Bob Dutton (and Chris Young)
.
Didn't know, until just now read it, that Dutton had been the president of the BBWAA. As professional accomplishments go, that's a cool one.
I like him for several of the same reasons I liked Baker:
- Excellent feel for the game at ground level
- Tends to write about the actual pivot points of the season
- Not self-consciously cynical; doesn't try to establish "journalistic objectivity" through apathy
- etc
For example, here is his article, "Young adds to Safeco Legend." It's not dripping with irony. Something good happens, he's glad to let you know. ... anyway, Baker is irreplaceable, but it's nice to have Dutton's column available.
........
As to Chris Young: have you ever seen those TV shows, "Epic Yachts," "Epic Beach Houses," "Epic Pools" and the like? They had an Epic Pools thing... some Texas guy created a water park in his back yard. They said, Next Up, this major league pitcher created a paradise on a hillside.
In San Diego, Chris Young and his wife engineered a lavish pool/baseball area right onto the side of a steep hill, using bridge-building structures to do it. The entire property and pool, showcased on a TV show that is designed to make your eyes pop out at Big Money, made it look like he was worth $50M at least.
Ya, that's Young's pool, at top. Here's a feature article on it. And I'm thinking, this is the Mariners' number FIVE starter .... the man obviously takes care of his money; here are his salaries. Good on yer, Chris.
.......
How well could Chris Young pitch, as a SkyBall artist in Safeco?
PRO:
- Guys like Chris Young come from nowhere to finish top-20 in ERA, every single year
- He is what he is...
- ... meaning he can pitch exactly like this, as long as he can take the pain
.
CON:
- He's getting 3 strikeouts per game, less than usual
- All his other peripherals (SkyBall rate, HR rate, etc) are at career norms
- The scouting eye says "ugh"
He has 4 wins, 2 losses, and a 3.30 ERA. He's throwing pop flies in Safeco. And he looks pretty blinkin' ugly doing it.
He had a great game against the Angels. Don't get carried away. ... Jack said, Taijuan will be there before Paxton will. The evidence is coming in on Jack's side right now.
The latest triceps thingy for Paxton? Dr. D's reaction ... Freddy Garcia busted a leg one year, early, and it gave his arm a year off. Freddy went on to throw a million innings, until he was 50. This vacation will probably do K-Pax a world of good.
.........
First thing we ever said about Chris Young: he's one whale of a cool placeholder in the #5 slot. Tomorrow's news today, babe.
BABVA,
Dr D