He didn't hit very well while in Atlanta, but since he's been out of there, he's been St. Louis' version of Mike Hampton. I think the HRs will be coming from Marquis soon, he's still young and the power will come as he gets more hitting experience.

I don't know if it's me but it seems like a lot of the younger pitchers are actually hitting pretty decently. Maybe it's only a small sample of games I've seen, but I remember pitchers used to be just awful at the plate. Is this possibly a trend, David?

Another fun fact about Marquis: his numbers *improved* when he left Atlanta. Don't see that too often. Maybe those golden gloves in St. Louis helping him out?

It could be that certain teams are trying to get an edge by seriously working on their pitchers hitting. The Dodgers and Mets used to be famous for this.