Brock for Broglio

It’s widely accepted throughout most talent-evaluating circles that a pitchers’ “frame” (usually referring to his height and weight) is a good indication of how well the pitcher will develop, and remain healthy.

The conventional thought is pretty simple: The bigger the body, the more workload the pitcher is likely to sustain; and the better the chance the pitcher overcomes the injury nexus, and materializes into an affective major leaguer.

I was reading through John Sickel’s fantastic minor league blog, and came across this nugget about Shaun Marcum:

“One thing that stands out for Marcum is his athleticism as a former college shortstop. Athleticism is something that’s often underrated when discussing pitchers, but it’s a critical factor in development. Marcum may be “undersized” classically as a shorter right-hander, but his athletic ability makes that a lot less important, in my view, and should help him stay healthy and reach his ultimate peak.

Next time somebody tries to down play Tim Lincecum’s potential–citing his small frame–challenge them by mentioning his raw athleticism.

Sickels on Lincecum’s athleticism:

“Some people worry that he’s not a huge guy, being just 5-11 and 170 pounds officially. Personally I don’t really care about that. I’m more impressed by the fact that he’s incredibly athletic. I’ve always felt the whole short right-hander thing was overemphasized by some people, and in the case of guys like Pedro Martinez or Greg Maddux or Roy Oswalt, the premium athleticism and wiry strength is much more important than the lack of height.