Someone forgot about Jesse Litsch.
I remember his sparkling debut against the Baltimore Orioles. Eight and 2/3 IP, one earned run. What a beginning for a 22-year-old kid.
Yeah, he struggled after that. But he came back later last season and down the stretch pitched extremely well.
He finished the season 7-9 with a 3.81 ERA. He was rocked once in awhile, but to finish with a 3.81 ERA despite the tough times, he usually only gave up one or two runs a start.
If the Jays had had any offense last year, Litsch might have won 12 games. He threw 111 innings for the Jays, and promises to be a healthy workhorse this season.
Of course, he'll have to fend off competition from Casey Janssen (who was superb out of the bullpen) and Gustavo Chacin (who always has won as a starter).
Everyone talks about Burnett, Halladay, and the other two young guns McGowan and Marcum who emerged last season. But nobody really gave Litsch any credit.
Watch out. He's going to surprise in 2008. Litsch will be the reason that Toronto gets to the playoffs.
He was quoted as saying, "I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing—keeping the hitters off balance."
He definitely has the potential. He was 12-1 with a miniscule era in double AA last season.
But only time will tell whether or not he can replicate those numbers in the majors.
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4 months ago
Litsch has been mentioned enough I would think, in a fifth starter role. I liked his competitiveness, and I root for him to overcome the saberstat fiction that a guy who doesn't throw a lot of strikeouts per nine innings can't make it in the big leagues.
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