Flamethrowers Need Not Apply

Thursday, October 02 2003 @ 02:01 AM EDT

Contributed by: Mick Doherty

Okay, first, if you don't subscribe to Lee Sinins' excellent "Around the Majors" daily e-mail report, stop what you're doing -- reading this, I guess -- and go do that. Now, I tell you. NOW! GO!

In today's edition, Sinins includes an item about Mike Hampton; a chart accompanies the item listing the top (bottom?) 10 active pitchers in most strikeouts below the league average.

Here are the names you'll find on that list:

Hampton. Glavine. Buehrle. Rueter. Anderson (Brian). Suppan. Mays. Okay, throw in Anderson (Jimmy), Sparks and Cornejo.

Even with those last three included, it strikes me ... there aren't too many managers who would be upset having to choose a five-man rotation from that list of candidates.

So here's the questions ...
- OK, it's mostly lefties. Who didn't expect that?
- It's almost exclusively starting pitchers.
- There are (I think) six former All-Stars in that group.

Does that mean ...
- In order to overcome a lack of strikeouts, a pitcher must be so overwhelmingly talented in other areas that he usually becomes a star?
- Are all the hard throwers going to the bullpen these days?

Just wondering. Seemed like a good conversation point. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Buehrle?

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