Major League Rotations In 2011, And How The Nationals Can Compete
by dc Roach on Dec 13, 2011 1:00 PM EST
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The Phillies had the best starting pitching in baseball last year. The Orioles had the worst. Every baseball fan wants to know what it takes to put together a great rotation these days. What does it take, and how good does a pitcher have to be to find a job in the major leagues?
Below is a table showing the ERA and xFIP of every starting rotation in the majors by starting slot. How I came up with these numbers can be seen here. The actual pitchers that make up a slot often differ between the ERA and xFIP columns, and every reader is free to choose which stat to put his or her faith in. Below the table, I will take a look at the best and worst of the rotations in both leagues, before examining how the Nationals rotation compared to the rest of the league in 2011 and how it may expect to compete in 2012.
To ensure that everyone knows how to recognize a good pitcher, here is a picture of Stephen Strasburg, baseball’s best starting pitcher over the past two seasons by some measures (FIP and xFIP, min. 6 IP).
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | |||
| NL East | ERA | 2.82 | 3.39 | 3.76 | 4.08 | 4.81 | xFIP | 3.21 | 3.46 | 3.68 | 3.96 | 4.56 |
| Philadelphia | 2.35 | 2.40 | 2.80 | 3.09 | 3.96 | 2.68 | 2.71 | 3.02 | 3.58 | 4.16 | ||
| Atlanta | 2.95 | 3.23 | 3.63 | 4.02 | 5.05 | 3.19 | 3.40 | 3.56 | 3.65 | 4.45 | ||
| Washington | 2.71 | 3.52 | 3.83 | 4.03 | 4.59 | 3.57 | 3.99 | 4.15 | 4.25 | 4.47 | ||
| NY Mets | 3.03 | 4.12 | 4.44 | 4.57 | 4.78 | 3.35 | 3.73 | 4.04 | 4.48 | 4.58 | ||
| Miami | 3.07 | 3.68 | 4.11 | 4.71 | 5.65 | 3.25 | 3.49 | 3.61 | 3.82 | 5.14 | ||
| . | ||||||||||||
| NL Central | ERA | 3.29 | 3.84 | 4.20 | 4.57 | 5.44 | xFIP | 3.42 | 3.64 | 4.00 | 4.28 | 4.59 |
| Milwaukee | 3.52 | 3.54 | 3.68 | 3.82 | 4.38 | 2.64 | 3.23 | 3.85 | 4.04 | 4.45 | ||
| St Louis | 3.37 | 3.45 | 3.55 | 3.90 | 4.66 | 3.27 | 3.31 | 3.93 | 4.06 | 4.26 | ||
| Cincinnati | 2.68 | 4.04 | 4.70 | 5.05 | 5.74 | 3.65 | 3.82 | 4.01 | 4.35 | 4.65 | ||
| Pittsburgh | 3.43 | 3.73 | 3.99 | 4.45 | 5.94 | 4.00 | 4.04 | 4.15 | 4.41 | 4.92 | ||
| Chi Cubs | 3.27 | 4.50 | 4.81 | 4.90 | 6.09 | 3.21 | 3.70 | 4.30 | 4.43 | 4.56 | ||
| Houston | 3.49 | 3.79 | 4.46 | 5.29 | 5.85 | 3.72 | 3.73 | 3.77 | 4.37 | 4.70 | ||
| . | ||||||||||||
| NL West | ERA | 2.90 | 3.30 | 3.63 | 3.96 | 5.21 | xFIP | 3.25 | 3.63 | 3.95 | 4.21 | 4.62 |
| Arizona | 2.79 | 3.37 | 3.51 | 3.69 | 5.59 | 3.50 | 3.78 | 4.17 | 4.36 | 4.79 | ||
| San Francisco | 2.71 | 2.75 | 2.90 | 3.24 | 5.01 | 3.10 | 3.35 | 3.75 | 3.85 | 4.70 | ||
| Los Angeles | 2.28 | 3.04 | 3.66 | 4.04 | 4.24 | 2.84 | 3.65 | 3.81 | 4.08 | 4.33 | ||
| Colorado | 3.59 | 3.90 | 4.47 | 5.12 | 7.01 | 3.54 | 3.76 | 4.06 | 4.55 | 4.86 | ||
| San Diego | 3.14 | 3.43 | 3.60 | 3.72 | 4.18 | 3.25 | 3.62 | 3.98 | 4.22 | 4.40 | ||
| . | ||||||||||||
| NL Average | ERA | 3.02 | 3.53 | 3.88 | 4.23 | 5.17 | 3.30 | 3.58 | 3.89 | 4.16 | 4.59 | |
| . | ||||||||||||
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | |||
| AL East | ERA | 3.19 | 3.72 | 4.21 | 4.82 | 6.17 | xFIP | 3.48 | 3.71 | 4.09 | 4.52 | 4.97 |
| NY Yankees | 3.00 | 3.62 | 3.80 | 4.57 | 5.47 | 3.02 | 3.60 | 3.90 | 4.21 | 4.88 | ||
| Tampa Bay | 2.82 | 2.92 | 3.47 | 3.88 | 4.57 | 3.21 | 3.32 | 3.71 | 4.62 | 4.84 | ||
| Boston | 2.86 | 3.43 | 4.08 | 5.30 | 6.57 | 3.58 | 3.62 | 4.36 | 4.74 | 5.13 | ||
| Toronto | 2.92 | 4.00 | 4.72 | 4.96 | 6.31 | 3.48 | 3.69 | 4.01 | 4.51 | 4.93 | ||
| Baltimore | 4.33 | 4.65 | 4.99 | 5.37 | 7.91 | 4.11 | 4.30 | 4.47 | 4.52 | 5.08 | ||
| . | ||||||||||||
| AL Central | ERA | 3.21 | 4.03 | 4.48 | 4.89 | 5.83 | xFIP | 3.55 | 3.86 | 4.05 | 4.25 | 4.68 |
| Detroit | 2.21 | 3.61 | 4.46 | 4.78 | 5.66 | 3.00 | 3.48 | 3.89 | 4.31 | 4.94 | ||
| Cleveland | 3.21 | 4.11 | 4.48 | 5.06 | 5.84 | 3.64 | 3.94 | 4.05 | 4.14 | 4.57 | ||
| Chi White Sox | 3.52 | 3.76 | 4.14 | 4.36 | 5.10 | 3.53 | 3.68 | 3.77 | 3.85 | 4.12 | ||
| Kansas City | 3.59 | 4.35 | 4.73 | 5.15 | 6.85 | 3.85 | 4.13 | 4.35 | 4.56 | 5.12 | ||
| Minnesota | 3.54 | 4.31 | 4.58 | 5.12 | 5.68 | 3.71 | 4.08 | 4.20 | 4.38 | 4.64 | ||
| . | ||||||||||||
| AL West | ERA | 2.94 | 3.31 | 3.52 | 4.16 | 5.22 | xFIP | 3.31 | 3.68 | 3.84 | 4.11 | 4.69 |
| Texas | 2.94 | 3.36 | 3.55 | 3.96 | 4.52 | 3.41 | 3.74 | 3.84 | 3.94 | 4.11 | ||
| Anaheim | 2.41 | 3.15 | 3.36 | 4.38 | 5.85 | 3.29 | 3.77 | 3.92 | 4.27 | 5.07 | ||
| Oakland | 3.04 | 3.26 | 3.47 | 4.07 | 4.58 | 3.38 | 3.69 | 3.78 | 3.90 | 4.89 | ||
| Seattle | 3.37 | 3.47 | 3.69 | 4.22 | 5.91 | 3.15 | 3.51 | 3.83 | 4.33 | 4.67 | ||
| . | ||||||||||||
| AL Average | ERA | 3.13 | 3.71 | 4.11 | 4.66 | 5.77 | xFIP | 3.45 | 3.75 | 4.01 | 4.31 | 4.79 |
Bolded numbers show league leaders. Order of teams reflects final regular season standings. Each starting slot represents 32 games, except for the #5 starter's slot, which represents 34 games (33 games for Dodgers & Nats). For the 2010 xFIP numbers for the NL, click here.
The Good, the Bad and the Orioles
As expected, the Philadelphia Phillies compare well to the rest of the National League. While their #1 starters (Halladay in ERA, Lee in xFIP) were eclipsed by Kershaw and Greinke respectively, the Phillies rotation is by far the deepest in the majors. It is worth noting that Zach Greinke was tops in the league by xFIP, but only a #4 starter on his team by ERA.
The NL East and NL West both had a lot of good pitching last year, with a good number of very deep rotations. As usual, the NL Central didn’t seem to bother with pitching really well. Worst #1 slot in the league – the
Over on the American League side, no single rotation dominated. The Tampa Bay Rays had a strong middle of the rotation, but
The biggest surprise over in the
The Nationals and the Future of their Rotation
The Nationals #1 starter slot put up a gaudy 2.71 ERA, tied with the Giants for 4th in the NL. That’s impressive, but on the other hand the Nats #1 starters by xFIP ranked 13th in the NL with 3.57 xFIP. Was the Nationals rotation in 2011 good, or not? In terms of ERA, every pitching slot in the Nationals rotation was league average or better. In terms of xFIP, every slot except the #5 slot was decidedly below average.
Since the Nationals have not changed the rotation so far this offseason, how much hope for improvement is there really in 2012?
Stephen Strasburg, the hope of the Nationals. If he stays healthy in 2012, he could make the Nats #1 slot one of the best in the league. His career ERA of 2.54 and his career xFIP of 2.14 are terrific. A healthy Strasburg should be able to put up a solid 25 starts before he hits his innings limit in 2012, which could be enough to really shake up this rotation for the better.
Jordan Zimmermann put up a 3.18 ERA and a 3.78 xFIP as he anchored the rotation in 2011, his first season back from Tommy John surgery. If he can repeat that in 2012, much less improve on it, he could make the Nats #2 slot one of the best in the NL.
John Lannan put up the best numbers of his four year career in 2011. His 3.70 ERA was good enough to make the #3 slot in the Nationals rotation. Considering that his career xFIP is 0.45 higher than his career ERA, it is not surprising that he slotted in as a #4 starter on the xFIP side. If Lannan can outperform his xFIP again in 2012, he may be able to produce another sub 4.00 ERA season and contribute to a strong and deep rotation.
Chien-Ming Wang is another Nationals pitcher returning from injury. In 11 starts coming off rehab, he put up a 4.04 ERA and a 4.17 xFIP. If he can improve on those numbers in 2012 and stay healthy, he could make the middle of the Nats rotation better than ever.
Until further notice, the last slot in the Nationals rotation belongs to Ross Detwiler. Detwiler may have enjoyed a bit of luck last year, as he put up a 3.00 ERA in 10 starts, while posting an xFIP of 4.08. What is encouraging is that his career xFIP prior to 2011 had been much closer to 5 than 4, so there is every indication that he really did make some real improvements last year. No one knows what to expect when Ross Detwiler takes the mound in 2012, but if he can sustain anything close to the production he showed last fall, it could be the start of something beautiful.
Whatever happens, the Nationals rotation will have to continue to defy expectations to win. Two of their pitchers are coming back from injury. Only one of their pitchers has an xFIP that would be comfortable showing its face in the top half of a winning rotation. For all those reservations, the Nats rotation was pretty decent in 2011, and promises to be even better in 2012.
Free Agents and Trade Targets
With C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle off the market, the opportunities for the Nats to improve their rotation via free agency have certainly thinned. The big names left now are pitchers like Yu Darvish and Roy Oswalt. The one is young Japanese pitcher who potentially could out-produce Zimmermann. The other is an old veteran whose best days are behind him. For all his years, Oswalt would almost certainly still slide into the Nats rotation in the #3 slot, ahead of Lannan and Wang. Yu Darvish has a very high ceiling, but since he has never faced major league batters, it is impossible to predict exactly how effective he would be, or how he would affect the Nationals rotation. Sources predict, however, that he would likely be better than Lannan in any case, and young to boot.
One potential candidate that the Nationals have been linked to in the trade market is
If the Nationals add another quality pitcher to their staff, it would open the door to trading away one of their younger arms, perhaps Lannan or Detwiler. John Lannan would, by ERA, have been welcomed by no less than six NL teams last year as their #2 starter, and would be welcome as a back of the rotation innings eater on any number of teams. Detwiler is more of an unknown quantity, but for many teams he would be a low-risk gamble with a lot of upside for their rotation. The Nationals also control Tom Gorzelanny, who was relegated to the bullpen during the 2011 season, but prefers to start. With an ERA and xFIP of 4.03 in 2011, Gorzelanny could have value as a starter to a number of teams.
The Low Down
Every one of the starting pitchers the Nationals have or are targeting for their rotation has the ability to produce an ERA below 4.00. If the Nationals manage to do that, they will pull off something only the Phillies managed this year. The 2012 Nationals rotation may never be able to put up the gaudy numbers the Phillies do, but they should certainly be able to be competitive day in and day out. If they do that, this team has a real chance to be a winning team.
• All data was originally acquired via fangraphs.com, but has since been tortured and squeezed through formulas for the benefit of the viewing public.
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Of the few Orioles games I watched last year, I concluded that Jeremy Guthrie is one of the worst pitchers I have ever seen… Every start was a roller coaster ride, and Showalter just kept him out there inning after inning.
by RossingtonCollins on Dec 13, 2011 1:24 PM EST reply actions
Matt Cain mocks your xFIP
John Lannan tries to cozy up next to Cain and mock with him, but is quickly rebuffed.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
The guy no one seems to be mentioning
Edwin Jackson, I know, I know, he’s been traded a bunch of times, but if you compare his 2011 stats with Mark Buerhle’s and CJ Wilson’s he compares pretty favorably. Last year Jackson put up and ERA of 3.79 and an xFIP of 3.73, compared to Buerhle’s 3.59 and 4.14 and Wilson’s 2.94 and 3.41. Wilson’s numbers do stand as the best until you consider the fact that he’s only been starting for two years and was somewhat of a meh reliever before that. The thing is Jackson has proved to be very durable, even when he hasn’t lived up to expectations, but more importantly while both Buerhle and Wilson are over 30, Jackson just turned 28 and should be coming in to his prime. I wonder why we haven’t heard more about Jackson, but also if the Nats might potentially be interested.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
someone correct me, but I seem to remember Rizzo specifically dismissing him
my guess, it’s because he falls more into the Wang/Lannan side of production than the Buehrle/Oswalt side, which seems to be the bare minimum to pique Rizzo’s interest at this point.
Funny thing is
His numbers last year were better than Buerhle’s and he’s been just as durable.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
I admit
I still don’t see what the big deal is about Buehrle :)
yep, if I remember correctly, Jackson has been better than Buehrle for three years running in terms of fWAR at least
Rizzo on Edwin Jackson via Peter Gammons:
“A lot of times people like to guess. I think agents like to throw it out there. For instance, one of the things I found curious of this whole notion if the White Sox can get Edwin Jackson from Arizona, then they can get Adam Dunn from Washington. It never made any sense to me. I think that is very agent-driven, in that the same people I see writing about this get it from the same place. I know that I talked to [Nationals GM] Mike Rizzo, and he said, I don’t want Edwin Jackson, he makes $8 million next season and he has a 5.00 ERA. He said, "I have four pitchers I know are going to be in my rotation next year, why would I spend $8 million on a fifth starter and trade Adam Dunn, who I might be able to sign. It just doesn’t make sense, but it gets thrown out there a lot.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Dec 13, 2011 10:59 PM EST up reply actions
Too late Rizzo
The common wisdom has decided that you agreed to the deal and the reneged, infuriating the White Sox. It doesn’t matter what actually happened, the internet hath spoken and history she is writ.
One more thing...
Speaking of harry chested bats off the bench, Luke Scott was non-tendered and I’d like to get that rumor started immediately.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
Scott's not a clubhouse cancer
by all accounts, teammates have loved him. he’s just bat-guano crazy and a hyper-conservative.
also, coming off SLAP surgery and plays designated hitter.
Your voice of doom and gloom. Read more at natsnewsnetwork.blogspot.com
"Nobody’s got a monopoly on good writing, or the facts. If you can come up with one or the other or (ideally) both, you’re in the club." --Rob Neyer, Feb. 2, 2011
by Dave at District Sports Page on Dec 13, 2011 2:23 PM EST up reply actions
and not one of those shifty Canadians, with their beady little eyes.
"If you ain't got the pants, you ain't got a chance." --PerryMason (on the sartorial component of being a Real Ballplayer)
by Doghouse on Dec 13, 2011 3:01 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
My only regret
Is that I can’t rec this twice.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
bat-guano crazy & a hyper-conservative
Isn’t that a redundancy? (ducks)
"Things are going great, and they're only gettin' better..." Timbuk3
Bat-Guano makes good fertilizer, right!
Let’s face it even the liberals are conservative here in DC. I’ve been to Portland, Oregon that’s where real liberals live…granola crispy liberals !
Wikipedia "The nest of the Peruvian Booby is made of guano."
Right there on the right on the wiki site. No nasties given just pure fact.
Seriously?
I guess if you call a career .360 wOBA a bad bat.
He’s not at all a clubhouse cancer, just uber-conservative and unabashed about his opinions.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
Do Not Want
So my dilemma is should I say do not want because of shoulder problems and surgery last July OR because evidently uber-conservative now means crazy birther ranter? BOTH!
by FreddieBallgame on Dec 13, 2011 3:43 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I'll take crazy
Just as long as he can hit. Shoulder problems do concern me, but capitalists usually work harder than communists, not that I would pass up a commie that could hit either.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
Signing Scott
would go a long way towards reverting me to a Reds fan.
Rob
--"Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." -- Mal Reynolds
Because Scott is worse than Marge Schott?
An affront to the Supreme Leader is apparently an affront to us all…Who cares what his politics are if he can hit?
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
I do.
And it’s not just politics. There are lots of players that do not share my political views (I’d ever guess that a large majority of them do). But none are so blatantly disrespectful, none are so borderline racist, and none are so stupid as to publicly express their crazy notions.
Rob
--"Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." -- Mal Reynolds
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Saying that Obama wasn’t born in America isn’t necessarily racist—sure it could be motivated by that—but it could also be motivated by a lot of other things such as his politics or the belief that he actually was born in another country. It’s also not really all that disrespectful if it’s not true, for example if someone else accused me of being born in another country, I would probably just laugh at them and move on, not get offended. Still Marge Schott, who owned the Reds, was actually a bona fide racist, not borderline, but actually racist.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
Yeah, but she's long dead.
Rob
--"Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." -- Mal Reynolds
So you're saying you weren't a Reds fan for all the years she owned the team?
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
I was, in SPITE of her
I was a fan of the team, not the owner.
Rob
--"Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." -- Mal Reynolds
As an American Indian
I cannot believe that that team is allowed to exist, how can fans of the Washington football team continue to purchase merchandise and support a team whose mascot is a racial slur?
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
by Pig.Pen on Dec 15, 2011 8:31 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Hmmm
Saying that Obama wasn’t born in America isn’t necessarily racist—sure it could be motivated by that—but it could also be motivated by a lot of other things such as his politics or the belief that he actually was born in another country. It’s also not really all that disrespectful if it’s not true, for example if someone else accused me of being born in another country, I would probably just laugh at them and move on, not get offended
Of course you would laugh it off, because where you were born doesn’t really affect your life or work. The Birther lie isn’t used so much to disrespect, it’s to undermine the legitimacy of a President the Birther doesn’t like. It is often used to try to make the President an “other” or “un-American” as a dog whistle to racists even when the person espousing the view isn’t a racist, merely instead a cynical opportunist. And to continue to believe the Birther lie at this point in time really takes such a staggering level of wilful self-delusion that I actually appreciate it when someone endorses the Birther lie, because it identifies the lunatics.* For a sports team that I like to willingly take on a lunatic does make it harder to root for that team.
*Again, lunacy confines itself to no political party or wing; you could substitute 9/11 Truther for Birther throughout this and I’d be just as much on board.
by d_c_guy on Dec 13, 2011 6:23 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
...what he said.
Rob
--"Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." -- Mal Reynolds
by RobBobS on Dec 13, 2011 6:39 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
rec'd
and thus ends the political/current events portion of our program…
Brain: "Pinky, are you pondering what i'm pondering?"
Pinky: "Yes, ... wait, ... no, ... never mind"
by jbg2772 on Dec 13, 2011 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Yes, end it.
This is a baseball blog—there are plenty of other places on the net for discussing politics.
"If you ain't got the pants, you ain't got a chance." --PerryMason (on the sartorial component of being a Real Ballplayer)
by Doghouse on Dec 13, 2011 6:55 PM EST up reply actions 8 recs
[green'd]
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Dec 13, 2011 7:20 PM EST up reply actions
Daevizhll'd
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
by cat daddy3000 on Dec 13, 2011 7:41 PM EST up reply actions
While I am all for dropping this particular discussion,
I would like to point out that this narrative has its roots in how personality can affect baseball in general and the Nats in particular. In this case, the (IMO offensive) personality manifests itself in a political sense; but that offensiveness can take many forms. Take Nyjer Morgan, for example…
Rob
--"Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." -- Mal Reynolds
I don't want Scott...
because of his .220/.301/.402 line with 9 HR last year. But if will come cheap and can find his former power, he could be a decent PH option off the bench.
MiLB deal with spring training invite would be my recommendation.
We Aim to Maim - JoseRijo es mi Amigo aka court
Capitalists? Communists? Wahr? (not to be confused with WAR)
Scott’s a birther; that has nothing to do with capitalism or communism.
Maybe they can sign him and Cespedes,
so that he can throw banana chips at Cespedes, who will hopefully respond by beating the ever-living crap out of Scott [vomit]™ .
Rob
--"Well my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." -- Mal Reynolds
I find his birther views risable and indicative of a naive mind overly soaked in conspiracy theories
And before you get too excited, I feel the same way about 9/11 Truthers. That said, that wouldn’t keep me from rooting for a team that he happened to be on (although I would happily reserve the right to mock the player for his views). As for clubhouse cancer, it’s extremely rare for a player to publicly call out a foofnarfeling idiot on his own team – but it’s hard to give the benefit of a doubt to someone who calls a fellow teammate of a different hue a “savage” and throws banana chips at him to remind him not to act like “an animal” or “a savage.” I’ve just been getting used to having a team with no head cases on it to root for, I don’t want to have the Nationals import Baltimore’s.
Which isn’t going to happen anyway. Scott’s bad bat was in 2011, when he put up a ringing .220/.301/.402 slash. His bad glove he brings with him all the time, as exhibited both by B-R and fangraphs (and the Mark I Eyeball). He has no footspeed to go with his lousy glove. So to recap: lousy glove, no footspeed, questionable attitude, questionable bat. Even if you assume, arguendo, that his bat returns to form, he’s a DH at best and this is an NL team.
Do not want.
Just to be clear
I’ve just been getting used to having a team with no head cases on it to root for
It’s the team I root for, not the head cases. Otherwise I’d be happy to bring in Scott and bring back Morgan, Dukes, etc. Which I’m not. So Rizzo, just don’t. KTHXBYE.
Great stuff
While Yu would be my first choice, I wouldn’t mind Oswalt. I don’t see Jackson as much of an upgrade over Wang/Lannan/Detwiler. Saunders is even worse. While the team needs an innings eater, they need to improve the quality of the rotation even more.
Gio would be nice, but I fear what we’d have to give up. I think any ill effects of moving out of Oakland’s stadium would be more than made up for by switching to the NL.
We Aim to Maim - JoseRijo es mi Amigo aka court
Jackson is much better than John Lannan
And he offers something CMW does not, durability. I do agree that Detwiler is/will be better though and that they need to upgrade the overall rotation.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
Darvish tries to mess with the system..
If the posting fee comes in at a high number, a source close to the pitcher said, he will be far less likely to settle on a contract he believes fair. Darvish already believes the posting system to be an unfair fashion for the transference of players between Japan and MLB. The higher the fee, the less teams will be willing to spend to secure his services.
Team officials apprised of Darvish’s tack wonder if it’s a bluff to drive down the posting bids and maximize his contract value. Still, winning Darvish and being unable to sign him would be a massive disappointment to any team.
The source said Darvish’s preference is to play for a team on the West Coast, and one source pegged the Mariners as a darkhorse candidate, especially if they worry the price for Fielder will become prohibitive.
I don't know that he's just trying to mess with the system
If I was a player in Japan, this is the type of thing that I would take a principled stand over. The posting system is great for NBL owners, but is awful for the players whose initial contracts are driven down by the posting fees.
Ross Detwiler will have a breakout year...Believe It!...and I'm serious this time!
Daevizhll
"player development" should not be gladiator games. by cat daddy3000 on Aug 6, 2011
by MissB on Dec 13, 2011 3:01 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
My phone does not respond well to curses
And taunts…gets the better of me every time.
Hate that.
"player development" should not be gladiator games. by cat daddy3000 on Aug 6, 2011
by MissB on Dec 13, 2011 3:07 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Aghhhhh...Darvish has commented before about
his dislike for the posting system (what’s to like unless you are the pozting team?). He’s considered waiting until he’s a free agent, but that’s 2 years down the road…makes for a late MLB start.
"player development" should not be gladiator games. by cat daddy3000 on Aug 6, 2011
by MissB on Dec 13, 2011 3:06 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Of course, the "source close to the pitcher" may also be working for the Mariners
“Bidding high is BAD! Oh, and you East Coast teams needn’t bother applying … "
Difference between averaged ERA vs xFip
Nice Job. I averaged the ERA and xFip and the subtracted the ERA from xfip. Then rank the teams.
Top 5 team Avg xFip is higher than ERA:
San Francisco 0.428, Tampa Bay 0.408, Washington 0.35, Arizona 0.33, Philadelphia 0.31
3 out of 5 went to the Playoffs
4 out of 5 finished in 1st or 2nd Place
Top 5 team Avg xFip is lower than ERA:
Baltimore -0.954, Chi Cubs -0.674, Colorado -0.664, Kansas City -0.532, Houston -0.518
5 out of 5 finished in last or 2nd to last place
Which group do you want your team in? I know the 1st group has better defense.
I'm back Mr. Wilson, yes it's me Dennis!
Let’s look at Park and defense neutral stats (Both Stras and JZimmn did the best on the staff when measured by these while Lannan did the worst):
Phillies Rotation: xIP: 1069.3, xRR -14.0 tRA 2.90 pRAA 166.4
Phillies Bullpen: xIP: 414.9, xRR 13.4, tRA 4.00, pRAA -3.2
Braves Rotation: xIP 955.4, xRR 11.9, tRA 4.09, pRAA 22.1
Braves Bullpen: xIP 519.5, xRR 9.9, tRA 3.34, pRAA 33.9
Nationals Rotation: xIP 921.6, xRR 21.8, tRA 4.52, pRAA -22.8
Nationals Bullpen: xIP 517.6, xRR 22.2, tRA 3.90, pRAA 1.9
Marlins Rotation: xIP 958.2, xRR -27.2, tRA 4.31, pRAA -1.4
Marlins Bullpen: xIP 514.2, xRR -1.6, tRA 3.75, pRAA 10.1
Mets Rotation: xIP 991.3, xRR -8.2, tRA 4.36, pRAA -6.6
Mets Bullpen xIP 494.1, xRR -35.0, tRA 3.97, pRAA -2.2
This actually shows that the Nats (xRR) were better defensively or had a Park that
favored defense. Riggleman and Rizzo should be proud. But it also shows the
wide disparity or gap that the Phillie’s starting pitching has over everyone else in the
division (pRAA). In toto the Nats had a negative PRAA while the Phillies and Braves had positives. Both made it to the playoffs.
Can Strasburg, Zimmermann and 200 ip pitcher X narrow that gap? I think it would take a Grienke but I suspect that Oswalt might just do.
Bring on The Rabbit!
Nats get Oswalt, Nats in playoffs!
As Dave from Nats News says,
“Write it down!”.
old friends...
“Tigres del Licey Ravelo: “Preston Wilson y Elijah Dukes están haciendo un tryout. Dukes está en muchas mejores condiciones que Wilson para ayudar al Licey” vía @druft1"
“Licey Tigers Ravelo: “Preston Wilson and Elijah Dukes are doing a tryout. Dukes is in much better shape than Wilson to help Licey” via @ druft1"
Fernando Ravelo announced that Wil Nieves receiver is already in the country. Replaces Tim Federowicz. via @ druft1
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
thanks, never got a chance to listen to that...
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
by cat daddy3000 on Dec 13, 2011 8:57 PM EST up reply actions
did they quick-pitch Wil before his walkup music ended?.....I see a baseball hitting under the overhang at 12 secs...
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
by cat daddy3000 on Dec 13, 2011 9:16 PM EST up reply actions
with two outs and the bases full of Venezuelan AllStars, Jesus Flores knocks in 2 with a hard grounder to LF...
Venezuelan AllStars 3, Dominican AllStars 0 in the middle innings…
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
Jesus rakes!!
(and is teh clutch)
"If you ain't got the pants, you ain't got a chance." --PerryMason (on the sartorial component of being a Real Ballplayer)
by Doghouse on Dec 13, 2011 9:37 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
+ clutch!!!
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
by cat daddy3000 on Dec 13, 2011 9:48 PM EST up reply actions
Venezuela wins El Juego de las Estrellas 4-0........Jesus Flores 2 RBIs...
Las Estrellas Del Magallanes…
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
by cat daddy3000 on Dec 13, 2011 11:15 PM EST up reply actions
congrats to him (and them)!
boy, I sure hope he picks it up in the majors this year, even if he doesn’t stay a Nat forever
I think it will be an interesting Spring Training next year...
"Even when I retire and live here in Houston, I don't want to go watch American League baseball." Lance Berkman......LBIMH...
by cat daddy3000 on Dec 13, 2011 11:44 PM EST up reply actions
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