Morning Coffee with Mark Whelan: What happens to Hahn and Despaigne when Cashner Returns?

June 24, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Jesse Hahn (45) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Jesse Hahn – The 24-year old has been one of the most exciting players for fans to watch since his early June call-up, putting up an impressive 2.34 ERA in his first half dozen games. But Hahn has very limited professional experience. He was pitching in A ball last year, and only threw eight games at AA this year before being called up to spot start as an injury replacement. His success has earned him continued starts, and he’s continued to shine, but the issue of an innings limit is going to arise before long.

Hahn threw only 69 innings last year, and 52 the year before. He’s already at 72 this year, and there’s been talk of a 110 inning limit. That might mean only another 6-7 starts, enough to bring us into mid-August. And that’s not even considering the possibility of regression as he becomes better known around the league. Not a lot of pitchers succeed in the majors after only 120 IP in the farm system. Hahn could easily end up back at AA or AAA before the year is up. He’s almost certain not to be in the rotation at the end of the year.