Reese Kaplan -- Crack That WHIP

Over the past several years we’ve seen most people convert to the church of launch angle in the bid to put more balls over the fence.  Players who were never before big power threats (think Daniel Murphy) all of the sudden became feared offensive forces.  As Tom Glavine once famously said in his TV commercial:

Small ball advocates are having a hard time being heard over the standing ovations that happen when a ball leaves the yard.  Yet if you think back to last season, the thrills that fans felt when guys like Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, and the last six weeks of the season of Amed Rosario are what people seemed to enjoy the most. 

On the pitching side of the ball most people are enamored with the traditional stats of ERA and strikeout totals.  To me, at least, ERA says you know how to buckle down when guys get on base.  Strikeouts are the pitching equivalent of the long ball.  You’ve done the ultimate a pitcher can do just as a HR represents the ultimate a batter can do.

Back when I used to play fantasy baseball I preached about a stat that at the time didn’t have a name.  I tried to impress upon my friends and partners in the game that if the pitcher was adept at keeping runners off base in the first place then they would likely foster success.  Nowadays, of course, we have that stat – WHIP – Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched.  

Often the WHIP numbers are indeed indicative of the game’s pitching elite but sometimes guys who are quietly getting it done fly under the radar.  That group is who is worth examining to fortify the bullpen.  Based upon a 2011 study, the league average number was 1.32.  For a frame of reference, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom hovered around a mere 0.91.

Now granted, there are times you want a guy coming in from the pen to strike people out with runners in scoring position, but to start an inning isn’t it just as valuable to keep runners off base altogether?  Think of these pitchers as the equivalent of the Jeff McNeil types.

For this exercise I’ve set 50 games as a minimum number of appearances and I’m primarily looking at middle relievers and setup guys.  Would it surprise you to learn that the man who led all of baseball with a 0.76 mark is none other than the reviled Oliver Perez (who happens to be a free agent and a lefty). 

Although the thought is to identify and find some quality pitchers who might fortify the pen, number two with 73 games and a WHIP of 0.79 is newly acquired Edwin Diaz.  (Oh, he also happens to strike out in excess of 15 per IP and costs little more than minimum wage…yeah, I think he’ll help.)

Free agent Shawn Kelley who toiled for the A’s and Nats last year is the next big name on the list with a 0.90.  (In case you’re having short term memory issues – that’s SUPERIOR to what Jason deGrom provided last year).  By the way, he’s a free agent, too. 

Former Met castoff Collin McHugh has reinvented himself as a highly effective reliever for the Astros.  He comes up next on the list with a 0.91 number as well.  Given Lance McCullers, Jr.’s TJS, it’s unlikely he could be pried away from Houston.

If the much-rumored discussion of a trade to San Diego for Thor comes to fruition, then perhaps one of the players the Mets should ask about is Kirby Yates.  I hear a chorus of “Who?” emanating at the mention of his name.  He was in 67 games, saved a dozen of them and finished the year with an ERA of 2.14 and a WHIP of 0.92.

The Minnesota Twins’ Taylor Rogers (another collective, “Who?”) delivered a WHIP of 0.95 with an ERA of 2.63 over 72 games.  Who’d a’thunk it?

While Adam Ottavino was collecting all the headlines for his stellar season in Colorado, very quietly Scott Oberg appeared in 56 games pitching to a 2.45 ERA and a WHIP under 1 at 0.97. 

With Brad Morrow handling the closing duties for the Cubbies and Steve Cishek turning in his usual yeoman’s work in the pen, Pedro Strop had a sensational season.  He had a 2.26 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP in 60 games. 

A few names in the upper echelon who didn’t hit my arbitrary 50-game total may have come up mid-season or otherwise have a justification for their fine pitching not resulting in as much usage, but here are a few names and WHIP numbers to consider – Washington Nationals’ Sean Doolittle (0.60), Boston Red Sox’ Ryan Brasier (0.77), San Diego Padres’ Jose Castillo (0.91), Los Angeles Dodgers Josh Fields (0.95), Tampa Bay’s Diego Castillo (0.95), and San Diego’s Matt Strahm (0.98).  The man good enough for number 62 in WHIP in the league and likely the next 9 figure contract recipient was Craig Kimbrel. 

While everyone agrees that a pen that includes Diaz, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and an assortment of pretenders is not nearly strong enough, the point here is there is some quality to be found that won’t break the bank particularly when CF and C still need to be addressed.