Author Topic: Should VanAllen and Zimmermann Be Given Fast Track To Majors?  (Read 3699 times)

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Offline Senators2005

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Lannan and Redding are not #5 starters by any stretch - maybe in name recognition alone.  Most teams would kill to have their #3 starters have the type of seasons that they're having.
again I think you and sportsfan have been watching too much Nationals baseball...because outside of Washington and the four teams we play in the division, the normal everyday baseball fan wouldn't even be able to tell you who John Lannan and Tim Redding are.

Offline ronnynat

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again I think you and sportsfan have been watching too much Nationals baseball...because outside of Washington and the four teams we play in the division, the normal everyday baseball fan wouldn't even be able to tell you who John Lannan and Tim Redding are.

Does that matter? I've seen enough pitching this year to know that those two would be a #2 or #3 on most teams right now; especially Redding. You also have to factor in competition. We've faced a lot of tough offenses so far this season.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Does that matter? I've seen enough pitching this year to know that those two would be a #2 or #3 on most teams right now; especially Redding. You also have to factor in competition. We've faced a lot of tough offenses so far this season.
Yeah, I don't see how the average fan's ability to name a player factors into whether they deserve a certain spot in a rotation.  A lot of fans wouldn't know Tim Lincecum from Tim Dwight, yet Lincecum would be an ace on almost any staff as of now.

Offline Senators2005

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Does that matter? I've seen enough pitching this year to know that those two would be a #2 or #3 on most teams right now; especially Redding. You also have to factor in competition. We've faced a lot of tough offenses so far this season.
Lannan's faced Houston and Chicago...once each.  Good job...but remember nobody has any type of scouting report on him right now.  Where's the rest of the tough opposition?

Offline ronnynat

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Lannan's faced Houston and Chicago...once each.  Good job...but remember nobody has any type of scouting report on him right now.  Where's the rest of the tough opposition?

Every team he's faced in the NL is in the top 10 in runs scored. Cubs are 1st and the Astros are 3rd. The Orioles are in the top 10 in the AL.

Why don't they have a scouting report on him? 15 games started isn't enough? He's pitched great so far. That breaking ball is almost unhittable. There's no scouting report that can make that pitch easier to hit.

Offline Senators2005

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We'll see...it's only been a month and a half...I'm not convinced yet of diamond in the rough...miracle John Lannan.

Offline houston-nat

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again I think you and sportsfan have been watching too much Nationals baseball...because outside of Washington and the four teams we play in the division, the normal everyday baseball fan wouldn't even be able to tell you who John Lannan and Tim Redding are.
That's their problem, not ours. Look, I don't think John Lannan is the miracle worker, or God, or whatever. But he is a 23-year-old guy who (for the moment at least) has one of the 20 lowest ERAs in the National League. In fact his ERA is better than Santana's - for the moment. That won't last: true. Lannan is not a permanent ace: true. He will have hiccups: true. But we've found out so far this year that Lannan is a very good pitcher, one who can both get himself into jams and get himself out of them. He can be relied upon to give us 6 or even 7 innings and a very good chance to win, and he's still learning the game. Maybe it's bad that John Lannan's the best we have - but gosh darn it, he is undeniably good.

Admittedly irrelevant case in point: at the start of the year a guy picked up Lannan in my fantasy league. I dissuaded him, pointing out that he was starting the season in the minors, and he dropped the pitcher. After a couple weeks I picked the still-at-AAA Lannan up, and since then he's literally carried my fantasy team at least twice.

Offline tomterp

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I'm very content to have Lannan, Bergmann, and Redding atop our rotation.  Hill's operating at about 75% capacity right now, unfortunately.  Perez is shaky, I'm worried his recent trend is going to continue.  But Sens, I see no reason why you're so skeptical about Lannan or Redding.  Both have good enough stuff, excellent control, and demonstrate the ability to focus when they get in trouble. 

Bergmann's been inconsistent historically, but as evidenced by his last two outings, he's got excellent stuff and can be dominant for long stretches of time.  I can't wait to see him pitch again.

But getting back to the point of the thread, we need to have somebody identified soon as a rotation replacement.  Hill's already showing issues, and history shows we are certain to lose guys during the season.  If Mock, Clippard, or Balester were lights out, nobody would be pushing Zimmermann or Van Allen, but since they're not quite lights out, it's a fair question.

EDIT:  I fixed the spelling of Zimmermann in the thread title.  Zimmerman has already had his fast track to the majors, it's Zimmermann we are now concerned with.

Offline houston-nat

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EDIT:  I fixed the spelling of Zimmermann in the thread title.  Zimmerman has already had his fast track to the majors, it's Zimmermann we are now concerned with.
Thanks for doing that, mate. The misspelling of player names bothers me, as it should be exclusively the domain of Blob Lasdson.

Offline PANatsFan

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In answer to the thread title - absolutely not. We have plenty of Major League starters (4 or 5) with several AAAA options.

Now rushing a Zinicola type to the bullpen, that's interesting.

Offline Burgess

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I see alot of talk about Zimmermann and VanAllen but what about this Estrada kid? He is just improving and he won another start today. He is now 5-2 with a 2,45 era and 41k's in 47,2 innings of work.

Offline sportsfan882

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I see alot of talk about Zimmermann and VanAllen but what about this Estrada kid? He is just improving and he won another start today. He is now 5-2 with a 2,45 era and 41k's in 47,2 innings of work.
Absolutely. Estrada has had a great season. He's 24 so he could be getting close too.

Offline PennSkinsFan

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I think the best pitchers right now in the system are Colin Balestar, Jordon Zimmerman, Corey Van Allen, Adrian Alaniz, and Shairon Martis.  Plus remember, Detwiler is improving, Jack McGeary and Joshua Smoker have not begun yet and will in June. 

I would like to see Van Allen with a full minor league season.  IMO, Zimmerman is ready for the shot.  Alaniz is ready for AA.