Don't ride Wells too hard

but 123 to 198 is a huge jump still.

to let wells skip a start. once lilly cmes off of the DL Gorzelanny will go to the bullpen. therefore, later in the year Gorzelanny can get a spot start for wells. and so could marshall or maybe another minor leaguer after september call-ups. i dont think he should pitch more than 160 innings. we dont want another mark prior

Beat me.

Len & Bob hinted that he might get one on last night’s telecast.

Good point. Wells was drafted as a catcher in 2002 and played that position until the Cubs converted him to pitching in 2004, the season that he turned 22 (he was an awful hitter, career avg of .133 in the minors). That history could have a couple implications:

1. He wasn’t overworked during his late teens and early 20s. He didn’t have to throw 130 pitches twice a week for the greater glory of his college baseball program. On top of that, he wasn’t piling up innings in the minors either. In past years, there was a lot of speculation that if a pitcher survived his late teens and early 20s without a major arm injury, it greatly reduced the risk that he would develop arm problems as he entered his prime. There’s probably a lot more data on that subject now – I’d be interested to hear what research has been done in the last five or six years and how it can be applied to Wells.

2. Wells will turn 27 this month so he’s older than the average rookie/prospect. Looking at his age, without taking the positional switch into account, you could argue that he would have reached the big leagues sooner if he had any potential beyond being a marginal 5th starter type. But, because he only began pitching at age 21, he’s been on a different developmental track than most other pitching prospects. In other words, it gives me some hope that Wells could be a “late bloomer”, that he actually could be a significant contributor for years to come, rather than just a surplus arm that lucked into a few good months. Wells certainly looks quite capable at the ML level, as he’s continued to be effective after his first month or so, after opposing teams have had a look at him as well as a chance to put together a scouting report.

I’d love to see most of our pitchers start that “extra” inning when they’re rolling… as opposed to getting yanked prematurely in favor of our untrusty pen.

to disregard a players health in order for a shot to win now. We are talking about a player’s career here.

His arm feels good right now, but the problems usually occur the next year after the damage is already done.

Maybe he can bring Randy too!

Harden and Wells could alternate being skipped. Harden to avoid injury trouble and Wells to avoid burning him out.

How about 100 innings to 200? 75 innings to 200? Where do you draw the line?

 Have Nolan in charge of all the pitching in the Cubs organization from the DSL Cubs, through Boise all the way up the Big League Cubs.

     Obviously that would never happen and is just a pipe dream as he has a relationship with the Rangers and has a better and more influential position with the Rangers. And right now with the Rangers playing better he is getting a lot of credit, and to be fair, sometimes when they are big hall of famer’s like Ryan they do get too much credit. It is only natural from us fans and the media to sing their high praises regardless of how much or how little they have really helped. However I think everyone has to applaud Ryan for what he is doing with pitchers and implementing his beliefs throughout the entire organization.

I have nothing against a younger pitcher throwing 200 innings if built upon. My point is the jump in over 70 innings from last year. (potentially)

And then Lou uses all his possible starters wisely, when we get them all healthy.