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SABRMatt proposes the Drew Pomeranz comp.  I like it.  Remember, templates are large circle-bins into which we toss players who apply the same skill sets; they're not photo-perfect.  Points in common:

• 1st-round pedigree
• Lefties who had control problems until age 27
• Remarkable curve balls
• High release points, "downhill" fastballs
• Once the curve and fastball had any command at all, both pitchers flashed dominance

Pomeranz ran a 2.47 ERA "out of the blue" this year and made the NL All-Star team.  Montgomery had both the 1.62 ERA-flash last year and now this year's 2.02 ERA.

As we mentioned, both of these guys are right at James Paxton's age.  There's a reason that orgs are patient with elite talent.  Last thing in the world that KC wanted to do, was have Mike Montgomery's developmental hourglass sand out.  But sometimes a left hand talent takes longer to mature than the Players' Union clock mandates.  Their loss, our gain.

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MONTGOMERY 

Here is the video from last Sunday, which we know at least Moe enjoys revisiting ...

• 84 changeup, on the black but high, got it off the end of the bat for a harmless flyout
• Downhill 94 fastball (thrown from a high release point), topped to SS  (Monty's GB% is 59.7 this year, homers 0.3)
• The big curveball, dropping down below the zone, for the K
• Back foot curve again the wipeout K
• Cutter hard-in achieves its desired end - a blonked groundball
• Erikkk Bedard-class hook for the K
• 92 fastball the hitter is still a bit late on (perhaps because of the change-speed game)
• 3-2 fastball up, 94 MPH, harmlessly popped a mile high

This is like a resume video Aroldis Chapman would send over before his blockbuster contract.  Except the pitches would be selected from a 2-year timeframe.  :- )

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DREW POMERANZ

Pomeranz doesn't throw quite as hard as Montgomery, and really uses 2 pitches instead of 4.  On paper he's less talented than Montgomery.  But he comes out of a Billy Beane organization and ... well, Barry Zito taught us the upper limits of 90-MPH fastballs and lefty-curve arsenals.  That is, to be the best pitcher in baseball.

Does Pomeranz now have that kind of feel, to murder hitters with 3-2 curve balls?  Here's a 7-IP shutout:

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• 94 MPH into a teacup low-away in a LH-on-LH situation
• 92 MPH just up and in out of the zone for a stupid K
• 93 MPH up the ladder, easy K, wish we played the Dodgers
• 91 jam pitch, called strike 3
• 92 up-and-in, saws him off
• 89 up the ladder, terrible swing, guess they don't have the M's metrics for yanking pitchers who've dropped their release point 2"
• 91 low-in, another backwards K

Very nice Colon-like command - he's obviously using the fastball as 3-weapons-in-one, jam pitch, ladder, and other.  We suppose you'd like to see a few curve balls.  Notice however that 95 MPH is not the bare minimum required for Mike Montgomery's success.

So here's another highlight vid, from last week:

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• 90 MPH centered for a long fly ball; this one's caught
• THERE is the Zito curve ball for a K
• Cutter down-in out of the zone for a K
• Back-foot curve for a K
• Terrifying curve for a LH-on-LK taken strike three
• 92 MPH into a teacup vs RH for a taken strike three
• Nintendo curve down-in, too slow for the radar gun to track :- )
• 87 ladder fastball is plenty 'nuff
• Slightly mushier curve ball produces two-bouncer to 2B

So you can see the comparison here, and comps are there so that we can make distinctions within groups...

A glance at Pomeranz suggests --- > a Zito-like command of the fastball, with the shellshock curve in the back pocket at any time.  Mike Montgomery is the more talented pitcher.  Right now he's using 95 MPH velocity more than he is consistent command, and he's got two additional pitches behind the FB and curve.

I did like the way that Monty kept the cutter in on RH and in this sense, he's working some command sequences already.

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DR'S DIAGNOSIS

Bottom line:  impending Barry Zito (?) vs TBD, maybe more of a Sabathia or Finley type.  Gotta see where the FB command winds up.  At 95 MPH and with a changeup, SSI hasn't triangulated Montomery's final comp after one start.  ;- )

Your mileage may vary,

Dr D