A big part of the Cardinals’ success this year was the acquisition of Matt Holliday in July. Holliday, who hit cleanup behind Pujols, helped St. Louis win the NL Central and then became a free agent.The whole city of St. Louis wants Matt back and myself, obviously,Pujols said. “He came at the right time, right when we needed it, right when we were struggling a little bit. While the Cardinals have five division titles and six playoff appearances in nine seasons since Pujols joined the team, they have won the World Series only once, in 2006.I always make a joke. I got 10 fingers. I want to get nine more rings,” he said. “I want to get as many as Derek Jeter has so far (five). Obviously that’s hard to do.Pujols does have one individual goal the Hall of Fame.Obviously, there is still a long way to go,” he said.Pujols led the majors in homers (47), runs (124), slugging percentage (.658) and intentional walks (44), and topped the NL in on-base percentage (.443). He was second in the league in doubles (45) and third in batting average (.327) and RBIs (135).

Bokmark it

Powered by Bookmarkify™

That vote is being hailed as a giant leap for the way baseball is digested by the group that spent so much time making fun of advanced metrics. Joe Posnanski’s take is not the only one, but the excellent Sports Illustrated baseball writer does a good job of setting Greinke’s win against a backdrop of past votes that credited the wrong things when analyzing pitcher performance. The idea has also gotten a boost by Greinke’s own admission that he follows stats like FIP (Fielding-Independent Pitching, i.e. things a pitcher can control outside of his defenders) more than the more traditional ERA.

There’s no doubt that Greinke’s win represents some kind of step forward. He and Hernandez had superficially similar numbers in the well-known statistical categories, but in the deeper analysis it was clear that Greinke was the best pitcher in the AL. Seeing these numbers used by a wider audience is both gratifying after hearing so many dumb taunts thrown in the direction of those of us who find that they make baseball a more interesting game.

Crediting only that for Greinke’s win is definitely a feather in a sabermatrician’s cap, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Greinke and Hernandez had similar numbers in the “traditional” stats, but Greinke was better in all of them except for wins. You didn’t need a microscope to see he was a better pitcher in 2009, although one helped to see just how much of a better pitcher he was while pitching for a dreadful team.

Still, if Hernandez had pitched for a team in a pennant race or a team that ran away with a playoff spot, it’s pretty likely that those wins would have played a bigger role in the final reckoning. We’ll never know for sure, obviously, but that wasn’t the only intangible Greinke had in his favor.

Greinke missed almost the entire 2006 season while undergoing treatment for an anxiety disorder, something which gives him an interesting backstory. Posnanski doesn’t mention this in his post about Greinke’s win, which is a bit odd since it was a big part of the story he wrote that landed on SI’s cover in May. It’s a heartwarming story that’s worth a lot more than an edge of three wins, and that cover story was part of a barrage of exposure for Greinke early in the baseball season. He wasn’t flying under any kind of radar or some undiscovered gem because you’d have to be under a rock to not know how well he was pitching.

Perhaps it’s overly cynical to think that the same writers who have lampooned a more analytical approach to baseball performance would suddenly come around. There’s something funny about people who would have complained about focusing only on wins celebrating by focusing only on wins, though. Greinke had a lot going for him beyond sabermetrics.

The voters made the right choice, whatever the reason for their votes, and that’s something worthy of celebration for all baseball fans. It may still be soon to say that there’s a new flag flying over baseball, however.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

Bokmark it

Powered by Bookmarkify™

Record: 38-38; third in New York Penn League Pinckney division

What went right?

– Start with the 38-38 record, which was significantly improved over the 18-58 season that State College had a year earlier. The 2009 Spikes’ record was the best it’s ever been as a Pirates affiliate.

– The pitching staff as a whole was a strong suit of this State College team, as it finished the year with a 3.27 ERA. That staff ERA ranked fifth out of the 14 teams in the New York Penn League. The Spikes also averaged just 2.72 walks per nine innings.

– Highlighting that pitching staff was Kyle McPherson, who led the club with 75 1/3 innings pitched in 13 starts. The 2007 14th-round Draft pick went 4-3 with a 2.99 ERA. That number shows an improvement of nearly a run and a half over the ERA he posted with the Spikes in 2008. Also notable was the fact that McPherson limited opponents to just 11 walks all year.

– On the offensive end, infielder Brock Holt was the standout on the Spikes’ squad. He signed just days after being made a ninth-round pick this summer, which allowed Holt to get 66 games under his belt before the season ended. He led State College’s everyday players with a .299 average and 23 extra-base hits. He also had 33 RBIs.

What went wrong?

– Right-hander Maurice Bankston made nine starts for the Spikes, but he continued to struggle with health issues. After being limited to just nine appearances in 2008, Bankston dealt with muscle spasms in his back this year and continues to struggle to stay on the field. Bankston was an eighth-round pick in 2007.

– The Spikes lacked some offensive punch in ‘09, ranking 13th in the 14-team league with a .233 batting average.

– Both first baseman Aaron Baker and Evan Chambers — each of whom were picks in this summer’s First Year Player Draft — had slow starts in their first taste of professional baseball. And both were forced to make some adjustments at the plate immediately. However, it is worth noting that Baker and Chambers each played well over the season’s final few weeks once those adjustments were successfully made.

On the rise:

– The Pirates believe they have some promising young arms that made brief appearances in the New York Penn League this summer. Victor Black posted a 3.45 ERA in 13 appearances (seven starts) after being picked in the first supplemental round of the 2009 Draft. There is also Phillip Irwin, a 21st-round selection, who went 1-2 with a 2.12 ERA in 10 appearances (seven starts).

Statistical leaders:
Batting average: Holt, .299
Doubles: Justin Byler, 19
Triples: Aaron Baker, 7
Home runs: Holt and Byler, 6
RBIs: Byler and Pat Irvine, 41
Stolen bases: Holt, 9
Wins: Tyler Cox, 8
ERA (starter, minimum 50 IP): Bankston, 2.34 ERA
ERA (reliever, minimum 20 IP): Zachary Foster, 1.24 ERA
Saves: Marc Baca, 6
Strikeouts: McPherson and Cox, 57

End of season awards:

Holt, Most Valuable Player; McPherson, Pitcher of the Year; David Rubinstein, Team Leadership Award

Outlook:

The New York Penn League is not a league that traditionally treats Latin players or recent high school graduates well. That said, it’s a place where the Pirates are expected to send most of their Draft picks that have come out of college. With State College’s season starting in June, next year’s club will also be made up of some players who start the year in the Gulf Coast League and are ready for midseason step up.

Bokmark it

Powered by Bookmarkify™