Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
Yeah, I know...McGowan's probably a non-entity.
I still have a soft-spot for him. The guy's just battled his ass off to get back and I still remember - what was it, 4 years ago? - when the kid had a 2nd half where it looked like he was going to turn the corner and become a legit ace. His stuff was right there at ace caliber and he finally became a real pitcher instead of a thrower.
Really, it was kinda like what we saw Morrow do last year - suddenly McGowan just clicked and looked like he was going to realize his potential.
|
Late summer/fall of 2007. I'll never forget it, one of my favourite times being a baseball fan. I'm somebody that got to watch the great Roy Halladay every week for a decade, but McGowan's stuff then was such a rarity. Just three absolutely dominant pitches. And at his age, we were all figuring he had room to even grow.
But then the 2008 injury happened and he's only pitched 21 innings in the majors since. Sad how injuries destroy careers.
Quote:
I forgot you guys had Happ...I suppose he's a passable #5. And yeah, Buehrle did yeoman's work for a decade in Chicago, but he's not going to be a guy that declines - he's just going to hit the damn wall.
Then again, I've been saying that about him for 4 years now. He'll probably end up the as the next Glavine, throwing nothing but slop on the outer 1/3 of the plate for the next decade and end up just grinding his way to 300 wins and the HOF.
He only needs 126 more. Honestly, he's as good a bet as anyone pitching right now to actually get that mark.
|
I've never been a big fan of Buerhle due to his stuff (I remember even telling somebody last offseason when they suggested the Jays sign him that I'd rather go after somebody with more dominant stuff or just bid on Darvish), but he just finds a way to get by. He's pitched over 200 innings a season for 12 seasons now. I do hope he'll keep finding a way.