Boy, he sure is making a case for himself, isn't he?
Yeah, yeah, he was facing a AAA lineup. His fielding independent ERA is 1.30 runs over his actual ERA. Dude's getting it done, and sometimes you just gotta look at the bottom line.
The only thing about Lannan that I can't get over is the strikeout rate (or lack thereof). He's striking out only 9.9% of batters faced, or 3.74 Ks per 9 innings. The only pitcher in baseball with 70 IP or more with a lower rate this year is Shairon Martis, who is getting hammered at AAA right now.
Jamie Moyer has had sustained success with K-rates that low, and maybe Lannan really is the next Moyer. He certainly has the maturity and patience for the "wear you down with 85-mph pitches on the black" approach.
And if he is the next Moyer, rejoice. A really good, extreme-command soft-tossing lefty can do this for years and years and years and years.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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7 comments:
I'm telling you, if Nick Blackburn can do it, so can John!
and if Lannan = Moyer, he learned to do it 10 years earlier too!
Whether he is an ace or not, right now we can be almost sure that when he takes the mound he will eat a number of innings and give us a shot to win.
Whether or not he is Roger Clemence (or Stephen Strasburg), for now that's all the ace we can ask for.
Oh, I think Lannan's easily as good as Roger Clemence. And better than Greg Mattox or Roy Holliday too.
I like this guy who can spell Strasburg but not Rocket.
Sorry about the spelling mistake.
Thanks for the correction Nate. I like you blog; the content is beautifully spelled.
Why would Riggleman start a keystone combo of Guzman and Belliard with Mr. Ground Ball No Strikeout on the mound?
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