luvtheteam wrote:
Really. You're going to use wins, and strikeouts per 9 as your argument...something he has no control over and something else he was working on was trying to pitch to contact and get quicker outs. I'm not saying Drabek is going to be an ace, but those aren't the arguments/stats I'd use to attest to that. Personally I love Stewart and think he's closer to Drabek in terms of prospect level than people realize.
Yeah...strikeouts per 9 is where i'd hang my hat. If a guy was really throwing flames the way you describe, combined with the great curveball i've seen, he would be mowing guys down in AA like crazy. So, yes 7.3 per 9 is the red flag that something is missing. And based on what i saw, it's the lack of movement on the fastball, and as well, it doesn't look anywhere near the 97 Law talks about. That's most important too. We're not talking about a guy we haven't seen pitch and just quoting stats. I was always scratching my head about the accolade he was receiving thru the summer and i didn't think his stats were so impressive. Then when i saw him pitch i put it all together.
I don't think it was a fatigue issue that you propose, as the club said his last start in AA, which was a playoff game, had been his best of the year. So he was peaking more than he was fatiguing.
Heh...not trying to discourage anyone. I just think there's too many guys raving about Drabek's fastball and their giving the wrong impression IMO. (Even his dad said his curveball was his best pitch). I'm optimistic they can work with him and get that fastball moving more so guys don't tee off on it like they were doing at times in his few stints in September.
