.

Of course, we'd rather have Chris Archer in 2017 than take Jason Hammel.  We'd rather have Drew Smyly, for that matter.  But!  supposing it is either Jason Hammel in the 4 slot with KKKarns 5, or it is to be Karns-Miranda and no Jason Hammel.  Which way should M's fans root?

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LOOK OUT, Dept.

Here is an LL post with the subtle headline "Why Isn't Jason Hammel a Mariner"!  Nestled within ye shall find the following points of order, among others:

1) He has thrown three seasons in a row with 160 innings

2) The objections to him aren't ironclad

3) Fangraphs says to get him

4) It's easy to see it working out like Iwakuma last year

5) He's the best realistic option

Hm.  Not the most compelling argument that LL ever signed its name to.  No offense, babes.

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FAN OF GRAPHS?  AIN'T WE ALL, Dept.

Here is that Fangraphs post of which the above LL piece was a derivative.  In THIS case-for you will find

1) "More often than not you'll get a decent outing"  (be still, Dr. D's beating heart)  (this phrase is, in its literal sense, true of EVERY pitcher in MLB and AAA)

2) Just bake in the idea of missed starts and they won't hurt as much

3) Teams can never have enough pitching

4) Why is Dr. D still doing this piece

5) Wait!  Interesting little observation:  Hammel has been really good in the 1st half, five (!) years in a row, before breaking down

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HEALTH Dept.  wait ...

And here is a statement from Theo Epstein as to why the Cubs shed him.  Turns out that Jason's health is just fine, think yew very much, but the Cubs have to get their youth transition going sometime and they wanted to be fair to Hammel about the cheap option.  So, that's cool.

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TEMPLATE

Hammel is a middle-of-the-road Sinker Slider pitcher.  If you understand Ryan Dempster, Scott Sanders, Michael Pineda, Ervin Santana, Ryan Dempster, the modern John Lackey, or Ryan Dempster, then you understand him - though of course Michael Pineda and Ryan Dempster occupied different positions on the vertical "effectiveness" axis within this template.  Where Rob Whalen plots on the Z axis, you'll have to ask Dipoto.  He was the one who comp'ed them.

Hammel also likes to (1) go up-and-down the ladder, change the eye levels .. while he (2) sells the stuffing out of his slider, "pitching in a tube" as Jerry Dipoto puts it.  So he's every inch a Dipoto TYPE.

Mechanics, in just a moment here ... the bottom line is that you would be getting an MLB(TM) starter in the good sense, a man whose game is proven to be reasonably effective when his arm is right.  Whether that's all you are after, is another subject.

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