Scott Kazmir, SP, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

May 30, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Chris Kolb
Edited by KFFL Staff

In the 2002 Major League Baseball amateur draft, the New York Mets used their first round pick (15th overall) to select a young left-handed pitcher named Scott Kazmir. Although Kazmir's skills were raw, as he had just finished his high school career, his potential seemed to be unlimited, and the Mets envisioned a great career for him in New York.

That vision would prove to be short-lived however, as in July 2004, the Mets, who were in need of a starting pitcher that could play right away, decided to trade Kazmir, along with fellow pitcher Jose Diaz, to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in return for pitchers Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunato. Although Kazmir had not yet pitched in the Major Leagues, most felt the Devil Rays received the better part of the deal, as Kazmir's potential as a starting pitcher was unquestioned.

Kazmir started the 2004 season playing Single-A baseball with the Mets affiliate in St. Lucie, Florida. After the trade in July of that year, Kazmir made a few starts at the Devil Rays Double-A team in Montgomery, Alabama as well as their Triple-A team in Durham, North Carolina, and was quickly called up to the Devil Rays that same season. Kazmir's potential was quickly realized that year, as he struck out 11.07 batters per nine innings and had a 2-3 record with an ERA of 5.67.

In the Devil Rays' 2005 training camp, Kazmir had a great showing, earning the number two spot in the Devil Rays' pitching rotation. That season, Kazmir improved on his short 2004 showing by having a 10-9 record and dropping his ERA to 3.77, all while striking out 174 batters in 186 innings of work.

Table: Scott Kazmir - Career Statistics

Year	Games	Innings	Wins	Losses	SO	BB	ERA	WHIP
2004	8	33	2	3	41	21	5.67	1.62
2005	32	186	10	9	174	100	3.77	1.46

Currently, Kazmir has his entire arsenal of pitches working for him. While his best pitch is his fastball, which tops out in the mid-90s, Kazmir can also throw a slider, changeup and curveball effectively, allowing him to keep opposing batters off balance. Kazmir does not give up many home runs either, giving up only 12 in the 2005 season, which led the league.

Kazmir's only apparent weakness is his propensity of walking opposing batters after falling behind in the count. In 2005, Kazmir led the league by walking 100 batters, but currently he has only allowed 23 walks over 69 innings of work. When that number is projected out over the whole season, Kazmir is expected to issue 79 walks, which is a huge reduction from the previous season.

Table: Scott Kazmir - 2006 Statistics

Games	Innings	Wins	Losses	SO	BB	ERA	WHIP
11	69.1	7	2	73	23	2.86	1.33

The current outlook on Kazmir's future in the Major Leagues is very good. Although his win-loss column will likely be affected significantly by the fact that he plays for the Devil Rays, who have posted a losing record in each of their eight seasons in existence, Kazmir can still be expected to win at least 15 games a season, as the Devil Rays do not have another pitcher of Kazmir's caliber.

In a fantasy sense, Kazmir is a definite must-have pitcher for any team. His ERA continues to drop, while his strikeout numbers keep piling up. His WHIP is also very solid as well, which can only benefit your team in the long run. Kazmir will get a lot of starts as well, as he is by far the best pitcher in Tampa Bay, which will most likely increase the strikeout numbers along with improving his win-loss column. Look for him to finish up this season with 225-250 strikeouts, 20-plus wins, an ERA in between 2.8 and 3.0, and a WHIP around 1.4.

Overall, the sky is definitely the limit for Kazmir. If the Devil Rays can put together a quality team around him, look for Kazmir's win totals to explode to the top of the league, as he will be extremely difficult to beat with solid run support behind him. It would not be surprising to see Kazmir to dominate opposing batters for many years to come, as he is only 22 years old and is just now beginning to realize his vast potential.

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Chris Kolb
Chris Kolb has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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