Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Ross Detwiler/Chris Volstad

Anonymous asks:
Who makes it to the majors first: Detwiler or Volstad?
Here is the scouting write-up on the Nationals' Ross Detwiler. It's pretty much dead-on with John Sickels' write-up, though he likes Detwiler's change-up a little more. Here's a write-up for Marlins' Chris Volstad.

Predicting when either one of these pitchers will be in the majors is a guessing game. In both cases, the right thing to do would probably be to leave both in the minors for all of 2008. Both teams are not expected to contend this year and - despite weaknesses in their respective rotations - rushing Detwiler or Volstad to the majors won't solve those weaknesses.

If I had to guess which pitcher would be more successful initially, I'd lean toward Detwiler. He seems more polished from what I've read in the scouting reports, and Volstad's stuff right now still seems more projectable. The stamina issues are a big concern, and it sounds to me like he shouldn't be rushed.

But, to answer your question, it's entirely possible that Volstad is up first. He has more professional experience, and he's more likely to see time in the majors if he gets off to a good start.

In any event, I wouldn't count on anything significant from either pitcher in 2008.

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