The Nationals signed Chien-Ming Wang to provide leadership for the staff:
“The type of pitcher we’re looking for,” Rizzo said, “is a good leader-type of guy that throws a lot of innings, that has shown he can win in the big leagues and really lead our staff — not by having the best stuff on the staff but by showing how to be a professional and how to be a winner and how to pitch 200 innings in a season.”
It should be noted in his two full seasons in the majors, Wang only exceeded 200 innings once. (He did pitch 199 1/3 innings in 2007, and so we should probably give him two 200 IP seasons.) It’s been a long time since that 200 IP season, so I would bet against Wang reaching that plateau in 2012.
Wang is a good pitcher when his sinker is working. That’s the best reason to sign him to a contract, and that should be more than enough.
Good to see the Worm Killer is sticking around.
Wang is another one of those pitchers that throw the wrong kind of sinker.(Jake Westbrook being another). Tommy John and Randy Jones threw the best sinkers I ever saw and their mechanics have never been matched.
So, is this the final good bye to Livan Hernandez? That was his role last season. If so, SOMEONE make him your pitching coach! I can think of no other pitcher who could so dramatically recreate himself-like 5-6 times over the course of a career. You don’t do that if you don’t know pitching.
jrs » Good point.