Comments on: Phillies Top 20 Individual Seasons,#14: Brad Lidge, 2008

By: Phillies Top 20 Individual Seasons,#12: Curt Schilling, 1997

Phillies Top 20 Individual Seasons,#12: Curt Schilling, 1997 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:55:38 +0000

[...] #14 – Brad Lidge, 2008 [...]

By: GARGS

GARGS — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:41:17 +0000

Only 14th best? It’s gotta be better than that!

By: jjg

jjg — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:06:20 +0000

Thanks for primer, Pete. Don’t have time to digest all facets but looks interesting.

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:51:57 +0000

The basic idea behind ERA+ is that a 3.00 ERA by a pitcher in Coors Field during the steroid era is not the same as a 3.oo ERA by a pitcher in a pitchers park during the dead ball era.

ballpark factor has nothing to do with the size of the field, just the runs scored there (which many times, obviously, is influenced by field size). Here is the formula commonly used for "Park Factor."

There is another part to the ERA+ formula which is how many runs were scored during a certain year vs. other years. Obviously there is more sophistication to that as well.

This is a decent explanation of the ERA+ stat

By: jjg

jjg — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:36:18 +0000

Pete, I don’t comprehend the finer logic behind ERA+ number, therefore, it lacks a certain credibilty with me and I retain skepticism as to its measuring of performance integrity. I appreciate your offering of the details regarding the 3 pitchers though.
Two questions ERA+ spurs immediately are, by what objective basis are ballparks compared beyond plate to wall dimensions and wall height? and how does a save in spacious Citi Field differ in value from one in spacious Petco Park or cozy CBP or unpredictable Wrigley? Seems as though the number of variables in applying stadium sites to comparitive performance measure – including weather conditions, attendance, game import, time of day, which inning(s) pitched, batter visual backdrop, row or section distance between wife and regional paramour, et al. - would thin the formulated number’s reliabilty some.

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:57:00 +0000

all good points jjg, but one other category you didn't mention is ERA+, which factors in both the era of play and the ballparks.

Lidge's ERA+ : 225 (4th best in Phillies history)

Holland's ERA +: 159 (29th best in Phillies history)

By comparison, the Phillies leader in ERA+ this season was JA Happ, at 145.

By: jjg

jjg — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:31:40 +0000

"Perfect" '08 Lidge (4th in CY voting) is bested by '83 Al Holland (6th in CY voting) in a number of categories: BL 72 g/41 s/2-0 w-l/ 1.95 era/ 69.1ip/ 50 h/ 17 r/ 35 bb/ 92 k/ h/9 6.5/whip 1.226 AH 68 g/25 s/8-4 w-l/ 2.26 era/ 91 ip/ 63 h/ 26 r/ 30 bb/100 k/ h/9 6.2/whip 1.015 Personally, I had more confidence in peak Holland than peak Lidge (numbers are incontestable and indicate merit, but lady luck was on Lidge's shoulder in '08 too ... many 'hair of chinny chin chin' resolutions.

By: bski

bski — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:04:50 +0000

It goes without saying that we need Lidge to be a lot closer to his 2008 self than to his 2009 self over the next 2 years.

Gotta hope that his miserable 2009 was predominantly the result of physical problems (knee) that have been corrected and injuries (loose bodies in elbow & flexor tendon) that off-season surgery will repair, and that it will not take him too long to get back into shape, to find his delivery, and to once again be “lights out”.

By: Ken Bland

Ken Bland — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:32:04 +0000

Right handed hitters had only 12 hits against Lidge the entire season, for a .105 average>>

That means he got about 90 right hand hitters out. That is one fine ratio. Reminds me Ichiro Suzuki’s first year over here. At the all star break, he had swung and missed at 7 pitches all season.