Pick the Pitcher
Let’s play Pick The Pitcher, free agent starter addition. We’ll do it Nick Bakay style.
Innings
Pitcher A: 210
Pitcher B: 177
Advantage: Pitcher A
Walk Rate
Pitcher A: 2.1 BB/G
Pitcher B: 2.6 BB/G
Advantage: Pitcher A
Strikeout Rate
Pitcher A: 4.0 K/G
Pitcher B: 4.9 K/G
Advantage: Pitcher B
Groundball/Flyball Rate
Pitcher A: 1.68 G/F
Pitcher B: 0.99 G/F
Advantage: Pitcher A
Contract
Pitcher A: 1 year, $4 million
Pitcher B: 4 years, $37.5 million
Advantage: Pitcher A
Ladies and Gentleman, Pitcher A, Jason Johnson, who signed a 1 year, $4 million deal with the Cleveland Indians.
Pitcher B, obviously, is Jarrod Washburn, he of the big offseason move albatross contract.
Seriously, the next time someone tells you that Jarrod Washburn’s market value was 4 years and $37.5 million, ask them why Jason Johnson signed for 25 percent of the years and 42 percent of the annual salary.
Johnson has his own problems. The strikeout rate is terrible. His home/road splits are terrible. But the only real difference between his 2005 and Jarrod Washburn’s 2005 season was their performance with runners in scoring position. Washburn stranded 82 percent of the runners he put on base, while Johnson stranded just 67 percent of his runners. And so Washburn’s ERA was a point and a half lower, even though he didn’t pitch significantly better.
Behold the power of 3.20, baby.