Well, Scott Kazmir was once again less than impressive. This is Mets-related; while the trade for Zambrano was horrible because Zambrano was horrible, I have to say that I remain unconvinced that Kazmir is an elite pitcher in training. This is a guy who averages almost 1 1/2 baserunners per inning, which is pathetically bad. While I accept that he might someday "get it" and turn out to be a stud, I think the current evaluation that the Mets gave up this great pitcher is very premature.
Well, that's part of the equation. Kazmir was a blue chip prospect regardless of how his future turns out. He carried immense value at the time which could have landed a player much more significant than one Victor Zambrano in a trade.
That's pretty much precisely what I just said, no? It was a terrible trade because of what they got for him, not (as far as can be said now) because of what a great pitcher he is. I thought he was overhyped when he was in the Mets organization, and I haven't seen anything yet to make me change that opinion.
I'd like to see what he could do on a good team in the NL that gave him some kind of run support. I sure wouldent mind having him as-is on the Mets staff right now
He had the 3rd best ERA+ in the AL last year at the age of 22. His BB/9 went down, his WHIP went down, and he strikes out more than a batter an inning. The only question with him is his health. If he can stay healthy, he's going to be one of the best pitchers in baseball for a long time. He struggled today... but it was against the best lineup in all of baseball.
Braves and Phillies are even-up at 3, going to extras. This game has tremendous division implications.
Other than being 22, the rest is a lot less than meets the eye, since his BB/9 and WHIP only went down from horrible levels. This is a guy who averages fewer than 6 IP per start as well. IMO he remains all about potential - I wouldn't be giving the trade a second thought at this point if the Mets had actually acquired market value for him at the time. The statement bolded above might be true, but there is very little that he's actually done that suggests that it is remotely true. And, of course, there are loads of pitchers who have great potential and can't stay healthy, as the Cubs can attest.
Well, his adjusted numbers made him the 3rd best starter in the AL last year, so one could say he already is among the elite. Each of his first 3 years in the big leauges, his ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 have gone down dramatically. He didn't pitch a lot of innings in the minors before being called up, so he's really just now approaching a workload that will allow him to handle a complete major league schedule. That's why I doubt injuries are a major issue.
I can't agree with this. Kazmir is one of the great young pitchers in baseball. Forget that he would undoubtedly be the ace of the Mets staff if he were still on the team, how many pitchers under 25 would you rather have then Kazmir at this point?
Yeah I agree. I dont even like to say his name because it makes me furious. This kids good, and gonna be very good for years to come (as long as he stays healthy). I would feel much more comftorable about the season if we had him in the rotation. Damn.
Well, I expected this reaction (I debated a while about making my post since I expected no one to agree with me), so feel free to disagree with me. Every time I see him (including in the boxscore) I feel that there is less than meets the eye.
Other then his lack of IP/a complete season at the ML level it's pretty hard to find fault with his stuff. His WHIP last year was 1.26 which certainly isn't world beating but it's certainly nothing to be concerned about. The good Zambrano puts as many guys on base as Kazmir with a similar K rate and is very effective.. The "less then meets the eye" comment is troubling me. Joe Morgan hasn't gotten to you, has he?
Yes, I've decided that statistics should only be used to support my point. It makes it much easier to deal with people who try to point out flaws in my argument. You should try it! As to Mr. Kazmir, I have seen far too many young pitching studs end up as nobodies for many reasons to buy into the hype. When the numbers say that he is the 3rd best starter in the AL (as 10Pennington10 said is true), I am forced to say that the numbers are misleading. I can think of many AL starters I would have taken over him to start a game last year.
