Posts Tagged Johan Santana
Is Spring Training Actually Starting Tomorrow?
Posted by Chris Cwik in Baseball, Fantasy on March 1, 2010
"Time to Nut Up or Shut Up"
Thank goodness, yes! Tomorrow, four MLB teams will see their first game action since early October. For many fans, Spring Training is the first opportunity to start forming opinions about their team. How will ____ fit it with the team? Is ____ going to experience a resurgence? How will ____ recover from last years injury? Is _____ finally ready to break out? Fans of every team ask these questions each year. Take me for example, I would answer the previous questions: Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones or Alex Rios, Jake Peavy, and Tyler Flowers. Each year, however, analysts advise against forming opinions based on Spring Training stats. In some ways, it makes a lot of sense. Players don’t always face the top competition in Spring Training. Often times, context is the key. That said, what can you actually take away from Spring Training?
Zambrano the Ace
Posted by mradenkovich in Baseball on August 10, 2009
When asked what moves I wanted the Cubs to make before the 2009 non-waiver deadline, I said I wanted to DFA all of the Chicago media (Except Bruce Miles).
I’ve commented on my blog enough about Paul Sullivan, but what he said is nowhere near as ignorant as what David Kaplan wrote about today.
“I am so sick of hearing that Carlos Zambrano is the “ace” of the Cubs staff and that he is considered one of the best starters in the baseball. That is such a pile of garbage and it is about time people start to call this guy what he really is, a fraud.”
Wow, before we all go crazy, let’s define the term “ace.” In my eyes, the ace is the best pitcher on a certain staff. The ace is the pitcher you want to have the ball in the toughest situations. So, by my count, there are 30 aces in the league. Sure, Paul Maholm isn’t an “ace” on any other team, but there are teams that have two aces, like the Phillies.
Now, let’s check Zambrano’s resume.
Stats That Interest Only Me
If you own Ricky Nolasco in a fantasy baseball league, you’re probably aware that the highly-touted right-hander brought an ERA of 5.00 into tonight’s start at Philadelphia. While that ERA is disappointing, it obscures the fact that Nolasco has actually pitched quite well over the course of the season. With a strikeout-to-walk ratio over 4.00 and a strikeout per nine-inning rate of over 9.00, Nolasco’s command should not be in question. In fact, since 1901, no pitcher with K/BB and K/9 rates that high had ever qualified for an ERA title with an ERA near Nolasco’s. The worst ERA ever for a pitcher with rates that high was just 3.33, by Johan Santana in 2007. While Nolasco probably won’t be able to bring his ERA down to that level, it’s a pretty good indicator that his fantasy owners, and the ever-so-rare Marlins fan, don’t have too much to worry about with Nolasco down the stretch.
| Worst ERA with K/BB Over 4, K/9 Over 9 Since 1901 |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | ERA | K/BB | SO/9 | Year | Age | Tm |
| 1 Ricky Nolasco | 5.00 | 4.21 | 9.08 | 2009 | 26 | FLA |
| 2 Johan Santana | 3.33 | 4.52 | 9.66 | 2007 | 28 | MIN |
| 3 Justin Verlander | 3.29 | 4.09 | 10.57 | 2009 | 26 | DET |
| 4 Curt Schilling | 3.25 | 4.92 | 10.05 | 1998 | 31 | PHI |
| 5 Javier Vazquez | 3.24 | 4.23 | 9.40 | 2003 | 26 | MON |
| 6 Curt Schilling | 3.23 | 9.58 | 10.97 | 2002 | 35 | ARI |
Thanks, Baseball-Reference.
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