It's been at least several weeks since the last time we had an "all-praise Yovani Gallardo" thread. Fortunately, Chris Constancio of The Hardball Times gives us an occasion for another one:
So basically, Gallardo is Carlos Villanueva...but with sick stuff.
As has become the norm, Constancio's article focuses on Gallardo in the context of two other prospects: Homer Bailey and Philip Hughes. Hughes is the one Yankee prospect who is not overrated, and he might be the best of the bunch. Bailey is the guy the Brewers passed over to choose Mark Rogers. The jury, of course, is still out on Rogers, but just imagine if everyone's standard "best three pitching prospects in baseball" had two Brewers on it. Oh well--maybe William Inman will force himself onto that list next year.
Constancio also shares his projections for Gallardo for the next two years. I'd take these with a dollop of salt, as he's projecting 2008 MLB performance from a guy who has only a half-season of Double-A under his belt. But regardless of their accuracy, they're heartwarming. In 2008, Yovani is projected to throw 179 innings of 3.36 ball. In the Major Leagues.
For next year, the projection gives him a 3.66 ERA for 170 IP in Triple-A. Something tells me that, if he's putting up those numbers by the All-Star Break, we won't have to wait until 2008 to find out what he can do in Milwaukee.