly an entire run off of his previous ERA last season at age 25. That should not be overlooked in any assessment of his ability. He even held runners better last season, though the better arm of Geronimo Gil may have had something to do with that.
Sidney was the Orioles' second best starter last season, by a wide margin. The only reason his W-L record was not better was lack of run support, and his stint on the DL. He could have easily won 14 or so games with his performance extended over a full season. He also pitched very well after coming off the DL, pitching to a 3.82 ERA in September.
The man has talent, and last year actually pitched much closer to that talent than he ever had in the past, but his performance was obscured by his injury, the team's late collapse, and his lack of run support.
It's up to the Orioles to decide if they want to go with Ponson as a potential lynchpin of the future O's rotation. With the dearth of replacement candidates, it's difficult to see how the Orioles could turn him loose if his performance is improved in 2003. If he's not signed prior to that time, however, it would not be a surprise to see him test the market and look elsewhere.
TO CONTRIBUTE SUCCESSFULLY IN 2003, HE SHOULD:
(1.) work out in the off-season, and have a serious work ethic. A career is short; it's time Sidney respected that fact. If he doesn't, he'll likely regret it later on.
(2.) Watch the Gopher Balls, his perennial nemesis.
(3.) In relation to number two, learn when to challenge hitters, and when to keep the ball off the plate.
(4.) Throw more breaking pitches, and continue to develop the split-finger.
NOTES: much tougher on lefties this year than in the past; held them to a .243 average. Walked twice as many as he did righties, though, in nearly the same number of at-bats...Had a horrible July before going on the DL (24.1 IP, 34H, 5.55 ERA)...held his own against the Yankees (0-3, but 4.05 ERA, .242 BAA) but was smoked by the Red Sox (12.1 IP, 18H, 8.03 ERA).