who would you rather have out of these 5 young stars if u r a baseball GM?

Question

if you had a choice between Jon Papelbon, Jered Weaver, Justin Verlander, Francisco Liriano, and Josh Johnson, who would u want on ur team and y?

Answer 1

Thats a tough one.

Weaver was 6-1 with a 2.10 ERA in the PCL. If you don't know about the PCL it is mostly teams in high altitude. Colorado Springs, Tuscon, etc. Any pitcher with an ERA under 4 is impressive in that league.

Verlander reminds me a bit of Randy Johnson but unlike Randy Verlander has it all together right now.

Liriano has the most impressive stats of the group. He shows the same age as Verlander but he's from the Dominican republic and most players from there lie about thier age to appear younger. Liriano is a left though so that is a leg up. Finding a great lefty is not easy.

Papelbon is the oldest of the group but a great closer is a rare thing indeed. Rivera and Hoffman being the only great closers in baseball since Eck. Less than a dozen ever. Lots of guys have had a few good years or even several good years. Still way early to say Papelbon is a great closer. Being 26 is a downside.

Johnson is the youngest of the group. He's come up in a more traditional route. Nothing stellar in the minors, just good steady progress. Worked his way into the rotation from relief.

I think I'd go with Verlander even though he's the riskiest of the group. Flame throwers often flame out, however if you could teach him to pitch and not just throw heat that guy could produce a sub 0.50 ERA as a starter. A few years of that is invaluable.

My second pick would be Liariano in that he's a lefty and having the best year of the group.

Answer 2

I wouldn't be able to decide, probably would get a headache trying to calculate on who exactly I wanted. But if we are doing a "gun to the head" scenario, I would lean towards Liriano.

Josh Johnson is going to be a steady pitcher throughout his career, but nothing from him really jumps out from him. Weaver has great stuff/potential but will he suffer a Weaver curse after his rookie season? Verlander throws hard and has a good breakingball, I believe but how long can a 100-mph starter last in the MLB without arm problems?

That leaves Papelbon and Liriano. You need a great closer to win a game, as well as a great starter. Providing I already have a sufficient closer, Papelbon doesn't have the starter's experience to suffice me wanting to get him right away. Liriano=Johan Santana? Maybe not that high but certainly his slider and fastball is just on another level right now.

Though Jon Lester deserves some consideration ;)

Answer 3

Liriano

Answer 4

Liriano, he is young and a #1 or #2 starter which is one of the hardest thing to come by now a days.

Answer 5

Terrific question.

From what I've seen, I would lean toward a great starter, and just believe that Liriano has even more upside than the others.

Would you also add Scott Kazmir (22) and Dontrelle Willis (still only 24) to the list?

Answer 6

Liriano you can't underestimate the presence of a lefty with nasty stuff. Plus having some1 like Santana to sit under (presuming that he is willing to teach a little and Lirianoi will listen) is also an invaluable asset that the rest don't have.

Answer 7

i would want Fransisco Liriano. He has shown very good control. He has not given in to pressure in a pennant race. 94-95 mph fastball and 84 mph slider and 82 change-up that falls of the table, i would invest in him. Hes a pitcher you can build your team around for a long time down the road

Answer 8

Liriano

Left-Handed starting pitcher who's still young and has lots of upside. Lefty's typically have longer MLB careers than righty's do even if they're marginally good (see David Wells, Kenny Rogers).

2nd Guy isn't on your list... Jon Lester from Boston, same reason as Liriano.

And also, Soctt Kazmir from TB is only 23 even though he's got a couple years experience, he should be included.

Answer 9

Justin Verlander! Hands down! He's awesome, incredible, wicked, and throws 100 plus on a regular basis.

Plus he is 12-4 and plays for THE BEST IN BASEBALL!
(The Detroit Tigers).

Answer 10

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