A Tale Of Two Similar Pitchers

Here are two pitchers that have both pitched for the same team. Which pitcher would you rather have on your team? Since 2009 one of them has struggled but before then he was extremely productive. The other pitcher debuted in 2006 and is currently one of the best pitchers in baseball. Here are their stats:

Pitcher A (2002-2009):

K%: 18.80% BB%: 6.90% HR/FB: 9.30% GB%: 43.2%

ERA: 3.81 FIP: 3.83 xFIP: 4.00 WAR: 31.3

Pitcher B (2006-2012):

K%: 21% BB%: 6.50% HR/FB: 7.50% GB%: 33.6% 

ERA: 3.19 FIP: 3.59 xFIP: 4.04 WAR: 27.4

If you haven’t figured out who they are yet, you’ll find out after the jump.

Here Ye, Here Ye: Major Announcement Edition

When Alex and I met a couple of weeks ago in Minnesota, we discussed potential ideas for SaberAnalysis. Do not worry, faithful readership; we are both very much firmly involved in this blog. Rejoice, faithful readership, for we have two new weekly series coming your way. Both will be decidedly sabermetrical in perspective. Both will be interesting (I hope) and are designed to teach all of us more about baseball. Most importantly, I envision BOTH of these being driven by you, faithful readership. 

Andrew McCutchen and His Historic BABIP

After having a career year last season Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, Andrew McCutchen, was rewarded with a hefty pay raise. So far he’s right where he left off last season. His 5.9 WAR is already more than the 5.7 WAR that he produced last season. His slash numbers are also currently career highs: .373/.432/.632. He’s been nothing short of epic. He’s had help though as evidence of his extremely high BABIP. As of today it is currently a robust .423. Where does that compare among others in history? How likely is it that he can maintain a high BABIP the rest of the way?

The Flyin’ Hawaiian Heads West

After acquiring Hanley Ramirez, the Los Angeles Dodgers went out and acquired outfielder, Shane Victorino, from the Philadelphia Phillies. Victorino is a free agent after the season, and the Dodgers got him relatively cheap. He won’t finish as good as last season, but he’s still on pace to have +3-3.5 WAR by the time the season ends.

Francisco Liriano Is Headed To The South Side

On July 29 the Chicago White Sox went out and acquired Minnesota Twins pitcher, Francisco Liriano. On the surface one gets the impression that Liriano has been struggling mightly. That isn’t quite the case though. Liriano did perform poorly during the first month of the season, and as a result he landed in the bullpen. On May 30 he found himself back in the starting rotation and looked like his old-self. The White Sox hope he continues to stay dominant as their season progresses.

Rangers Continue ‘Arms’ Race, Get Dempster

With the trade deadline looming, and now complete, the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs announced they had completed a deal, moving Ryan Dempster to the Rangers for two prospects. This is the same Dempster that rejected a move to the Braves earlier this season, but he was fine getting shipped into the Lone Star State. As with every trade, both teams obviously feel they won. Was Theo Epstein wise in moving Dempster? Are the Rangers smart in getting a risky pitcher for a couple of prospects? Read, set, trade analysis!

Cole Hamels, Wealthy Gentleman

The Phillies have been struggling mightily. As this week, they had a 0.1% chance to make the playoffs. They have struggled to score and their pitchers have been good but not great. Cliff Lee has become a poster-boy for why ‘Wins’ is a lousy category. Sure, it does not help that the Nationals are going bananas (Gwen Stefani reference, ftw!), but being last place in the NL East is not easy to take for the Front Office and fans. Many fans assumed Ruben Amaro and company might try to move some talent in order to shake things up and try to change the losing ways. However, Cole Hamels is not going to be a part of that change, as he recently signed a six year, $144 million extension. This is an incredible amount of money, so how does this affect the Phillies? Is it a good extension?