Chasing The Storm 2055-3 Pitching in Review

[njherdfan]

If you've made it this far, then you know that the primary issue with Seattle's season, and the reason for their dismal record, is the pitching. We're going to take a look at the pitching performances and attempt to figure out what went wrong, what (if anything) went right, and what can be done in the future.

Let's start off with the positives, shall we? Lucio Juarez continues his ascendancy into the upper tier of MBBWA pitchers, and it seems safe to say that he's simply a good pitcher at this point. This past season he had a 3.76 ERA and he led Seattle's starters with a 3.41 FIP, and he also led the team's pitchers with 4.9 ERA. A large portion of his success this season was his ability to limit home runs, as he only allowed 9 over the course of 182 innings, which was the best ratio in the league. Samuel Nebraska also had a very solid year, posting a 3.77 ERA and a FIP of 3.97. Much like Juarez, Nebraska did a great job of keeping the ball in the ballpark, as he allowed 13 home runs in 169 innings. Those 2 will absolutely be anchoring Seattle's rotations of the future.

If we wanted to list all of Seattle's relievers that didn't pitch poorly, that would be a much shorter list, but instead, we'll just touch briefly on some of the worst offenders. Marcos Mendoza had a 6.64 ERA and a 5.86 FIP to go along with it. While he posted respectable strikeout numbers, he gave up far too many home runs and walks; it would be a major surprise to see him back in Seattle next season. Not to be outdone, Reynaldo Torres was equally brutal, as he had a 6.71 ERA and a 5.56 FIP. Some nostalgia might have played a part in Torres's continued appearance in Seattle's bullpen, as the onetime top prospect was finally able to put together a mostly healthy season and appear in a full slate of games. The problem, of course, was how poorly he performed in those games. It seems equally unlikely that he'll return as a member of the Storm because of his apparent inability to get major league hitters out.