Q.  Does SSI go Bull or Bear on James Paxton?

A.  SSI gives two thumbs way up to The Paxton Concept. 

Full Disclosure Dept:  I have a personal bias towards two-pitch starters like Josh Beckett, Randy Johnson and Dwight Gooden.  It's geometrically easier for them to learn to execute their own games.

Most young pitchers get hurt before they learn to contribute to the big club.  The two-pitch strikeout guys have a much cleaner path to impact.

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Q.  Paxton doesn't need to develop a change and learn to hit the blue cold zones on everybody's strike zone chart, like Luke French does?

A.  If you have 20 junior high school players trying out for the basketball team, you tell them all to learn to dribble with their left hands.  A 14-year-old who can't bounce the ball twice with his left hand is in big trouble.

However, if you're Shaquille O'Neal, an exception occurs. 

SSI will apparently never lose this gig, the one of reminding that one-size-fits-all sports coaching applies only to the middle 80% of the athletic population...

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Q.  Yeah, but what LEFT hand pitchers need only two pitches?

A.  Only those with a good fastball and a good curve ball.

David Price throws two pitches, and he won some kind of award placing him among the top 20 or top 2 pitchers last year, I forget which.

Erik Bedard throws exactly two pitches, and if he's healthy he's #1 in both leagues in xFIP.

Randy Johnson threw zero (0) changeups the first fifteen years of his career, and he's one of the two best LHP's who ever lived.

Mark Langston came up from AA with two pitches, a 93 fastball and a sharp curve, and led the league in strikeouts every year.  Knowing exactly nothing about how to pitch, that I could tell.

CC Sabathia, as a rookie, threw exactly two pitches.  He added a change after he was one of the league's better starters.

Steve Carlton, Barry Zito, the young Chuck Finley, on and on.  Please spare poor ol' Dr. D the two-pitch shtick on James blinkin' Paxton, for once.  I'm begging you.

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