Drew Hutchison Is Just Not Ready for the MLB

After another rough start Tuesday night, Drew Hutchison ran his big league ERA to a dismal 6.61 over the course of his three-game major league career. While struggles are to be expected from a young pitcher, Hutchison's problems are plain and the solution should be obvious.

The alarming thing about the 21-year-old's brief MLB career is not just the volume of runs he has permitted to cross home plate, but also that he has allowed opponents to bat .309 against him over the 16.1 frames he has completed.

As a prospect, Hutchison has been touted for his ability to command all three of his pitches and hit each side of the plate with equal success, but this has not been the case this year in the big leagues. For that matter, his minor league numbers suggest that he was struggling with his command even before his April call-up.

In AA ball this year, batters were hitting at a .262 clip against the right-hander—a pace that does not set off alarm bells, but is thoroughly underwhelming all the same.

In the minors, he was able to limit his walks, but those have risen to two per game in the majors. Again, a number that is not awful, but there is certainly room for improvement.

The high opponent average Hutchison has allowed at two levels of ball this year suggest that he is throwing a lot of hittable pitches, something exhibited in Tuesday night's showing.

Rather than hitting the corners consistently, Hutchison is leaving the ball over the plate and allowing opposing hitters to make solid contact far too often.

Hutchison is young and his command issues are something that he will have plenty of time to work out. But that is something he should be doing in the minor leagues rather than against the best hitters in the world.

While the chances are very strong that the youngster turns into a valuable contributor to the franchise down the line, his presence on the 25-man roster is currently doing them little good, and his lack of success there cannot be helping his confidence all too greatly.

The Jays have a few options to replace Hutchison in the starting rotation—several veterans from AAA and current reliever Luis Perez are all plausible candidates, which means his presence is far from a necessity.

It's time to let the kid work out some kinks in his game, and that is not something a 21-year-old should have to do against hitters like Billy Butler, Adam Jones or Ian Kinsler.