By: Brian Pulsifer
When you think about what defines a major league pitcher as
having value, there are several things that come to mind. Topping the list is total number of wins,
strikeouts, and of course, earned run average (E.R.A.), however only one of
these is an accurate illustration of a pitcher’s overall strength and
value. Let me explain: The number of
wins a pitcher gets for his team can be misleading, dependent on his teammates
run support during each of his outings.
The number of strikeouts that a pitcher throws can be a bit of a flashy
stat, as an out is an out. When it comes
down to it, E.R.A. is the primary element that determines a pitcher’s value to
his team. It cancels out the defensive
troubles a team may have, as well as the offense (or lack thereof) that a
pitcher may have backing him. In the
end, the E.R.A. that a pitcher posts is the truest measure of his success for that
season, and best reflects his overall value.
Over the last 2 complete seasons (excluding the current 2012
season), there have been exactly 10 pitchers in the MLB who have finished the
season in the top 25 in E.R.A. The
challenge that I have for all readers right now is to list those 10 pitchers
without scrolling down to find the answers. Being able to name even 7 of these pitchers is
an impressive feat, and getting 8 or more is phenomenal. Go ahead and try to make a list right now…
Now that you have created your list, cross off Verlander and
Lincecum, as neither of those are correct, and see how many you can get with
the 8 names that you still have left remaining.
The complete list consists of a lot of the superstars that you probably
would have guessed. This group includes
pitchers such as Doc Halladay, C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Jered Weaver, Cole
Hamels, Matt Cain, and Clayton Kershaw.
It’s not surprising that everyone on this list makes at least 14 million
dollars a season, (excluding Kershaw, his money is coming later in his
contract) as these players are well known throughout the majors.
Now on to the more surprising pitchers on the list, if you
had any of these, you know what you are talking about. Tim Hudson may not be a name that is shocking,
but also isn’t one that immediately comes to mind. Tim Hudson may not be considered a superstar,
although he was at one point in his career, but his current salary of 9 million
dollars shows that he is still being paid well.
The two names remaining, and the two players who are undoubtedly the
most undervalued pitchers in major league baseball right now, are R.A. Dickey
of the New York Mets, and Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals. It’s not a surprise that these two are the
only pitchers on this list that are making less than 5 million dollars this
season, and their teams are lucky to have them at that price.
Gio Gonzalez is one of 3 pitchers on this list who pitched
in the AL when he put up his phenomenal 3.18 E.R.A. over the last two
seasons. Gio’s transition to the
National League is one of the main reasons why I have been touting him all
season as a possible Cy Young Candidate to come out of relative obscurity this
season. Gio has done nothing to disappoint,
as he has gotten off to a 7-2 start on the year to have the second most wins in
the NL. He also is leading the NL with
86 strikeouts, and is third in the National League with a 2.31 E.R.A. on the
year. He is sitting in an excellent spot
right now, with the potential to win the pitching “triple crown,” and yet still
has not gotten the credit that he deserves.
The only reason I can see as to why Gio has not gotten the publicity yet
is because of the market he was playing in when he was in Oakland. He’s flashy with his strikeouts, is young
enough, and it just doesn’t add up. Gio
isn’t even considered the best pitcher on his own team, as Stephen Strasburg
outshines him, even though he leads Strasburg in every single major
category. Maybe that potential Cy Young
will finally give Gio the credit that he deserves.
The reasons that R.A. Dickey is undervalued are far easier
to understand, even though he plays in New York, he is a 37 year-old knuckle
ball pitcher. Dickey’s 3.06 E.R.A. over
the last 2 seasons hasn’t done much for his credibility as a starter though, as
you basically hear absolutely nothing about him. What has Dickey done this year to backup
those numbers? Nothing but lead the
majors in wins at 8-1 on the year, lead the majors in quality starts with 10,
and post a 2.69 E.R.A. Dickey has also miraculously
learned to strikeout batters this year, as his 70 K’s is on pace for by far the
most in his career. The thing that is
even scarier about Dickey, is that if you take away one start against the
Braves that was in the rain, (a knuckle ball just doesn’t work in the rain),
his E.R.A. of 1.81 would be the best in the entire major leagues. What really sums up Dickey is a comment I
heard in Dickey’s last outing in which he shut out the defending champion
Cardinals, striking out 9 batters en route.
The announcer made a comment about whether Dickey had a chance of making
the all-star team this year… A guy who leads the majors in wins and has a 2.69
E.R.A. should have more than just a chance
of earning all-star honors.
The season is still young, but out of this list of 10
pitchers, 7 of them would make the list again this year, as Halladay, Hudson,
and Sabathia would fall out of this star-studded group. There is a lot to be said for consistent
excellence, and very few MLB pitchers have what it takes to perform in this
manner. Time will tell if either of
these major league aces ever get the credit they are due, but from this more
than casual observer, both deserve to be considered along with the other elite.
2 comments:
Completely disagree. A pitcher cannot be judged by one simple statistic. You have to look at other variables. WHIP, WAR, and BABIP have to be included to judge a performance.
Well first of all WHIP can be a very skewed stat, and when it comes to helping your team as a pitcher, it usually comes down to 5-10 vital pitches in the game (usually with people on base). I'd rather have a pitcher who gives up 1 run in a game with 1.75 WHIP then a pitcher who gives up 3 runs with a 1.25 WHIP (those are very possible numbers). Yes, WHIP is important, but as a pitcher it is ALL about how many runs you allow to score, not how many batters you allow to reach base (although they are obviously correlated, one is also obviously far more important).
BABIP is also an important stat, but it again is part of what leads to a pitchers E.R.A. and not the other way around. It can also be very skewed, as some pitchers pitch to contact, while others go for strikeouts, and a line drive looks the same as a bloop single with regards to BABIP.
Finally, WAR is a made up stat, don't get me started on that... When it comes down to it the E.R.A. of a pitcher is a exact impression of how many runs they give up per 9 innings, and therefore how good of a chance they give their team to win a given game, FACT.
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