Kevin's Royals Blog

By now you know that I like to write about every Southwest Missouri State men’s basketball game I can, a trend that isn’t likely to stop anytime soon. After all, the Bears are facing two critical must-win games at home this week, starting tonight against Bradley and wrapping up Saturday against Drake.

But I know you good folks don’t come here to read my thoughts about a mid-major basketball program with a .500 record. However, the baseball Bears’ season is right around the corner, so in the spirit of that, I want to spend a few words on a former SMS pitcher who may be the best pitching prospect nobody’s ever heard of.

2003 Toronto Blue Jays draftee Shaun Marcum may not be the next Zack Greinke, but he comes closer to that distinction than anyone currently in the minor leagues. After making 21 relief appearances in ’03, he really exploded onto the scene last year as a starting pitcher, sporting a 3.16 ERA in 148 innings with an amazing 7.75-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Additionally, he only allowed 13 home runs, 138 hits, and a Greinke-esque 1.21 walks per nine innings. Questions still remain about him of course, as is the case with every other 23-year-old pitcher making the jump from Single-A to Double-A, which is where Marcum will likely end up sometime this season. He’s still just a two-pitch guy, working with a fastball in the high-80s and a well above-average slider. He’ll have to develop a reliable third pitch if he wants to continue starting games, but he has plenty of time to work on that.

There’s plenty to like here, though, because pitchers with his kind of command are so rare. Show me a pitcher who throws strikes and keeps the ball in the park, and I’ll show you an effective major league hurler. Marcum could move quickly, and perhaps be in the majors by early 2006. File his name away on your fantasy baseball "sleeper" list for future reference. Besides, he just looks like he was born to play baseball, right?

Baseball season can never be too far away when teams start announcing their promotion schedules for the upcoming year. The number of KC games I attend is always based on how well the Royals are doing (last year, I didn’t attend one from May 28 to October 3 for obvious reasons), but like every other obsessed baseball fan, I usually pick-and-choose a few games at which something really cool is being given away for free. This year, I have my eyes on a couple of promotions:

April 16 vs. Detroit: John Buck Mesh Batting Practice Jersey Day

May 14 vs. Tampa Bay: Powder Blue Trucker Cap Day

To my disappointment, the Royals have yet to bring back Halter Top Day as a somewhat-regular event at Kauffman Stadium.

Music To Write By: 3 Doors Down, Seventeen Days

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 09, 2005 at 2/09/2005 01:38:00 AM. |