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Sunday, May 31, 2009 |
Bullet Points On A Morning Fit For Assassinations
- The Angels' bullpen 6.01 ERA continues to be the worst in the league. It is the worst bullpen in franchise history as measured by ERA, the worst previously being the 1994 arson squad; the five worst were
Year ERA ========== 1994 5.47 1979 4.99 1983 4.19 1992 3.96 1998 3.91
That 1994 bullpen was "anchored", if you can call it that, by one Joe Grahe, a general disaster of a pitcher whose career 1.12 K/BB ratio tells you all you need to know about him. In 1993, he seemed to make a breakthrough and had a 4-1 season with a 2.86 ERA. Grahe got his ERA under 3.00 once in '94 — following an April 10 win over the Brewers — but that was it as far as his prowess was concerned, and he almost immediately thereafter turned into dust. Mark Leiter turned in a fairly typical season for him, with a 4.72 ERA and a 103 ERA+. The only significantly above-average relief pitcher on the staff was Bob Patterson, an offseason free-agent signing who panned out with a 4.07 ERA and a 119 ERA+.As it stands now, the 2009 squad has only two relievers with above-average ERA+ numbers, Darren Oliver (pitching out of his mind with a 235 ERA+) and Rich Thompson (173 ERA+ in only 3.1 IP).
- I hate, hate, hate it when teams do things to screw their pitchers, and the foul ground box seats are a good example of that.
- When does the accountability start? Everybody's wondering when Howie Kendrick will either pick it up or get sent to AAA, but has anybody bothered to ask whether Lackey's hiding an injury? And is Kelvim Escobar going to be the answer to anything at all? And if he is, given how bad the bullpen is, why is he being considered for the rotation? Shouldn't he be in the bullpen, and maybe even anointed closer?
- Brandon Wood, Sean Rodriguez, or Maicer Izturis: discuss:
"[Sean Rodriguez has] really picked it up," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's someone we're paying a lot of attention to. The way he's driving the ball, playing all-around, has been very impressive. [Salt Lake Manager] Bobby Mitchell can't say enough good things about how well he's playing."
You mean, guys who have plate discipline and know how to take a damn walk can get pitches to hit? You think? - Imagining the 2010 Angels outfield is a positively depressing exercise, isn't it? Torii Hunter, Reggie Willits, and Terry Evans. What's gonna be available on the free agency market isn't that inspiring, either.
Update: Yes, I should have included Juan Rivera here. But even then, yuck.
Labels: angels
Comments:
I'm pretty sure Juan Rivera will be a starting OF in 2010. And while I have nothing against Sean Rodriguez - indeed, I would very much like to see him get a shot, what with Kendrick's struggles - the favorable comments about his plate discipline make me ask, once again, what about Brandon Wood?
In 32 games, Wood has 15 BB against 25 Ks. In 48 games (i.e., 50% more playing time), Rodriguez has 19 walks against 56 Ks. Wood's sporting a .382 OBP, for goodness sake. Why not both of them - Wood at short, Rodriguez at second?
In 32 games, Wood has 15 BB against 25 Ks. In 48 games (i.e., 50% more playing time), Rodriguez has 19 walks against 56 Ks. Wood's sporting a .382 OBP, for goodness sake. Why not both of them - Wood at short, Rodriguez at second?
You're right, I missed Juan, who just doesn't seem to figure in my calculations. I don't think he'll be worth much this year, and next year I imagine he'll be a nonentity.
Can you explain a bit more about why you consider Rivera a nonentity? We know he's a second-half hitter. Given that, I'd think you'd be more than satisfied with his contribution through May. His power is coming on, and it's hard to fault his defense. In fact, he's one of the bright spots on the team.
The Angel outfield has not been our problem. If you play around on FanGraphs, you'll find that they are in MLB top third in a majority of metrics.
It's our bullpen, the worst in all of baseball, and has a RE24 more than 32 runs below average. Those 32 runs are the difference between the Angels being a first place team and a .500 team.
The Angel outfield has not been our problem. If you play around on FanGraphs, you'll find that they are in MLB top third in a majority of metrics.
It's our bullpen, the worst in all of baseball, and has a RE24 more than 32 runs below average. Those 32 runs are the difference between the Angels being a first place team and a .500 team.
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