Everyone with eyes was impressed by David Robertson’s season last year. His high walk rate (4.74 BB/9) was offset by his astronomical strikeout rate (12.98 K/9) which was second in the majors and first in the AL for pitchers with at least 40 IP.
Looking a bit deeper into Robertson’s line revealed a .347 BABIP which appears very high. Throwing numbers into my porn-virus stricken computer feeds me back an xBABIP of .315. This says that Robertson wasn’t exactly the beneficiary of luck and yet still posted a 3.30 ERA in his second major league season. Combined with a 3.09 FIP, there’s every reason to believe Robertson can replicate, if not improve, upon his production last year.
11 Comments
Glen March 16, 2010 12:46
Robertson was so good in the postseason too. All these people who want to see Joba in the bullpen don’t realize that they’ve already got an ace like D-Rob.
tex's itchy balls March 16, 2010 12:50
kind of early to say but i wouldn’t be surprised if the heir to mo is laying in the weeds amongst all this joba bullshit.
Steve March 16, 2010 13:00
You guys have a point. Those numbers say a lot, as if just watching Robertson pitch isn’t proof enough.
Standard_Deviance March 16, 2010 13:15
I love D-Rob, but before we anoint him Mo’s heir, let’s see him improve that walk rate some.
RIP Dilla March 16, 2010 14:58
I like this kid a lot, if he ever gets that walk rate under control, say hello next k-rod
Butcher March 16, 2010 15:28
I really like D Rob a lot. He was a stud in the minors too. I think he has a legit shot to be the next closer…he’s a “sleeper” for sure.
Rob in CT March 16, 2010 15:58
I was encouraged by the fact that his walk rate dropped in the second half. If that’s a trend, rather than just noise, then the only thing standing between him and a fantastic year is injury.
Hizzle March 16, 2010 22:37
Yeah Joba was actually not very good in the playoffs last year. I forget the numbers, but opponents batted something like .330 against him with a .974 OPS and a 29% LD rate. But D-Rob was the hidden gem, especially in the postseason.
BTW, if Joba can’t get his fastball back to being a positive for him, he won’t be effective in any role. His fastball was very ineffective all year long last year.
JoeThunder March 17, 2010 06:25
David Robertson is a fine young pitcher. Amazing how no one on ESPN or Peter Gammons never heard of this guy as he was coming through our farm system. Oh yeah, that’s right, we don’t have a farm system to produce young home grown talent like the small market Red Sox.
Greg March 19, 2010 17:41
After the All-Star Break, Robertson’s BB/9 was 3.00 (compared to the whopping 6.49 he sported before the break), but his K/9 stayed pretty steady at 12.43 (down from 13.78), so he may have figured his control issues out, albeit in a small sample.
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