2016 MLB Thread

[SKO]

I will go to the grave defending Jake Arrieta's Cy Young last year as legitimate, but Clayton Kershaw is still the best pitcher in the game and holy fucking shit these numbers: 3.4 fWAR already, 1.67 ERA, 1.37 FIP, 88-4 K:BB. EIGHTY EIGHT TO FOUR

Over the last two calendar years, Jake has a 1.95 ERA and has gone 39-11 over 63 starts.

And he's trailing Kershaw by 5 wins.

I actually do think the metrics are underrating Jake a little bit, especially this year. I know DIPS theory and all that, but if there's one guy who actually does appear to be able to control what happens to baseballs put in play against him, it's Jake. He generates a shit ton of weak contact and he just keeps doing it, so I think he gets a little underrated by the fact that all of the advanced stats are obsessed with strikeouts (although to be fair his walk rate this year is definitely not helping). Like that stupid Deserved Run Average or whatever it is BP tried to make happen that had him barely in the top 20 pitchers in baseball. Fuck that.

That said Kershaw is still clearly better, I just think there are exceptions to rules, and Jake is definitely one of the few for whom pitching to contact is arguably better than generating whiffs.

[Canadouche]

I kind of feel like Jake pitching to contact is hurting him. I wonder if that's the reason why he's walking more players. I could be off-base, but the increased walk totals worry me a bit, as worried as I'd get about a pitcher as dominating as Jake.

[SKO]

I kind of feel like Jake pitching to contact is hurting him. I wonder if that's the reason why he's walking more players. I could be off-base, but the increased walk totals worry me a bit, as worried as I'd get about a pitcher as dominating as Jake.

Last year Jake walked at least 3 batters in 7 starts, he walked 6 in one start against the Indians. He struggles with command from time to time, he's just unhittable so it doesn't really matter. He had a 3.40 ERA on June 16th after that 6 BB start against Cleveland, actually, and then he went off. The fact that he's still allowing very few hits and has kept his ERA under 2.00 while doing so is really impressive and actually indicates he might be even better than last year.

[Quality Start Machine]

I kind of feel like Jake pitching to contact is hurting him. I wonder if that's the reason why he's walking more players. I could be off-base, but the increased walk totals worry me a bit, as worried as I'd get about a pitcher as dominating as Jake.

His ERA is half a run lower than the one that got him a Cy Young Award.

[PenFoe]

Jake Arrieta is literally the least of my concerns about the Cubs in 2016.

[Grandmaster Wang]

I hate to be That Guy... (wait for it... wait for it...) BUT...

He's also been getting squeezed like a motherfucker here lately. Especially early. Or to my eye, at least. I'm not saying he hasn't been below his own standard with his command too, because he has. But he's also been getting put behind the eight ball in the first couple innings because he can't get borderline strikes called to save his damn life for some reason, and it's been leading to those 20+ pitch first innings and whatnot. And I'm not only a little ashamed to admit that I've got a serious case of the red ass about it.

[Tonker]

I hate to be That Guy... (wait for it... wait for it...) BUT...

He's also been getting squeezed like a motherfucker here lately. Especially early. Or to my eye, at least. I'm not saying he hasn't been below his own standard with his command too, because he has. But he's also been getting put behind the eight ball in the first couple innings because he can't get borderline strikes called to save his damn life for some reason, and it's been leading to those 20+ pitch first innings and whatnot. And I'm not only a little ashamed to admit that I've got a serious case of the red ass about it.

Has Morph started creating internet characters now?

[SKO]

I hate to be That Guy... (wait for it... wait for it...) BUT...

He's also been getting squeezed like a motherfucker here lately. Especially early. Or to my eye, at least. I'm not saying he hasn't been below his own standard with his command too, because he has. But he's also been getting put behind the eight ball in the first couple innings because he can't get borderline strikes called to save his damn life for some reason, and it's been leading to those 20+ pitch first innings and whatnot. And I'm not only a little ashamed to admit that I've got a serious case of the red ass about it.

Has Morph started creating internet characters now?

He didn't mention anything about the broadcasters CLEARLY having it out for Jake and the Cubs a well, so I'm guessing no.

[PenFoe]

MODS

[Grandmaster Wang]

Clearly SKO thinks I might be a woman with a Twitter posse, and therefore is treading lightly.

Anyway, I'm not saying it's a conspiracy or anything. I just think Jake has run into some bad luck with called strikes lately, and it's running his pitch count up early. Not to mention that it can't not be frustrating, even for someone as ice cold as Jake. I can still be pissed off about it even if it isn't some kind of dastardly effort to intentionally screw Jake over.

[Canadouche]

File this one under my own mental disabilities (of which there are many) but I find it too stressful to watch Jake pitch lately. He's raised the bar so much to me that when he "struggles" (i.e., pitches better than 95% of the league) I get anxious. I realize I need to get over it, since I'm stressing out over one of, if not the greatest ongoing performances in the history of the game.

[Yeti]

Clearly SKO thinks I might be a woman with a Twitter posse, and therefore is treading lightly.

Anyway, I'm not saying it's a conspiracy or anything. I just think Jake has run into some bad luck with called strikes lately, and it's running his pitch count up early. Not to mention that it can't not be frustrating, even for someone as ice cold as Jake. I can still be pissed off about it even if it isn't some kind of dastardly effort to intentionally screw Jake over.

He's been moosedenied

[Slaky]

File this one under my own mental disabilities (of which there are many) but I find it too stressful to watch Jake pitch lately. He's raised the bar so much to me that when he "struggles" (i.e., pitches better than 95% of the league) I get anxious. I realize I need to get over it, since I'm stressing out over one of, if not the greatest ongoing performances in the history of the game.

I have this same anxiety. Like the outside baseball world is waiting for him to have an outing like Matt Harvey did last night so they can laugh at him. Don't laugh at Jake. It makes me sad.

[SKO]

File this one under my own mental disabilities (of which there are many) but I find it too stressful to watch Jake pitch lately. He's raised the bar so much to me that when he "struggles" (i.e., pitches better than 95% of the league) I get anxious. I realize I need to get over it, since I'm stressing out over one of, if not the greatest ongoing performances in the history of the game.

I have this same anxiety. Like the outside baseball world is waiting for him to have an outing like Matt Harvey did last night so they can laugh at him. Don't laugh at Jake. It makes me sad.

To be fair, Harvey has mostly sucked all year long, he's clearly put on weight, and his fastball velocity is way down. He also took a huge hit in the press last year with the whole "I want to be shut down in the middle of a pennant race" thing and also the "railroaded his manager into leaving him in a world series game which he then blew" thing. I doubt there's quite as much vitriol people are holding in for Jake, although I'm sure there's a decent amount anyway just from jealousy.

[Eli]

File this one under my own mental disabilities (of which there are many) but I find it too stressful to watch Jake pitch lately. He's raised the bar so much to me that when he "struggles" (i.e., pitches better than 95% of the league) I get anxious. I realize I need to get over it, since I'm stressing out over one of, if not the greatest ongoing performances in the history of the game.

I have this same anxiety. Like the outside baseball world is waiting for him to have an outing like Matt Harvey did last night so they can laugh at him. Don't laugh at Jake. It makes me sad.

To be fair, Harvey has mostly sucked all year long, he's clearly put on weight, and his fastball velocity is way down. He also took a huge hit in the press last year with the whole "I want to be shut down in the middle of a pennant race" thing and also the "railroaded his manager into leaving him in a world series game which he then blew" thing. I doubt there's quite as much vitriol people are holding in for Jake, although I'm sure there's a decent amount anyway just from jealousy.

And, as cocky as Jake is, he'd still never self-prescribe "The Dark Knight" as a nickname.