MLB 2013-2014 off-season moves
- Thread starter DodgerKing
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The pitcher is the largest single factor to a win or a loss. Like the saying goes, momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher.
Don't get me wrong... I think Kershaw is one of the top 5 starters in ALL of baseball...but to me, you diminish the worth of your everyday players by giving a starting pitcher the same money.
You are correct. Pitching is very important, but that guy rides the pine the other 4 days. 4 mediocre pitchers will help your team more than one really expensive one.
That thinking may be true for teams that actually have a budget. But, teams that don't, like the Dodgers, can and will overpay to keep a player they want.
I am going to somewhat disagree. IF a pitcher fails to STOP runs from scoring, the offense can always bail him out. IF the offense fails, the best a starting pitcher can do is end his 8 or 9 innings at 0-0. In fact, to me, in some cases, relief is just as, if not more important than starting pitching.
But that's my warped thinking of course...
Trust me Salsa, it's not just you!
IF you could guarantee me that the starting pitcher was going to give me 50-60 starts...then I would have no issues with it. But in average...we are talking 35 starts a season, if I am not mistaken.
A starting pitcher throws each and every pitch when he is on the mound. A starting fielder fields a tiny fraction of that many. 162 games times 9 innings each is about 1,400 or so innings. A 200 inning starter pitches 1/7 of his team's innings, whereas a 162 game a year position player bats 1/9 of a teams at-bats. The pitcher is thus vastly more involved in each and every inning he plays than are the position players.
Payroll money is fungible. If pitchers were worth less than position players, then teams that distributed their payroll to reflect that would tend to benefit from doing so.
Payroll money is fungible. If pitchers were worth less than position players, then teams that distributed their payroll to reflect that would tend to benefit from doing so.
When that pitcher is the face of your franchise and the single most important factor to winning every 5th game. I saw a stat that shows an ACE pitcher directly contributes to more wins in a season than the average top position player by himself.
Average WAR numbers for top starters is higher than top position players most years, and this while playing fewer games.
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One thing that is overlooked in this contract is his off-field contributions and his charitable work. A large portion of this money will be going to his charity.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/...mplete-clayton-kershaw-deal-not-done-spending
I am going to somewhat disagree. IF a pitcher fails to STOP runs from scoring, the offense can always bail him out. IF the offense fails, the best a starting pitcher can do is end his 8 or 9 innings at 0-0. In fact, to me, in some cases, relief is just as, if not more important than starting pitching.
But that's my warped thinking of course...
I agree with your thinking ... however ...
One thing I don't like in baseball is that a Starting pitcher can do just that, throw 7-8-9 innings of scoreless ball and if his offense doesn't score, you bring in another guy, your team scores a run that inning and the guy thats been in the game for an inning or less, gets the WQIN while the Starter that got them there gets nothing.
Yes, and it's even less now that they for some reason went to the stupid 5 man rotations.
I always thought that the 4 man rotations were great, but apparently they don't like it anymore.
While I agree with your first statement ...
I question why WAR has to come up all the time ..
Your talking about a STUD pitcher, OF COURSE he's gonna be better than the "Guy they bring up from AAA" which is what they consider an AVG WAR player.
Personally, I think the WAR is blown WAY out of proportion.
Just saying ...
Nothing against you here.
I agree that WAR is overused and not always a good indicator. But it is when comparing numbers between two completely different aspects of baseball. It is the only variable we can use to compare an offensive/defensive player to a pitcher.
In celebration of his contract here is the video from his best game last year, opening game vs Giants. He pitched a complete game shutout and hit a HR in the 8th for the first run of the game.
HR occurs at 2 hour mark.
Sent from my iPad 4 using SatelliteGuys
HR occurs at 2 hour mark.
Sent from my iPad 4 using SatelliteGuys
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Something a Dodgers fan site posted on FB just a few minutes ago. In high school Kershaw pitched a perfect game striking out every single batter he faced and hit a HR. Here is a video of each K and the HR.
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