Spoke to a scout today who passed along some Pirates info. He mentioned that a couple of teams are expressing interest in 24 year-old southpaw Paul Maholm because of his easy mechanics and ability to keep the ball in the park.
Maholm posted a 0.97 HR per nine innings mark this season in 176 innings. If we are to adjust Maholm’s HR per flyball rate to average (10.7%), his HR/9 falls to 0.83 per nine innings. My own projections have Maholm posting a 4.62 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 195 innings next season. I can see his control progressing a bit, and he’s a good low-risk, low-cost acquisition. Put a decent defense behind the guy and he might surprise you.
