Garland is Wood and Wood now Garland??

[EvilJester99]

Garland is now Wood, Wood is now Garland

 

May 3, 2005

 

BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

 

 

 

 

At a glance, it seems like everything changed for Kerry Wood and Jon Garland in April. The Cubs' Wood, once a golden boy, has become a symbol for unfulfilled expectations. The White Sox' Garland, once an underachiever, now is a symbol for unlimited potential.

 

 

 

Pitch complete games? No problem for Garland. Become an All-Star? He's on his way. Twenty wins? No problem -- he's on pace for 32.

 

Meanwhile, Wood spent Monday undergoing tests on his aching right shoulder. Although no rips or tears were found, he will miss at least three weeks with a strained muscle in the shoulder. He has won only once in five starts and has given up more than six runs per start. He is on pace for a six-win season.

 

Woods' critics have come out in force. He is too fragile, they say. He won't pitch through pain. He has failed to make necessary adjustments in his delivery to protect his arm, they say. He has yet to make the transition from thrower to pitcher.

 

In contrast to Wood, Garland has been dominant. His 5-0 record includes consecutive shutouts in his last two starts. His 1.38 ERA leads the American League. Opposing batters are hitting .185 against him.

 

Role reversal

 

 

 

While criticism is being heaped on Wood, Garland -- who has been lambasted throughout his young career for being too lackadaisical, for not trusting his fielders and for failing to challenge hitters -- is receiving only praise and glowing reviews. It's as if Wood and Garland have switched identities. Wood has been slapped with the underachiever label, while the ace-in-the-making label has been transferred to Garland.

 

Neither label is true, of course, and neither is particularly fair. For instance, anyone who questions Wood's desire to play has not been paying attention, as he has pitched through pain during much of his career. And anyone who expects too much from Garland in the near future has not learned from experience. Let's allow him to continue to mature without the burden of even higher expectations.

 

The careers of Wood and Garland always have been connected. They are separated by two years in age and six players in draft rank. Each was dubbed a potential superstar before he ever threw a pitch in the major leagues. Both throw right-handed. And for a while, they both belonged to the Cubs, who took Garland with the 10th pick in the 1997 draft. But despite these connections, their careers have seemed to be as dissimilar as two careers can be. That has been the perception.

 

Wood, 27, has been a star since early in his rookie season, when he he struck out a record-tying 20 batters in a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros on May 6, 1998. Garland, 25, has more often than not frustrated fans since making his pro debut on July 4, 2000.

 

But Wood's reputation never has been based on victories or consistency. And Garland's reputation never has been based on his career progress. In fact, through last season, the careers of Wood and Garland were not as divergent as they have been made out to be.

 

Not as different as you think

 

 

 

In 164 career starts, Wood had compiled a 67-50 record and a 3.63 ERA. In 127 career starts, Garland was 46-51 with a 4.68 ERA. What's more, Woods' highest victory total came in 2003, when he won 14 games, while Garland has won 12 games each of the last three seasons.

 

Unlike Wood, who has battled arm and back trouble throughout his career and missed the 1999 season after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery, Garland has enjoyed good health. Last year he pitched 217 innings to Woods' 140.

 

Entering this season, expectations were typically high for Wood, the fourth pick of the 1995 draft. Now everyone must wait to see if Wood, who will make $9.5 million this season, can fight through his latest physical setback.

 

There were few expectations this year for Garland, who was dropped to the No. 5 spot in the Sox' rotation during the offseason. But there has been no better bargain in baseball so far than Garland, who will make $3.4 million this year. We have yet to see the Garland who had been vulnerable to the big inning throughout his career and who seldom had gone deep into a game.

 

In his first three full major-league seasons, Garland did not make the quick progress everyone wanted to see. We failed to notice that he was making progress all the same.

 

And what about Wood? Although he has been consistently difficult to hit, he has battled control problems throughout his career and often struggles mightily early in games. Yet because he has been injured so frequently, we have been patient with his development. It is only fair. At the same time, we have been far more patient with Wood than we ever have been with Garland.

 

It might seem like the fortunes of both pitchers took a drastic turn in the first several weeks of the season. But for Wood and Garland, this is actually business as usual. Some of us were just slow to notice.

[tonyho7476]

What a coincidence...I used to be Steff and Steff used to be Tonyho7476. Crazy.

[YASNY]

While criticism is being heaped on Wood, Garland -- who has been lambasted throughout his young career for being too lackadaisical, for not trusting his fielders and for failing to challenge hitters -- is receiving only praise and glowing reviews. It's as if Wood and Garland have switched identities. Wood has been slapped with the underachiever label, while the ace-in-the-making label has been transferred to Garland.

 

Neither label is true, of course, and neither is particularly fair.

 

Typical of the Chicago media. We've been listening to the Wood hype for years, based on a whole bunch of nothing. Now that things are reversed, they dismiss it as unfair.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Typical of the Chicago media.  We've been listening to the Wood hype for years, based on a whole bunch of nothing.  Now that things are reversed, they dismiss it as unfair.

 

Especially Cub fan Carol Sleazebag, she is the biggest bandwagon, fence sitting sports writer that paper has. Wait until we slump and see how quickly she'll write that it was all a mirage and how the Sox gave the city false and we knew all along they were destined to lose......blah, blah, blah. :puke

[mmmmmbeeer]

Her writing ability isn't very good considering she writes for a major newspaper. This article seems like something out of a high school comp. class.

[RockRaines]

I cant concentrate on that article with that avatar staring at me, damn!

[Gene Honda Civic]

[WilliamTell]

I think we all know if Wood didn't play for either the Cubs, Yankees, or Red Sox, he wouldn't be that well known. He's never even had a 15 win season. Cubs fans saying he's better than MB are obsurred. I know this topic is about Garland though, I'm just ranting.

[santo=dorf]

Kerry Wood has never been the "Kerry Wood" that the media makes him out to be.

[CanOfCorn]

He's still living on that 20 SO game against the Astros, which, I might add, was still pretty impressive.

[CubKilla]

Kerry Wood has never been the "Kerry Wood" that the media makes him out to be.

 

Unless winning a career best 14 games in a season makes you an "ace".