QUOTE (DBAH0 @ May 30, 2008 -> 07:14 AM)
Seeing him in person tonight against the Mets at Shea.
Really looking forward to seeing that filthy curveball of his, mixed in with his fastball / change combo.
Is he the best young pitcher to come into the majors over the past season and a bit, or would you rather have a Max Scherzer for example?
In terms of where they were the day they were called up for the first time, I think the last guy who I'd say was at the level where I think Kershaw can be right now is Verlander. Just amazing stuff to start off. Maybe King Felix or Liriano would go in that boat, but each of them has a different set of pitches.
But with young pitchers...there's so many variables it's just impossible to say whether you'd rather have one guy or the other. You give me 2 dominating young pitchers, I'll place a bet that 1 of them will suffer a major injury within a few years that sets them back (who would you have picked in 06, Liriano or Weaver/Verlander?). Or one will have his mechanics go screwy after a bad game and his pitch counts will go nuts (Floyd, Billingsley). Or one will have something else crazy happen.