...carried from an AIM convo with me and senorgorra

You can choose any of these guys for a career. who do you take?

liriano
verlander
felix
kazmir

poll, please?

i choose.....................................



























lisa

Poll added, even though I am nowhere near qualified to vote on this question.

thanks for the poll, GH.

I'm struggling to decide

I like Kazmir but his shaky control worries me.

Felix's mechanics worry me a bit.

This leaves Verlander and Liriano.

I'll take Liriano. He's a lefty and has great control with a lot of Ks.

wow great thread everybody really seems to be picking up on it

you bring nothing to the board. i would say that most people here wouldn't mind you being banned.

i think i can find a few who don't hate me ... maybe

hey atleast most isnt all

you are why terminal illness exists.


anyways, to the point of the thread...

It could be Kazmir, but i think a lot of that depends on how the team develops around him.... Carrying a team as a pitcher is a LOT to ask of a 22 year old.. ask dontrelle.

Felix- many players with electric stuff that cant find the plate have come and gone throughout major league baseball. his demonstrative on the field reactions could end up working against him too.... i think within the next 2-3 months could result in a number of back through the box shots.

Liriano- I havent seen him, so i cant really comment.

Verlander- CAPABLE of striking out a lot of guys- and seems to do so in important situations- so his adaquate (not steller) k/9 or k/bb ratios shouldnt be a worry. Is the fifth starter on a decent team... His fastball hits 101 with regularity, and was still throwing 99 mph in the 9th inning about a week ago. And he plays for the Tigers. so i have to vote for him.

This is pretty much what I was going to say.

Anyway, I picked Kazmir... that's a really tough choice though. I really can't explain why I picked him...

Victor Zambrano....... well done Mets

he's walked 22 in 56 innings. i'm not sure why you think he can't find the plate.

and major league baseball isn't slow-pitch softball. batters can't go up there trying to hit the pitcher with a batted ball, it'd be futile. it's difficult enough to hit the damn thing in the first place.

The games i saw, he had some issues.
im not basing it on numbers. im basing it on what ive seen- hence my refusal to comment on liriano.

Felix has had issues with his offspeed stuff all season. He's relying on his fastball which is resulting in him getting his head beaten in. He's not out of the rotation and there's very little chance he'll be removed, the M's don't have anyone in AAA or AA that's ready for a shot. They'd spot start Julio Mateo if it came down to it. I think the problem with him is that he's 20 and expectations were that he'd be Doc Gooden.

I also like Matt Cain, but not as much as Kazmir or Felix Hernandez. His ERA this year isnt so good, but hes got a .226 BAA, and he threw a one-hitter last week. Last year he did really well, and he definitely has promise.

Francisco Liriano. He may be even better then Johan Santana in the near future.

bump. Maybe more votes on this poll will negate the bizarre amount of support for Kazmir. Also, the King has a no-hitter through five against one of the two or three best offenses in the game.

you're gonna jinx him!

Verlander probably.