Wow. Fifty-five mil for Gil?
I don’t know if Big Money Meche is going to lead us to the promised land in this year, or the next, but I do feel like the offense will continue to improve and any, ANY move towards mediocrity by the pitching staff will be a step in the right direction.
Here’s a quick look at where we were and where we might be going.
Starters
2006 2007
Player ERA+ Player *ERA+
Hudson 95 Greinke 101
DeLaRosa 93 Ban'ster 101
Elarton 91 Meche 97
O. Perez 86 Hudson 93
Redman 85 O. Perez 86
Elvys 75 DeLaRosa 74
Relievers
2006 2007
Player ERA+ Player *ERA+
Peralta 110 W’meyer 110
Dessens 108 Peralta 110
Gobble 94 Nelson 93
Burgos 88 Bale 92
Sisco 68 Ray 92
*Please note: The ’07 ERA+ number is simply the player’s 2006 ERA+ divided by their career ERA+. ERA+ is a quick-read stat that compares a pitcher’s ERA to the league average. Above 100 is good, below 100 is bad.
My projection is not grounded in any proven sabermetric theory, just something I could do quickly while whiling away the hours at work.
Of course, the staff is not set in stone, and there will be a variety of other pitchers who grace the mound at Kaufman stadium next year, most notably Octavio Dotel, who sports a career ERA+ of 121 from his pre-injury days.
If someone like Andy Sisco can find his form again, or Rule 5 pickup Joakim Soria can build on his stellar showing in winter ball (I make the bold prediction that he will NOT throw a perfect game for the Royals in 2007), then there really is hope for a shot at winning some of the closer games next year.
