who’s that now?

anyway, now that you mention him, i’m pretty terrified that Kershaw is going to turn out exactly like Rick Ankiel, who is the only other prospect to suffer from these “control problems” of which you speak.

you know that Ankiel’s troubles weren’t “control problems,” right? he was great when he was walking over 4.5-per-9 in the majors. he “problems” were when he turned into a headcase. so unless you also have some inane reason to speculate about Kershaw’s mental instability (or perhaps that “control problems” are a manifestation of mental weakness?), i would, you know, stop posting.

you reminded people that Kershaw won’t have hitting to fall back on if he fails as a pitcher like Ankiel.

now, i like revisionist history as much as the next guy, but that is distinctly a long-term prediction, not a reminder not to expect greatness right away.

anyway, i’m not sure why you thought everyone needed the “reminder” that prospects aren’t great immediately. who were you responding to?

finally, Joba Chamberlain, average in college ball? coming out of nowhere? where do you get this stuff? i’m not saying he may not have surpassed expectations, but that’s true of every great young player who wasn’t a top-3 pick. including Kershaw and Hughes.

.....despite the fact that everyone thought he was a huge injury risk and he had big bonus demands.

but you did read a comp about him once, which i know is all that speaks to you.

i have a question, though: if he “came out of nowhere,” why was Hardball Times writing about him right after he got drafted? and why do you even remember the comp, for that matter?

....is the cop-out you offer at the end. or perhaps more of a cop-out, which is that health will almost certainly be the ultimate determinant of who is most successful over their respective careers.

making an effort to rank them, though, i think Felix and Lincecum are clearly at the top of the class.

Liriano has always been a health question. also, i think he generated (and deserved) more hype once he started pitching in the majors, but I think he was a cut below in terms of excitement while he was still in the minors.

I’d put Hamels just barely ahead of Kershaw, Joba just barely behind? At this point, though, I could be convinced of any order.

If I were ranking for how good of a career I think they’ll all end up with, I’ll go with that order (Liriano being last, though, for health reasons).