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Around SBN: Cal RB Jahvid Best Seriously Injured, Carted Off Field

Eric Seidman at Fangraphs uses Dan Szymborski's new in-season ZiPS leader boards to find the worst starters that will likely see a significant number of starts the rest of the year:

Adam Eaton, Orioles: 19 GS, 99 IP, 1.53 K/BB, 6.09 ERA
Franklin Morales, Rockies: 19 GS, 97 IP, 0.89 K/BB, 6.03 ERA
Rick Porcello, Tigers: 20 GS, 95 IP, 1.19 K/BB, 5.97 ERA
Dustin Moseley, Angels: 20 GS, 111 IP, 1.71 K/BB, 5.92 ERA

Including performances so far, that would make this seasons' worst overall starters look like:

Adam Eaton, Orioles: 25 GS, 130.1 IP, 1.55 K/BB, 6.35 ERA
Carlos Silva, Mariners: 27 GS, 149.2 IP, 1.94 K/BB, 6.31 ERA
Sidney Ponson, Royals: 21 GS, 125.0 IP, 1.28 K/BB, 5.83 ERA
Franklin Morales, Rockies: 21 GS, 101.0 IP, 1.01 K/BB, 5.83 ERA

Now, what issues might we have here? One, ZiPS isn't really paying much attention to projecting playing time, like most projection systems. Two, as with most (all?) projection systems out there, ZiPS doesn't know about injuries, new pitches, or other scouting-style data.

With the prevalence of pitch f/x these days, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a projection system for pitchers that utilizes that data to some extent. Changes in fastball velocity, control, pitch movement, and pitch selection should be able to help tell us a pitcher's story objectively.

5 months ago Limes_125_tiny Sky Kalkman 4 comments 0 recs  | 

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Why are Ponson and Eaton still in the majors?

Seriously, why do teams continue to trot out sub-replacement level players that have no upside or future on the team? They should at least play some prospects who might develop into good players later.

St. Louis Cardinals... defying win expectancy since 2008

by vivaelpujols on May 16, 2009 4:29 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Live arms!

Veteran presence!

Ponson’s mom is friends with KC’s pitching coach’s wife (seriously, suicide now)!

And somesuch!

I’m so $#@! sick of you lame statheads saying who is good and stuff. If you’ve never played in the majors leagues, so on and so forth.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by devil_fingers on May 16, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

To be fair,

Ponson hasn’t been that bad this year.

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

by Warden11 on May 16, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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