So who are the top 5 free agent pitchers still left on the market now that the Yankees spent $242,500,000 on the top two starting pitchers on the market?
1. Ben Sheets
How can I put him in front of Garland and Lowe? I know it is tough but don’t you just have a feeling the guy is going to put it together and win a Cy Young in the next few years. We all know he has great stuff and if he can join a decent squad he would be a perfect 2nd starter. Derek Lowe is getting up there and there aren’t too many real elite pitchers who pitch well after age 35. While guys like Mussina, Maddux and Smoltz kept it going pretty well, it seems that there are many more out there that go the Pedro Martinez route and just don’t look themselves in their late thirties. All I’m saying is Sheets has the potential and Derek Lowe is no Charlie Huff.
2. Derek Lowe
He doesn’t really blow you away with his stuff; nothing really looks that electric coming out of his hand. However he hits his spots and wins games, you can’t argue with that. While he may be past his prime, you can’t say that he won’t be effective in a few years. Fellow free agent Jaime Moyer is still pitching at 46 because hit hits his spots and wins games and doesn’t have the 90+MPH fastball Lowe has. I also would like to point out that in 1997 the Seattle Mariners thought it would be a good idea to trade him for Heathcliff Slocumb, ouch. The good news is they must have saved a lot of money not paying scouts that year.
3. Jon Garland
He’s not very fun to watch unless he’s on your team and his strike out numbers won’t amaze you. However he might just be the best pitcher on this list. I don’t really know why, but I don’t like him and would be really mad if my team wasted their money on him. Of course he’d probably go win 14-18 games and be my new favorite pitcher. Still I just don’t like you John, I’m sorry, don’t ask me why either. It could be a look in his eye, or his swagger in general, I don’t know. But it’s something and I hate him.
4. Andy Pettitte
Good old Andy. He’s like that good old Honda which is only a 98, but has 300,000 miles on it. It’s been the best car for you for a long time and provided memories you will never forget. You know in the back of your mind thought that it can’t run forever, it just can’t. You know the day is coming where you need a new transmission and it just won’t run the same. However regardless if you may or may not have used nitrous from your friend Roger back in the day, it wasn’t what made your Honda run perfectly. It has shown it can run that way with or without the nitrous, unlike your friend Roger’s car, which is currently dead somewhere in Texas, or retired I mean.
5. Randy Wolf
While he’s an under the radar guy and a 3rd or 4th starter, he’s managed a 25 and 18 record in the last 3 season combined. He proved he can handle the innings throwing over 190 last year. The downside is he doesn’t really have and one great pitch, he doesn’t have much potential and is really a .500 pitcher. However he can amass a decent amount of strikeouts (162 in 2008) and win half of his games, which it is hard to say if any other free agent pitcher can do. Randy, you made the list by default, but you made it.
No comments:
Post a Comment