Matt Maloney should have been held in higher regard by the Cincinnati Reds.  He should have been held in higher regards around baseball.  In 672.3 minor league innings he struck out 664 batters, with a K/BB of 3.21 a BB/9 of 2.8 and a HR/9 of .7.  Some may say, but Justin perhaps his numbers are inflated by overmatching low minor league hitters, when he was a "polished" college pitcher.  To you I say, he had a K/9 of 8.4 in AAA.  On Maloney's SB player page it says he is supsebtable to the long ball, but even in AAA he only gave up .9 HR/9.

It should also be noted that over the past few seasons Maloney has improved his control.

Maloney has had better minor league numbers than our own Bronson Arroyo, who had a K/9 of 6.9 a K/BB of 2.94 in the minor leagues. 

I've frequantly compared Maloney's minor league numbers to Homer Bailey, but just so you can see them again, in 531 Minor League innings Bailey had a K/9 of 9.1, (only 7.9 in AAA but he was also pitching hurt and that was during his "down period"), a BB/9 of 3.8 and a K/BB of 2.38, and a HR/9 of .6.  So while Bailey has had all the glitz, Maloney has been right there with him, just without the 98MPH fastball.

There are going to be some who think, but Justin we've seen this act before, a "polished lefty who knows how to pitch with good minor league numbers but weak stuff".  So lets look at Sowers who was twice drafted first overall, and was held in high regard by Cleveland.  He like Maloney is stengy with walks with a BB/9 of 2.2, and he allows less HRs at a rate of 0.5/9.  But he only strikes out 6.7/9, and that is inflated by his lower minor league numbers, in AAA his K rate is only 5.7.  So he was a polished pitcher who got by limited stuff by outsmarting raw hitters.  But he doesn't really comp with Maloney.

He actually compares to Aaron Harang's minor leauge numbers.  Harang had a K/9 of 8.1, a BB/9 of 2.4, a K/BB of 3.3, and a HR/9 of .6.  When we got Harang he wasn't exactly a top prospect.  He also gained a little velocity.  In 2002 when Harang was 24 his average fastball was 89.3, and in 2004 it jumped to 90.5.

I wrote this because I honestly think if Maloney stays healthy he could be a mid to top of the staff pitcher.  Tom Glavine prooved that pitching isn't all about throwing a mid-90s fastball.  Most of us are content to think of Maloney as low level pitcher, but I think we have paid more attention to his velocity than his numbers.  Can somebody do a comp of Maloney's minor league numbers, I would like to see who he compares with.  I'm looking at you other Justin.

But as Andro pointed out below Maloney doesn't compare to Glavine either.