Nolan wrote:halfcourt wrote:anyway you look at it, K-Rod has NOT been a better pitcher than Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee has been phenomenal though
K-Rod just destroyed the save record and in the best closer in baseball K-Rods been a better pitcher than Doc this year.
Heh, K-Rod isn't anywhere near to being the best closer in baseball. A comparison:
K-Rod: 2.27 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, 2.23:1 K/BB, 67.3 IP, seven blown saves. Good numbers, though his WHIP is league average, which indicates that he has been insanely lucky.
Papelbon: 1.98 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 10 K/9, 10.9:1 K/BB (!), 68.3 IP, five blown saves. With the exception of a very tiny gap in K rate, Papelbon is better in every way imaginable.
Rivera: 1.43 ERA, 0.68 WHIP (!), 9.9 K/9, 12.7:1 K/BB (!?!), 69.3 IP, one blown save. Again, much better; Rivera is (as usual) the best closer in baseball, and there's no contest.
Lidge: 1.87 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 2.62 K/BB, 67.3 IP, zero blown saves (!). Numbers are very close...still better in every category, though.
Nathan: 1.36 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 4:1 K/BB, 66.3 IP, six blown saves. Not even close.
Rodriguez is barely a top-5 closer in baseball, if you set aside the idiocy that is the save statistic. If the Angels scored as many runs as the Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, or Phillies, Rodriguez gets less saves and the "best closer in baseball" thing would be utterly laughable. Conversely, stick any of the above closers on the Angels and they break the save record by a larger margin. As it stands, he's being rewarded by playing on a team that can't blow anyone out.