Ha, way late for me to post this...but I had him pegged as the Pirates' best starter for '07. I said he would be better than Snell this year. No joke. This dude has skill...throws a mid 90s fastball and has great breaking stuff. I watched him pitch against the Giants once last year at PNC, and I immediately was a big fan of his ability. I even told him that last year at a "Meet the Bucs" photo-op thing outside the stadium when he was shut down with arm trouble. I'm glad he believed in my praises!
Anyway, I hope you managed to grab him. Even if he doesn't stay this good, he still should get quite a few wins and have good peripherals. The Pirates still have poor offensive ability, so you never know what you'll get there.
The One, The Only, The Incomparable Mercer Boy.
MySpace blog (updated 6/21 - Pirates walkout.)