Mains: Mike Trout turned every pitcher he faced into Dan Straily

From SABR member Rob Mains at Baseball Prospectus on November 14, 2019:

There are, as you surely know as someone visiting this site, a lot of baseball statistics readily available today. They expand our knowledge of the game. They also help us illustrate what a number means. 

Take, for example, World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg. His ERA was 3.32. That’s good. His FIP was 3.20. Also good. His DRA was 2.13, which isn’t just good, it was the best in the majors among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings. 

But we can also flip around his statistics to see how batters fared against him. Against Strasburg, batters hit .210/.271/.349, a .620 OPS. In 2019, Tigers catcher/first baseman John Hicks hit .210/.240/.379, a .620 OPS. Stephen Strasburg turned opposing batters into John Hicks.

World Series Game 5 starter Joe Ross didn’t fare as well as his teammate. He had a 5.48 ERA, 4.54 FIP, and 6.38 DRA. Not good! Batters hit .291/.380/.449 against him. While Strasburg was turning his opponents into John Hicks, Ross was turning his into Tommy Pham (.273/.369/.450).

Read the full article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/55267/flu-like-symptoms-mike-trout-turned-every-pitcher-he-faced-into-dan-straily/



Originally published: November 14, 2019. Last Updated: November 14, 2019.