Who's demolishing everything in his path.
7 innings tonight (another career high after last start's 6.2). 10 Ks, 4 hits leading to a solitary run, ZERO walks.
Last 4 starts:
25.1 IP, 4 runs, 14 hits, 36 Ks, 4 BB. Can a prospect who's already breaking the sound barrier on his exponential climb to mastering his repertoire and getting to the bigs actually kick in afterburners? Is that possible?
I don't see how he's not a top-50 prospect on everyone's lists at this point. He and Mike Minor are very similar lefties, and Minor (#7 pick in Paxton's original 2009 draft, btw) had a comparable year last season, which netted him BA's #37 overall prospect. Even Michael Pineda didn't scorch AA quite like this (though it was close). If we wanted to trade him for the moon, we could probably get a few comets as throw-ins...but I'm ecstatic to see him in teal next April.
I wouldn't discount the effect throwing a changeup is having on his control, btw, and therefore his ability to get deep into games. Paxton was always gonna strike guys out, but he took a lot of pitches to do it. He was a 5 inning Bedard pitcher with just the two pitches, so adding a couple extra innings with control is terrific. I'm not sure if it's just the changeup, but changing his mentality might have made all the difference in the world.
I'm loving Stage 3 separation.
And nobody's gonna bring up that Paxton is destined for the pen anymore, right? That was being floated as recently as last month in some corners of the interweb. We're over that hilarious notion now, yes?
I'm stunned to have THREE mid-to-upper 90s hurlers WITH control in the system as starters. Paxton, Walker and Campos are three dynamite pitchers...and Hultzen will probably be ranked ahead of all of em.
Have I mentioned how nice it is to have a minor league contingent that can draft and coach up legit prospects?
Paxton's aimed straight at the 2012 rotation, and he's scaring me with how ready he looks to take advantage.
~G
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