Non-CuseAdelphia Related Post Time Edwin Jackson Style

I wanted to take a moment to praise Edwin Jackson for two quality starts after having one of the statistically worst stretches for a pitcher in a long time.

For those of you who don't know who Edwin Jackson is, you've been missing out. The guy has an absolute electric fastball that tops out close to 100mph on a good day. He's started out 2008 with two quality starts, allowing just one run in 14 innings and collecting two wins.

What most people don't know is Edwin is buried on what used to be a terrible Devil Rays team and no one knows of the guy except AL East fans that know their team gets to feast on his terrible pitching of the past. SportsCenter once showed a graphic comparing Jackson to Roy Halladay. This was not a flattering graphic in the least. It showed the two having astronomical ERAs over a certain number of innings, and this pathetic-ness was unmatched by anyone in the last decade or so. Now I couldn't find the exact numbers, but they were really, really bad. I think they were the only two pitchers to have 10 plus ERAs after pitching 50 innings to start a season. The Blue Jays sent Halladay down to Single A after his terrible stretch in 2000. Now Halladay is considered one of the premier starting pitchers in the league.

Now I'm not saying Jackson will become a premier starting pitcher because he never had great minor league numbers either, but the guy has nasty stuff. He could definitely turn into a 10-15 win pitcher for years to come. He's only 25 and has his best years ahead of him. Maybe the Rays are doing things right down, they never gave up on Edwin and their dedication may finally be paying off.

The Rays play the Yankees tomorrow and Edwin will be taking the mound so we'll see how Edwin does and if he's ready to take the next step.

And for the fantasy nerds out there (I'm one of them), grab Edwin and give him a bench spot. You don't have to start him yet, but he's definitely worth having on your bench to spot start and hold onto him if he becomes the real deal.