Sadly, Ankiel is starting to look like a pretty good bet to get a corner job, sooner or later. Possibly sooner, if Ludwick is unable to replicate his AAA surge and J-Rod continues to suck.

Jaime Garcia is technically 20, which serves as my opening: Is there any evidence that being one of the youngest pitchers in the league has significant (and presumably good) predictive power?

Brad Nelson and Vinny Rottino have also caught my eye this year for the Brewers. Nelson, remarkably, is still only 24, and seems to have finally rediscovered his power, hitting .266/.326/.494 in AAA. Rottino, also at AAA, is doing his best to prove that he should be in the Majors instead of Tony Gwynn, hitting .307/.404/.545--the most power he's shown to date in the minors. He's 27 and not a prospect, but can play catcher and both corner infield and outfield positions; the Brewers need him more than they need Gwynn, since Gabe Gross can also play center.

Has anyone heard how Richie Gardner is throwing in Sarasota? His numbers look pretty good although his K rate seems a bit low. I imagine he will be sent to AA soon. I know the odds are long, but it would be nice to see him come all the way back from his surgeries.

The Pirates suck so badly, it's depressing. Excuse me now while I go and slit my wrists... these articles (and Q+A's) basically bring up some good points, thank god for the Brewers who have finally provided the counterfactual to the Pirates approach of the last 10 years:

One

Two

Three

Kovacevic was only writing about hockey a few years ago... he has really picked up baseball with a vengeance and provides a clear head in the usually cloudy Pittsburgh press corps (Perrotto doesn't count -- Altoona is far).

Is there any evidence that being one of the youngest pitchers in the league has significant (and presumably good) predictive power?

Being one of the youngest pitchers in the league - and having success - is a powerful indicator of a quality pitcher. Some examples:

At age 19, John Smoltz was pitching in the Florida State League, posting a 3.56 ERA. He struggled in AA at age 20, but went 10-5, 2.79 in a half-season at AAA at age 21 before making the majors for good.

At age 20, Greg Maddux jumped all the way from low-A ball to AAA, going 10-1 with a 3.02 ERA.

At age 19, Pedro Martinez blew through A and AA and reached AAA, where he held his own in a tough environment in Albuquerque.

At age 19 (turning 20 in mid-season), CC Sabathia spent a half-season in high-A and a half-season at AA, posting mid-3s ERA at both levels.

Yes, there are exceptions (see Santana, Johan) but as a general rule, a pitcher who is succeeding at a level above his age is highly likely to have major league success. Teams just have to be careful not to push too hard.

-- MWE

While Bullington's ERA is likely to rise, I'd like to note that VanBenschoten has been moving in the right direction after a couple of middling early starts. No, he's not ever going to be much better than a #4, but if he pitches well enough to replace Armas by late in the season, he could be another step in the right direction for the Pirates. And if that fails, they can always let him pull an Ankiel and try to relearn how to hit (former Golden Spikes award winner, more for his hitting).

So, let's see . . . that gives the Pirates Duke, Maholm, Bullington, Van Benschoten and Burnett to fill the 4th and 5th starters' roles. Good thing they didn't waste all those draft picks on hitters.