Ramblings and Rumblings, Volume 4 in 2042: UMEBA All-Star Voting - Relief Pitchers

[johnd2442]

UMEBA All-Star Voting: Relief PitchersRamblings and Rumblings, Issue 4, 2042 Season

In this second edition, relief pitchers will be spots that will be looked into. Now, I’m basing this off of the in-game all-star ballot, so I hope the real ballot on Stats+ will feature the same players and that I am not omitting any deserving players. The first edition featured starting pitchers and there were a lot of standout starters that deserved mention, so that, I felt, deserved its own writeup. I will do as comprehensive a job as I can, especially with the other positions, since there aren’t nearly as many nominated players as there were for the starting pitcher slots as there are three of those and one for every other position. Still, there are three slots for relief pitchers on the All-Star ballot for each league and I think the relievers deserve their own writeup too. There is one slot for a closer and two for other relievers, but I will lump them all together. I’ll focus on that now.

BURT LEAGUE

Distinct Possibilities

Relief Pitcher	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	K/9	WAR	SAVES
Jose Perez, Baghdad	5-1	2.60	45.0	1.07	8.8	1.1	1
Nadir Akili, Istanbul	0-1	1.35	20.0	1.40	9.0	0.4	0
Tristan Alfama, Baghdad	2-1	2.00	45.0	0.84	9.0	0.6	2
Netuno Markert, Manama	1-1	1.73	26.0	1.08	8.3	0.9	18
Bras Gesteiras, Istanbul	1-1	2.65	34.0	1.29	10.1	0.5	2

My priority with looking at relievers is noting innings pitched. A reliever with 20 innings pitched isn’t as impressive as one with the same ERA and WHIP, but with 40 innings pitched. So, you’ll notice that I give some extra credit to those hurlers who are available often for their manager’s call out of the bullpen. And I know, saves is a pretty crappy stat, but the game showcases it, and it is still instructive to get an idea of a pitcher’s role.

Jose Perez has pitched a bunch of innings and has been tough to hit with a lot of strikeouts and a very high WAR for being in the bullpen and not saving games. To me, he should be an All-Star as he has more innings than most even if his ERA might be a touch higher than some in this group.

Nadir Akili has been nearly unhittable, but he has thrown less than half the innings Perez has. And his WHIP is quite high at 1.40 which I found interesting. This shows he’s gotten out of some jams. He’s walked 11 batters in 20 innings which doesn’t scream dominance. This along with the paltry innings, to me, does not say All-Star, but I am sure he’ll get some votes for that impressively tiny ERA (1.35).

Tristan Alfama is a guy I profiled in a team preview about Baghdad. I didn’t expect him to be this steady and terrific. A miniscule ERA and WHIP should definitely earn him All-Star votes deservedly.

Netuno Markert not only has one of the better names in the UMEBA, he has 18 saves which leads the UMEBA, and he has been outstanding. With that 1.73 ERA, when he comes in the game with a lead, the game is pretty much over. That has value to a team, for sure. To me, Perez, Alfama and Markert are real legitimate choices for the Burt League relief pitcher All-Star votes.

To add to that though, Bras Gesteiras led the UMEBA last year in saves with 36 and he’s having a very nice year this season, and while his 1.29 WHIP is simply average, he’s improved it significantly over the past couple of sims.


More remote possibilities, but having a decent year

Relief Pitcher	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	K/9	WAR	SAVES
Ruben Frias, Baghdad	3-1	3.10	58.0	1.07	5.1	0.6	0
Ramon Garza, Cairo	2-2	3.97	22.2	1.10	10.3	0.8	16
Axel Goulding, Kuwait City	1-0	3.00	15.0	1.33	9.0	0.3	8
Max Born, Manama	1-0	3.65	49.1	1.40	6.9	0.5	0

I stayed away from any pitcher with a 4+ ERA. And for good reason, in my estimation, because those pitchers had unimpressive peripherals so it was just a waste of time to linger on them. Ruben Frias and Ramon Garza are examples of why Axel Goulding can’t be considered a surefire All-Star candidate. Because with more innings pitched gives more chances for batted balls to go into play. Frias and Garza have had nice seasons, but not terrific. Unfortunately Frias is hurt and will likely miss the All-Star game, but deserved mention on this list. Not only that, but Cairo's Garza is hurt as well for the next several months and will miss the summer classic due to injury too. I couldn’t include Goulding in the first grouping because of his meager innings pitched total, but he is having a nice season. I wouldn’t begrudge another voter for wanting to see him in the All-Star game. Max Born has slipped some over the past couple of sims, but he has helped a talented Manama bullpen and he has thrown a lot of innings for a reliever. Sure, his WHIP and K/9 rates are somewhat pedestrian, but to be a steady guy out of the bullpen has value to a team. I can see him getting a few all-star votes.



BANCROFT LEAGUE

Distinct Possibilities

Relief Pitcher	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	K/9	WAR	SAVES
Hector Barajas, Jerusalem	2-2	1.37	26.1	0.95	9.2	0.9	4
Cisco Chavez, Bucharest	3-0	2.20	32.2	1.19	12.4	0.7	0
Luis Flores, Athens	4-0	2.38	45.1	1.17	6.4	1.2	0
Mike Manning, Mumbai	2-0	2.67	33.2	1.07	7.2	0.8	1
Juan Ortiz, Athens	0-2	3.05	20.2	0.97	8.3	0.4	2
Ramon Vasquez, Jerusalem	1-0	2.05	26.1	0.99	3.8	0.6	1

Man, there’s a slew of terrific guys out of the bullpen. Again, note that there are three spots for relievers, so there are quite a few pitchers to choose from here who deserve to be all-stars.

Hector Barajas may not have many pitches thrown, but he does have an incredibly low ERA (1.37) and a high strikeout rate (9.2 per 9 innings). Then you have Cisco Chavez who has thrown a few more innings than Barajas, and while he has a higher ERA by almost a run, he has had an impressive season. I could see both of these pitchers garnerning votes.

Luis Flores has been wonderful and has pitched 45.1 innings which is more than anyone on this list and while he doesn't strike out a ton of batters like some other hurlers listed, he’s very effective. Still, Mike Manning of Mumbai might also be considered another pitcher who should be an all-star. He’s thrown 33 innings, has a decent ERA (2.67) and an equally decent WHIP (1.07). Juan Ortiz has been terrific, but with low innings (20.2) and a higher ERA (3.05) compared to the rest, I’m not sure he deserves as many votes as someone like Ramon Vasquez. With a meager 2.05 ERA, Vasquez strikes hardly anyone out, but yet doesn’t allow many hitters on base as evidenced by his 0.99 WHIP.


More remote possibilities, but having a decent year

Starting Pitcher	W-L	ERA	IP	WHIP	K/9	WAR	SAVES
Jose Carrillo, Beirut	1-2	3.72	38.2	1.29	5.4	0.4	2
Aaron Campbell, Bucharest	1-2	4.28	27.1	1.46	7.9	0.5	12
Paul Farrell, Athens	2-1	3.47	23.1	1.46	9.3	0.9	2
Kevin Hicken, Mumbai	2-4	3.52	61.1	1.47	6.8	1.2	0

Like in the Burt League, these pitchers are turning in fine years, but have holes in their production. Whether it be their WHIP’s, low K/9 rates or relatively high ERA’s, that may not make them all-stars, but it makes them very good pitchers deserving to be recognized and of a mention on a UMEBA All-Star ballot and a credit to their UMEBA squads.

Carrillo has pitched a bunch of innings and has been steady for Beirut and they’ve needed him. He has fairly pedestrian peripherals, and probably shouldn’t accrue any all-star votes, but he deserves mention for his solid season. Campbell has not had as good a season as Carrillo, but Bucharest is in first place for a reason, and part of that is their bullpen.

Paul Farrell deserves some attention as he’s pitched well out of Athens’s pen. He’s slipped recently but he’s been one of the best relievers for the Fighting Centaurs. Hicken has pitched a slew of innings for Mumbai. He has the most innings pitched out of anyone on all of these lists, partly because he's started six games. And he’s pitching fairly well too, so I wanted to mention him. Whether he gets any all-star votes will be a question mark however.

[Clayman]

Farrell's had 2 bad games Mumbai and Manama or he'd be cast iron All Star bullpen, maybe I should bench him against teams starting with M. Ortiz as only had 1 bad game, on the whole my bullpen as been better than my starters. Look out for a bit of an experiment tonight, it's against Jerusalem but forgot which game. Either Mr Papadakis fires me or gives me a pay rise

[johnd2442]

Farrell's had 2 bad games Mumbai and Manama or he'd be cast iron All Star bullpen, maybe I should bench him against teams starting with M. Ortiz as only had 1 bad game, on the whole my bullpen as been better than my starters. Look out for a bit of an experiment tonight, it's against Jerusalem but forgot which game. Either Mr Papadakis fires me or gives me a pay rise

I hate to confess this, but in my rough draft before the last couple sims, Farrell was in the first group for all-star consideration. He got a little nervous...he wanted an all-star berth to make Papadakis pay him more money at the next negotiation!

[Clayman]

Flores is on one heck of an hot streak 20+ innings 2-0 record with a 0.79 era.

[tallywood]

Again, great insight into the upcoming all-star race. Markert is one of the only REALLY bright spots on our team, and we are sure to be promoting the hell out of him on our social media

[Dington]

Thanks for jynxing Goulding...now sitting at 6.5 ERA.

[johnd2442]

Thanks for jynxing Goulding...now sitting at 6.5 ERA.

My pleasure!