Kuzul

Scott Kazmir, the once highly-touted first-round pick of the New York Mets in the 2002 amateur draft, might have pitched his last game for the Angels. 

Last year was horrendous; 9-15, 5.94 ERA. He struggled with velocity (chalk that up to a variety of injuries), could not locate his fastball, and was not the pitcher he used to be. 

This year was supposed to be a rebirth of sorts; a chance for the former gunslinger to regain his spot in the Angels rotation. 

It doesn’t look like that will happen, in my estimation, and a spot in the bullpen is also improbable. 

Today, Kazmir faced the Milwaukee Brewers and got lit up for eight earned runs while surrendering eight hits. I can’t really comment on what Kazmir and the club are expecting—except for the fact that things are not getting easier, they are getting worse. 

After this unforgettable appearance, Kazmir still has confidence in his abilities.  In an article from ESPN, he believes in his fastball, and still has hopes of earning that final spot in the rotation. 

“I felt like I threw the ball well,” said Kazmir, who figures to be the Angels’ No. 5 starter again this season. “I felt like I was attacking the strike zone. A couple of things didn’t go my way and it snowballed. That’s baseball. You’ve got to have luck on your side. They were putting pretty good swings on.” 

At the age of 27, the majority of athletes are hitting their prime, realizing their full potential.  Kazmir, on the other hand, seems to be regressing. 

As discouraging as a spring training ERA of 7.79 sounds, Kazmir can still get batters out—history shows that. Ultimately, the decision will lie with Mike Scioscia and the coaching staff. As for the staff, the final verdict may not be based on talent alone.   

The possible No. 5 starter is in the final year of a three-year, $28.5 million contract. The question is: can he make it to Opening Day? Worst case scenario, is the Angels release him and have to live with shelling out $14.5 million. 

Let him play and let him go out in a blaze of glory.  He has at least earned that.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

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It is not the season that will determine Scott Kazmir’s future with Anaheim, its Spring Training. That’s not easy for someone who is typically penciled into the starting rotation. 

So far he’s 50/50 on appearances which it a big improvement on last years numbers. I will not get into the specifics, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, baseball is about numbers.   

It doesn’t matter if you were once a first round pick with a blazing fastball, injuries and worst of all doubt, catches up to you. 

Kazmir is obviously struggling and his numbers, anERA of 4.89 and 5.94 in 09’ and 10’, confirm that. So far the spring has seen the good and bad that Kazmir has to offer.   

In his first spring training start against the Los Angeles Dodgers he gave up three runs and five hits in two innings. His second start was a complete 360.  Friday, Kazmir held the Chicago White Sox to a couple hits while throwing 24 of his last 37 pitches for strikes. 

Aside from injuries, command has been the downfall of this former first round pick of the New York Mets. Velocity has also been an issue which is not all that surprising considering all the wear and tear (8 years and only 27 years old) in over 1,000 innings. 

A mediocre fastball means pinpoint control from this point on. The struggles he has faced since leaving Tampa is a direct correlation to one not knowing his true abilities until they are needed. 

Hitters are aware of each pitchers weakness and I can confidently say the league knows Kazmir’s downfall—base on balls. 

Kazmir has an opportunity to prove all the naysayers wrong and show that he deserves a spot in the starting rotation. This guy was a number one starter in Tampa and held his own when he had nothing to work with.   

The last few years have been a strain but in the long run it will make him a better pitcher. That’s all a true fan can ask for.

For previous analysis on Scott Kazmir, click the links below.

Scott Kazmir’s Struggles Get Worse

The career of Scott Kazmir is in need of a rewrite

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Scott Kazmir walked Juan Pierre on four pitches to start yesterday’s spring training game with the Chicago White Sox in Tempe, AZ, the 5,100 fans in attendance at Temple Diablo Stadium were probably thinking, “Oh, great, another stinker of a year from Kazmir.”

However, Kazmir settled down and pitched three strong innings for the Angels, giving up just two hits and the lone walk to Pierre, striking out one and throwing 24 of 41 pitches for strikes.

The game between the Angels and White Sox featured two comebacks of sorts: Kazmir coming back from a season during which he was 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA and decreased velocity with his fastball and White Sox starter Jake Peavy, who was felled in July 2010 with a torn latissimus dorsi muscle in his back.

Peavy was also effective, throwing two innings and allowing no hits while striking out two. Peavy hit 92 MPH at one point on the radar gun and threw 26 pitches overall.

However, Angels fans were much more concerned about Kazmir, especially after a rough first spring outing, when he gave up five hits and three runs in two innings of work. But his second outing clearly showed he is headed on the right track.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia no doubt breathed a sigh of relief after the outing by Kazmir as well.

“He’s feeling good physically. He feels much better with his delivery. And I think you’re seeing better results,” Scioscia told MLB.com. “We need him to feel good about where he is and start to execute pitches because he has talent.”

Especially encouraging was Kazmir’s ability to throw both his signature slider and his changeup for strikes. Last season, Kazmir completely lost confidence in his slider, once considered one of the nastiest among left-handers in all of baseball.

While Kazmir was satisfied with the results, he is still looking for more.

“It’s getting there,” he said. “Just picking up a ball and playing catch, everything feels so much better. But I’m not going to say I’m there, because I’m definitely not.”

Yes, it’s still early in spring. However, seeing anything positive from Scott Kazmir at this point in time is encouraging, considering the dark place that Kazmir is coming from.

For continuing coverage of the Los Angeles Angels, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.

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It’s a fickle life in Major League Baseball. Here today, gone tomorrow is a phrase often used when referring to ballplayers who had a quick run of success before seemingly losing it altogether, or players felled by injuries who were unable to make it all the way back.

The stories of great fame and then injury go back many years in baseball, especially among pitchers. Dizzy Dean was a classic example.

Known as the Ace of the Gashouse Gang for the St. Louis Cardinals, Dean was the last pitcher to win 30 games in the National League, reaching that mark in 1934.

However in 1937, Dean was struck by a line drive off the bat of Earl Averill, during that year’s All-Star game, fracturing his left big toe.

When Dean attempted to come back too soon after the injury, he altered his motion, which hurt his throwing shoulder, thereby robbing him of his famous fastball. Although Dean continued to pitch for several more seasons, he never approached his earlier success.

Another example was Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass. Between the years of 1968-1972, Blass was one of the better and more durable pitchers in the National League.

He amassed four 15-win seasons in five years, his best in 1972, when he posted a 19-8 record with a 2.49 earned run average, earning him a runner-up finish behind Steve Carlton in the NL Cy Young award balloting.

Blass also won two games for the Pirates in the 1971 World Series, including the clinching Game 7 victory in which Blass threw a four-hitter in Game 3.

However, in 1973, Blass slipped to 3-9 with a 9.85 ERA, and was in the minors the following season. Blass completely lost the ability to throw strikes, and his control never returned. He was out of baseball by 1975.

This season, there are quite a few pitchers who are attempting to either come back from injuries, or trying to salvage a mess of a season the year before.

We rank the top 10 pitchers who will be attempting a comeback to glory for the 2011 MLB season.

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Albert Pujols has dominated much of the baseball news in St. Louis this offseason, but he may not hold the key to the Cardinals‘ success in 2011

One of baseball’s brightest and most underrated pitching stars, Adam Wainwright, will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery this spring, leaving a gaping hole in St. Louis’ rotation.

Wainwright, the Cardinals’ co-ace, has the game’s lowest ERA over the last two years and finished second and third in Cy Young voting during that time.

Along with Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals had arguably the best one-two punch at the top of their rotation, as good or better than that of the Phillies (Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels), Giants (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain) and Angels (Jered Weaver, Dan Haren).

Now, one of those teams might just offer the best option to fill the void left by Wainwright.

Scott Kazmir may not be Wainwright’s equal, but the once-and-future ace has a resume that includes a strikeout crown and appearances in both the All-Star game and the World Series. Since coming to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009, however, Kazmir’s road back to stardom has been a little bumpy.

His first six appearances for the Halos were stellar. Two nightmarish postseason starts and an injury-plagued season later, Kazmir is a reclamation project with No. 5 starter written all over him.

Perfect for Dave Duncan.

The Cardinals pitching coach is to struggling hurlers what Dr. Gregory House is to dying patients, minus the limp. The acerbic wit is up for debate.

Dr. Duncan is known league-wide for his uncanny ability to diagnose and treat formerly great pitching talents, repairing any mechanical or mental issues along the way and bringing them back to a competitive level.

Just look at Angels pitcher Joel Pineiro, a guy with all the talent in the world who somehow lost his mojo and risked toiling in the minors before retiring in anonymity.

A couple seasons under Duncan and suddenly Pineiro arrives in Anaheim with new confidence and a new pitch, a sinker ball that causes frustrated batters to ground out at an alarming rate.

A guy like Kazmir, who seems to lose velocity on his fastball every season without any apparent cause, is a project begging to be worked on by Duncan. And when the rehab is done, the Cardinals will get not one, but two players to use: a stud to plug in Wainwright’s spot, and a powerful trade chip when the co-ace returns.

In his stead, the Angels could give Trevor Bell a chance to prove he belongs in the starting rotation. If not, Matt Palmer and newcomer Hisanori Takahashi will be there to provide backup.

Of course, Bell wouldn’t be the only one to benefit from the trade. The Angels have an even greater need than the Cardinals’ pitching woes: third base.

After the failure to develop Brandon Wood and the failure to sign Adrian Beltre, super utility man Maicer Izturis has been tabbed as the interim starting third baseman this season.

His graceful fielding and clutch hitting aside, though, he is not a prototypical corner infielder and cannot provide the pop still missing from Anaheim’s lineup.

Factor in his injury history and it’s no great leap to expect the Angels to be players on the trade market this year. But Kazmir and the Cardinals could help settle the issue before the season ever gets under way.

Allen Craig, a 26-year-old prospect, has shown some promise in the Cardinals system, playing the corners in both the outfield and infield. The Mission Viejo native has got a little pop as well, belting four homers and driving in 18 runs in 44 games last season.

With a good showing this spring, could work his way onto a major league bench come April. There’s no reason that bench couldn’t be in Anaheim.

The Cardinals have stated that Wainwright’s replacement will likely come from within the organization, but they may be willing to part with a decent prospect or two if it means getting someone like Kazmir, who has shown brilliant stuff in the past and is young enough to reclaim his former prowess.

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No one said it was easy to get into the Major Leagues.  No one said it was any easier to stay in the Major Leagues.

But it is possible and you are about to see some of the once highly-touted prospects who have made it to the show.  The only problem is that their careers have not exactly blossomed in the fashion that was expected of them when they were first signed.

Jose Bautista was one such player before he exploded for 54 home runs a season ago.  So with that in mind, here are some players who are in dire need of a career turnaround soon, as their value continues to drop—perhaps to the point of no return.

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    Just when you think you’ve seen it all, almost every season a player on the New York Mets makes headlines for a surprising off-the-field issue.  The multitude of inappropriate actions and embarrassing behavior by the team feels more like a soap opera than a professional baseball organization.

    While the New York Yankees perennially grace the cover of local newspapers for winning championships, the Mets created news over the years with locker-room brawls, drug scandals and throwing fireworks into a crowd of fans.

   With Johan Santana on the disabled list until mid-season, fans are not expecting the 2011 version of the Mets to be a playoff-caliber team that can compete for the National League East division title.  Realistically, all we can hope for is that the squad displays some professionalism to get the focus back to baseball. 

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, so here is a look back at the most embarrassing moments in New York Mets history.

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Pitcher Scott Kazmir, the once-prized prospect, has fallen upon some hard times, posting atrocious statistics in 2010. 

A nine win and 15 loss campaign was very reminiscent of Yankees starter A.J. Burnett, with his 10 wins and 15 losses.  Deep down, Burnett still has that ability, that “gunslinger” mentality, as well as an arsenal of pitches that, when on, are as good as anybody’s in the game. 

Kazmir, on the other hand, has been on a free-fall for the past two plus seasons.

Between 2005 and 2008, Kazmir could have been considered a top-five lefty in the game.  He posted nearly 10 strikeouts a game, relying on a mid-nineties fastball and a devastating slider that had batters spinning like tops. However, injuries have depleted the lefty, and exposed some major weaknesses. 

Injuries and a lack of aggressiveness have always been two flaws focused on by scouts.  Injuries will happen, but his unwillingness to be aggressive, obviously hidden by his “stuff,” is now looked upon as a deterrent and cannot be ignored.

Kazmir has always walked a lot of batters, but now the lack of velocity is accentuating his inability to throw strikes at inopportune times, resulting in some very ugly numbers. 

In the last two years, his hits per nine innings have risen to 9.48, while his WHIP has peaked at 1.58. 

This, of course, leads us to the root cause: A decline in velocity. 

A once-dominant fastball (93.7 mph) and slider (84.0 mph) have turned relatively common, now clocking in at 90.5 mph and 80.9 mph, respectively. 

This, of course, does not bode well for one with a history of shaky control. Once able to dominate with a change of speeds, Kazmir now has to creep closer to the strike zone, where all the damage is being committed. 

According to FanGraphs, Kazmir’s O-contact percentage is at its low point of 24.2 percent, meaning batters are not fooled by what he is tossing up to the plate. 

On the other hand, his Z-contact percentage has hit an all-time high of 87.9 percent (2009, 86.4).  Z-contact percentage is defined as Percentage of times a batter makes contact with the ball when swinging at pitches thrown inside the strike zone. 

In other words, batters are teeing off on all pitches, regardless of speed, location, and variety.

In spring training, it will be very interesting to see what the Los Angeles Angels plan on doing with the former first-round pick. 

Kazmir has one year left on a guaranteed contract worth $12 million for the upcoming 2011 season. 

They can’t just release him, but can they use him as trade bait? 

All signs point to no. 

Turning 27, Kazmir should be entering the prime of his career.  He really has nothing to lose at this point, except maybe a non-existent starting rotation spot. 

We have witnessed the lack of confidence that the World Champion San Francisco Giants had in Barry Zito; is that where Kazmir is now headed?  Will he be used in mop-up duty, or in meaningless mid-June games? 

I, personally, cannot wait to see what happens.  He was a first-round pick for a reason, and has performed like one for the most part.  Now it is time to prove all the writers wrong, disprove all scouting reports claiming he is washed up, and rewrite the book on his career. 

A true pitcher will learn from this and become better.  Kazmir must learn how to pitch effectively, hit his spots, get ground balls, and get the job done.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Over the many years of player comparison and analysis, our understanding of what it means to be a great baseball player has continually evolved.

Along with that, we have also formed a better comprehension of the concept of a “bad” player.

There was a time when we would assess shortstops, catchers, and center fielders based merely on their offensive contributions, a practice we now understand to be shockingly limited. If ballplayers are to be judged, they must be judged for all of their contributions, both their hitting and their defense.

With this in mind, we take a look at the 20 worst players of the 2010 baseball season, guys who just kill their team in all facets of the game.

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Los Angeles Angels‘ starting pitcher Scott Kazmir has been a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

Purchased by the Halos last August for two minor-leaguers and a player to be named later, the Angels honestly thought they were receiving a player who, at 25, was looking ahead at several years of continued maturity and dominance.

The 2009 season for Kazmir had been a major disappointment with the Tampa Bay Rays. Off and on the disabled list and struggling with his fastball command, Kazmir strung together several quality starts in mid- to late-August. The Angels came calling, and the Rays couldn’t unload Kazmir fast enough.

Sure, Kazmir had a bloated contract (three years, $28.5 million); however, the Angels took the chance that he would be able to turn the corner, harness his control issues, and be the pitcher that looked dominant from 2006-08.

In six starts for the Angels to end the 2009 regular season, Kazmir was effective, with a 1.73 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and just 10 walks. His control issues came back to haunt him in the postseason however, when he gave up nine earned runs in 10.2 innings, walking eight in two starts.

The 2010 season has been a major disappointment for Kazmir. Now 8-13 with a 5.98 ERA, he continues to battle control issues, particularly with his fastball, and patience is growing thin in the Angels organization.

“The lion’s share of his issues have been command,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “His inability to get the fastball in good zones and bring his changeup into the game on more counts has really set him back. The slider inconsistency is not as big an issue as fastball command.

“We have confidence in Scott’s ability to get to a higher level, but certainly, if options come along that will make you better, you have to consider them.”

That does not exactly qualify as a ringing endorsement for the struggling left-hander.

Kazmir will likely have at least five more starts in the 2010 season. While he was effective in his last start on Wednesday (6 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K), he will have to show the Angels that he is capable of showing consistent command of his fastball in the strike zone and that he can effectively call upon all of his pitches with confidence.

If Kazmir proves unable to turn the corner, the Angels will have a tough time dealing him this offseason because of his contract. He is due $12 million next season with a $13.5 million club option for 2012 that can be bought-out for $2.5 million. The Angels would likely have to pay a large chunk of that for any team to be interested in Kazmir’s services.

Kazmir will have just under four weeks to prove he belongs.

“The major leagues is always a proving ground, whether you’re Torii Hunter or Peter Bourjos, whether you’re Scott Kazmir or Ervin Santana,” Scioscia said. “It’s a proving ground every day, a challenge to show that position is yours, that you can help the team win.”

You can follow Doug Mead on Twitter, @desertdesperado.

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