RealGM

whatever happened to this dude? he fell off real fast

Nagging elbow issues is what happened. He got overworked very early which lead to those elbow problems. When he went out to LA, he changed his mechanics a bit to compensate for the problems, which then lead to shoulder issues.

It's a real shame, too. I liked watching him on the Rays.

He had a small frame prone to injuries. Those injuries caused him to lose a MPH every year from 2007 on. Now he can't miss bats because of his velocity. His command was always spotty. That's not a problem when you're striking out over a batter per inning, but when you can't miss bats it gets you released.

Wonderfully managed (for their purposes of course) by the Rays. They got him for a replacement level "established" starter because scouts doubted his body could hold up to starting. The Rays aggressively promoted him to ensure whatever innings he had were thrown in the majors. After getting 600+ innings of great pitching, they trade him before the inevitable collapse happened. They're a smart bunch down there in Tampa.

When Kazmir was solid for the Rays, his fastball was in the 93 mph range. What he had though for a couple of years was good command of his fastball along with a wicked slider.

Kazmir lost command of his slider the last year and a half, and his fastball began to decline in velocity. He went nearly two years rarely finishing the seventh inning.

During the final half season with the Rays, Kazmir had a run of starts where he miraculously regained command of the slider, added a changeup, and somehow was throwing mid-nineties with the fastball.

And that's when the Angels bought the goods.

The Rays saved a lot of money.....

That was Napoli as Superman.