There are few things I find more comical than when an athlete who has accomplished absolutely nothing in his profession tells everyone how great he is. We see this time and time again in sports.
The latest example of this would be C.J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers.
Wilson has been in the major leagues now for five seasons and yes, he has had a couple of good years, but the reality is he has been nothing more than set-up man/reliever in his career.
Does Wilson have talent? Sure he does. He had a pretty good year in 2009.
The lefty finished the 2009 season with a 2.81 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 73.2 innings for the Rangers. He also had 14 saves filling in for Frank Francisco.
But Wilson doesn’t think he should be limited to just a relief role with the Rangers. As a matter of fact, he thinks his stuff is better than any pitcher the Rangers have brought in or will bring in the future.
“It’s no secret I don’t think I should be limited to the set-up role. I have too many weapons,” Wilson said through the Fort-Worth Star Telegram. “Here is the reality. It is real simple. There are not very many guys that have the stuff that I do that would be willing to sign here if they were free agents. There is no experienced pitcher that has my stuff that would sign here, historically.”
I wonder if Wilson knows that Rich Harden signed with the team as a free agent this offseason? I think he has pretty good stuff.
Mr. Wilson, you really need to pump the breaks and slow down.
For starters, his stuff isn’t that great. In his mind, his pitches might the cat’s pajamas, but in reality his pitches are nothing more than mediocre.
Wilson primarily throws a fastball (69.8 percent), slider (18.5), and change (5.6). Only his fastball was an above average pitch for Wilson in 2009. If Wilson is going to be a starter, then he needs to improve on his secondary pitches in order to get through a lineup two or three times in a game.
Wilson will get his chance this spring to show everyone his vast array of “weapons” and put his money where his mouth is. Wilson will compete with super prospect Neftali Feliz for the fifth starters spot in the Rangers’ rotation.
I have no problem with a player or a pitcher for that matter being confident in his abilities. I believe 75 percent of pitching is confidence and the mental aspect of the game. If you go to the mound and don’t believe in your abilities, then you will get crushed every time.
However, prove you can start and then talk about your stuff. Not the other way around.
You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg
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