Part 1: Click Here
Part 2: James McDonald - Click Here
Part 3: Ross Ohlendorf - Click Here
Part 5: Kevin Correia - Click Here
Part 6: Charlie Morton - Click Here
Part 7: Wrap-up - Click Here
Paul Maholm came into the 2010 season looking to be one of the Pirates most consistent starters. He was coming off a couple decent seasons where he posted 3.71 and 4.44 ERAs, respectively. However, 2010 wasn't kind to Maholm, and he posted the following, rather disappointing, numbers:
The FIP shows that Maholm was hurt by his defense, and he actually pitched pretty well at times. His K/BB ratio wasn't terrible but could have been much better. Maholm really pitched like a #4 starter in 2010 when the Pirates really needed him to be a 2-3. There have been rumors about trades involving Maholm, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen (at least before the season starts) and he should go into the season as the Pirates #3 starter. Here's Maholm's pitch f/x from last year:
Maholm is a very, very hittable pitcher. All of his pitches except the slider are below average in terms of whiff rate. He does do pretty well at throwing strikes, although sometimes that can hurt him as he just lays them in there too often at times. Maholm isn't a strikeout pitcher and relies heavily on the defense to help him out, which didn't happen last year. His stuff isn't getting any better, and he will probably just get worse before he improves. It's not really looking good for Maholm, which explains why the Pirates are trying to shop him.
For the 2011 season I would expect Maholm to put up numbers similar to 2010. Guys like James McDonald and Ross Ohlendorf have the ability to improve, but I don't see this ability with Maholm. His stuff is just too hittable and he has been in the big leagues too long to warrant anyone predicting major improvement. Here's my predictions for Maholm in 2011.
2011 Prediction: 4.75 ERA, 4.25 FIP, 1.40 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 2.7 BB/9