Just in case there was someone out there who isn’t tired of reading about walks yet.
Earlier this week I looked at 2010 Phillies that walked both less than 3.32 batters per nine innings and less than 8.59% of the batters they faced.
For the players in that group who threw at least 50 innings, the table below shows how their walk rate per nine innings with the Phillies in 2010 compares to their career walk rate per nine innings coming into the season. They are ordered by the difference between their ’10 walk rate with the Phils and their walk rate coming into last season.
| BB/9 before 2010 | BB/9 in 2010 | Difference | |
| Moyer | 2.57 | 1.61 | 0.96 |
| Halladay | 1.96 | 1.08 | 0.88 |
| Contreras | 3.27 | 2.54 | 0.73 |
| Madson | 2.82 | 2.20 | 0.62 |
| Blanton | 2.56 | 2.20 | 0.36 |
| Kendrick | 2.70 | 2.44 | 0.26 |
| Herndon | No history | 2.92 | - |
| Oswalt | 2.06 | 2.29 | (0.23) |
| Hamels | 2.28 | 2.63 | (0.35) |
Despite throwing to a 4.84 ERA, Jamie Moyer had a 1.10 ratio last season. In 111 2/3 innings, he walked just 20. He posted the best walk rate of his career in his 24th season.
Halladay has been in the top seven in his league for fewest walks per nine innings for each of the past five seasons. In four of those years he’s been in the top three. His walk rate per nine innings was also the best of his career.
Contreras nearly had the best rate of walks per nine for his career. He was a tiny bit better in 2006, but was still way below his career levels in 2010.
Madson posted the best rate of his career (with the exception of 2003, when he didn’t walk any of the six batters he faced). In 2007, all of Madson’s appearances came in relief and he walked 23 of the 237 batters he faced (9.7%). In 2010, Madson walked 13 of the 217 batters he faced (6.0%).
Blanton finished sixth in the NL in fewest walks per nine innings. It was his sixth season in a row in which he has made at least 28 starts. The only year of his career where he had a better rate of walks per nine innings was 2007 when he was with Oakland.
Kendrick’s best year at preventing walks came in 2007, when he threw to a 3.87 ERA for the Phils over 20 starts. In that season he only threw 121 innings, but walked just 25. That’s a rate of 1.86 walks per nine innings. Kendrick didn’t have enough innings to qualify among the league leaders, but in 2007, Greg Maddux led the NL with 1.14 walks per nine and Aaron Harang was second at 2.02. In 2008 and 2009 combined, Kendrick walked 66 in 182 innings, which is too many (3.26 per nine). That number was way down in 2010, but not down to his 2007 levels.
Between his time with the Astros and Phillies combined, Oswalt was seventh in the NL in fewest walks per nine innings. In less than 100 innings with the Phils, his walk numbers were slightly higher than his career levels, but still low. In his 10-year career, Oswalt has been in the top ten in fewest walks per nine innings seven times.
The walk rate for Hamels was up. In his first year in the league, 2006, Hamels walked about 3.3 batters per nine innings. Over the next three years, Hamels made 93 starts combined starts and walked 2.07 batters per nine. That was up to 2.63 last year.
Comcast SportsNet will air eight Phillies Spring Training specials, the first of which will air on Sunday. Schedule here.
This article on the bullpen guesses that Bastardo and Kendrick win the last two spots in the pen, joining Lidge, Madson, Contreras, Romero and Baez. That is my guess as well.
This article on the bench suggests that Brown, Mayberry and Delwyn Young may be the top candidates to join Gload, Schneider and Valdez. I am going to be surprised if the Phils start the season with Francisco and Mayberry as the guys in right. Delwyn Young and Valdez on the same bench seems like it would be more guys of the Delwyn Young and Wilson Valdez ilk than one team would need at one time. Young is a switch-hitter and can play the outfield, but his 260/317/393 line against righties doesn’t really cry out for regular playing time in right no matter how desperate the Phils get for platoon partners for Francisco.
February 10th, 2011 on 10:01 am
Always a great read. Thanks!
February 10th, 2011 on 10:10 am
Thanks, Best Phillies Blogs. If you’re not following Best Phillies Blogs, you can do so at http://www.bestphilliesblogs.com/ or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BestPhilsBlogs
February 10th, 2011 on 10:05 am
I’m never tired of reading about walks. I wonder if it’s really just as simple as Halladay showing up, telling everyone walks are stupid, then everyone stops walking people. I mean…remember him glaring at Pat Burrell and/or the ump in the NLCS? I believe that man can convince anyone to do anything with a surly look. Like lose to the Giants. But also stop walking people.
February 10th, 2011 on 10:15 am
Yeah, that Burrell thing was pretty memorable. Halladay is a scary dude. I really don’t know what’s going on with the walks, but I sure think it helped the pitching last year. In their defense, the Phils were pretty good at not walking people in 2009, they just got great at in 2010. I really don’t see how adding Lee, who almost literally didn’t walk anyone last year, can hurt.
February 10th, 2011 on 10:26 am
Way to stay on theme, Eric. For your next post I expect 1000 words on Catcher’s BB/9.
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If the Herndon bit from last year is any indication, the Phils will gift a roster spot to a Rule 5 pick unless it becomes painfully obvious it’s hurting the team, and sometimes even then. And Valdez just got a fair chunk of change. And neither of those plays First Base, so Gload gets a spot. Yippee..
February 10th, 2011 on 11:38 am
Lee is just going to teach everyone to look as disinterested as possible when fielding balls-in-play (he will also pitch really well). All these pitchers do is play awesome and do awesome things in the playoffs that we’ll remember forever. I hope Phillies baseball never returns to the pre-2000′s.
Anyway, any possibility of a walk-related post in the future?
February 10th, 2011 on 12:07 pm
I’ll see what I can do. If I come up empty, maybe I’ll expand the focus of the site to dog walking, yo-yo tricks or that thing people do in the Olympics where it looks like walking but they move their arms around a lot. I also find Jim’s catchers walks per nine innings idea compelling.
I think Gload gets a spot on the roster for sure. That guy can hit. I’d even let him play out in right and platoon with Francisco for a few games if Brown isn’t ready to start the season. I’d be a lot less excited about that as a long-term solution, though.
February 10th, 2011 on 5:30 pm
Did you see that Amaro called the Rangers about Michael Young? Reports say nothing serious or expected. I wonder if the stealth GM has something in mind. Young is young and very good.
February 10th, 2011 on 5:31 pm
BTW, that would get Polly off the field. Polly is not a favorite on this blog. LOL
February 10th, 2011 on 9:20 pm
I’d be happy and surprised if the Phillies got Michael Young. I don’t think it’s real likely. No doubt Amaro will stun everyone with something in the next couple of months, though. I’m going to guess we don’t see it coming.
February 10th, 2011 on 10:35 pm
Yeah, not likely. But an awful lot of fun to imagine. Imagine, Michael Young at third. Kind of give you chills, doesn’t it. And I’m the one who LIKES Polly.
(NB: Lee wasn’t likely either. I agree; Amaro is not done with this yet. And again I agree; we will not see it coming. That’s his style.)