Paradisecity

From Buster Olney's 9/9 blog: http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4457452&name=olney_buster From Justin Havens of ESPN Stats & Information: "There's been a great deal of talk about how players from the American League that have been traded or signed with a National League team have subsequently dominated in the senior circuit. I took a look at the prominent players who have changed leagues from last deadline to this one -- including last offseason -- to see if this theory held up. As one can see, it most certainly DOES hold up, as pitchers and hitters, regardless of when they were acquired, have performed demonstrably better in the NL. Please note that some players were excluded due to extreme sample size issues, but that's not to say that sample size is not still present. Nevertheless, the aggregate totals give us a good idea of the big picture and suggest that the Senior Circuit has been an easier place to play of late. All stats are entering Monday's games." AL to NL Pitchers AL - ERA WHIP K/9 NL - ERA WHIP K/9 Cliff Lee 3.14 1.30 6.3 2.81 1.02 8.8 Rafael Betancourt 3.52 1.30 9.4 1.80 0.93 9.6 Jose Contreras 5.42 1.45 7.0 1.35 1.35 6.8 George Sherrill 2.40 1.14 8.5 0.52 1.21 6.2 Vicente Padilla 4.92 1.50 4.9 2.61 1.26 7.8 Clayton Richard 4.65 1.47 6.7 4.50 1.64 7.0 Brad Penny 5.61 1.53 6.1 0.00 0.75 2.3 John Smoltz 8.32 1.70 7.4 2.65 0.82 11.1 Total: 4.70 1.43 6.5 2.61 1.17 8.0 AL to NL Hitters AL - BA OBP SLG NL - BA OBP SLG Ryan Garko .285 .362 .464 .235 .297 .355 Mark DeRosa .270 .342 .457 .244 .313 .425 Julio Lugo .284 .352 .367 .306 .378 .520 Matt Holliday .286 .378 .454 .384 .439 .709 Total: .280 .359 .448 .297 .371 .516

Sorry- there is an "NL" in my reply that you quoted that should be "AL". Changed in original.

well Dipre, we got that far, but 700's argument seems to be that because of the DH, AL lineups are better because of their depth, not their talent. I disagree, but there is nothing in this article to dispute that. Either way we are saying AL lineups are better, so for now I can leave it at that. But on the other side of the ball, if pitchers are going to the NL because they can no longer throw in the AL, what does that say about the pitchers who are in the NL compared to those in the AL? Good NL pitchers usually become AL pitchers Bad AL pitchers usually become NL pitchers The DH isnt the only thing that separates these leagues.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_13303809 Alan Embree said it with a smile. But he wasn't joking. "Getting out of the American League East," Embree admitted, "added two years to my career." Trends are cyclical. So at some point, this will change. But there's no getting around a simple truth this season. The American League is better than the National League, again. Interleague play has proved it for several seasons. The most compelling evidence is among pitchers who have changed leagues this year. While sample size must be taken into account, the statistics cannot be dismissed. According to ESPN research, eight of the biggest names to switch to the National League this season have done appreciably better. Rockies Rafael Betancourt and Jose Contreras, along with Cliff Lee, George Sherrill, Vicente Padilla, Clayton Richard, Brad Penny and John Smoltz posted a 4.70 ERA in the AL. That same group in the NL? Try a 2.61 mark. "The American League is just tougher. You hate to say it, but it is," said Rockies reliever Matt Herges, who began the year in the AL with the Cleveland Guardians. "As (pitching coach Bob) Apodaca likes to say, 'That's a hairy-chested league.' " Let's focus on Contreras for a second. His last start in the AL came against the Yankees. They pelted him for eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. New York's lineup features seven players with 20 home runs. The Diamondbacks' lineup Contreras faced Saturday had two players with 20 home runs. It's not just the power, but the length of the lineups. There are guys hitting ninth in the AL who could fill cleanup spots in the NL. And forget about pitching around guys. "When I was with the Yankees, we had Robinson Cano nearly win a batting title hitting at the bottom," said Jason Giambi, a recent Rockies pickup. "There are really no places for a pitcher to catch his breath." As a result, one hit becomes two, and two becomes a line in a box score uglier than an overripe cantaloupe. Conversely, the NL allows spots for pitchers to work out of jams — namely the eighth and ninth slots — through the first six innings. That inspires confidence. It can be seen in how Penny has pitched. Or Padilla. Or Contreras. "It was important to make a good first impression," Contreras said. "Not just because I was going to a new team in a new league, but because of how poorly I pitched in Chicago. I wanted to show that I was better than that." Heading to the NL was a good place to start.

I have to agree with this. I thought Beckett pitched ok in the yankee slaughter- they just had a gameplan for attacking him and executed perfectly. Its a matter of adjusting to eliminate the trends. He didnt look bad yesterday, either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interleague_play#Wins_by_league 9% more wins is more than enough data for me. who wins a 4 of 7....isn't.

Yeah I watched Pedro blowing hitters away with 91 on the gun (so probably 88-89). His s*** would get eaten up in the AL.

Did you SEE John Smoltz pitch for the Red Sox?

Yeah Portsmouth might currently appear to be in trouble, but they were just purchased by a man who will spend a ton of money to build them up, so if they can hang on they should be decent in a year or two. I never get to watch City. They aren't televised for like a month now, with back to back vs Arsenal and At Man U starting next weekend (13th). Should be a good measuring stick.

Yeah but Gom also mentions that is numbers are awful in a hitter's park, so we can rule him and many others out.

To be serious though, while it is uncommon for very favorable road splits, I am pretty sure that it happens once in a while.

He probably just hates the surroundings at Yankee Stadium. And by surroundings, I mean fans.

That pitch was a solid foot off the plate.

Great.

Yeah and bad for their asiprations of making it past the first round.

I think one of the main reasons why a team wouldnt want to do it (besides the obvious in inflation and "cross that bridge when we come to it" mentality) would be a lot of players acting similar to 2008 Manny, demanding an extension/ restructuring with multiple years attached or requesting to go somewhere that will oblige.

I found his stats on baseball reference- i just couldnt find an easy way to compare leaders by year- that is an easy find on espn, though it is sans RFC.

Why is that? His career #s there are sub 4.

In this process I noticed that ESPN's website doesn't show Clemens' stats? Not sure if it is because he isn't a current player, but either way it makes comparisons tough.

I can't believe they didn't trade this guy.

Dipre- I think Clemens 2004 v Clemens 2005 shows that innings didn't matter much. He threw the same, against an opponent who threw the same as the previous opponent. RJ had 290 SO in 2004, as well as 30 extra innings and an ERA .38 lower. His 16-14 record buried him. Shameful.