Blengino: James Paxton, that other truly dominant starting pitcher
From SABR member Tony Blengino at FanGraphs on August 10, 2017:
In this, the year during which the all-time record for homers in an MLB season will be broken, there has been no shortage of dominant starting pitcher performances. From Clayton Kershaw to Max Scherzer in the NL to Chris Sale and Corey Kluber in the AL, true greatness has been on display. In this space not too long ago, I dug a little deeper into the exploits of Dodgers lefty Alex Wood. Today, let’s do the same in the AL and give Mariner lefty James Paxton his due.
I was in the draft room, a significant member of the decision-making team, when the Mariners selected Paxton in the fourth round out of Kentucky in 2010. He’d been drafted the previous season by the Blue Jays, but hadn’t signed. We were confident that we could indeed sign him; our area scout and crosschecking team had done quality work, and we had a solid working relationship with Scott Boras, his representative. What we saw was a high-upside lefty with top-shelf stuff, albeit with a checkered performance and health record.
Read the full article here: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/that-other-truly-dominant-starting-pitcher/
Originally published: August 11, 2017. Last Updated: August 11, 2017.