I’ve got to disagree with you when you call Zambrano’s antics immaturity.

Him pointing to the heavens after every inning, good or bad, isn’t showing immaturity.

Him breaking his bat over his knee even though he is pitching a great game isn’t displaying immaturity.

Him having some interesting pregame rituals with teammates isn’t showing immaturity.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Zambrano showing fire and intensity on the mound. That’s who he is.That is part of what makes him a leader on this team and the pitching staff. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not everyone may like it when they are opposing him but I am more than comfortable going out on a limb in saying that there are a lot of teams that would welcome Zambrano and ALL of his antics with open arms. The guys a gamer that holds himself to the highest of standards. He’s not happy unless he knows he’s earning every single penny of his $91.5 million dollar contract.

but I wish Z wasn’t such a good hitter. If he didn’t have his hitting talent, perhaps he would be a better pitcher. The causality might be faulty, but its just my hunch.

It’s obvious he prides himself on hitting, and for a pitcher he does hit really well. But I would rather he hit .000 and not give up runs the way he has his last two outings.

Some may argue the two are not related, and maybe that’s true. But I don’t discount so quickly that maturity or wisdom (or the lack of it in this case) might be the link.

A wise pitcher would realize no one cares if he can hit. But everyone cares that he shows up as the ace of the staff consistently.

That’s all I’m saying.

Z has hits in the last 11 games he has started. He pinch-hit in the middle of that sequence and grounded out, so technically he doesn’t have a hitting streak. However, the 11 game starting hitting streak is among the longest ever for a pitcher.

….. I think more than a few of us old farts would disagree here. Breaking a bat over his knee is immaturity. Getting riled on the mound and not being able to stay within himself and pitch out of whatever trouble he might be in is immaturity. Granted, the guy’s intense, but a part of becoming a complete player is learning to harness those emotions. On a basic level, the bat breaking thing is just plain stupid. If he ever hurts himself and it out for a period of time because he broke a bat over his knee, this place would explode with comments about his immaturity.

And let’s not forget his fight with Barrett. At the time, a lot of us here were DONE with Zambrano after that, even if Barrett was and is a jerk. Punching out a teammate in full view of the world is the work of someone who isn’t quite to the level he needs to be. He’s getting to the age where he shoud have learned this by now.

So yes, all the talent in the world, a good guy to have on the team, but he’s still acts like a big kid far too often at this point.

This was a topic recently covered in a SABR discussion list to which I subscribe.

Z has now tied a post-1956 record for most consecutive games with a hit for a pitcher, in games they actually pitched in:

11-Carlos Zambrano, CHI NL, 6/02-8/15/2008
11-Jerry Walker, KC AL, 9/27/1961-5/31/1962
11-Gary Peters, CHI AL, 5/10-7/17/1966
11-Rick Rhoden, PIT NL, 7/20-9/11/1984

Z’s streak has a pinch-hitting appearance in the middle of it in which he made an out, so technically it’s not a hitting streak, but does qualify under the above criteria.

Pre-1956, here is what is believed to be the longest streak ever for a pitcher:

16-Wilbur Cooper, PIT NL, 6/23-9/03/1924