Hansen didn't flame out; he sucked from beginning to end. He could not get major league hitters out at any time. Velocity is the only thing in common. You picked Hansen because he was an easy example of a Red Sox pitcher who failed.
You can't really compare ERA's of relievers to ERA's of starters. Everyone expected Bard's ERA to be higher as a starter. Craig Hansen never started a game.
Brandon Morrow is a much better comp for Bard.
Just look at Brandon Morrow, folks. He was a hard-throwing reliever his first two seasons, and now in only his fourth season as a starter, he looks like he may have arrived as a really good one. We're just going to need some patience.
Yes, they're virtually identical, except that Bard had 3 excellent seasons as one of the top setup men in baseball, and Hansen had none and was consistently atrocious. I think you've hit upon a new way to make direct and meaningful comparisons.
Oswalt's career numbers vs. AL teams are just OK-3.70 ERA, WHIP a little over 1.3. He's never pitched at Fenway. I'll be surprised if we sign him. If we do he could help. But we better also be prepared to be disappointed. It's not going to be an easy move for a career NL pitcher close to the end of his career coming to the AL East for half a season.
3 good starts, 4 bad starts. In total, mediocre. Numbers consistent with back of the rotation starters across the league. He hasn't benefitted that much from avoiding the better offenses. Texas is arguably the only strong offense in the AL right now. The Rangers and Red Sox are the only 2 teams averaging more than 5 runs per game.
About time for a little NYY Schadenfreude, isn't it?
Mark Teixeira .228/.283/.386 OPS .669
Russell Martin .167/.322/.292 OPS .614
OPS 2007-2012
A-Rod
1.067
.965
.933
.847
.823
.795
Teixeira
.963
.962
.948
.846
.835
.669
:thumbsup:
But is it really that bad of a team? All depends how they're playin', right? They're playing decent ball right now and without Ellsbury, Crawford, Youkilis, Bailey and Melancon, and with Gonzo hitting like a chump.
The new technology that logs balls and strikes is really making the home plate umps look bad. It's almost funny that one of the places you can get this information is right on MLB's very own Gameday.
It's a pathetic situation, really. Umps are making blatantly bad calls that affect games, the fact that the calls are wrong is right there in everyone's face, and nothing is done about it. Selig certainly has no plans to ever address it.
Yep, it's officially time to wonder if Gonzo's power is history. 12 homers in 107 games since the All-Star Break. And 5 of those came in a 3-game series in Texas. Take that out and you've got 7 little longballs in 104 games. Yeee-ikes.
And of course it can't be said often enough-letting a $154 million, coming off shoulder surgery A-Gon take part in the HR Derby was one of the colossal idiot moves.