Results tagged ‘ Matt Harrison ’
Fun With Projections
Looking over the current leaderboards, some players are really showing some crazy skills early in the year. Below are some potential records.
Matt Kemp, Dodgers
.481/.525/.1000, 185 R, 301 H, 46 2B, 0 3B, 93 HR, 231 RBI, 12 SB
Simply amazing. Kemp is hitting like no one I’ve ever seen right now. He’s not going to do this all year, but he was worthy of the NL MVP last year, and he’ll certainly win it in 2012. Needless to say, Kemp would break several records. He said that he was aiming for a 50/50 season in 2012, but he can’t steal bases when he hits the ball and has to touch home plate right afterwards with all of his homers.
Emilio Bonifacio, Marlins
.321/.429/.321, 116 R, 197 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 23 RBI, 104 SB
Bonifacio is on pace for 197 singles and ZERO extra-base hits. He is also on pace to steal 100 bases, something that hasn’t been done since Vince Coleman stole 109 in 1987.
Derek Jeter, Yankees
.359/.373/.609, 116 R, 266 H, 46 2B, 0 3B, 46 HR, 127 RBI, 0 SB
So, he’s done, right? After hitting an “awful” .270 and .297 the last two season, Jeter is back to his old self and more. He isn’t going to post numbers like A-Rod did at shortstop when all is said and done, but a Jeter-like season is definitely within reach.
Pitching Projections
No one will ever win 59 games like good ol’ Old Hoss Radbourn did in 1884 for the Providence Grays, but Ivan Nova, Lance Lynn, and Roy Halladay are on pace to go 35-0 in 2012.
Ross Detwiler beat out John Lannon for the Washington Nationals #5 starter job and has only gone 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA through three starts, good for a 22-0 record in 32 projected starts.
Matt Harrison of the Rangers is also 2-0 in his two starts, with a dazzling 0.64 ERA in two starts, good for a 25-0 record in 25 projected starts.
Brandon Beachy has been absolutely filthy, compiling a 2-1 record with a 0.47 ERA and .162 average allowed in his three starts. He’s on pace for a 23-12 record over 35 projected starts.
Javy Guerra beat out Kenley Jansen for the Dodgers closer job this spring. He’s already closed out 7 games, so he is on pace for 81 saves, which would break Francisco Rodriguez’s 2008 record of 62 by a few. The Dodgers have to keep winning, which Matt Kemp seems to be capable of doing on his own, ala Bugs Bunny.
Who are Yu?
Yu Darvish is a 25-year-old Japanese pitcher that the Texas Rangers just paid $51.7 million to be able to negotiate a contract with. Darvish had been a member of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters since 2005. He has some pretty incredible stats, which you’ll find below. The Rangers lost a solid starting pitcher when The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-Orange County-California-United States of America-Planet Earth-Milky Way Galaxy signed C.J. Wilson, but they could be getting a phenom like no other seen since…well, Hideo Nomo when he mattered? Daisuke Matsuzaka before reality set in? Hideki Matsui before the acne scaring? I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a player with this much hype, which is why it wasn’t surprising that the bid was so high.
Darvish instantly makes the Rangers dangerous. Texas now has a six-man rotation to choose from in Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, Alexi Ogando and Neftali Feliz. While you have to wonder how Ogando and Feliz will hold up as starting pitchers, you have to think the Rangers know what they’re doing when they are converting…it worked out so well for Wilson, right? Well, due to this potential signing, how dangerous is Ogando as a setup man? If Feliz falters as a starter, can he take over closer duties again from the aging Joe Nathan? Nevermind the fact that the Rangers have some sexy pitching prospects in Martin Perez, Robert Ross, Neil Ramirez, Barret Loux and Miguel De Los Santos who are a month, year or two or injury away from taking over a spot in the rotation.
This signing is bigger than Pujols to the Angels. This is bigger than Reyes to the Marlins. This is a potential superstar for a team that was in the World Series and needed to get over the hump. The Rangers have the talent to win with the lineup that they have right now. Reyes isn’t going to solidify the Marlins holes enough to build them into contenders and Pujols isn’t enough to overcome an aging outfield and lineup featuring Torii Hunter and an overpaid Vernon Wells. Yu Darvish will have success. He’s had it in Japan, even more than Matsuzaka ever had. Just look below to realize the ace that was worth the bid.
| Year | W | L | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 2005 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 94.1 | 97 | 37 | 37 | 7 | 48 | 52 | 3.53 | 1.54 |
| 2006 | 12 | 5 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 149.2 | 128 | 55 | 48 | 12 | 64 | 115 | 2.89 | 1.28 |
| 2007 | 15 | 5 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 207.2 | 123 | 48 | 42 | 9 | 49 | 210 | 1.82 | 0.83 |
| 2008 | 16 | 4 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 200.2 | 136 | 44 | 42 | 11 | 44 | 208 | 1.88 | 0.9 |
| 2009 | 15 | 5 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 182 | 118 | 36 | 35 | 9 | 45 | 167 | 1.73 | 0.9 |
| 2010 | 12 | 8 | 25 | 10 | 2 | 202 | 158 | 48 | 40 | 5 | 47 | 222 | 1.78 | 1.01 |
| 2011 | 18 | 6 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 232 | 156 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 36 | 276 | 1.44 | 0.83 |
| Career | 93 | 38 | 164 | 55 | 18 | 1268.1 | 916 | 310 | 281 | 58 | 333 | 1259 | 1.99 | 0.98 |
