I know there hasn’t been a lot of good news on the Diamond Dore beat this month, but Tennesseean beat writer Aria Gerson just tweeted out a few things that should make you happy.
First, both Maldo and The Mayor will return:
Spoke with Tim Corbin today who confirmed Nick Maldonado and Thomas Schultz are coming back for their senior years. He said, “sometimes the best recruits are your returning players.” Will have more in a story this evening
— Aria Gerson (@aria_gerson) July 23, 2022
At the very least, this solidifies our bullpen, as either could close. Of course, both have started in the past, but we should be pretty solid on starters with Carter Holton and Devin Futrell making the sophomore leap. If both Maldo and The Mayor are our back of the bullpen guys, that effectively makes every game a 7 inning affair—which should help offset the middle of the lineup losses in Dom Keegan and Spencer Jones.
Corbin also mentioned that Sam Hliboki and Michael Doolin are returning, saying, “when you bring that type of experience back, it’s a common effect. And so we’re just glad that they’re going to be part of the pitching staff.”
— Aria Gerson (@aria_gerson) July 23, 2022
Oh, and though getting Hliboki Bartokomous and The Doolin Banjo back to the pitching staff next year was expected, people might be sleeping on just how good the two of them can be. Though they lost a frightening amount of time in coming back from shaking hands with Tommy John, both should be good to go at the beginning of the 2023 season. Like Maldo and The Mayor, both Hliboki and Doolin could start or be back of the bullpen guys.
It’s looking like next year might be a lot of 3-2 and 2-1 games, but we should have the pitching staff—both starters and bullpen—to thrive in such contests.
