The Braves have so much pitching it disgusts me. Literally. Well, not literally. I'm literally disgusted by how much people misuse the word "literally." I'm literally shocked and awed by how much pitching the Braves have, and I'm curious, and maybe even apprehensive, about how they will proceed given their surplus. Let's take a look, shall we?
Tommy Hanson. The guy's a flat out ace, and he's super cheap and young. He reminds me a little of the Mets young pitchers. Wait. I got that wrong. He doesn't.
Tim Hudson. It's incredible that this guy is 4 foot 11 and still getting the job done. He's nasty, he's a bargain at 9 mil per, and he's signed through 2012 with a club option for 2013.
Jair Jurrjens. After a dazzling rookie campaign and a disappointing 2010, Jair is 4 and 0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He's 25 years old, and I'm feeling a little queasy.
Brandon Beachy. 2.98 ERA. .97 WHIP. More than a strikeout per inning. He's 24 years old. Now I'm literally disgusted.
Derek Lowe. Is anyone more underrated than Derek Lowe? 2010's National League pitcher of the month in September is incredibly reliable. He never gets hurt. He gives the Braves length and quality. He's making too much money, and he's the guy you'd think the Braves would try to move to make room for their next wave.
Mike Minor. The Braves could use a lefthanded starter, and Minor is dominating triple-A competition. He's one of the 30 best prospects in the game, and I'm personally very high on this guy.
Julio Teheran. Also dominating in triple-A. Teheran is 20 years old, and one of the 5 best prospects in the game.
Randall Delgado. This is an embarrassment of riches. Minor was the 7th pick in the draft, but the rest of these guys were there to be had by other teams. Also, Minor was considered a safe, quick, cheap sign at #7 overall. His velocity spiked in pro-ball, and now he's projected as a frontline starter. So the Braves outscouted on that front, too.
Back to Delgado, who, by the way, also has front of the rotation stuff. We're not talking about a bunch of guys relying on command. These guys are formula one cars. They're stallions. They're B2 bombers. They're members of JSOC. L-i-t-e-r-a-l-l-y.
The Braves feel no need to rush Delgado, so he's currently dominating in double-A. He struck out 10 on Monday, and he's Baseball America's 35th best prospect in the game.
Kris Medlen. Remember Kris Medlen? The guy is three feet tall. He wears his hat with that Chad Cordero flat brimmed flair, and he was enjoying a breakout 2010 before Tommy John. What are they going to do with Medlen? Move him to the bullpen? Maybe they'll make Delgado or Teheran a closer. Their plus velocity would profile well there. Oh wait. They already have the most excited short reliever, and I mean short, in the entire game.
Craig Kimbrel. He makes me feel warm and tingly inside. He looks like he's seven years old. I'm a little worried his arm is going to fall off. Hitters react to Kimbrel like no pitcher in baseball. He often operates in the high-90s, but sometimes his heater is in the mid-90s, and hitters react like they've never seen anything like it. He must hide the ball really well, and his fastball must have really late movement. His breaking ball is sick. His numbers are sick. I'm literally sick.
Jonny Venters. This guy might be better than Kimbrel. His numbers are stupid. His stuff is stupid. This guy came out of nowhere last year. Tommy John must have agreed with him because he's a lefty throwing 95 mile an hour sinkers. His ERA is under 1. His WHIP is .66. He could close or he could start. I'm pretty sure Jonny Venters could do anything he set his mind to.
Eric O'Flaherty. Make it stop. Eric is from Walla Walla. ERA: 1.02. WHIP: 1.08. Blood Alcohol: 0.00. I'm kidding. He's totally drunk.
And these are just the guys I thought of off the top of my head. I'm sure this year's Brandon Beachy is currently rising through the minors right now in order to make life as a Mets fan more meaningless than it already is.
Seems like they could trade one of these guys for a centerfielder, no?
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