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2007 Having gone pumpkin in 2005 when his ground-ball voodoo didn`t work in Atlanta, Kolb is now generally recognized as not the kind of pitcher to be trusted with men on base. After taking a second look, the Brewers rightly let him walk. Kolb remains unsigned at this writing, but someone will give him a shot at an eleventh- or twelfth-man spot in their pen; his days of protecting late leads should be over. 2005 How unique was Dan Kolb in 2004? He made the All-Star team despite posting a higher groundball-to-flyball ratio (3.33) than strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate (3.30). He allowed three runs in the first three months of the season while striking out just ten batters. The clock struck midnight in the second half, as his post-All-Star break ERA was 4.88. Kolb's ability to keep the ball on the ground helps him survive his inability to get people out at the plate, but he's not the dominant run-preventing force that he appeared to be in the first half. The Brewers wisely sent him and his newfound "proven closer" label to Atlanta for youngster Jose Capellan, who simply gets hitters out the old fashioned way: 100 MPH fastballs. 2003 Kolb returned from a rotator cuff tear in mid-season and once again impressed with his stuff if not his numbers. Despite all of his arm problems, he hasn’t yet gone the junkballer route, still throwing a sinking fastball in the mid-90s and a vicious slider. Signed to a one-year contract, he’s part of the Rangers middle relief picture for this year, at least until his next catastrophic arm breakdown. The over/under on that is May 15. 2002 Yes, he’s still hanging around. Danny Kolb returned from elbow surgery with his good heat intact, and he is working from ahead in the count more often since becoming a reliever and dumping his off-speed junk. Kolb is free to sign with another organization, but he’d be wise to stay put, as there should be opportunities galore in the Junior Circuit’s worst bullpen. 2000 Despite showing very little in the minors, Kolb surprisingly found himself on the "Oklahoma shuttle" of minor leaguers rotating through Arlington. Even more surprisingly, he pitched pretty well for the big club. He impressed the Ranger coaches enough to earn a shot at fifth starter or long reliever in spring training, but I don't expect much. Those three years of mediocrity in the minors are more telling than 31 good innings in the majors. 1999 The organization's biggest flop in recent years. Two years ago he was the consensus best arm in the farm system, and a likely future major leaguer. But he stalled in high-A in '97, and fizzled further in AA last year. And if that news wasn't bad enough, he threw an alarmingly high number of pitches for his age in '98. A move to the bullpen could resurrect his career. 1997 This guy is the pitcher the Rangers are highest on. Their sixth-round pick from 1995, he throws a mid-90s fastball, but his control isn’t up to major league standards yet.
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