Diamondbacks being careful with Scherzer, their latest gem

Max Scherzer still looked impressive at times despite taking the loss in his first big league start. AP Tom Verducci's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Related Links RECAP: Scherzer roughed up by Phillies DONOVAN: Is Max a Scher-thing? SCOUTING REPORT: Breaking down Scherzer

Except for the lack of namesake T-shirts, television commercials, cautions from the general manager about life in the limelight, and New York hype that stops just short of commissioning the Cooperstown plaque now, Max Scherzer is Joba Chamblerlain. Both pitched in the Big 12 Conference, both were drafted in the first round in 2006, both are right handers blessed with upper-90s fastballs they can blow past batters in hitters' counts, both need to be handled with care (with "rules," if you will) because of innings limits, and both generate debate about whether they are best deployed as a starter or reliever. As an Arizona Diamondback, Scherzer, however, can be developed without the hype and the need to be great immediately and to deliver a World Series title to his ballclub.

Scherzer, 23, will get the old-school break-in period, which could mean keeping him away from frequent use and high-leverage spots. "Like [Johan] Santana, [Roy] Oswalt, and [Adam] Wainwright most recently," Arizona GM Josh Byrnes said. "If we're healthy, we might not even have enough innings for Max. He might even be under 100 [innings] for the season."

If you weren't convinced the Diamondbacks are capable of running up 95 wins, the idea that Scherzer, with that golden arm, might not even throw 100 innings for them should leave you doubtless. Scherzer made one of the most impressive relief debuts in major league history last week with 4 1/3 perfect innings against Houston. His first start Monday night ranked as less memorable and much more laborious. He needed a whopping 92 pitches to get 12 outs against Philadelphia while giving up five runs (two earned). Still, he whiffed another five batters, giving him 12 punchouts among the first 37 major-league batters he has faced. The kid has electric stuff.

But if Doug Davis returns as scheduled from his cancer surgery to join Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Micah Owings and Randy Johnson in the rotation, Scherzer will be kicked to the bullpen to pitch middle relief and pick up the occasional spot start. Yes, Arizona is that good. Scherzer tops out at 98 mph on his fastball, throws a wicked mid-80s slider and an 88-mph changeup that moves so much it looks like it's wobbling through turbulence, yet the Diamondbacks might not need him as much as the Yankees need Chamblerlain.

Scherzer is the ninth pitcher to reach the big leagues already from the 2006 draft, following Luke Hochevar (No. 1), Brandon Morrow (5), Andrew Miller (6), Tim Lincecum (10), Ian Kennedy (21), Chamberlain (41), Justin Masterson (71) and Joe Smith (94). Right behind them are Clayton Kershaw (7), Daniel Bard (28) and Jeff Samardzija (149). The Diamondbacks selected Scherzer with the 11th pick, immediately after the Giants took Lincecum, and 30 picks before the Yankees picked Chamberlain. Like most teams, Arizona did not like Chamblerlain in the first round because of ominous medical reports on him.

Likewise, Scherzer scared off some teams. There were minor injuries, such as a finger slammed by a car door and shoulder soreness, a somewhat unique delivery in which he quickly jerks his head downward upon release (suggesting more violence in his arm action than actually exists), and a mindless habit of shaking his arm on the mound as if something were wrong.

"Too much cost for too many questions for some people," Byrnes said. "We went to the Big 12 tournament that year right before the draft to see him. It was just us and two other teams that were on him. I was really surprised."

(The Pirates, picking fourth, passed on Chamblerlain, Scherzer, Kershaw, Morrow, Miller, Lincecum and Kennedy to pick Brad Lincoln, a 5-foot-11 right hander from the University of Houston. The Pirates allowed Lincoln, including his college workload, to throw 151 1/3 innings that year - an alarming jump of almost 50 innings from the previous year - and then sent him to Instructional League to throw some more. He underwent Tommy John surgery a few months later.)

Scherzer struck out more than 11 batters per nine innings in the minors before Arizona promoted him last week. His movement and velocity on his fastball are so good, and his instinct to attack hitters with it so fearless, he fits the profile of a late-inning reliever. But the improvement on his secondary pitchers has been so impressive -- he took some of the anger out of his slider, trading velocity for a bigger break, and refined his changeup --- that Arizona has to find out if he is the most valuable commodity in baseball: a homegrown (i.e., controllable and cheap) front-of-the-rotation starter. It's the same reason why the Yankees have to give Chamberlain a spin this year as a starter.

"I think we have to see if he is a starter of impact," Byrnes said, "and we think he can do that."

Scherzer threw 118 1/3 innings last year. Including 12 2/3 in the Arizona Fall League while being used for one or two innings at a time. That would put Scherzer's innings limit this season at about 150, so you can forget about the kid riding out the rest of the season in the rotation. It's a similar story in New York with Chamberlain, whose bullpen duty now will keep his innings down before a likely midseason transition to the rotation. It was only two years ago that Chamberlain (Nebraska) and Scherzer (Missouri) were getting Big 12 hitters out.

"Sophomore year we matched up against each other in college," Chamblerlain said. "I think we were both undefeated at the time. He pitched nine innings and basically shoved it to us.

"It's a win-win for the Diamondbacks, no matter where they use him. It's definitely a whole different mentality coming out of the bullpen than starting, but he's going to be good no matter what."