I've been bored out of my mind (hopefully Kenny changes that next week) so I started doing some reading online about Zach Stewart and watching some video. Sounds like a lot of scouting reports have him pegged at a #3-#4 starter at best, some even think he'll be nothing more than a long reliever. I've also read that he hasn't logged a lot of innings in a starting role. I watched some video of him and it looks like he has some good velocity 92-94 and run on his fastball and has a good biting slider. It sounds like he needs work on his change up. I'm thinking this might be one of those under rated moves by Kenny that pans out in the long run. I'm thinking Jon Garland as Stewart's upside. 180-200 innings of about 3.70-4.20 ERA. I'm wondering if a cutter might be on the horizon for him as well.

 

What are your thoughts on Stewart?

#1) if Jon Garland is his upside, then he better be in the f***ing bullpen

#2) if you see a 3.70-4.20 ERA, then you are not looking at Jon Garland

#3) you are not wrong in a possible Jon Garland connection

#4) Jon Garland's upside was Kevin Brown

#5) if Jon Garland is his upside, then he NEEDS to be in the f***ing bullpen

#1) if Jon Garland is his upside, then he better be in the f***ing bullpen

#2) if you see a 3.70-4.20 ERA, then you are not looking at Jon Garland

#3) you are not wrong in a possible Jon Garland connection

#4) Jon Garland's upside was Kevin Brown

#5) if Jon Garland is his upside, then he NEEDS to be in the f***ing bullpen

I want to know what you think of Stewart, not what you think of my review.

Stewart has a good arm (has been clocked in the 95-97 range, although he is mainly low 90s now) and has decent command, but I don't like his secondary pitches. I don't like his change-up OR his slider though his scouting profile ranks his slider as a potential + pitch, though I don't see it (although I am not a scout). His hits to IP ratio isn't that impressive either.

 

I DO like his fastball and he has nice movement on it, but right now he has middle relief pitcher written on him and that's where he spent much of his time in college. It seems moving to starter is something that has happened since becoming a pro.

 

Improving secondary pitches can be done. I didn't like Gavin Floyd's curveball early in his career, it rolled way too much, but he really tightened it up and has become a very effective middle of the rotation pitcher.

 

So to me...Zach Stewarts upside is middle of rotation (only with development of secondary pitches-slider and change), but it's more likely he'll end up in middle/long relief.

Edited November 27, 201114 yr by kwolf68

Edwin Jackson + Daniel Hudson = Zach Stewart

 

that's all you need to know

Edwin Jackson + Daniel Hudson = Zach Stewart

 

that's all you need to know

 

Daniel Hudson + David Holmberg + Edwin Jackson + Mark Teahen = Zach Stewart + Jason Frasor + tons of money saved

Daniel Hudson + David Holmberg + Edwin Jackson + Mark Teahen = Zach Stewart + Jason Frasor + tons of money saved

Actually it should be

 

Daniel Hudson + David Holmberg = Edwin Jackson - Mark Teahen = Zach Stewart + Jason Frasor

I like his stuff, and I think he definitely has potential to be a guy who fits nicely into a rotation. This is a guy who has gone from 80 to 104 to 136 to 168 IP over the last four years. Those are huge leaps, especially with 67+ of those innings last year coming at the major league level.

 

I would bet the inconsistencies we saw last season were a mix of the explosion in innings fatiguing his arm and his mind, along with a kid trying to learn to pitch at the major league level.

 

If we do go young, I was to see Stewart for at least a year of starting.

He is good enough in theory to fill in as a back of the rotation guy who can sink the ball a bit. He also has the downside of being a f***ing gas can.

Good two-seamer. I think he needs a good cutter or better change-up to stick as a mid-rotation guy.

He's a reliever.