The One Stat Why We Are Out of the Playoffs

[Chris_Sanders]

Dbacks finish with a 59% save percentage. The next worse playoff team is 62%.

I see Milwaukee as an inferior team but that 72% save percentage can carry you to the playoffs

 

[krazy2k]

And much of the disaster of that one stat is due to Lovullo's bullpen mismanagement throughout the season. He could give a clinic on how not to manage a bullpen. When Sewald's Folly blew several saves in a short period of time - Lovullo kept trotting him out there hoping for a different result. Insanity.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Now here is my absolute radical idea to address this in house.

What if I told you there was a Dback with these stats in one inning:

6.17 K to Walk Ratio
.207 BA allowed
OPS+ is a 66

Who is the pitcher and should he close?

 

[Raindog]

Sorry DBack fans. I thought for sure you guys were in. As a Phils fan, would have much more liked to see you guys in than the Mets (uggh!) or Braves (double uggh!!).

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Now here is my absolute radical idea to address this in house.

What if I told you there was a Dback with these stats in one inning:

6.17 K to Walk Ratio
.207 BA allowed
OPS+ is a 66

Who is the pitcher and should he close?

The pitcher is Pfaadt, who is basically unhittable in the first inning. Every amount of Pfaadt's problem is 2nd time + around. He is a high strikeout / low walk pitcher, which super fits a closer role.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Gallen, Kelly, Nelson, E-Rod, Nelson as your starters and Pfaadt closes.

 

[Sparky16]

And much of the disaster of that one stat is due to Lovullo's bullpen mismanagement throughout the season. He could give a clinic on how not to manage a bullpen. When Sewald's Folly blew several saves in a short period of time - Lovullo kept trotting him out there hoping for a different result. Insanity.

The worst is when a reliever came in for the 6th or the 7th and finished off the inning with like 10-15 pitches and he then rolled out with someone else the next inning who completely melts down... stay with the friggin hot hand. MLB has wussified pitchers to the point where pitching more than 1 inning is a career ender... what a joke. Problem is he over manages and gives guys "breaks" from playing baseball... rest days are for losers

 

[AZCB34]

Yeah that save stat is awful but every player on this team had a major hand in the season outcome.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

We backed into the playoffs last season and should have known better than to risk that again this season.

There is no one stat that explains it. Just win any one freaking game we lost ALL season long and we were in. All the early season time wasted waiting for Carroll to "get right" sure did not help. Every time that Torey Lovullo rested guys when they were hot did not help. No excuse for losing a 7-game lead with a month left in the season.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Good news for Torey those hot bats get a lot of rest now

 

[AZCB34]

We backed into the playoffs last season and should have known better than to risk that again this season.

There is no one stat that explains it. Just win any one freaking game we lost ALL season long and we were in. All the early season time wasted waiting for Carroll to "get right" sure did not help. Every time that Torey Lovullo rested guys when they were hot did not help. No excuse for losing a 7-game lead with a month left in the season.

This. 100% this.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Sewald turning into absolute garbage wrecked the entire bullpen, and season. Nobody had a defined role, and guys that were typically setup ended up in roles they were unfamiliar with, and that had a hugely negative impact in general.

 

[AZCB34]

Sewald turning into absolute garbage wrecked the entire bullpen, and season. Nobody had a defined role, and guys that were typically setup ended up in roles they were unfamiliar with, and that had a hugely negative impact in general.

Yes but are you telling me these professional bullpen pitchers couldn’t adapt because what you are describing, to me, is a hideous lack of mental fortitude? It might also point to a lack of or weak coaching from the pitching and bullpen coaches.

No matter, i think you are correct in your assessment but i think we all agree it was even more than that.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Definitely looks like a team that quit on their coach, their GM, their owner, themselves, their fans…

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[ASUCHRIS]

Yes but are you telling me these professional bullpen pitchers couldn’t adapt because what you are describing, to me, is a hideous lack of mental fortitude? It might also point to a lack of or weak coaching from the pitching and bullpen coaches.

No matter, i think you are correct in your assessment but i think we all agree it was even more than that.

You may be unfamiliar with this, but the success of a bullpen is often dependent on having a clear hierarchy and roles. Good bullpens have an unquestioned closer, the setup guys (7th and 8th inning) and some specialists/long relievers. When Sewald turned to crap, Torrey tried to rebuild the pecking order on the fly, and it messed with everyone in the pen.

I think Torrey is much more to blame than the pitching/bullpen coaches, who have little power in deciding roles.

 

[krazy2k]

Definitely looks like a team that quit on their coach, their GM, their owner, themselves, their fans…

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Looks more like a group that choked down the stretch - when a single game (like the one in Milwaukee where they blew the 8-0 lead) would have meant another postseason run - regardless of how brief or how long that run would have been. Wait until next year (or later if Lovullo is still the manager).

 

[Brian in Mesa]

You may be unfamiliar with this, but the success of a bullpen is often dependent on having a clear hierarchy and roles. Good bullpens have an unquestioned closer, the setup guys (7th and 8th inning) and some specialists/long relievers. When Sewald turned to crap, Torrey tried to rebuild the pecking order on the fly, and it messed with everyone in the pen.

I think Torrey is much more to blame than the pitching/bullpen coaches, who have little power in deciding roles.

I miss the days when a starting pitcher could pitch for an entire game.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I miss the days when a starting pitcher could pitch for an entire game.

How about getting through 6? Didn't see a lot of that this year.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

How about getting through 6? Didn't see a lot of that this year.

I think too many players, especially pitchers, are coddled and their playing time is limited allegedly for their benefit, or they are pulled far too quickly at the first sign of any trouble - rather than letting guys go through some diversity and push through it and get a chance to redeem themselves. Just a new mindset nowadays. I don't think it makes them tough or resilient like in the past when they knew it was all on their shoulders. Now it is like, "I don't have it today. Next." Meh.

 

[AZCB34]

You may be unfamiliar with this, but the success of a bullpen is often dependent on having a clear hierarchy and roles. Good bullpens have an unquestioned closer, the setup guys (7th and 8th inning) and some specialists/long relievers. When Sewald turned to crap, Torrey tried to rebuild the pecking order on the fly, and it messed with everyone in the pen.

I think Torrey is much more to blame than the pitching/bullpen coaches, who have little power in deciding roles.

I may be unfamiliar with this. Classy

I totally understand how bullpens work and I also totally understand that things happen and the hierarchy can get altered.

Again, I question the mental fortitude of players who are unable to adjust because their perfect little world is not exactly how they like it

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Again, I question the mental fortitude of players who are unable to adjust because their perfect little world is not exactly how they like it

Relief pitchers are weird as a general group.

 

[82CardsGrad]

How about getting through 6? Didn't see a lot of that this year.

Yea… the average innings pitched by MLB starters this year was 5.2. The average ERA for those starters was 4.15.

 

[ProdigalSun]

something in the water in Arizona. Cards, Dbacks, Suns…. None of these dudes have any freaking heart…

 

[Chris_Sanders]

On Doug and Wolf, Hazen ranked Torey's job as excellent.

They are too tied together for one to ever go before the other.

 

[82CardsGrad]

On Doug and Wolf, Hazen ranked Torey's job as excellent.

They are too tied together for one to ever go before the other.

It was excellent. Hazen calling it what it was.