If you started a team from scratch...

[thefasterblade]

Who is the first pitcher you're taking? Money is not an issue...just base this one off talent, potential, dominance, stuff, intangibles, experience, youth, consistency, upside, etc...

Who would you build around and why?
Others who just missed being listed (since I can only post 10)
Jake Peavy
Chad Billinglsey
David Price
Roy Oswalt
Brandon Webb

If you choose other please explain who and why.

I don't want this to turn into a DaRocker fanfest either.

 

[Kutzy]

I went with Lincecum. Very young pitcher, someone you can build around for many years. Greinke seems to be a "recent" choice, but I would rather see it more than a month last year and a month this year of great pitching.

 

[Johan Santana 57]

As much as it pains me, I won't go with Johan just because he is older than most, same with Doc. I would rather have either of them over a Lincecum or Hamels, but to build the team I'll go with youth and would take a young gun. Won't vote yet since I am not sure which I would pick.

 

[Lancemountain]

All would be a great start of course. Lincecum for me, young and nasty.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

Santana.

For me, you start a team with proven veterans and then fill in with young talent. With that mindset, Santana was a no-brainer.

Greinke needs to show something for a year before he should even make this list...but by the way ESPN is covering him...he already locked up the 2009 AL Cy Young.

Plus, young pitchers still have a lot to learn, therefore building the team around them kind of kills the experience factor. In fact, what Lincecum will learn this season from a guy like Randy Johnson is immeasurable.

 

[darocker80]

Tim Lincecum. 24 years old. CY Young winner. Nasty Curve, best change up in the game (yes better than hamels) for current pitchers, and a very nice fastball.

My other two:
Johan (older but still has tons of juice left in him, amazing fastball and 2 CY Youngs)

I'd choose hamels, but his elbow is very questionable.

Dan Haren is another one i'd choose. He has more experience than the rest of the pitchers (besides johan) and is relatively young, and is a very dependable pitcher who is very under the radar.

Roy halladay too old for me, but i think he is one of the BEST in the league right now.

 

[Seiya]

The Doc. Consistency was why i chose.

 

[darocker80]

Who is the first pitcher you're taking? Money is not an issue...just base this one off talent, potential, dominance, stuff, intangibles, experience, youth, consistency, upside, etc...

Who would you build around and why?
Others who just missed being listed (since I can only post 10)
Jake Peavy
Chad Bilinglsey
David Price
Roy Oswalt
Brandon Webb

If you choose other please explain who and why.

I don't want this to turn into a DaRocker fanfest either.

You're cool.

Might want to add Matt Garza to the list of who just missed and Felix Hernandez.

 

[pujolsjunkie]

Tim Lincecum. 24 years old. CY Young winner. Nasty Curve, best change up in the game (yes better than hamels) for current pitchers, and a very nice fastball.

Johan (older but still has tons of juice left in him, amazing fastball and 2 CY Youngs)

You're off on your information here. Johan's fastball is not amazing beyond his pinpoint command of it. Everything for Johan is about setting up for the change, which is better than Lincecum's and as good, if not better, than Hamels'. He has dominated with that pitch for six years, and will likely continue to for the next six.

That said, I'd probably take Lincecum as well. His ability to dominate with mid-upper 90s heat and a great curve/change to take hitters off of it, combined with his youth, makes him my choice.

 

[darocker80]

Tim Lincecum. 24 years old. CY Young winner. Nasty Curve, best change up in the game (yes better than hamels) for current pitchers, and a very nice fastball.

Johan (older but still has tons of juice left in him, amazing fastball and 2 CY Youngs)

You're off on your information here. Johan's fastball is not amazing beyond his pinpoint command of it. Everything for Johan is about setting up for the change, which is better than Lincecum's and as good, if not better, than Hamels'. He has dominated with that pitch for six years, and will likely continue to for the next six.

That said, I'd probably take Lincecum as well. His ability to dominate with mid-upper 90s heat and a great curve/change to take hitters off of it, combined with his youth, makes him my choice.

"Nothing is better then a well located fastball". With his pin point control it is amazing, and yes combined with his change up is just nasty and racks up outs.

 

[pujolsjunkie]

"Nothing is better then a well located fastball". With his pin point control it is amazing, and yes combined with his change up is just nasty and racks up outs.

His changeup is better than a well located fastball. That's mainly because his arm speed and action is virtually exactly the same on both pitches. That deception is probably his greatest attribute.

 

[darocker80]

"Nothing is better then a well located fastball". With his pin point control it is amazing, and yes combined with his change up is just nasty and racks up outs.

His changeup is better than a well located fastball. That's mainly because his arm speed and action is virtually exactly the same on both pitches. That deception is probably his greatest attribute.

Well that's a quote all baseball analysts say, or to that degree.

But yes his deception is amazing. Just like lincecums, and i'm not just sying that. Everytime I see Lincecum pitch his motion is a mirror image from the last pitch (from fastball to curve, etc)

Johan def is my second pick but isn't he 30+?

 

[darocker80]

The Doc. Consistency was why i chose.

So if you were to start a new franchise, or re-build one, you'd go for Doc?

 

[jbhofmann]

Johnny Cueto-
young
throws down in the zone
and really just wanted to throw another name out there

Take a look at what the Red's staff has been able to do this year with possibly one of the worst offenses in the league while playing in a park the size of a sandbox.

 

[All The Hype]

The obvious choice here is Lincecum, because he's young and dominant. If two pitchers are equally good (or at least pretty close), you gotta go with the younger guy so you'll have him around longer.

 

[BowmanChromeAddict]

The obvious choice here is Lincecum, because he's young and dominant. If two pitchers are equally good (or at least pretty close), you gotta go with the younger guy so you'll have him around longer.

Exactly the logic I employed when selecting Lincecum.

 

[Super Mario]

I chose Haren soley based on man crush purposes.

 

[thefasterblade]

I'm just glad that no one picked Strasburg.

If this is the year that Felix Hernandez finally turns the corner, yes, he'd be a real player in this discussion.

Personally, if it was not for Hamels' injury, I would probably pick him until Lincecum proves he can pitch in BIG games.

 

[TonyButlerStopSuckin]

While I think Lincecum is the obvious answer I think Billingsley is getting overlooked, simply based on the fact that he is only part of the "just missed list". He's actually younger than Lincy, has filthy stuff and has the numbers to back it up. 16 wins last year, more than a K per inning and a 3.14 ERA. Now this year his great start, 5-0 with a 2.21 ERA, is taking a back page to the amazing starts of Santana, Greinke and Haren. I don't think you could be wrong if you put him in your top 3.

 

[Hallsgator]

I'd take Doc anyday.