Trade Reflection Part Two - The Jury is Out?

and the Indians Adam Miller. In other words, he would rate as a top 50 pitching prospect if he qualified.

All that being said, let's now try and figure out if the jury should really be out on this trade. And, if they are, if they would agree with Sherrington.

First, Sherrington attempts to scoff at the idea of comparing a position player to a hitter. He does a nice job in luring stat heads in with his Win Shares reference, however he does so wrongfully. That is, while admitting it is difficult to compare a an everyday player to that of a starter who takes the field once every five days, why would the author utilize a statistic that relies heavily on the accumulation of statistics?

Utilizing Win Shares Percentage, Sherrington manages to adequately compare Hamilton and Volquez, however he does so only briefly. That is, Sherrington goes out of his way in citing where Hamilton sits in reference to the rest of the league in total Win Shares, however ignores the fact that Volquez leads the league in Win Share Percentage when compared with 'qualified' hitters and pitchers.

Sherrington continues reflecting upon the old adage, you don't trade good pitching for hitting:

Good pitching is generally considered more valuable because it's so hard to come by, a point the Rangers patented. An ace is the most difficult acquisition of all. Besides winning games and stopping losing streaks and eating up innings, the ripple effect he creates – making the back end of the rotation better, saving wear and tear on the bullpen, improving team morale – is incalculable.

Volquez's mid-90s fastball and excellent changeup, both delivered from the same three-quarter arm slot the Rangers tried to change, have been the talk of the NL. The consistency he lacked as the Rangers rushed him along has emerged in Cincinnati, where he draws comparisons to his idol, Pedro Martinez.

Bottom line: Though highly regarded by the Rangers, Volquez is pitching at a level that surpasses anything anyone projected.

Yes, Volquez is far surpassing anything anyone projected for him. It probably take an individual half a second to realize that a starting pitching is surpassing projections with an ERA below 2.00. But the thing is, Volquez was always a prospect to watch. It was just a matter of gathering his control and providing some consistency.

Well, Volquez is throwing a tonne of strikes and is forcing a lot of swing and misses. Is it unreasonable to think Volquez will continue to pitch at a sub 2.00 level? Definitely! Is it, however, unreasonable to think that the 24 year old Volquez harnessed his control? DOUBTFUL! Remember, he is all of 24 years old! Thus, while projection systems may not have projected a breakout season, it was far from a foregone conclusion that Volquez would never harness his control.

Alas, the homerism comes out,

And Hamilton? Even as he becomes the fastest player in AL history to 50 runs batted in or hits a 10th-inning, two-strike, opposite-field home run on the road or covers grass faster than any 6-4, 235-pound man should be allowed, his success is no surprise, really.

"His success is no surprise, really." REALLY!?!

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