Patrick Corbin proving to be another D-back with a bright future
Apr 19, 2013, 8:41 PM | Updated: 9:07 pm
In his first game, Patrick Corbin shut down the Milwaukee Brewers over six innings in a 9-2 Diamondbacks win. He followed that up by outdueling Clayton Kershaw by throwing six shutout innings in a 3-0 D-backs win. And Thursday, with his team on the verge of being swept by the New York Yankees, Arizona’s 23-year-old lefty threw a gem, tossing seven sensational innings while giving up only one run on two hits in what turned out to be a Diamondbacks victory in extra innings.
In three starts, Corbin is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.42. This after he broke into the major leagues last year and went 6-8 with a 4.54 ERA over 17 starts. That Corbin is off to a great start and contributing this early in his D-backs career is no surprise; then-interim general manager Jerry DiPoto expected such when he pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Dan Haren to the Angels for Joe Saunders, Tyler Skaggs, Rafael Rodriguez and Corbin.
“We believed he had the ceiling to develop into a mid-rotation three,four type starter,” Dipoto said.
And while Saunders was the major league-ready pitcher they wanted back, and Skaggs the top prospect in the deal, Corbin wasn’t a throw in.
“No, he was in the discussion from the very beginning,” he added.
This year, Corbin is pitching ahead in the count and has better command of his secondary pitches, and that is allowing him to flat out dominate early in the season. Just how good Corbin can be is still unknown, but clearly the start he is off to this year further cements that trade as a great one of Arizona and gives the D-backs another young player with a bright future.
