Hey, don't forget about us, Part II
10/25/2001
Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Well, the Yankees are in the World Series again. Imagine that. Isn't it funny how, after falling behind 2-0 to Oakland in the first round of the playoffs this season, every sportswriter in America -- aside from this guy right here -- went "on the record" as saying the Yankees' hold on the American League and baseball in general was slipping. And with the Mariners down 2-1 to Cleveland in the other ALDS, these same writers were calling Seattle's regular season a failure.
Then, miraculously, both the Yanks and M's stormed back to win their respective series, setting up a NY/Sea ALCS. And after prematurely signaling the end of a dynasty in New York and the end of a miracle in Seattle, what did those so-called baseball experts have to say about this ALCS match up?
"It's the series that was destined to be." Horse crap.
There's no such thing as destiny in baseball. There are only players and coaches and teams and fans. Whoever plays better moves on. Whoever plays worse goes home. It's simple. Oakland and Cleveland couldn't finish off New York and Seattle, and that's that. That's the beauty of the game.
And, as an Indians fan, with the beauty also comes plenty of aggravation and that same old, tired motto: "There's always next year."
Anyway, enough venting. After singling out some of the worst offensive performances in baseball last week, it's time to look at those pitchers who scared the crap out of their fans every time they took the mound this season. While baseball hands out the Cy Young award to each league's best pitcher, I'll in turn hand out the symbolic Jose Lima award. Yes, he's still active but after allowing 48 homers last season -- two shy of the Major League record -- I've decided there's no better symbol of pitching futility in the game today. Incidentally, because he would have won the award last season, Lima is not eligible this year for the Jose Lima award. It's one of those quirks of the voting system.
So let's take a look at the candidates, broken down by league. Please note, there are a couple of relievers up for the award because guys out of the bullpen can be just as detrimental to a team as any starting pitcher. Just ask John Rocker.
American League
Rick Helling, SP, Texas Rangers
12-11, 5.17 ERA, 256 hits, 63 walks, 38 homers, 154 K in 215.2 IP
On a team that featured Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Frank Catalanotto, Helling should have won at least 18 games, especially considering the Texas offense scored 6.05 runs a game in his 34 starts, the eighth-highest average in baseball. Of course, when opposing hitters own a .297 average and you allow nearly 1.5 base runners per inning, I guess you'd be lucky to win 12 games. Leading both leagues in homers allowed doesn't help much either.
Dave Burba, SP, Cleveland Indians
10-10, 6.21 ERA, 188 hits, 54 walks, 16 homers, 118 K in 150.2 IP
On a positive note, Burba won at least 10 games for the seventh-straight season this year, but that 6.21 ERA is easily the worst of his 12-year career. In fact, things got so bad for Burba this season that he made five appearances out of the bullpen, his highest total since 1995. And, to top it all off, in a June 29 loss to Kansas City, Burba became only the ninth AL pitcher in history to surrender four homers in one inning. Hmm, wonder why the Tribe decided to not pick up Burba's 2002 option? Sianara, Seņor
Longball.
Jose Mercedes, SP, Baltimore Orioles
8-17, 5.82 ERA, 219 hits, 63 walks, 20 homers, 123 K in 184 IP
In 2000, Mercedes went 14-7 for the Orioles with a tidy 4.02 ERA -- well, tidy for this day and age, at least. But this year he completely regressed, leading the American League in losses thanks to those 20 homers and .294 opponents' batting average. With Scott Erickson on the shelf and Pat Hentgen limited to only nine starts this year, manager Mike Hargrove needed the 2000 model of Jose Mercedes in his rotation. Instead, he got Jose Ford Focus.
Doug Henry, RP, Kansas City Royals
2-2, 6.07 ERA, 2 blown saves, 75 hits, 45 BB, 14 homers, 57 K in 75.2 IP
How does a guy with a 6.07 ERA pitch in more than 75 innings? Well, I guess if you're a Kansas City reliever who can get the ball over the plate, you'll see plenty of action. And Henry's homer total? Andy Pettitte allowed the same number of homers this year... in 125 more innings of work.
LaTroy Hawkins, RP, Minnesota Twins
1-5, 5.96 ERA, 28 saves, 9 blown saves, 59 hits, 39 walks, 36 K in 51.1 IP
Hawkins' 28 saves tied him for eighth in the American league, but his nine blown saves tied him with Jeff Shaw, Jason Isringhausen and Esteban Yan for the highest total in baseball. Hawkins, a converted starter, surrendered a mere three homers on the year, but with 39 walks in only 51 innings pitched, he allowed nearly two base runners per inning. Hawkins started the season on a high note, successfully converting his first nine save opportunities and 14 of his first 15. Unfortunately for the Twins, he then blew eight of his final 22 chances.
Alan Embree, RP, Chicago White Sox/San Francisco Giants
1-4, 7.33 ERA, 3 blown saves, 65 hits, 17 walks, 14 homers, 59 K in 54 IP
Embree used to be one of the more reliable lefty relievers in baseball, but this season he was worthless. A move to the American League helped him somewhat -- he owned an 11.25 ERA in San Francisco but a "miniscule" 5.03 ERA with the White Sox. Even worse, opponents hit an unbelievable .342 off the San Fran edition of Embree this season, and while with the Giants he allowed six of 14 inherited runners to score. He may not have been Billy Wagner with the White Sox, but he wasn't even Billy Bob Thornton in San Francisco.
National League
Scott Elarton, SP, Colorado Rockies/Houston Astros
4-10, 7.06 ERA, 146 hits, 59 walks, 34 homers, 87 K in 132.2 IP
The worst part about Elarton's numbers is that he only made four of his 24 starts with the Rockies, and only two of those were in Colorado.
Elarton, who won 17 games last year with Houston, was labeled one of the up-and-comers in the National League. But after this debacle, he's got a lot to prove. The 34 homers are bad enough -- it was the fifth-highest total in the National League. But considering he allowed all that damage in only 132.2 innings pitched is pitiful. And now Elarton has a full season with Colorado to look forward to. I'd consider retirement at 25, Scott.
Bobby Jones, SP, San Diego Padres
8-19, 5.12 ERA, 250 hits, 38 walks, 37 homers, 113 K in 195 IP
Jones just barely avoided becoming the first pitcher since 1980 to lose 20 games in a single season, but only because he somehow took a no-decision in Colorado on September 27 despite allowing seven earned runs in two innings of work. With a .305 opponents' batting average, Jones got beat up all season, but after the All-Star break things got out of hand with a 4-7 record and a 6.75 ERA with 19 homers in 78.2 innings pitched.
Dave Mlicki, SP, Houston Astros/Detroit Tigers
11-11, 6.17 ERA, 203 hits, 74 walks, 37 homers, 97 K in 167.2 IP
Like Alan Embree (see above), Mlicki enjoyed a moderate increase in effectiveness after switching leagues this season, sporting a 4-8 record with a 7.33 ERA with the Tigers -- in a supposed pitcher's park, mind you -- and a 7-3 mark with a 5.09 ERA in Houston. Judging by his career 4.67 ERA, Mlicki has never been a Cy Young candidate but 2001 marked the first time he finished a season with an ERA above 6.00, and it was also the first time he'd allowed more than 30 homers in a single season. Yet despite his struggles, the Astros sent Mlicki to the mound in game two of the NLDS against the Braves... a game Houston lost 1-0 thanks to Atlanta's unearned run in the second inning.
Andy Benes, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
7-7, 7.38 ERA, 122 hits, 61 walks, 30 homers, 78 K in 107.1 IP
If the 34 homers Scott Elarton allowed in only 132.2 innings pitched wasn't bad enough, I present Andy Benes and his remarkable feat: 30 homers in just 107.1 innings of work! That's insane. We're talking about a guy who, at only 34, should still have a few good years left in his right arm, especially considering his lifetime 4.02 ERA. In fact, from 1989-1994, over a span of 168 starts, Benes won 65 games with an ERA of 3.51. And in 1997 with the Cards, he surrendered only nine homers in 177 innings pitched. Anybody got a fork? Stick it in Benes -- he's done.
Dan Miceli, RP, Colorado Rockies/Florida Marlins
2-5, 4.80 ERA, 3 blown saves, 47 hits, 16 walks, 7 homers, 48 K in 45 IP
Okay, so the numbers aren't all that bad, but remember that Miceli, who while with Florida owned a 6.93 ERA and an 0-5 record as a reliever, was one of the loudest voices in favor of firing then-manager John Boles. Miceli's outbursts cost Boles his job and also triggered his own trade to Colorado, where ironically Miceli pitched very effectively, going 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA in 22 appearances. Still, his "contributions" in Florida can't be overlooked.
Turk Wendell, RP, New York Mets/Philadelphia Phillies
4-5, 4.43 ERA, 2 blown saves, 63 hits, 34 walks, 12 homers, 56 K in 67 IP
On July 27 the Phillies agreed to a trade that may haunt their organization for years, sending promising left-handed starter Bruce Chen to the Mets for relievers Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell, hoping to solidify their bullpen. Instead, Wendell imploded upon arrival, giving up a game-winning home run on July 28 to the Mets Robin Ventura -- talk about ironic coincidences. It didn't get any better after that. Three days later Wendell gave up three earned runs without recording an out against the Rockies, and on August 3 he pitched a third of an inning and allowed a game-winning, two-run homer to San Fran's Andres
Galarraga. In total, Wendell allowed four home runs in only 15.2 innings pitched after the trade, and his 7.47 ERA cost the Phillies dearly -- they lost the NL East by only two games to the Braves.
As with the Hole in Your Bat award, the race for the Jose Lima award isn't easy to figure out. In the American League, an effective Rick Helling maybe would have propelled the Rangers to a .500 record, but with the way the Mariners and A's played this season Texas wasn't making any noise in the West anyway. Cleveland desperately needed a solid performance from their #3 starter and Burba -- along with Chuck Finley and Steve Woodard -- failed to deliver.
But the Minnesota Twins looked to have a stranglehold on the AL Central race in the first few months of the season, and then closer LaTroy Hawkins remembered he's not Mariano Rivera. As good as he was in the first half of the season (23 saves, 3.48 ERA before the All-Star break), Hawkins' second-half collapse (10.70 ERA and five blown saves after the break) had the Twins looking up at the Tribe in the standings in no time. Congrats, LaTroy.
In the National League, Turk was horrendous for the Phillies and Jones very nearly lost 20 games, but how can you go wrong with Andy Benes here? Opposing batters slugged .563 off him and, despite getting 6.88 runs/start from the Cards offense, he was only a .500 pitcher. Plus, anybody who gives up 30 homers in just over 100 innings is a Major League stiff in my book and well-qualified for the Jose Lima award.
To save time and space, we'll skip the acceptance speeches this season. Congratulations to all the winners, and for those who fell short in their quests for the Hole in Your Bat and Jose Lima awards, keep reaching for the stars... .
In the Bullz-Eye
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy. There's already talk of Dungy being fired at the end of the season, and with the Bucs currently sitting at 2-3 with the Vikings on the schedule this weekend, those rumors have to be taken seriously. Unfortunately, Brad Johnson's incompetence and Warrick Dunn's injury problems seem to be more of a factor in Tampa's slow start than anything Dungy's done on the sidelines this season. Still, as is always the case, the man up front is always the first one on the chopping block.