When he snapped those curves over and then when he embarrassed/abused/noogied Avila I thought "Crap, that looked like a Tom Seaver or something."
Then I thought: Man we have a whole gaggle of fine young starters hanging about.
I'm not sure that I wouldn't give Wilhelmsen an 80 pitch start sometime in June. Just to see what the heck that would look like.
He's looked sharper. But I don't think I've ever been as impressed with him. He sucked it up, tooled people with the Uncle Charlie and then threw a Sidd Finch (or what must have looked like one) heater that was essentially unhittable.
I think he hit 97 on one pitch, certainly 96. He's got an easy 93 in inning 6.
He's a fearsome weapon where he is, and maybe even more fearsome if we include whatever the M's could get for Brandon League in trade......Not that I'm suggesting that. Options, though. Options.
But I would like to see that start, just for fun.
Bartender? Bah! moe
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Q. What happened out there in the 8th today?
A. Two runs up, Wilhelmsen gave up a seeing-eye ground ball to Miguel Cabrera. Then Prince Fielder viciously turned around a 96 fastball for a line-drive single, two (plodding) runners on, nobody out.
Wilhelmsen, grinding, missed two curve balls to Delmon Young - one he yanked low and wide into the dirt, and the other missed badly. This is the 3rd batter, now, and Wilhelmsen wasn't yet in his groove. He did manage to scuffle a hard-hit fly ball out.
He got behind Peralta 2-0 ... tying runs on, now. He ain't tryin' to miss. He just missin'. This is the 4th hitter in. In the 8th, you don't have four hitters to get loose, do you understand me? On the 3-1 pitch, Wilhelmsen desperately aimed 97 MPH (!) right down the middle, which it wasn't, but Peralta fouled it off.
***CLICK***
That was the visual TW needed. He smiled. On 3-2, he cracked off an overhand curve that has my eyes tearing as I remember it. The snap of the wrist was epic. Later Blowers would say admiringly, "He just trusts the ump to make that call." The ball bisected the plate, dropping down out of the sky to finish exactly at the knees. I'd call it a Bert Blyleven curve ball, if Bert Blyleven ever threw a power curve like that.*
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Happily, Tom fired three curve balls to Alex Avila, THE left hand All-Star Alex Avila, and ratcheted the count to 2-2. By the time he fired a 95-MPH thunderbolt in for strike three, it looked 115 MPH. Would you please go look at this swing. About eight times.
That is BEFORE and AFTER, folks. After pitch 12, Tom Wilhelmsen was a holocaust and the Tigers were sorely lacking a bomb shelter. But! Before pitch 12, Wilhelmsen was scrounging.
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Q. Why does it take Wilhelmsen 10-15 pitches to get loose?
A. He stands 6 foot 6 inches tall. It looks like 6' 8". He has long levers. How many closers and setup men do you know who are 6'6"? Name them.
It is harder for him to move those forearms and shinbones into the right place.
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Q. Is that just SSI aiki baloney, or do tall pitchers really have a harder time finding their release points?
A. Grab a golf bag. Take out a 1-wood and take out a pitching wedge. You tell me which is easier to control. Is that just my opinion? Or is it a fact, and can we move on?
Of course, the 1-wood gives more centrifugal power. One reason that Wilhelmsen throws an EASY 95-97 miles per hour.
Short men don't have great control. Nobody has great control in the first 10 pitches. That's why relievers are max effort. They gain margin for error through velocity.
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Q. Supposing that Wilhelmsen's velo dropped to 89 in the rotation.
A. Then oh well whatever nevermind.
But at 90-92 he's still an obvious starter. Did Aaron Sele throw 92? Did the 30-something Blyleven? Josh Beckett throws 93 these days, fans 8+, and runs 4-5 WAR per (healthy) season.
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Q. Supposing Wilhelmsen could throw an easy 93-97 in the rotation.
A. When it's a strike, Wilhelmsen's curve ball is Sele-, Blyleven-, Beckett-class. Aaron Sele with a 94 fastball? He was tough enough with an 87 fastball.
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Comments
Back when he was just a human interest story. This was at Clinton, and it got him on my radar pronto.
8/2/10 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER
8/7/10 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER
8/12/10 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER
8/18/10 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER (mulligan)
8/24/10 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER
8/29/10 7.0 IP, 9 H, 2 ER
9/2/10 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER
9/8/10 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER
9/13/10 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER
9/18/10 5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER (OK, c'mon the guy hadn't pitched for real since 2003 -- he had to be gassed by late Sept.)
I'm not sure what happened in AA last year, but don't tell me the guy can't be a starter. You don't see a run of starts like that every day.
6 IP, 0 ER, 9 K with only 3 singles and 2 walks. Here's the play-by-play.
Assuming it's smooth sailing from here, you can (from the cheap seats) construe Paxton's two wild games as nothing too worrisome. A third wild game in a row would have been cause for alarm.
G-Money mentioned about "not getting the curve over" and often in the minor leagues, maybe usually in the minor leagues, that means that the ump doesn't know how to call the pitch. Don't know if that was a factor for Paxton, but would like more info on it.
..........
Anyway, 6 of Paxton's 9 strikeouts were called, usually indicating a yellow hammer that froze the hitter, so again we wonder to what extent the ump was simply calling it today.
Paxton with 31 strikeouts in 21 innings. That kind of nuclear stuff from a lefty - we hear Jason (echo'ing the scouts) now talking TOR for Hultzen, but routinely talking #1 starter for Paxton. #1 starter in scout-speak means one of the six best pitchers in the game. People are starting to realize where Paxton's template is headed.
Paxton: You don't hurt Paxton unless he allows it, and inflicts the first half-dozen wounds on himself. I cannot think of a game in which Paxton had his stuff working and he got hit around anyway. It simply doesn't happen.
If he walks 6 dudes you have a 50 / 50 chance of doing decent damage, but he can probably get out of it anyway. His talent level is frightening, even if he's not as polished as you'd want to see him. The Kershaw comps still hold strongly - that was another guy who couldn't be scored on even when he was wild. And he's not wild anymore...
Hultzen: The Doctor looks almost done assimilating to pro ball. Danny was the victim of some wildness early in the year, much as Paxton just was, and has calmed down nicely. One thing hasn't changed - he can't be hit early in the year. When he's throwing strikes he's been nasty, and all his stuff moves. He's still working through his repertoire figuring out how to best deploy it against pro hitters, but he's very close to figuring that out and taking luck out of the equation.
Walker: Walker looks like the best of the three out of the gate. He has Paxton's game with more consistency and his learning arc is like a straight line up at this point. Getting a crick in his neck scared me - our minor league pitchers have stayed scarily healthy and Walker is NOT the guy I want to break that streak. But he's incredibly poised for his age and experience, has consistently better control than Paxton and his stuff is off the charts.
The minors are all about optimism, but these guys are as advertised. They're serious weapons. I still only think one of em makes it up before the trade deadline, and best guess on that is Hultzen, even though I'd have Paxton. Hultzen should - key word should - be less prone to those occasional 8 walk outings.
I think we're gonna be running Felix / Vargas / Beavan / Erasmo / Hultzen in June, with Paxton to AAA and leaving Walker as staff ace at AA. Gotta stagger them out a little.
~G
Odds are good for Taijuan Walker.
Was not aware that their track records were THAT good, as to which teenage pitchers belong in the upper minors. Good article Spec.
With Taijuan Walker, he's almost getting into that category where he transcends odds... only thing that's gonna stop him is an injury...
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Equal lineups, Taijuan against Kevin Millwood in Safeco right now, does ANYbody here bet Millwood?