Baseball Thread VI

[lantaur]

For those who like a good stat.

Coming into tonight's game - Jonathan Papelbon's ERA+ is 1,033 (ERA in comparison to league average - league average ERA=100 on this scale)

For reference - Bob Gibson's nutty 1.12 ERA in 1968 was an ERA+ of 258

How is this a good stat? Bob Gibson was a starting pitcher who threw over 300 innings in 1968. Papelbon is a closer who only has to face maybe three hitters a game. Sure, he's good. But don't be comparing him to the effectiveness of a starting pitcher.

I'll compare whoever I like thank you very much.

How about this then - Dennis Eckersley's ERA+ in 1992  when he won the MVP was 196 (on an ERA of 1.91 and a league ERA of 3.75). Point is - Papelbon's ERA is crazy-fantastic right now.

How about Tim Burke in 1987? Or Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers in 1981?

Of course, those were all full seasons. Let's see where Papelbon stands in October, although I'm really with you - I think he'll be somewhere around 1.00.

 

[spnited]

For those who like a good stat.

Coming into tonight's game - Jonathan Papelbon's ERA+ is 1,033 (ERA in comparison to league average - league average ERA=100 on this scale)

For reference - Bob Gibson's nutty 1.12 ERA in 1968 was an ERA+ of 258

One more totally useless, contrived piece of mathmatical masturbation the can and will be manipulated by sabergeeks to support whatever conclusion they wish to come to.

Seriously, do we need this bull shirt to tell us how great Papelbon has been for the first 3 months of the season?

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

How is this a good stat? Bob Gibson was a starting pitcher who threw over 300 innings in 1968. Papelbon is a closer who only has to face maybe three hitters a game. Sure, he's good. But don't be comparing him to the effectiveness of a starting pitcher.

Which is why Justin Verlander should be given more consideration for rookie of the year right now. 10-4, 3.13 ERA, 65 Ks. With a complete game shutout.

 

[Chi City 81]

How is this a good stat? Bob Gibson was a starting pitcher who threw over 300 innings in 1968. Papelbon is a closer who only has to face maybe three hitters a game. Sure, he's good. But don't be comparing him to the effectiveness of a starting pitcher.

Which is why Justin Verlander should be given more consideration for rookie of the year right now. 10-4, 3.13 ERA, 65 Ks. With a complete game shutout.

Good point, Hank. If both players continue on their current pace, and the Red Sox and Tigers make the playoffs, then how close will the vote be? Not everyone in the BBWAA is quick to fellate someone on the Yankees or Red Sox. The vote may end up closer than most would think.

 

[cougargirl]

Wow, the Pirates finally won a game. For a few moments before hearing the news, I was fearing the same inepititude of the 1988 Baltimore Orioles.

 

[Oz]

How is this a good stat? Bob Gibson was a starting pitcher who threw over 300 innings in 1968. Papelbon is a closer who only has to face maybe three hitters a game. Sure, he's good. But don't be comparing him to the effectiveness of a starting pitcher.

Which is why Justin Verlander should be given more consideration for rookie of the year right now. 10-4, 3.13 ERA, 65 Ks. With a complete game shutout.

And that's not to mention Liriano, who has seven wins in only eight starts and trumps Verlander with a 2.21 ERA and 82 Ks in 73-plus innings.

And cougs, don't worry. If the Royals and Pirates proved anything, they proved it's really, really tough to match that Orioles team.

 

[fanboy]

The formerly great Tom Boswell takes a crack at the AL-NL thing.

He says it's young pitching. Is he right?

 

[BYH]

Liriano is not winning ROY or Cy Young. He just happens to have the bad luck of having the second-greatest rookie year since Dwight Gooden the same season Jonathan Papelbon has the greatest rookie year since Dwight Gooden. Sorry Zeke.

Oh and your catcher is hitting a soft .388.

Lastly, Mets = FRAUDS!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy being the best of an awful NL lot...and the third straight four-game sweep at the hands of the AL. Paper tigers. Couldn't happen to a nicer organization.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Liriano is not winning ROY or Cy Young. He just happens to have the bad luck of having the second-greatest rookie year since Dwight Gooden the same season Jonathan Papelbon has the greatest rookie year since Dwight Gooden. Sorry Zeke.

Oh and your catcher is hitting a soft .388.

Lastly, Mets = FRAUDS!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy being the best of an awful NL lot...and the third straight four-game sweep at the hands of the AL. Paper tigers. Couldn't happen to a nicer organization.

I disagree. Right now, if I had to give my opinion, I'd say there are there American league teams better than the Mets: the White Sox, Tigers and Red Sox. You can make the case for the A's too, but I wouldn't add them personally. But it is all relative. In a 7-game series, the Mets can throw Pedro out there twice and Glavine out there twice and in the playoffs, the team that gets the better pitching wins. If Pedro and Glavine come up big--not unprecedented--then all they have to do is hope that El Duque or Trachsel can give them one above average game between them to keep things honest. With Chad Bradford in the bullpen, they have a nice little bridge to Wagner, who even if he isn't Mariano Rivera is good enough to get the job done. Obviously, the American League teams I mentioned have great pitching too, but when you boil down a season to just 7 games, it comes down to whose starting pictures are peaking. It's not outlandish to think that the Mets could hit a situation where Pedro and Glavine go out there and carry them and they beat a team that is probably better than them over the long haul.

 

[casty33]

BYH, come on, the Mets aren't frauds. What they are is the best team of a God-awful division. Whoever said they were any better than that. And, right now, maybe forever, the Red Sox are the best team in baseball. That may be unfair to the Tigers and White Sox but it is what I see, if anybody cares.

 

[BYH]

I disagree. Right now, if I had to give my opinion, I'd say there are there American league teams better than the Mets: the White Sox, Tigers and Red Sox. You can make the case for the A's too, but I wouldn't add them personally. But it is all relative. In a 7-game series, the Mets can throw Pedro out there twice and Glavine out there twice and in the playoffs, the team that gets the better pitching wins. If Pedro and Glavine come up big--not unprecedented--then all they have to do is hope that El Duque or Trachsel can give them one above average game between them to keep things honest. With Chad Bradford in the bullpen, they have a nice little bridge to Wagner, who even if he  isn't Mariano Rivera is good enough to get the job done. Obviously, the American League teams I mentioned have great pitching too, but when you boil down a season to just 7 games, it comes down to whose starting pictures are peaking. It's not outlandish to think that the Mets could hit a situation where Pedro and Glavine go out there and carry them and they beat a team that is probably better than them over the long haul.

Sorry, cat tranquilizer guy  , but the Mets did nothing this week to indicate they could stick with the Sox in a seven-game series. The deep AL lineups tattooed Soler (who, granted, won't start in the World Series) and Pedro and forced Glavine to throw so many pitches and go into so many deep counts that he had a no-hitter into the fourth and was out before the end of the sixth. Then the Sox use small ball and defense to win.

The Sox can win a myraid of ways. The Mets can beat up on a bunch of god-awful NL teams. Look at Pedro's #s against the AL East and the NL East...the deeper lineups beat him up.

The Sox might not even make the playoffs--unlike a year ago, I won't declare the Yankees dead quite yet--and I think they'd sweep the Mets in the World Series.

Enjoy the 2007 Opening Day ring ceremony, Freddy and Jeffy. Maybe they can schedule the Braves Opening Day again, just to confirm how shallow they really are.  :

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Twins win, White Sox win, Detroit wins.

Just another day.

Well Detroit did almost give it away, Zeke. Had a 7-1 lead after three and coasted to a 7-6 win.

Eighth inning, Bucs hit a ball to left center, but Granderson makes a diving catch to end the inning and stop the tying run from scoring.