I Told Him We Already Got One (Oh yes, it's-uh verrry niiiice)

As the Phils continue to search (presumably) for a top-flight starter to fill out their rotation and avoid handing the ball to Ryan Franklin -- ever -- it begs the question "do they already have one?" There are a few prospects in the minors, for instance Floyd, Hamels, and the dynamic duo from the Thome trade, the closest thing the Phils have had to a true ace since Curt Schilling was in town is, well, Curt Schilling junior. And while, Myers' maturity is a topic with potential for endless discussion (ditch the pizza, learn to cook, baby), exactly how does he stack up at this point in his career with other big name pitchers, keeping in mind that he is but 24 years old.

Well, at the risk of looking lazy, someone already ran the numbers for us. Not exactly sure what the blog protocol is for something like this, but commentor Shore in one of the threads on PhilliesPhans.com posted this on Myers.

Through age 24, Myers has 109 starts, 501 K, 235 BB. Those are pretty good raw numbers, so I ran a quick-and-dirty study. Only 10 other pitchers since 1945 have, through their age 24 seasons, made 100 starts with >500 K and <250>
Roger Clemens (104 / 694 / 216)
Bret Saberhagen (143 / 677 / 215)
Javier Vazquez (123 / 656 / 225)
Jake Peavy (106 / 635 / 218)
Ismael Valdes (118 / 613 / 228) S
teve Carlton (103 / 586 / 242)
Tom Seaver (104 / 583 / 208)
Andy Benes (108 / 542 / 220)
Jim Nash (103 / 528 / 219)
Bill Gullickson (109 / 510 / 204)

These guys averaged, as 24-year-olds:
15-11, 3.16 ERA, 176 K and 63 BB in 224 IP.
Myers: 13-8, 3.72 ERA, 208 K and 68 BB in 215 IP.

Age considered, his career to date is NOT out of line with some quality ace-level pitchers.