John Halama threw a no-hitter AND a perfect game in the minors, with a sparkling ERA through his 20s down there, but he wasn't a magician.
Problem is, you can't tell who is and isn't until you get them reliable strike zones called by major-league umps and hitters who can crush average pitches instead of fouling them off.
Now, John was a big-league pitcher. He had 900+ innings in the bigs because he could throw a hundred innings for you when your #5 starter went down. That's what a #6 starter is supposed to do.
Beavan is currently a #6 starter. As you say, the stuff he throws currently is not going to get any more dangerous as is. The lure with Beavan remains his velocity, or current lack of it. He threw mid 90s in high school. The Rangers didn't like his motion and like a good little soldier he modified it with their help to take all the danger out of it - and most of the velocity as well.
If he gets his velo back, finds extra bite on his breaker...
And that's why he's Fister-lite. There's promise in his #6 package of skills, and I like your call of Guthrie as an upside with better stuff. And if he doesn't find it, then he's just a Halama - a guy who can be a #5 but is not likely to wow you, can eat innings and keep you in games (especially in a pitcher's park with a good D behind him) and do it for cheap.
Beavan is on of the reasons we should have no earthly need for a Batista or Silva contract again any time soon.
The question is how you feel about him taking over for Vargas or Bedard.
~G
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