Fantasy Predictions: Pitcher Trends

Bailey

Here is a look at some pitchers and what their trends suggest for 2013.

-In his 11 year career, Aaron Harang had his two best ERA seasons the past two seasons. However, his walk totals were abnormally high last season, posting his worst BB/9 ratio since his rookie season. His SO/9 have been trending downward over the past six years. His SO/BB ratio was also his worst since his rookie season. However, his H/9 was the second best of his career. Put the good and bad together, and you get a .500 pitcher, which Harang was with the Dodgers. In 2011 with the Padres, he was 14-7. If you remove that season, over the past five seasons, Harang is 28-48. He’s a huge risk at this point in his career.

2013 Projection: 8-11 4.66 ERA

-Jake Westbrook posted his best ERA since 2004. He posted the best HR/9 of his career. His BB/9 was his best since 2006. His ERA was his lowest since 2004. The past two seasons, his numbers are trending upward slightly, so Westbrook could have another solid season if that trend continues.

2013 Projection: 13-9 3.90 ERA

-Ricky Romero was horrible in 2012 after three solid seasons to start his career. His BB/9 were way up and his SO/9 were significantly down. The numbers are so alarming, he could very well be hiding an injury. It would be sad to think we’ve already seen the best of Romero. If there is not an injury, he’ll win games with a potent Blue Jay lineup. Romero is someone to watch in Spring Training. (more…)

Baseball Notes for January 7, 2013

Berkman

It’s now less than two months until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. We’ve finally gotten to the point of the offseason where teams are starting to scramble to fill the final holes on their rosters. Because the majority of the big-name free agents have already signed, the depths of the available player pool are starting to be plumbed. This makes the weeks leading up to spring training some of the most interesting to watch for diehard baseball fans.

***The Texas Rangers added another bat to their lineup by agreeing to a one-year contract with free-agent first baseman Lance Berkman. The switch-hitter will be 37 before the start of the season and played in only 32 games last year with the St. Louis Cardinals because of injuries. (more…)

Breaking Down the Starting Pitching Market

To find which pitcher may be the best match for your team, I have broken down this year’s 2012 starting pitcher market. I first separated them into left handed and right handed pitchers. I then broke them down into ground ball vs. fly ball pitchers. Lastly I organized them by age into two groups (29 and younger and 30 years and older.) The pool of players came from MLB trade rumors free agent list. Now here is the breakdown:

Right Handed

Fly Ball:

Aaron Harang**

Armando Galarraga

Chris Young

Freddy Garcia**

Javier Vazquez

Jon Garland

Rich Harden

Tim Wakefield

Ground Ball:

Aaron Cook

Bartolo Colon

Brad Penny

Brandon Webb

Hiroki Kuroda

Jason Marquis

Joel Pineiro

Kevin Millwood

Livan Hernandez

Mitch Talbot

Rodrigo Lopez

Roy Oswalt*

Sergio Mitre

Edwin Jackson**

Kyle Davies

 

Left Handed

Fly Ball:

Bruce Chen**

Ground Ball:

Chris Capuano

C.J. Wilson*

Dontrelle Willis

Doug Davis

Erik Bedard

Jeff Francis

Mark Buehrle**

Paul Maholm

Zach Duke

*Type A

**Type B

There are also a few international free agent starting pitchers to take note of as well

Rookie of the Year and the World Series

The Rookie of the year award began in 1947, and for the first two seasons it was a Major League wide award. MLB did not award a player from each league until 1949. Last year the Rookie of the year from both the NL and AL played in the World Series. I decided to do a little research and make a list of all the Rookie of the years throughout baseball history that played in the World Series and their team’s result.

 League Wide Award

Year Player Team WS Result
1947 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1948 Alvin Dark Boston Braves Lost

 American League

Year Player Team WS Result
1951 Gil McDougald New York Yankees Won
1957 Tony Kubek New York Yankees Lost
1962 Tom Tresh New York Yankees Won
1975 Fred Lynn Boston Red Sox Lost
1981 Dave Righetti New York Yankees Lost
1988 Walt Weiss Oakland Athletics Lost
1991 Chuck Knoblauch Minnesota Twins Won
1996 Derek Jeter New York Yankees Won
2006 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers Lost
2007 Dustin Pedoia Boston Red Sox Won
2008 Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays Lost
2010 Neftali Feliz Texas Rangers Lost

 National League

Year Player Team WS Result
1949 Don Newcombe Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1951 Willie Mays New York Giants Lost
1952 Joe Black Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1953 Jim Gilliam Brooklyn Dodgers Lost
1965 Jim Lefebrve Los Angeles Dodgers Won
1976 Pat Zachry (Tie for 1st) Cincinnati Reds Won
1981 Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers Won
1985 Vince Coleman St. Louis Cardinals Lost
2003 Dontrelle Willis Florida Marlins Won
2010 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants Won

 There have been 3 occasions on which the Rookie of the Year from each league faced off against each other in the World Series. We all remember the Buster Posey vs Neftali Feliz showdown in last year’s World Series, but we have to look back to 1981 for the next ROY matchup. Dave Righetti and the Yankees were defeated by Fernando Valenzuela and the Dodgers. The first ever showdown was in 1951. Some guy named Willie Mays and the then, New York Giants, were defeated by Gil McDougald and the Yankees.

 Which of this year’s top MLB prospects will splash onto the big league scene and earn the Rookie of the Year award? Will they help lead their team to a World Series? We will just have to wait and find out.

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