December 20, 2006

Could Zito be the next Mike Hampton?

Christopher Reina at Real GM Baseball, writes about the comparason of Mike Hampton and Barry Zito:


28 year-old southpaw pitcher. Known as an innings eater. Will strikeout about 150 batters per season. Mid three ERA. Gives managers about 25 quality starts per season. Postseason pedigree, coming off an impressive performance in most recent playoffs.

Sounds like Barry Zito?

It is Barry Zito.

But it was also Mike Hampton on December 9th, 2000.

"We added a horse," said Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd when the club announced the signing back in 2000. "His leadership in the clubhouse will be very important for us in the next eight years."

After just two seasons in Colorado, Hampton was traded to the Marlins, who then traded him to Atlanta.

"There's no doubt it's the toughest place to pitch," Hampton said when he signed the contract. "It's a test I look forward to and something that I think will make me a better pitcher in the long run."

As Hampton correctly predicted, pitching at Coors Field was very difficult, as he posted a 5.77 ERA there in 2001 and a 5.68 ERA in 2002. What is especially startling, however, was the 6.44 ERA he posted on the road in that 2002 season.

Hampton was able to become an effective pitcher during his first two seasons in Atlanta, but has struggled with elbow injuries since 2005, missing the entire 2006 campaign.

1 comment:

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There's no doubt it's the toughest place to pitch," Hampton said when he signed the contract.
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