QUOTE(Houston Frog @ Jun 2 2010, 12:56 PM) [snapback]567218[/snapback]
I understand that there are a lot of advanced metrics being used, and I look at all of them as well, but I look at WHIP, K's/AB, and some of those other metrics as more of an indicator for how good a pitcher's "stuff" is (and a lot of the times, a better indicator of how well their game will translate to the next level). Obviously, a guy like Purke is going to dominate in those types of categories (that's why he was a 1st round pick out of high school), but that doesn't necessarily mean he's our ace. I'd guess Brad Lidge had better K's/AB numbers than Greg Maddux, but that doesn't mean he's a better pitcher.
I understand that ERA isn't the be all end all of pitching stats, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it isn't a good stat. How many runs a pitcher allows is pretty important, no matter what anyone says. Moral of the story, you can't look at any one stat and determine who is the best pitcher, but if I had to take one, I'd probably still take ERA, with WHIP being a close second (and win/loss record would be towards the bottom).
All that being said, those numbers you put up for Purke are pretty incredible, kid is filthy.
Agreed. I summarize this pitching staff like this:
TCU's three weekend starters are arguably capable of being #1s on about 90% of the teams in the nation. It's not like there's a clear-cut 1-2-3. It's more a 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C. Because of this, they all have their different strengths and are good for different reasons.
Statistically, one might call Maxwell the best pitcher on the staff. He had one of the most dominating pitching performances of the season against Cal State Fullerton, chasing history into the seventh. He has the best ERA in the rotation by .40 points, which is a pretty considerable difference. I mean, he's good enough that he was originally the "Friday guy."
"Stuff"-wise, one would likely name Purke the best pitcher on the staff. He's been clocked at 97+ and is as an electrifying power pitcher. He racks up lots of strikeouts, which are the easiest way to success because it's impossible to hit off him if you can't touch the ball with the bat. His ERA is the highest between the three, but 1 -- he's a freshman and there was still a learning curve in play this year . . . albeit probably a small one for him. He told me personally in an interview at the beginning of the season though that it had been about a year and a half since he'd faced "real competition" on a regular basis. Still, he went out and "missed bats" and can simply dominate when he's on. 2 -- power pitchers typically give up a few more hits just because the ball flies a little better if you can actually "get on" one. That's the hard part, though.
Winkler (AKA "The Fonz") is the crafty veteran of the staff and really kind of flies under the radar. Simply put, he's the yeoman-like workhorse out there who just asks what day he'll pitch, goes out and does it. He does the dirty work and does what needs to get done for the good of the team. In the process, he allows a few more guys on base than the other two but he still does the ultimate job of a pitcher . . . he keeps them from crossing the plate. If a pitcher allows a few hits here and there, it's not a bad thing. I'd take a pitcher that gives up a crap-load of singles and 2-3 runs per game all day as opposed to a pitcher that walks 3-4 guys, gives up a couple of home runs and leaves after allowing 6 runs. A high WHIP is nothing if the ERA is low.
That's why stats have to be taken together as a whole . . . even wins. A win still means the pitcher did the job that needed to be done that day and kept the team in there for the victory. Just don't use wins alone as a plum-line for good pitching because it doesn't tell the whole story.
There's my two cents.