Loading ...Jurrjens Impresses In 2008
Written by Colin on August 5, 2008 – 8:18 amWhen Edgar Renteria was traded last year, nobody thought that the young pitcher we got in return would be the Ace of our staff in August. But here we sit on August 5 – John Smoltz done for the season, Tom Glavine hoping to be able to return this weekend, Mike Hampton having only made two starts, and Tim Hudson out for at least a year after falling victim to torn ligaments in his elbow. That leaves 22 year old Jair Jurrjens – who had only pitched in 7 big league games before the 2008 season – the ace of the Braves. The only original starting pitcher who has limited his injuries to falling down dugout stairs is Jurrjens. He’s the only one who’s stayed off the disabled list.
And he’s one heck of a young pitcher! At 22 years old, Jurrjens shows impressive command of his changeup and fastball, and the patience and confidence of a much older pitcher. Jurrjens’ changeup was dubbed “invisible” by Adam LaRoche earlier this year. So far in the 2008 campaign, Jurrjens is 10-7, pitched 138 innings, and has struck out 97 batters and only walked 49. Oh, and his ERA is 3.12. Anybody would take this as a third season in the majors, let alone their rookie year. He’s quickly become a fan favorite.
Jurrjens is humble too – he regularly gives the credit for winning to others and takes the credit for a loss when defensive or offensive issues could easily be blamed. Not only is he playing on his and his father’s favorite team, he’s quickly becoming the hero of his home island of Curacao – also home of Andruw Jones (who’s hitting .161 for the Dodgers, by the way). Jurrjens said of Jones earlier this year “It’s going to be fun to face him – it’s going to be even more fun to strike him out.” Note that Jurrjens struck Jones out all three times that day – though that can hardly be considered much of a feat.
We’ll see where Jurrjens goes as the years go on – but he is considered one of the bright young pitching stars in the Braves’ system. From a fan’s perspective, it’s refreshing to see some young pitching talent ready to take the spotlight for years to come. Welcome to Atlanta, Jair. We’re glad you like it here. Stick around – not all of us are going to dress up in scrubs and join Jurrjens’ Surgeons, but we’re all pulling for you.
Tags: Jair Jurrjens
Posted in General | 3 Comments »
By Bud on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
There are plenty of pitchers with tons of big-league experience who don't possess half the knowledge Jurrjens has when it comes to being on the hill. For a 22-year-old kid with about one year of big-league experience, Jurrjens is wise beyond his years and experience.
What impresses me so much about him is not only the arsenal of pitches, but how he uses them. He pitches to contact, lets hitters put the ball in play, works efficiently on the mound and, most impressive to me, is you can see how one pitch sets up the next one. He's always thinking out there on the mound, using his knowledge to complement his stuff, which is really, really good.
Dude, if he stays healthy, has a chance to be a consistent 15-to-18 game winner year-in and year-out, a low 3's ERA guy who will anchor this rotation for years to come. Braves need an ace to go with him with Huddy out for most if not all of next season, but Jurrjens is one to build around.
He's special, and he's going to be good for a long, long time.
Great game by Hampton last night. A win that was a long time coming, but a well deserved victory indeed.
Bud.
http://braves.today.com
By PapaGLP on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
I definitely agree that we didn't see the full potential during the Renteria trade, but Jurrjens made sure it came out pretty quickly. This is the kind of guy that the Braves need to lock up with a contract and keep around for years to come to work on rebuilding a power rotation. He has the promise and potential that we've been looking for.
By JBaldwin on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Yes I've really enjoyed watching Jair pitch this year. When we picked him up he was an unknown kid from the Tigers. My favorite game I watched him pitch this year was the 8 inning 8 K's he threw against the Dodgers to complete the sweep at home.
Ahhhhh… Those were the good ol' days huh?
~JB@LaunchingPad