Quote:
Originally Posted by lungs
I guess I don't understand the love for Rich Harden in this thread and elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I do realize he is very talented and has put up some decent numbers but some of the warts he has turn me off. I've argued in circles with some Brewer fans disgusted that we signed Randy Wolf over Rich Harden.
Basically, Harden is a reliever that people keep using as a starter. He is a two pitch pitcher these days after abandoning his slider to keep the stress on his arm down. His maximum effort repertoire leads to a fair amount of walks and a high amount of strikeouts which leads to high pitch counts early in games. He averages less than six innings per start so he'll tax your bullpen. Then throw in his injury history and I just don't get the love for this guy as a starter.
Soon enough, somebody will see the light and turn him into a reliever, a role I feel he could be very dominant in. Until then, he'll be a five inning starter that walks too many guys and you can't necessarily rely on every fifth day.
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Well put. I fall into the category of thinking Harden is a worthwhile candidate for a staff, I think it's just that with pitching at such a premium in MLB, it's hard to ignore the potential he brings to the table, especially at the relatively low price he is signing for.