Youth, Inconsistency, and Pitching

The Pirates somehow managed to take two out of three games from the Philadelphia Phillies. What held far more interest and intrigue for me was the performance of the three Bucco starting pitchers.

The following paragraph should come with the caveat that I am speaking from the perspective of a somewhat jaded fan who is by no means a pitching expert. Bluntly put, the three starting pitchers in this series gave up far more runs than I would prefer to see the young pitchers give up. Gorzo gave up more runs than he had in awhile, Maholm pulling a "Morris" is not something that I want to see on a regular basis, and Ian Snell needs to stop giving up multiple home runs in games. Frankly speaking, at bare minimum I want quality starts from these young pitchers. While I'm sure there is value in learning how to rebound after being hit hard and I know there is definite value in learning to pitch out of jams you create for yourself or your defense creates for you, I still maintain this standard: I want quality starts, and I want quality starts now. Immediately.

In mentioning the "somewhat jaded" aspect of my fandom, I've heard far too often over the past decade and a half about how this particular group of young pitchers would lead the team to the promised land (the promised land in this case being a .500 record, not the playoffs. Sigh). Names like Steve Cooke, sigh, and too many others, come to mind. And even when I know that it's not fair to put a decade and a half of losing on the shoulders of pitchers who had the misfortune to be drafted and developed by the Pirates (and yes, I do view it as misfortune in most instances), I can't help my cynicism. Is Ian Snell ever going to be more than an average to slightly above average big league pitcher? Is Paul Maholm ever going to be more than an average big league pitcher? Can Gorzo stay healthy long enough to develop into a top-of-the-rotation pitcher or is he destined for being an above-average big league pitcher at best? When can I know the answers to those questions, and how will I know the answers to those questions?

What I am still delusional enough to wonder is what happens if the Pirates actually come to possess four above-average big league pitchers. What happens if Snell and Gorzo can turn into top of the rotation aces? What happens if two above-average third and fourth starters come along and regularly give quality starts? What happens when a quality start is the expectation, not the exception? For sure, there are many other areas in which the team sorely needs improvement, but I can't help but wonder. What happens if four young pitchers suddenly give good to very good to great starting pitching consistently, game in and game out? But beyond wondering if starting pitching could take hold in that way, I wonder when such a happenstance would take place.

Because, at some point, these starting pitchers need to shed the "young" and "inexperienced" label that allows the coaching staff and the organization to chalk up certain issues to "youthful inexperience" and just consistently pitch quality starts. (Note that I did not say win games, for until certain other issues are addressed, giving up 1 to 2 runs over 7 innings can still entail losing with the 2007 Pirates.) My question is, At what point does that happen? At what point can I expect the young, inexperienced, and inconsistent pitchers to become consistently above-average MLB pitchers? Can and should I even hold that expectation for pitchers handled by the Pittsburgh developmental and coaching staff?

Perhaps if I had confidence in the organization's ability to develop and coach and mold talent, I'd have a far better feel for when these young but still-too-inconsistent for my liking starting pitchers could actually become consistent pitchers--and I'd know what level of consistent competence to anticipate from these young pitchers. My current frustration is that I don't know, and I don't trust the organization to do what's best for the players.

For example: How and when does a power strikeout pitcher stop giving up the long ball or at least limiting giving up home runs? (Does the Pirate coaching staff know?) How do "finesse" left handed pitchers learn to handle major league hitters who kill "slow" stuff? (Does the Pirate coaching staff know?) How are arms developed in such a way that surgery is not an expectation of all pitchers at some point in their careers? (Anecdotal evidence suggests the Pirates lack some knowledge in this area, too.)

I am not a scout or a baseball expert, but when it comes time for housecleaning (and please, Mr. Nutting, allow it to be time for housecleaning at the end of this season, pretty, pretty please), I would sincerely appreciate a CEO who will hire a general manager who will hire a coaching and development staff who can begin to answer these questions immediately--rather than after these young pitchers are no longer "young" and are earning millions (because as Matt Morris shows, even mediocre MLB pitchers earn millions).