Almost every "Great Player" in every sport has a hole somewhere in their game, but the rest of their stuff has the chops to cover it up. I remember somebody saying once about Doctor J. that every small forward in the game thanked God that the Doc didn't have a jump shot, because then he would have been impossible to defend.
Then he would have been Jordan on offense.
The difference between the mere great and the all-time great is often something like that.
Randy Johnson was "Great" for a long time, all the while with holes in his game. He walked guys for example. But he didn't give up many hits.
In '91 he gave up 6.8 walks a game AND just 6.8 hits a game (per 9 innings).
In '92 it was 6.2 walks and 6.6 hits.
He had a hole in his game; a hitch in his get-along.
The next year his BB's dropped to the high 3's. The he was pretty great.
When his BB's dropped to the high 2's per 9, then he became basically the greatest lefty in the history of the game. At that point he was giving up 6.8 hits/2.6 BB's and K'ing 12.5 guys/per 9.
Paxton in his MLB career? 6.7 hits/2.6 BB's and "just" 7.7 K's. He's 25.
Johson didn't do some of that until he was 30 or more. At the age of 28, Johnson still wasn't averaging 7 innings a start. At the age of 25, in his 2nd MLB season, Paxton is averaging 5.5, which is exactly what Johnson averaged at 25, in his 2nd MLB season.
Basically JP just bamboozled the Texas Rangers, throwing to a catcher who operationally had only one finger. That's high school stuff. Or Nolan Ryan stuff. Or Bob Feller.
He went for 118 pitches. His previous professional high PC was 104, vs. the Tuscon Padres on July 8th, 2013.
Even at his record PC last night, he was still throwing the heater by MLB hitters sitting on that heater, dead red. As Doc pointed out, btw. He will figure out a consistent slurvy pitch or two. Until then, he's basically the guy we saw last night. Ask the Rangers what that was like.
I'm with Alfred E. Neuman on the subject of James Paxton: "What? Me Worry?"
And Griz, Paxton is one of the best 5 or 10 starters in the game right now. He's my #3 in the playoffs. Do you not start Russell Wilson in the playoffs because he's a rookie?
BTW Griz, dropped my daughter off at the U last weekend. It nearly killed me. I was a wreck.
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