Armas' Arm

Barry writes about Tony Armas today. Armas was one of the key pieces in the trade that sent Pedro Martinez to Boston. When healthy, he's been a solid pitcher, and one full of potential. Unfortunately, he hasn't been healthy. He's failed to reach 100 innings in 4 of his 6 seasons, making only 102 starts in 6 years.

Because of those injuries and the uncertainty surrounding his status, he's sort of an unknown coming into the season and can be a pretty huge factor in how the season ends up. If he lives up to his potential and stays healthy, he's capable of winning 12-16 games and putting up an ERA under 4. That's a pretty big 'if' though.

"His stuff was just so nasty," catcher Brian Schneider said. "Hitters were talking about it. When he's healthy, that's what he's like, and that's what we need -- because we know he can do it."...

"It's almost like you could say, 'This guy is going to win 20 ballgames,' " Robinson said. "That's how good he was. That's the way he was throwing the ball."