I can't recall the last guy I watched who had such easy smoldering heat. He makes the most natural rock and most natural (easy) knee kick and then throws the most unnatural missile.
He smells and looks and acts like a starter.
Greg Maddux made throwing a ball look that easy. But he threw at 92, maybe.
Wilhelmsen's velocity is as freaky as much of what Pineda does.
Paxton throws like that too. He has an interesting behind-the-back start but he throws so EASILY, it's like playing catch - at 97 mph. At least the talk of moving HIM to the bullpen has been silenced.
I would love for Wilhelmsen to be given a chance to start. I think he's got the arm for it for sure. But Rafael Soriano had a fastball that couldn't be touched...and nothing else, and eventually moved to the pen with great success.
There's nothing wrong with being a pen arm. When the guy could be a plus starter, that's more of an issue, but Wilhelmsen got himself shelled in AA in the rotation.
Paxton in AA: 1.85 ERA, 12K / 3BB / 6.5 H per 9.
Wilhelmsen in AA: 5.49 ERA, 6 K / 4 BB / 10 H per 9.
Paxton doesn't yet have total command of his breaking stuff, but it IS deadly. Tom doesn't have any breaking stuff to speak of, and when he went down to AA to located it he couldn't. He's got the fastball, a plus pro fastball RIGHT NOW, and Zduriencik doesn't have 2 years to leave a pro-ready arm in the minors. It's all hands on deck right now, and that makes Tom's likelihood of starting a longer shot than it would be if we had already righted this ship.
Wilhelmsen might just wind up being a victim of circumstance - but then he wasn't supposed to be here at all, so I don't think he's complaining. I wanted him in the rotation all year in AA to find a breaking ball and get a rhythm, but the Ms had other plans.
It doesn't mean he's locked in the pen forever - he finds a splitter and the world is his oyster.
But in the meantime, there are worse places for him to be. And on the bright side, if anyone was ever built for the multi-inning close, it should be Tom.
~G