Ben Hendrickson: not bad at all

Of course, it's the month of feel-good stories and boundless optimism, but even knowing that, it comes as a surprise to see such a story about Ben Hendrickson:

Statistical projection systems don't put much stock in flukes either, which is why Hendrickson still rates as a passable back-of-the-rotation starter.  And as I noticed to my surprise not too long ago: Hendrickson is younger than much-discussed Cubs pitcher Rich Hill, and arguably as good.  This offseason the Cubs treated Hill as somewhat untouchable, while I get the impression that most Brewers fans would trade Hendrickson for the ghost of Dave Nilsson.

It's great that we don't have to rely on Hendrickson to be our #5 starter--that's the sort of thing that kept the fans away in droves in 2004.  But he's an excellent guy to have in the organization as a #8 or #9 starter--after all, as Ned reminds us, he's only one year removed from an MVP-type season in AAA.  

He may not be as exciting as Zach Jackson or Dana Eveland at this point, but imagine if he puts it together again this year--how on earth do you pick a 4th and 5th starter for '07?  That, my friends, is a fantastic problem to have.