Then it's a ridiculously idiotic approach, to let Paxton hang out in the minors because he walks 4 guys per 9. Clayton walked 5 per his first full year in the bigs and his OPS+ was a ridonkulous 143. Why weren't walks a problem? Cuz he led the league in lowest H/9. It's not like that was a fluke - he's done it 2 of the 3 years since.
Mortals CANNOT hit Kershaw - and now that his walks are bottoming out he's gotten well and truly terrifying, but he was scary even when he did walk people.
If you're gonna walk people, you can't get hit. One of the reasons Morrow could never quite get over the hump to being a productive pitcher instead of just a talented one is that his hits were too high. He left balls where guys could put wood on them, and they did, and it hurt his ERA. This year his hits were more Kershaw-esque and his ERA went through the floor because of it. His K:BB ratio was actually a bit worse this last year than in prior years, but if nobody's connecting for hits it's hard to score on ya.
Luke Hochevar isn't a bad pitcher because of his Ks, or his walks, because both are very reasonable. He's a bad pitcher because he gets hit too much. Ditto Porcello, who's an ATROCIOUS meatballer.
So how's Paxton?
Completely unhittable in the low minors, and only hittable in AA due to his knee injury - when he was healthy, nobody from either side of the plate could do much against him.
Maybe the Ms don't trust Paxton because he's still only throwing about 100 innings a season, and jumping that to 200 scares them. But the walks shouldn't be holding him back, IMO. With his stuff he can be "effectively wild" and pull his weight in the rotation.
If he really does harness his stuff and kill the walks as well, then look out - but waiting for him to do it is being unnecessarily cautious IMO.
Looking forward to seeing him in Tacoma when the Rainiers come to my town, though. I don't expect my advice to be taken. ;-)
~G
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