Anibal Sanchez 2010: JJ Lite

[Jay]

between putting him on the MILB DL a few years back and this, he must really hate this team.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/f...,7388191.story

He won that dispute as far as I remember, the staff demoted him and then the injury was caught so not really managements fault there blame the trainers and this isn't a money based move so he doesn't have a reason to hate..

[Metes]

Nevertheless

[Ramp]

Alwaysthemore

[Valid]

Can someone explain the kind of season Sanchez is having?

I'm looking at his numbers, and it's looking like he is having a very good season. He has a 3.33 ERA, 3.25 FIP (which is essentially his "true" ERA, correct?), and a .319 BABIP (which is fairly unlucky, right?). He is also doing an outstanding job of keeping the ball in the ballpark, opposing hitters have a collective .664 OPS against him, and last but not least, he has a 3.2 WAR.

This might sound like a dumb question, but how good of a year is he having? I'm fairly new to sabermetrics so I am not too good at judging these numbers yet.

[Metes]

3.2 WAR for a starter is outstanding. It's kind of ridiculous that he's flown under the radar like this, because he's a top 10 starter in the NL with that WAR. Just for comparison, Lincecum is at 3.6, Johan is 3.3, Carpenter is at 2.7...

His FIP, also top 10, puts him ahead of Lincecum, Billingsley, and Oswalt. So there's no question he's been a revelation this year, and very much JJ Lite. No question he's been the second best guy on the staff and one of the top starters in the league.

[Bobbob1313]

Getting close to worrying time for them IPs, though.

[nny]

Two problems:

Doesn't go deep into games, averaging 6 IP per start (Which is NL average), and has only made it through the 7th 4 times this year (though, on the plus side, he's only gone under six four times). I think if he's "stuff" ever starts translating to strike outs, this definitely should go away.

Also, while not allowing HRs is a skill, it's one that takes a huge sample size to differentiate. His HR/FB of 3.3% is NOT sustainable. His career HR/FB of 7% also likely isn't his true talent level. And going with the average (10.5%) (This is what xFIP does, gives a pitcher a 10.5% HR/FB rate), his xFIP is then 4.29. Which is still solid but not great.

However, he's likely above average at keeping the ball from leaving the park. Maybe even as much as the 7% career rate suggests. I personally believe he's a "4 ERA" guy going forward, making him a decent #2, and with the stuff to have the upside to really become an ace be being able to put hitters away more easily and rack up strike outs.

I'm also with Bob. I'd say shut him down in September and let one of the calls up then take his place (Sanabia probably).

[Miamarlin21]

He carries a purse, I mean a satchel.

[Ralph]

Anibal Sanchez Is Finally Healthyby Dave Cameron - August 20, 2010

In 2006, Anibal Sanchez burst on the scene as a 22-year-old, throwing a no-hitter and posting a 2.83 ERA in his rookie season, though his xFIP was two runs higher than his ERA. He never really had the chance to regress, though, as he went down with a shoulder strain in 2007 that was eventually revealed as a torn labrum. Surgery and recurrences of arm problems knocked him out for most of the 2008 and the first half of the 2009 season, though he pitched pretty decently to finish the season.

This year, Sanchez came into camp 30 pounds lighter and determined to stay healthy. His first six starts were pretty mediocre, however, as he continued to struggle with his command and was only running a 5.35 K/9.

But as the season has gone on, Sanchez has only gotten stronger, as you can see in his velocity chart below.




Velocity, however, isn’t the only place he’s showing improvement. Over his last five starts, Sanchez has racked up 36 strikeouts in 32 innings, giving him a 10.13 K/9 that is ninth best in baseball over the last 30 days, and puts him in a virtual tie with Roy Halladay, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Ricky Nolasco. As his stuff has ticked up, so has his ability to blow hitters away, and the version of Sanchez taking the mound for the Marlins right now is the best we’ve ever seen him.

Josh Johnson generates most of the headlines, but he’s got some pretty good company in that Florida rotation. A healthy Sanchez, and one with a fastball that is trending up, is a nice addition to the Marlins core.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...nally-healthy/

[Swifty]

He's really been outstanding.