Grant Balfour pitches in relief for the Tampa Bay Rays. Apart from being the worst named pitcher since Bob Walk, Balfour over the last two years demonstrates just how inconsistent relief pitchers perform from year to year. In 2008, Balfour used a very high strikeout rate, 12.8 per nine, combined with a great defense to allow just 28 hits in 58 1/3 innings, good for a 1.54 ERA. In 2009, his strikeout rate dropped to a still good 9.2 per nine innings, but he allowed 59 hits in 67 1/3 innings, and his ERA zoomed to 4.81. His walks and home runs were up as well. If you look at his career prior to 2008, however, his 2009 season is much more in line with that performance. What he got right in 2008 just didn’t last long. Still, with a high strikeout rate, Balfour is more than worth a place in a major league bullpen. If can get the walks down again, he might not post a sub-2.00 ERA, but he’ll have a very good season.
Posted by David Pinto at 6:00 pm | Pitchers, Players A to Z | Permalink | No Comments
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