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Q.  Does Campos have the stuff to be a Cy candidate?

A.  He does, yes.

But bear in mind that Cliff Lee's and Jered Weaver's routes to the Cy involve precision first and power second.  Jose Campos, Michael Pineda, and Jamie Moyer have toolboxes based on precision.  Get that straight.

There is a #1 pitcher whose game is precision.  Put Campos in that category.  He's not Nolan Ryan.  He's Ben Sheets.  You have to understand him as such.

We'll start with G-Moneyball's extremely accurate take...

91-98.  According to his pitching coach, that's his FB velocity.  He's not touching 95, he's touching 95-98 - as an 18 year old.  I agree, he's sitting 92-93 with a few more MPH to get when he wants to...but Pineda didn't clear that until his 20s.  Campos is ahead of him stuff-wise and at least his equal in control.

When you're obliterating hitters (most of whom are 3-5 years older than you) in your first year in America in a short-season league (not rookie league, but a more regular environment) it's pretty special.  When you're unhittable with a 7.5:1 K:BB ratio it's even more special.

I'd LOVE for him to perfect his curve. A slow 12-6 yakker in the mid-70s to go with a low (or mid) 90s heavy FB?  Ha.  Til then, his slider is working out all right and his FB control will get him far.

I'm not calling him a staff ace yet, but he DOES have ace-potential (as do Paxton and Walker...it's good to be a Mariners farm fan right now). Assuming health, he's got Rafael Soriano downside: a fastball that's amazing and nothing to pair it with.  At best...look out. Next year he'll be the same age Pineda was at the same level (MWL).  It's a different park - Wisconsin was more pitcher-friendly - but the comparison should be really easy to make.

We'll see how Campos handles it.  So far, though, I have no complaints.  He has plenty of time to get better...which is kinda scary, actually.

~G

That'll do for us too.

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Q.  What DOES he hit on the gun?  What WILL he hit on the gun?

A.  Usually if you check a report from the first half of the season, Campos came out throwing 95 in the first inning and kept it up for several innings.

If you check a report from July or later, they'll report Campos as sitting comfortably 92.

As demonstrated in the article on Campos' projectability .... when you are age 18, throwing "90-96 sitting 92", that implies "96 mph" at age 21.

As G has mentioned several times, Campos' velocity is running ahead of Michael Pineda's at the same age.

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Q.  How is Campos' offspeed stuff, compared to Pineda's?  Compared to other 18-year-olds'?

A.  I guess people have forgotten that in MARCH OF THIS  YEAR, Michael Pineda was accused of having no major-league offspeed pitch to speak of.  THIS MARCH!

Here Campos is at age 18, already "obviously comfortable throwing" his curve and his change, getting outs with it ... how is that supposed to be anything other than encouraging?

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Run through HQ's teenagers list and the description is always, "shows potential to develop curve" and samesuch.

You've got to look at Jose Campos as an 18-year-old (just now turned 19).  In that context, his breaking stuff is evidently wonderful.

It is true that Campos doesn't have every inch the arm that a Taijuan Walker has.  Neither did Pineda.  Both Campos and Pineda are 10's on the craftsmanship scale and then 8-9's on the electric scale.

***

Bottom line:  Campos has an elite arm both for velocity and especially for craftsmanship.  He's blinkin' fun to watch.

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Q.  How are the mechanics?

A.  We've studied it ... in lieu of 2,000 words on the sports motion, how about 150 this time.

Simple mechanic, with harmony the highlight  ... reminds of Felix ... moderate drop-and-drive ... jerks the head a bit with extra effort, exactly as the young Felix did ...

.... best mechanical checkpoint is the way he drives his wallet at the hitter, like Paxton does ... does not lean over or finish nose-to-leather, impeding the decel, which I hate ... but he's only 18 ... better than Pineda's motion, even now...

Looooooove love LOVE the harmoniousness.  Look in the picture - his whole body, whole self, is gathered in the baseball.  Extreme K/BB command confirms the harmoniousness...

Bottom line:  he has a vaguely Felix throwing motion, one that takes advantage of his natural power, and the mechanics are a non-issue.  He's got the motion that he needs.

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