Braves 2009 Season in Review: Javier Vázquez

Javier Vazquez wasn't just the best pitcher on the Braves, but he was one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball, in 2009.

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Quick, name the only starting pitcher in the NL East who never once pitched under five innings per start, over 30+ starts and 200+ innings, in 2009?

Overall, Javier Vazquez is one of five total pitchers in all of Major League Baseball (Grienke, Haren, Shields, Wainwright) to achieve this feat.  Regardless of the wins and losses, there's something to be said about a pitcher who comes out consistently, does his job, and does it well.  Really well.

I'm going to go out on a short limb here, and declare Javier Vazquez the Ace of the already outstanding Braves pitching staff.  Now the definition of what an ace is, is often under debate, but in general, most people can agree on the following criteria:

• Starts a lot of games
• Wins a lot of games
• Eats a lot of innings
• Good ERA
• Stops the bleeding
• Doesn't walk a lot of guys
• Strikeouts preferable
  

All this considered, Javier Vazquez accomplished the following:

• 32 starts is second on the team, behind the 34 starts made by both Derek Lowe and Jair Jurrjens.
• 15 wins is tied with Derek Lowe for most wins on the team.
• His 219.2 innings pitched is the best on the Braves, best in the entire NL East, 4th best in the National League, and 11th best in all of baseball.
• Vazquez's stellar 2.89 ERA is second, behind Jair Jurrjens's even more stingy 2.60 ERA.
• Javier Vazquez made 17 starts in 2009, following a Braves loss.  The Braves went 12-5 in those games, and 8-0 in their last eight Javy starts following a loss.
• 44 walks makes Javier Vazquez the most efficient pitcher on the staff; he walked fewer than even Tommy Hanson in 90 more innings and 11 more starts.  Only four other pitchers in the 200-innings-pitched club, ML-wide walked fewer guys than Vazquez did.  His 1.81 walks-per-nine is third best in all of baseball.
• 238 strikeouts makes Javy the best punch-out artist on the team, as well as the NL East, second best in all of the National League, and fourth best in all of baseball.  He also sported a fancy 9.77 strikeouts-per-nine, which was third best in the National League, and fifth overall in the Majors.
• Javier Vazquez pitched three complete games this season alone, which is as many as the Braves had in 2007 and 2008 combined.  Yes, one of them was an eight-inning complete game loss, but so was Jorge Campillo's in 2008.
• And just to throw this out there, Javy led the majors with 20 sacrifice bunts.

So the bottom line is that Javier Vazquez wasn't just the best pitcher on the Braves in 2009, but he was most certainly one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.  The National League Cy Young will in all likelihood go to Tim Lincecum again, or maybe even Adam Wainwright, or Chris Carpenter, but I'll be grossly disappointed if Javy doesn't receive some Cy Young consideration himself.  In the three Triple Crown categories that the BBWAA weighs heavily, when making their choices, Javier Vazquez is T-4th in wins, 6th in ERA, and 2nd in strikeouts.

I'm sure you're all aware of the negative stigma attached to Javy, about being not being able to hold up under the pressure of a critical game, and he certainly didn't help his cause with his final start of 2009, and I know baseball is no exception to the "what have you done for me lately" mentality that many sports fans harbor, and that pitchers are only as good as their last performance, but what a lot of people need to realize is that without Javier Vazquez, the Braves might never have been in a situation where there were critical games to be played.  The four starts prior to his final, Javy pitched brilliantly, tossing 32 masterful innings, notching both his complete game victories, and allowing a paltry three earned runs.  In a stretch where the Braves needed every victory to remain alive in the playoff hunt, who says Javier Vazquez couldn't handle pressure?

Honestly, there's not a whole lot much to ask for from Javier Vazquez, going into 2010.  He's going to make a lot of starts, strike out a lot of guys, and eat a lot of innings - stuff we all knew he was capable in 2009 before he even threw a pitch with the Braves.  Win more games?  Take that request up with the offense, whom in Javy's ten losses, contributed a meager average of 1.3 runs of support in his losing starts.

Maybe, we could ask for him to sign some sort of extention to stay in Atlanta?  As it stands right now, he's entering the final year of a three-year deal that sees him making $11,500,000 in 2010, which is an incredibly fair cost for a pitcher of Javy's caliber.  Obviously, this much bang for the buck has not gone unnoticed by the baseball world, as Vazquez has been the topic of many a fantasy trade, that sees the Braves dealing their current ace pitcher, due to the luxury surplus of quality starting pitching in their current staff, for a potential package of prospects and/or the mythical "big bat" that will assist the Braves back into the glory days.  All I'm saying is that I'd prefer to keep Vazquez through 2010, and potentially beyond, but I wouldn't be the least bit opposed to keep my ears peeled and entertain some offers to hear what's up.

Would it be possible to sign Javy to some sort of extension?  Possibly.  He has made statements expressing desire to stay in Atlanta, and many bring up the idea that he is opposed to going out to the west coast again, thus limiting the number of teams he could go to down a bit.  But one thing to think about is how much of the Braves' money do you want tied up in starting pitching alone?  Say the Braves extend Vazquez, but aren't capable of moving any of their starting pitchers - Derek Lowe is on the books for three more years, Kenshin Kawakami for two more, and if the supposed rumors come true, Tim Hudson for three.  In 2011, Jair Jurrjens is eligible for arbitration.  It goes without saying that in order to extend Vazquez, someone will have to be moved in order to have a chance of keeping the finances under somewhat control.  Unless Liberty Media decides to actually open up the books a bit, which I'm sure is not going to happen.

So for better or worse, we're just going to have to assume that Javier Vazquez is going to be suiting up for the Braves come the start of the 2010 season.  I expect more of the same from 2009, but there also stands the possibility that the "honeymoon period" of moving back to the NL after a long tenure in the AL helped his numbers, which I don't necessarily agree with fully, because he should have gotten worse as the year progressed, not better, like Javy's did.  Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing more Javier Vazquez in 2010, and I wouldn't rule out the possibility that he might just be the Opening Day starter, for the Atlanta Braves.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2009/11/4/1113139/braves-2009-season-in-review

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Detroit Tigers Brandon Inge Has Surgery On Both
Knees

According to the Detroit Free Press, Detroit Tigers 3B Brandon Inge had surgery on Tuesday to correct the patellar tendinitis in both of his knees. The surgery was performed by Dr. Stephen Lemos at the Detroit Medical Center.Inge is expected to be ready by spring training.Despite with pain that Inge described as “excruciating,” Inge still [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://theghostofmoonlightgraham.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/detroit-tigers-brandon-
inge-has-surgery-on-both-knees/

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Pirates acquire 2B Iwamura from Rays (AP)

Akinori Iwamura apparently didn't check the standings after being traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Iwamura, acquired to be the Pirates' starting second baseman, is hoping his new team can be a contender soon. Really. "I know, of course, about Roberto Clemente and that it is a great organization," Iwamura said [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2009/11/04/pirates-acquire-2b-iwamura-from-rays-ap/

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November 4 2009 Demolition Continues & Letter
Removal Completed

Ripping into the stands…all outside lettering has also been removed.Photo Credit: WCBS880Image used with permission from WCBS.com.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.demolitionofyankeestadium.com/2009/11/04/november-4-2009-demolition-le
tter-removal-completed/

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World Series Game 6: Yankees vs. Phillies -- Live
Game Chat @ 7:45 PM

*******Live chat at bottom of post*******
World Series Game 6Yankees vs. PhilliesYankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 7:57 p.m.
TV: FOX | Radio: WCBS 880

Here are the lineups:
YANKEES (3-2)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner CF
Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (3-0, 3.24 ERA)
PHILLIES (2-3)Jimmy Rollins SSShane Victorino CFChase Utley 2BRyan Howard 1BJayson Werth RFRaul Ibanez DHPedro Feliz 3BBen Francisco LFCarlos Ruiz C
Pitching: RHP Pedro Martinez (0-1, 2.08 ERA)
Yankees vs. Martinez
ABH2B3BHRRBIBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS D. Jeter 86 22 3 0 3 6 11 22 .256 .347 .395 .742 J. Posada 60 11 2 1 4 10 8 33 .183 .290 .450 .740 A. Rodriguez 55 16 2 0 1 4 5 19 .291 .350 .382 .732 E. Hinske 30 8 0 0 1 7 1 10 .267 .303 .367 .670 H. Matsui 28 4 0 0 1 1 2 6 .143 .200 .250 .450 J. Hairston Jr. 27 10 2 1 0 0 3 6 .370 .433 .519 .952 J. Damon 25 5 0 0 0 0 2 4 .200 .259 .200 .459 R. Cano 12 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 J. Molina 8 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .125 .222 .125 .347 M. Teixeira 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 .167 .167 .333 .500 M. Cabrera 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .200 .333 .200 .533 N. Swisher 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Totals34479102103133107.230.303.358.660

Phillies vs. Pettitte
ABH2B3BHRRBIBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS R. Ibanez 21 6 1 0 1 3 0 5 .286 .318 .476 .794 J. Rollins 18 4 0 0 1 1 0 2 .222 .222 .389 .611 J. Werth 13 1 0 0 1 2 0 5 .077 .077 .308 .385 M. Stairs 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 R. Howard 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .111 .111 .111 .222 P. Feliz 7 2 0 0 0 2 3 1 .286 .500 .286 .786 C. Utley 7 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 .143 .250 .143 .393 S. Victorino 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 .500 .500 1.000 B. Francisco 5 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .400 .500 .400 .900 C. Ruiz 3 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 .667 .667 1.667 2.333 P. Bako 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Totals99221049520.222.267.354.620
News & Notes
- At 103-59 the Yankees had the best record in all of baseball. The Yankees finish the '09 season 46-35 on the road, the second best record in the American League.

- At 93-69 the Phillies had the second best record in the National League behind the Dodgers. The Phillies were not too great at home this season, posting a 46-35 record, good for 6th in the National League. But in their last 12 postseason games at home they're 11-1.

- Andy Pettitte has started seven games against the Phillies in his career, and is 2-2 with a 3.67 ERA. In a no decision against them earlier this year he allowed 4 earned runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5 in 7 innings.

In 39 career postseason starts, Pettitte is 17-9 with a 3.88 ERA. The 17 wins are an all-time record. This year he's 3-0, with a 3.24 ERA in four postseason starts. In 25 innings pitched Pettitte has allowed 9 earned runs on 22 hits, walked 6 and struck out 22.

- In 32 starts against the Yankees, Pedro Martinez is 11-11, with a 3.20 ERA. In his game 2 loss of the series Pedro pitched 6 innings allowing 3 earned runs on 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out 8.

In 15 games (13 starts) in the postseason Martinez is 6-3, with a 3.22 ERA. The last time he defeated the Yankees in the postseason was game 3 of the 1999 ALCS.

- The Phillies took two of the three meetings with the Yankees in the Bronx during the regular season. Including the playoffs the Yankees are 4-4 against Philly.
- Johnny Damon is 6 for his last 9.
- Joe Girardi said that Mariano Rivera is available for two innings tonight.

- Scott Brosius will throw out tonight's ceremonial first pitch.
- The Yankees are one win away from becoming the first team to win a World Series with a three-man rotation since the 1991 Minnesota Twins (Jack Morris, Kevin Tapani, and Scott Erickson).

*******Live Chat*******

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/NncUVApENVs/world-series-game-6
-yankees-vs-phillies.html

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Girardi Ready to Lean on Mo if Needed

[...]

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http://bronxbaseballdaily.baby-bombers.com/2009/11/04/girardi-ready-to-lean-on-mo
-if-needed/

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Cubs LHP Lilly gets shoulder surgery (AP)

Chicago Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly has had surgery on his left shoulder. The Cubs said the arthroscopy and debridement procedure performed Tuesday by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles revealed no major damage. The Cubs said they will determine after the first of the year a timetable for Lilly to start a throwing program.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2009/11/04/cubs-lhp-lilly-gets-shoulder-surgery-ap/

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Tim Hudson contract extension with the Braves
essentially a done deal

From MLB.com's Mark Bowman, here is the latest on the Atlanta Braves efforts to re-sign Tim Hudson:

Tim Hudson has passed his physical and essentially made his three-year contract extension a done deal.  But the Braves may wait until the conclusion of the World Series to formally make this announcement.

Hudson and the Braves agreed to the terms of the three-year extension last week and then had to wait to find a doctor that the insurance company would approve.

David O'Brien reported a similar note this morning

The delay on Hudson extension resulted from the team having to find a doctor the insurance company approved of to do the physical. But they got the doc and Huddy passed the physical, from what I’m told. If so, it shouldn’t be much longer before they sign this deal and it gets announced.

Good. Signing Hudson is the right move. Now we get to endure a swirl of rumors about who the Braves will trade from the rest of the starting pitchers.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2009/11/4/1114564/tim-hudson-contract-extension-with

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The Greatest Reds: #90 - #86

90. Greasy Neale

Played as RedPrimary PositionCareer RankPeak RankPrime Rank1916-22, 1924RF, LF949573Percent Breakdown of ValueBest SeasonBest player on RedsHitFieldPitch1919Never80%20%0%Awards/Honors as a RedLeading the LeagueOn the Reds LeaderboardN/AN/A

-15th in career sacrifice hits
-20th in career hit by pitch
-28th in career triples
-32nd in career stolen bases
-50th in career singles

Although ultimately better known for his top-notch work as an NFL coach during the 1940s, Neale was a 5-year regular in the outfield, including during the 1919 championship season (Neale was the best hitter for the Reds in that year’s World Series). After the 1920 season, Neale was packaged with Jimmy Ring to the Phillies in exchange for Eppa Rixey (who pitched in 13 seasons for the Reds en route to a Hall of Fame career). As the Phillies found out, however, Neale’s career was essentially over, and the Reds claimed him off of waivers the following June.

89. Ray Mueller

Played as RedPrimary PositionCareer RankPeak RankPrime Rank1943-44, 1946-49C995086Percent Breakdown of ValueBest SeasonBest player on RedsHitFieldPitch1944Never59%41%0%Awards/Honors as a RedLeading the LeagueOn the Reds LeaderboardAll Star – 1944N/A

-50th career AB / HR

Ray Mueller was a struggling catcher throughout the late 1930’s, picked up by the Reds prior to the 1943 season after spending the early 1940’s kicking around in the minor leagues, who found WWII-era baseball extremely to his liking. 1943 and 1944 were MVP-lite level seasons (286/353/398 for a 115 OPS+ season in 1944), then he missed the 1945 season (presumably due to military service), posted a pretty good line in 1946, and then was never the same.

88. Aaron Boone

Played as RedPrimary PositionCareer RankPeak RankPrime Rank1997-20033B909973Percent Breakdown of ValueBest SeasonBest player on RedsHitFieldPitch2002200371%29%0%Awards/Honors as a RedLeading the LeagueOn the Reds LeaderboardAll Star – 2003N/A

-29th in career slugging percentage
-30th in career home runs
-45th in career OPS
-46th in career doubles
-49th in career RBI

Aaron Boone is listed as the best player on the Reds for the 2003 season. On the one hand, this fairly represents Boone’s strong season with the Reds that year. On the other, it is unusual in that he was traded to the Yankees on July 31 of that year. In a completely random and unrelated note, the Reds only won 69 games in 2003. The other curious statistical oddity with Boone is that his "best season" as listed above, was really one of his worst in terms of rate performance (93 OPS+, versus a career 99 OPS+ with the Reds). That just happened to be the year he stayed completely healthy and played in all 162 games.

87. Dummy Hoy

Played as RedPrimary PositionCareer RankPeak RankPrime Rank1894-97, 1902CF, LF907986Percent Breakdown of ValueBest SeasonBest player on RedsHitFieldPitch1896Never74%26%0%Awards/Honors as a RedLeading the LeagueOn the Reds LeaderboardN/AN/A

-1st in career AB/K ratio
-3rd in career on-base percentage
-15th in career stolen bases
-38th in career OPS
-39th in career runs scored

Hoy is perhaps the most famous deaf player in baseball history, who retired as the all-time leader in games played in centerfield, and was a noted speedster who specialized in covering a ton of ground in the outfield, as well as a strong ability to take a walk at the plate, likely a function of standing 5’4". Unfortunately for the Reds, he had his best seasons with other teams. His best year (1896) was one in which he produced a .298 batting average and an on-base percentage of .403, but his OPS+ of 108 was still below his overall career mark of 110.

86. Clay Carroll

Played as RedPrimary PositionCareer RankPeak RankPrime Rank1968-1975RP7314593Percent Breakdown of ValueBest SeasonBest player on RedsHitFieldPitch1970Never0%0%100%Awards/Honors as a RedLeading the LeagueOn the Reds LeaderboardAll Star – 1971, 1972Saves – 1972
Games Pitched – 1972

-3rd in career saves
-3rd in career games pitched
-5th in career ERA+
-6th in career W-L percentage
-30th in career wins

Here is a guy who I would have loved to have seen pitch, if for no other reason than to try and figure out how he succeeded. From the stats, it appears that Carroll was blessed with neither overpowering stuff (4.8 K/9 as a Red) nor excellent control (3.2 BB/9). Instead, he had a rubber arm that consistently got people out. Despite being entrenched as a reliever, he still started 15 games over the course of his tenure with the Reds. When it came time to face the best possible opponents in the postseason, Carroll turned it up a few more notches (career reg. season ERA with the Reds: 2.73; career post-season ERA with the Reds over 32.1 IP: 1.39). In his best season, Carroll appeared in 65 games for 104.1 IP, saving 16 and posting a 2.59 ERA (161 ERA+). Then went on to throw 10.1 scoreless innings in the postseason. In his last ever appearance for the Reds, Carroll pitched the 7th and 8th innings in game 7 of the 1975 World Series, ultimately getting credited with the win.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.redreporter.com/2009/11/4/1105189/the-greatest-reds-90-86

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Wednesday Rockpile: Clint Hurdle Arlington bound
as Rangers hire him as hitting coach

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

At the very least, Clint Hurdle ought to be able to teach Michael Young the proper way to bunt.

Browse more photos »

Some people always seem to wind up with the best gigs. According to reports out of Texas, former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle has been picked up by the Texas Rangers as their hitting coach. Similar to when he held the post with the Rockies at Coors Field, half his job is seemingly already taken care of.

A competitive World Series between the two teams at least commonly perceived to be the best in baseball this year is probably good for the health of the sport, and the storyline of longtime Yankees nemesis Pedro Martinez returning to the Bronx tonight for Game 6 certainly builds the drama, adds ratings, and helps make the next TV contract fat and juicy. None of this really helps the Rockies specifically, as any general MLB windfall will be equally distributed, and the only two teams getting a real brand benefit are the two left playing. This year, though, it seems to me to be a much larger benefit to the teams involved than it has been in the recent past. I'd say at least since 2004, and since that ended in a Red Sox sweep without much drama to the Series itself, probably since 2001. Is this just the return of the Yankees and their legions of fans that's at the root, or is there actually something to the "two best teams" idea that elevates the series and the benefits that can be derived from it?

If it's the latter (and I'm not entirely certain if it is, or if it's just the Yankees) it can be seen how the Rockies could benefit from a better national brand presence should they make it back to the World Series in the next couple of years. They could win a lot more fans by establishing themselves nationally as a quality, elite team.

Here are some of the anecdotal examples of the Rockies being branded nationally as a cut below the league's elite, and perhaps even as a cut below the second tier in the NL:

 

• No fear for the Rockies rotation - Down the stretch in 2009, a frequent refrain from fans of the Cardinals, Phillies and Dodgers was something along the lines of: "I'd rather we face the Rockies than the Giants...". Watch as 2010 predictions start to roll out that when mentioning Rockies pitching, how many qualifiers or moderating terms pundits use. "Solid" is a buzzword that you'll probably get a lot. However, the fact is that Rockies pitching was at or near the top of the NL in value for most of 2009 and while there might be some regression in store for 2010, it shouldn't be enough to knock the team's pitching value from the top two or three teams in the league. 
• The Kruk Theory - Fans that followed the Braves, Cubs and even the Marlins, as well as numerous pundits in the Central and Eastern portions of the country did not seem to perceive a Rockies wild card lead as something natural or sustainable, and there was this sort of inevitable drop that many felt was coming. This had as much to do with a perceived weakness with the Rockies when having to face the Giants and Dodgers frequently down the stretch, as it did with the strength of teams in other divisions. Outside of San Francisco and certain sabermetric circles, there really wasn't a perception that the Rockies were going to continue winning. If we're more than casual fans, we will have hierarchical biases in mind when it comes to projecting. We picture any random 20 game stretch turning out differently for the Yankees than the Pirates, for instance. What this seems to say to me about the Rockies, is that for much of the country, there was still at best a 10-10 perception of that random 20 game stretch at the end of the year. 

I think a couple of key questions for the Rockies in 2010 are how they get their national image more in line with their actual level of play, and secondly how they raise that level of play to the point where they can be a legitimate A list team. I've said this before, but I think winning the division is very important for the team in 2010, and that just getting to the playoffs via the wild card may no longer be enough for the duration of the team's current success cycle. We're at a point where winning playoff series, division titles, pennants and world championships become the real goals rather than just being competitive.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.purplerow.com/2009/11/4/1114342/wednesday-rockpile-clint-hurdle

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