Jair Up There

For all you Braves fans reading this (which I think refers only to my parents), Jair Jurrjens is the real deal. I got a chance to watch JJ's four innings of shut-out work against the Cardinals yesterday and am extremely excited to see what the kid from Curacao can bring to the Braves staff this year.

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It is quite possible that in a short amount of time, Jurrjens, not Jones, will be remembered as the best player from Curacao to don a Braves uniform. This is meant as no disrespect to Andruw, of course, but after watching an evening replay of JJ's spring training performance against the Red Birds, I couldn't help but see a parallel between the trade that landed Smoltz with the Braves two decades ago and the current trade that brought Jurrjens to Atlanta. In 1987, the Detroit Tigers sent then-prospect John Smoltz to Atlanta in exchange for veteran hurler Doyle Alexander. Alexander was excellent for the Tigers in the short run while Smoltz struggled initially with the Braves. However, I think any Atlanta fan would make that trade a thousand times over if given the chance. The same is true this year. Edgar Renteria has a great chance to be an important cog in the Tiger's offensive machine. He will be a productive player for the Tigers for a number of years. However, Jurrjens has the potential to be great. He's got excellent movement and velocity on his fastball. His change is excellent and he's developing a nasty slider. More importantly, he seems to have the swagger and work ethic that is necessary to be a successful starter at the Major League level. Obviously, it's premature and unfair to compare Jurrjens to Smoltz. He still needs to gain better command of his pitches. Plus, he's only 21 years old and not only must he continue to develop, but also he must avoid the injury bug that too often bites promising young pitchers. However, Jurrjens certainly has the potential to be a very good and possibly great starting pitcher at the major league level. His progress this spring has almost certainly assured him a spot at the backend of the Braves rotation this year, making him an X factor that could help restore the Braves to the top of the NL East. As with any young prospect, there is a far greater chance he will fail to live up to his promise. Nevertheless, his swagger, work ethic, and talent could very easily propel him to a successful big league career.