I hope Bert Blyleven makes the Hall of Fame this year. I’m happy Bert Blyleven writes for NBC Sports.com. I also wish I had some of what Bert Blyleven was smoking when he went on the radio this afternoon and gave us the Carlos Silva scouting report:
“What the Cubs got is, if he’s healthy, a guy that could pitch 200 innings for them. He’s got a great sinking fastball, very good control. He’s a battler. He’s a lot like Carlos Zambrano as far as attacking the strike zone. Carlos Silva does not walk a lot of guys. He’s not going to strike out a lot of guys. He’s a contact-type pitcher that when he’s on has a good sinking fastball . . . As far as a person, this guy works his rear end off. He’s a good clubhouse presence. He’s got very good chemistry with all the other players. He’s a nice addition to the Cubs as long as he’s healthy.”
I suppose a lot of that is true. It’s also true that this battling chemistry god is currently getting lit up to the tune of a .400 opponents batting average in the Venezuelan winter league. Which means that either (a) he’s not healthy, in which case the Cubs will surely cancel the deal; or (b) Blyleven is overstating the merits of Carlos Silva just a weeeeeee bit.