Chris Tillman: To trade or not to trade?

[LookinUp]

We have no idea if Tillman will help us win as much as people predict he will because of the volatility of young starting pitchers.

Nobody is saying it's certain that Tillman will be the next Smoltz, but the "we have no idea" portion of your analysis is flat out wrong.

We do have an idea. We have watched that young man pitch for two years. We understand his mechanics and stuff. We have a pretty good idea of what's in his head, his work ethic, etc. Perhaps most importantly, we've seen how he's handled things when they've been presented to him.

The O's know what they've asked of him, and they know what he's done. Part of the fawning around Tillman most certainly has to do with how he's adjusted to different leagues and made consistent improvements in his game. It comes with a confidence that this kid has more than just Old5Fan's favorite curveball, he has the ability to adjust and continually improve his game.

There's a difference between a Tillman and a guy like Liz for example. Both put up great MiL #'s, but they are not even a little bit the same. Liz still falls off the mound, killing his command and leaving him out of a fielding position. He had tools, but something was lacking.

Tillman improves every step of the way. There's no reason to think that will stop and there's no reason to lump him in with schmucks who never amounted to a hill of beans. That's because, to some non-absolute degree of certainty, we have a very good idea of why he's better than a lot of the people who have come through this organization before him.

[Old#5fan]

Okay, I didn't even plan on posting in this thread, but this is getting ridiculous. How old are you, honestly? I honestly think EVERY one of your posts has a grammar or spelling mistake, and it is absolutely ridiculous. I do not agree with most of your ideas, or with your childish way of arguing for them. However, you are entitled to post here just like anybody else.

But, it is an explicit rule on this board to spell names correctly and use grammar properly. It is honestly an eye sore to read your posts. Nothing personal, just had to point it out.

GeoRge Sherrill. That is all.

To top it off he gave me a red pip for no reason! Unbelievable!