“He competes out there.”
—Former D-Rays manager Lou Piniella

"His fastball is his bread and butter."
—All-Star Gary Sheffield

"He's disgustingly consistent."
—D-Rays manager Joe Madden

"He throws that fastball away and then comes back with the slider, and that's what Randy Johnson did."
—Veteran big leaguer Wes Helms

“He’s got great stuff and he knows how to pitch. He’s proved that already. He’s as good as anyone in baseball.”
—Marlins manager Joe Girardi

"I think he's the best pitcher in the AL East right now."
—Teammate Johnny Gomes

"He has an explosive fastball, a hard-breaking ball and we haven't figured him out very well yet."
—Red Sox manager Terry Francona

“He’s hard to compare to anyone else. He’s young and I don’t see a lot of left-handers as good as he is. He throws hard and he throws strikes. He’s up there with the big guys. He’s not afraid of anybody.”
—Teammate Julio Lugo

“He’s unbelievable for his size. Someone described him as lightning in a bottle. That’s pretty much what he is. I guess what I have seen is his ability to harness it. He attacks the strike zone.”
—Teammate Casey Fossum

I’ll tell you what, he can pitch, that kid. He’s young and I’d love to have him. He’s going to be a star for a long time.”
—Veteran pitching coach Sam Perlozzo

“He has everything. The arm is there.”
—Former Mets manager Art Howe

“We envision Scott being here for a long time, and being a leader for a long time.”
—D-Rays executive Andrew Friedman

“Scott Kazmir's big league debut was everything Mets fans had dreamed about since the day he was drafted…Of course, the fact that he was wearing a Tampa Bay Devil Rays jersey made it more of a nightmare.”
—Sportswriter Adam Rubin

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