According to the ProJo’s Sean McAdam, the Red Sox have decided to give longtime minor leaguer Charlie Zink his first career big league start in lieu of the injured Tim Wakefield this Tuesday.

The big story here is not only the fact that Zink will be turning 29-year-old in a couple of weeks, but the fact that he is, like Wakefield, primarily a knuckleball pitcher. How does Charlie Zink compare to Wake?

There are three big differences:

1. Zink also features a fastball in the mid-80’s, whereas Wakefield’s “fastball” is about 10 MPH slower. Zink reportedly also has a cut fastball (though I can’t seem to find a scouting report which distinguishes his cutter from his usual fastball).
2. Zink does not throw his curveball as often as Wakefield does.
3. Zink’s knuckleball is “major league ready” but not quite as advanced as Wakefield’s.

In a nutshell, you will probably see Zink the fastball more often than Wakefield, and you will see him feature a knuckleball that does not have quite the same drop as Wakefield’s.

How will he fare against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night? If his AAA performance is any indication, he should be able to survive. Zink has been one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues in 2008, boasting a 13-4 record with a 2.89 ERA in 152.1 innings. He is third in the International League in WHIP, ERA, tied for first in wins, and is leading the league in innings pitched.

However, the most amazing of Zink’s statistics is his 43 walks allowed. This translates to an impressive (and reassuring) 2.54 walks per 9 innings. For some perspective, Tim Wakefield’s career BB/9 is 3.47. If anything, this tells us that Zink can at least harness the mysterious and temperamental powers of the knuckleball. The true challenge, in this case, will be keeping the ball from flying out of the park against a lineup which is scoring a league best 5.61 runs per game.

At the very least, Zink’s call-up is a good story, something he will always look back on with a sense of pride. At best, we are seeing the debut of a guy who could be pitching in the major leagues for the next 10+ years.