Q.  Will Paxton still throw 95, like he used to when he was projected to the top 10?

A.  First of all, Kershaw, Sabathia, etc. average 92-93, not 95+.

They can reach back.

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Second of all, Paxton gets the 300 horsepower to the back wheels. 

He gets that arm wayyyyyy extended, like Mark Langston used to, he comes around like a ballista, finishes as loose as a goose, like Randy Johnson, and the ball just whooom lights up the gun.

You know how Daniel Cortes reaches back, SNAPS his head to pull his body around, slams the ball through with all his might, and finishes by trying not to fall down? ... Not that.

Paxton's the picture of leveraged velocity ... and yet his arms and chest are strong, and he can add muscle to reach back.  Starter's rhythm guy, plus the physicality when he wants to gearshift.

Loooov eeet.

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Paxton has lost some arm strength sitting out.  So sue him.   Twenty starts and he'll probably hit new highs on the gun.  The motion and strength are obvious, which is why the scouts were drooling.

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Q.  Law says the curve ball has flashed but in the indy league, "wasn't consistent."

A.  :- /

We were expecting Paxton to be at the top of his game?

Paxton's been out a long time.  It's been closer to two years than one, right?  Give him a year to beef back up.

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Q.  What does SSI think of the year off, generally?

A.  Haven't been able to find anybody who catalogued the results.  How many Round-1 college pitchers sat a year?   I don't know what the results have been.

Logically you've got to love the time off for a young shoulder under age 25.  It's not like young hosses, J.D. Drew types, forget how to play baseball in a year away from it.

But on the mound, I haven't noticed that the Luke Hochevars and Josh Fieldses have gotten a lot of wind at their backs for having taken time off. 

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Hochevar, just a couple years ago, missed a year and then went 1-1 in the draft.  Apparently MLB teams' research indicates that holding out doesn't hurt you, right?

Pitching is murder on the human shoulder.  The human shoulder is not mature until age 25.  The lack of mileage is a big plus factor, for me.

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Q.  The indy league guys said he had good command.  You think?

A.  He did have 115/20 CTL in college, but he was able to do that throwing the ball down the middle.

His motion is about Chuck Finley graceful, meaning about 6 on a scale of 1-10.  Plenty good enough, despite the front knee, and Chuck Finley did okay walking 4 guys as a young pitcher.

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