Simon: The pitchers who have been hurt most by their team defenses
From SABR member Mark Simon at The Athletic on September 14, 2018:
Poor Nick Pivetta.
The 25-year-old Phillies starter has a 4.64 ERA, but it undoubtedly should be better than that. Though Pivetta allowed 22 home runs, he’s striking out 10.4 hitters per 9 innings and walking just under 3 per 9. His FIP is 3.78.
Pivetta and teammates Zach Eflin and Vincent Velasquez are at the top of a leaderboard you don’t want to be on — pitchers hurt the most by their defense’s inability to turn batted balls into outs this season. According to Sports Info Solutions’ accounting, the difference could be attributed to a variety of factors.
Phillies’ range and positioning cost Pivetta 24 runs, easily the highest total in the majors this season. We ascertained this in the same manner we do for calculating the range and positioning components (and shift defense) for teams, only isolating them to the pitcher on the mound.
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/524481/2018/09/14/nine-pitchers-who-have-been-hurt-the-most-by-their-defenses/
Originally published: September 14, 2018. Last Updated: September 14, 2018.