What's the Matter with Carlos Zambrano?

[klvrdude]

He is a bit unstable and sometimes it works for him and, as evident by today, sometimes it doesn't.

Certainly, if he put it all together, he's very capable of being a top 5 pitcher. That being said, I don't think he'll be this year. Please don't interpret this to mean he doesn't have fantasy value. He'll get his ERA adn WHIP down and with a little luck, he'll even get a win or two.

Personally, I'm going to try and buy low....and maybe even sell high after a month.

[The Kavorka]

A million dollar arm with a 10 cent head.

I'm looking to unload him. I can't take the impending train wreck act everytime he pitches.

[Ender]

I believe there was a very strong wind blowing to left center.

The wind did not play a factor, Zambrano had no control was throwing pitches right over the middle of the plate and the Brewer's have a strong lineup.

[Yoda]

I would be most concerned about his heavy workload. He's logged a lot of innings for a 25 year old.

[pokeyjoe]

Hey, pitchers in general are starting slow, so I'm not getting worried for a few more starts. He did strike out 12 a start or two ago, so he's showing flashes. A season of 15 wins, 3.50 ERA and 200 K's still wouldn't surprise me at this point.

[j_d_mcnugent]

in preseason some thought pitching in the WBC might mess him up, although i wouldnt think that effect would materialize until late season in the form of fatigue.

his problem is control, both physical and mental. he is walking people and he is nuts. i am little pissed off that he sucks now, but i am not terribly concerned unless he is sporting a 5+ era in june.

[The Loveable Losers]

in preseason some thought pitching in the WBC might mess him up, although i wouldnt think that effect would materialize until late season in the form of fatigue.

his problem is control, both physical and mental. he is walking people and he is nuts. i am little pissed off that he sucks now, but i am not terribly concerned unless he is sporting a 5+ era in june.

I think this about sums it up. He has the stuff to be a top-10 pitcher and the emotional control to end up on the FBI's top-10 most wanted list. I've always stayed away from him for this exact reason but I'd actually consider buying low on him right now simply because he's been SO bad that you might be able to get him for much less than full value.

[johnsamo]

It's been cold and he's from Venezuela, so it's like an AMerican pitching in the North Pole right now.... Come summer, I think things will improve. It doesn't help that he gets crap run support and his bullpen has been weak most of the time and Dusty has yanked him early a lot of times. I think all that is starting to get to him.

But the thing is, he's got nasty stuff. for 2 or 3 innings, he'll blow the other team away, then he'll walk the 8 and 9 guys and get frustrated, lose his control and put one down broadway that get's clobbered.

To me, that signals coaching is part of the problem. Carlos is probably always going to be Carlos, so maybe a latin pitching coach is what he needs. You can't take a fiery Latin guy and turn him into a cold pitching machine like Maddux. Coaching isn't all about pitching mechanics, it's also about keeping a guy's head in the right frame of mind. Carlos needs some guy who knows how to push his buttons the right way and focus all that energy on making great pitches the whole game.

[FantasyGURU802]

Yeah, he's killing me... He should come around, hopefully sooner than later. I need him to be a keeper.

[Yoda]

Will Caroll today in his article talks about Zambrano's workload as well.