But I really like Jorge Campillo, and I think he’s going to have a strong year.

I know, I know. He’s 29 and hasn’t had any success in the majors before but:

• You can throw out the limited experience he’s had in Seattle as a harbinger of future performance because it’s so limited and it’s the time surrounding Tommy John surgery.
• As Tommy John becomes more and more common, we’re going to start seeing more guys like Campillo and Jeff Bennett who don’t end up breaking into the bigs until their late 20’s. If you make it to the high minors or get a few games in the majors by your mid 20’s and then you blow out your elbow, you’re going to be coming back a little bit later.
• He led the PCL in ERA last year. He was also one of the top pitchers in Mexico prior to signing with the M’s. I especially liked this part:
  

  He led his league in ERA in 2004, with a 2.07 ERA that was achieved at an altitude of – wait for it – 7,000 feet.

I like Campillo because he pitches a smart game. He does so much. He throws everywhere. He changes speeds, and he doesn’t just have two speeds. Against the Mets, he was throwing his fastball mid 80’s, curveball mid 70’s, and changeup upper 60’s. He also throws strikes, likes to stay ahead in the count, and doesn’t walk very many guys (5BB in 36.1IP this year.)

More than anything, though, I like Campillo because it’s just fun to watch him pitch. So far, he’s had everybody guessing. He’s made some good hitters look really bad. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

Also, props to Jorge for getting his first major league and helping himself to 2 RBIs against the Brew Crew today.