The Nationals signed Jason Marquis yesterday, and while I am not going to completely rip the signing, I don’t think it’s much to get excited about. He’s not great at much, other than showing up every day. But there is great value in this, and maybe he can teach the youngsters a thing or two about starting 30 games a year. They needed someone to start 1/5 of their games, and while there were better options out there, he certainly isn’t the worst. So let’s start with what he’s good at:
The Good
He eats innings like few pitchers do, starting at least 28 games every year from 2004. He’s averaged 32 games started in those 6 seasons. He’s also a groundball pitcher, meaning he doesn’t give up a ton of home runs. Well, at least he hasn’t in the last three seasons. The three seasons prior were a different story. His groundball rates went up last year, and it may be kinda flukey, but it is important. If he can keep those up, and the ball down, he is a much better pitcher. Of course, he was able to have rates like that back on the Cardinals, so they aren’t out of the question. As it is, he’s can be a decent 4th starter if he plays like he did last year. On this team, that makes him one of the best out of the gate.
Posted by Charlie 
