One trait any GM looks for in a starting pitcher is a strong groundball rate. According to FanGraphs, the free agent leaders (100 innings pitched minimum):
- Jake Westbrook – 56.4%
- Jorge de la Rosa – 52.3%
- Jon Garland – 51.9%
- Carl Pavano – 51.2%
- Hiroki Kuroda – 51.1%
An honorable mention goes to free agent Brandon Webb, who had a 64.2% rate in 2008, his last full season. How about a few trade candidates over 50% in 2010? Derek Lowe, Aaron Cook, Paul Maholm, and Edwin Jackson fit the bill.
Ted Lilly is the anti-Westbrook, with a groundball rate of just 29.5%. Bruce Chen, Javier Vazquez, and Aaron Harang also tend to keep the ball in the air.
With the way Lowe is pitching right now, Braves might get some useful prospect for him, but doubtful Wren will trade him, especially with Medlen out next season.
And the fact that he’s owed $30 million over the next 2 years. Eeep.
i think if the braves get someone to take on lowe’s entire contract and give up a decent prospect as well they will have no trouble pulling the trigger on the trade
No one will spend 30 million and give up anything of use.
I think someone is going to get Kuroda at a very reasonable price, hopefully he stays away from the N.L West
I think he made around 15 million this year, I don’t think hes gonna take a very big pay cut.
Anti-Westbrook sounds like some kind of totalitarian society.
Isn’t Brandon Webb a free agent? I get that he’s injured and thus doesn’t meet that minimum 100ip mark, but he’s also the king of ground balls when he is healthy
Good point, he definitely deserves an honorable mention.
Ted Lilly can keep putting the ball in the air. He’s a different kind of pitcher, throws slow stuff in fastball counts, and fastballs in slow stuff count, moves the ball up, down, in, out. Has a low walk rate and healthy K rate, gives up a lot of home runs. Almost all of them are solo. He can come pitch for my Padres any day. I like the idea of a pitcher on the starting staff with a completely different look and pitch pattern than the rest of the pitchers.
Lilly takes his craft seriously and has found a formula for success. He’s also a serious competitor. Jed, call him.
Well if the Padres had the money then I think Lilly would look great for the Padres some home runs will die in his would be home stadium, and all that fun stuff. That being said, money will be an issue. I think if the Pads had Lilly in the rotation this year it would’ve been easier for them to give Latos more time off to keep him fresh.
I don’t think a lot of clubs are going to be after Lilly because of his age, and they don’t want different, or at least as different as Lilly is. He could slip into that category of 1 year bargain. I suspect he’ll stay with the Dodgers if they’ll have him. He’s a good fit for them. He’d be fantastic for the Padres though, and buy some time for their young arms.
ha anybody wanna take jamie moyer or kyle kendrick?
You can keep Kendrick and Moyer is a free agent.
am i the only one who laughed when javy vazquez was mentioned as keeping the ball in the air? as in in the air usually over the fence or shots to the gap?
Just as a quick question, I was always curious as to whether only balls in play were factored into this, or if balls out-of-play were factored in as well?