What is it about Carlos Zambrano?

The Cubs announced yesterday that Carlos Zambrano would be the Opening Day starter for the 5th consecutive season. This is a well deserved honor for Carlos. Coming off the worst full season in his career (still posted an ERA+ of 114), Zambrano looks to improve and help lead the Cubs back to the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year. There was a so-called competition between Zambrano and Dempster for this honor, but this wasn’t really a difficult decision to make. No doubt, Ryan Demspter had a better season than did Zambrano in 2008. Dempster’s 2008 was one of the best in the game and for many teams he’d get the nod on Opening Day after his season a year ago. Dempster doesn’t play on those other teams. He plays on a team that has seen Carlos Zambrano be one of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball over the last 6 or 8 years. Interestingly, it seems Zambrano has a lot to prove to people each new season and this year is no different. Zambrano’s career ERA is over a run better than Ryan Dempster’s. This was not a difficult decision to make and odds are the decision had already been made long before pitchers and catchers reported. Lou was probably doing Ryan Dempster a favor by keeping his name in consideration as praise for his excellent 2008. Just as Aaron Miles has no real shot to start at 2nd base over Mike Fontenot, Ryan Dempster had no realistic shot at being the Opening Day starting pitcher. Lou made the right choice and Cubs fans, as strange a group of people as there is, seem confused and even upset by this decision. Over on LOHO, they claim that Lou was “more concerned about Zambrano’s ego” than presumably making the right decision, I guess. Carl quotes this comment from the Sun-Times when he says that: Earlier Thursday, Zambrano was named the team’s opening-day starter for the fifth straight season. “It was between him and right-hander Ryan Dempster. We talked about it, (pitching coach) Larry (Rothschild) and I, and I talked to both pitchers,” manager Lou Piniella said. “We came up to the conclusion that this would be the best way to go.” Somehow, the correct conclusion that Lou reached was apparently only to appease Zambrano’s ego. The implication here is that he didn’t deserve it, which one could reasonably argue based on last season that he did not. I feel that’s wrong as sample size is an issue. There’s no doubt which of the two is the better pitcher. Nobody would ever claim that Ryan Dempster is a better pitcher than Carlos Zambrano because he isn’t. If Opening Day is the day you start your best pitcher then Zambrano gets the nod. The Cubs best pitcher wasn’t even in the discussion and is laughably seen as a number 4 starter by the fans and media. Rich Harden is the better of the three, but for health issues it’s best to not rely on him like you would a pitcher who starts on Opening Day. In the comments section to that post over at LOHO are the following comments: “This would be the best way to go” because otherwise they’d possibly have to deal with a sulky Carlos for the next month, who possibly has it in for Dempster. heh.—cubbiejulie Now we’ve gone from Lou saying they made the best decision to it meaning it was only to stroke Zambrano’s ego to perhaps keeping Zambrano from beating Dempster up. The next comment: I think, in the end, I’d go with Dempster (or Harden)... if, for anything, it would piss Carlos off and really make him focus in the beginning of the season…trying to prove Lou wrong.—doc_blume I don’t have a problem with the opinion of wanting to go with Dempster and especially not Rich Harden. Those are both realistic options that one can argue reasonably well why they feel that way. It just happens that choosing Dempster or Harden for the reason doc blume does is not one of those reasonably well argued opinions I was just talking about. Dempster or Harden so it pisses Zambrano off, makes him focus, and proves Lou wrong? It’s always interesting to read fans thoughts on a baseball players mental state. They do it all the time and they’re likely wrong every time. I have a hard time believing that you can get to where Zambrano has without focusing. The idea that he is not focusing is absurd. Out of curiosity, what does he have to prove to Lou? This brings up something else that has bothered me before. I heard Bob Brenly say this past weekend that “this might be the season Carlos Zambrano puts it all together and has a great season.” Would that prove it to Lou? What exactly would prove it to Lou and for that matter, what is “it”? These kinds of remarks are very odd. Why must a person believe that Carlos Zambrano hasn’t yet put it all together? Because you think he could or should be better than he is? It must be because you hear these kind of comments regarding Zambrano all the time. If Carlos could just learn to control his emotions… If Carlos could stop walking so many people… If Carlos learns how to reach his potential… If Carlos wasn’t such a hothead… If Carlos was a nicer person who cared about global warming… If Carlos could throw 300 mph and had a slider that was unhittable… How many times have you heard these or read similar things? I’ve seen 2 spring training games and Bob Brenly has already said it. He’ll say it after every bad start he has too. People have this ridiculous idea that an ace should give you 7 innings every time out and allow 0 or 1 runs. That’s not how it happens, people. Let’s try something fun here and watch how I use these same kinds of comments with another pitcher. If Glendon Rusch just had a better fastball, he’d be more difficult to hit. If Glendon Rusch’s slider was a really good pitch, he could get more hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. If Glendon Rusch would show a little more fire while he’s on the mound, he’d be more intimidating. If Glendon Rusch learned to reach his potential he would be a pretty good pitcher. You see? This is pointless. These comments can be said about every single player who has ever played this game. Every last one of them! Your idea of what Zambrano could or should be is useless. We already know what Zambrano is and how good he is. He has more than likely reached his potential and none of this other crap people talk about endlessly has stopped him from doing so. Zambrano has been a really good pitcher for several years now. He is what he is. Stop acting like he can be better if he just follows your advice. How would you like it if your employer talked that way about you all the time? I don’t think you’d like it because the implication is that you are not trying hard enough to do the best work that you can. And I’m willing to bet money that Zambrano has worked harder than any person who has said this stuff about him. It’s not his job to be as good as you think he can be. As fans we already place a ridiculous amount of pressure on these guys. Don’t you think it should stop? It should, but for players like Zambrano it will never stop. Nothing he ever does will be good enough. If he goes out and posts a 27-2 record with a 1.04 ERA in 2009 fans will just say “I knew he could be that good if he just focused.” It’s ridiculous. Here’s a guy who is treated like a cancer, but has done everything the Cubs have asked of him. He’s missed less than 5 start in his career. Already, he’s started more games and thrown more innings than Kerry Wood. He’s a better pitcher than Kerry Wood. Yeah, I know about the promise and “how good” he might have been stuff, but he was injured and he’s not as good as Zambrano. Neither is Mark Prior who was, for a short period of time at least, treated as if he was the best baseball player ever. How can a pitcher who is better than one of the most beloved Cubs players of all-time be so disliked? Kerry Wood loved the Cubs organization and the city of Chicago, but so does Carlos Zambrano. He said so. Why am I to believe that Wood was sincere and Zambrano was not? Zambrano is the best Cubs pitcher since Greg Maddux and somehow nothing he has done has been good enough. Clark Griffith‘s ERA+ ranks 10th among all Cubs pitchers at 129. The 9 players above him are, in order: Mordecai Brown, John Clarkson, Jack Pfeister, Al Spalding, Jake Weimer, Orval Overall, Lee Smith, Pete Alexander, and Lon Warnake. Warnake and Alexander are tied with an ERA+ of 131 with Griffth at 10th at 129. Zambrano? 128 career ERA+. If Zambrano was only a little better last season he’d have one of the top 10 ERA+‘s in the organization’s long history. But it’s not good enough. He can do more. If he just focused. Mark Prior’s ERA+? 123. Kerry Wood’s? 118. Since nothing is good enough, naturally, Cubs fans think Lou’s decision had to do with Zambrano’s ego or something else nobody really knows about. What is it that people dislike so much? Pointing to the sky after each inning? Too much fire and passion? Some players have too little; some have too much. Fans think there has to be the exact amount of fire and passion displayed for various events? Frown when you give up a hit. Pump your fist after a double play. Is there some code I’m not aware of? Is it because Zambrano likes to bat? That would be interesting since many of these people romanticize the National League where the pitcher bats! Think about that for a few seconds. I’ve actually read fans complaining about Zambrano wanting to bat and talking about his offense yet many of these people will swear by the NL style because the pitcher bats. I guess they can bat, but they can’t talk about it or practice it or be any good at it. I can’t help but wonder, would these fans act the same way if his name was Carl Samber and he was just a little more white? Would he still be failing to live up to his potential if that were the case? I’d like to think it still would be, but I have my doubts.