Why no buzz for Hong-Chih Kuo this spring?
The answer lies partly in Kuo’s history, partly in the way baseball promotes prospects.
Signed as a teenager, Kuo blew out his elbow in his first professional start. He has had two Tommy John surgeries. His major league ERA over four seasons is 5.03. His major league record is 2 wins, 10 losses, and 1 blown save.
Once a prospect fails to prosper, not once, but two or three times, there is no buzz left.
And yet. If you think of Kuo as a prospect, not a washed-up 26-year-old, the braille-like data points of Kuo’s intermittent minor-league career point to awsome potential:
2.93 ERA
1.24 WHIP
12.34 K/9
The numbers also tell the other story: only 169.1 innings pitched over seven seasons.
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