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March 06, 2008
Is This Good News Or Bad News For Chien-Ming Wang?
Here's an interesting stat/fact via the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia:
Chien-Ming Wang made 30 starts last year and had 21 Runs Saved Above Average (RSAA). In 2006, Wang made 33 starts and had 17 RSAA.
So, how many pitchers in Yankees history have had back-to-back-to-back seasons where they've made 30+ starts and had 15+ RSAA? The answer is just five:
Whitey Ford 1961-64
Joe Bush 1922-24
Lefty Gomez 1933-35
Red Ruffing 1936-38
Ed Lopat 1949-51
Note that Ford did it four years in a row.
Think about this for a minute. Since 1951, only once, has a Yankees pitcher made 30+ starts and had 15+ RSAA in a season for three years in a row. And, since 1938, it's only happened twice.
That's just twice in the last sixty-nine years!
This tells me two things: One, if Worm Killer Wang can pull the 30/15 trick again in 2008, he's putting himself in very select company here. And, two, based on past experience in Yankeeland, the odds of Wang posting a season with 30+ starts and 15+ RSAA this year seem to be remote.
Here's the list of the 129 times a pitcher has had 30+ starts and 15+ RSAA in a season for three years in a row - since 1900:
1 Carl Hubbell 1929-37 9 2 Bert Blyleven 1971-78 8 T3 Christy Mathewson 1907-13 7 T3 Walter Johnson 1910-16 7 T3 Grover C Alexander 1911-17 7 T3 Stan Coveleski 1917-23 7 T3 Gaylord Perry 1969-75 7 T3 Roger Clemens 1986-92 7 T3 Greg Maddux 1996-02 7 T10 Cy Young 1900-05 6 T10 Hal Newhouser 1944-49 6 T10 Robin Roberts 1950-55 6 T10 Ferguson Jenkins 1967-72 6 T14 Joe McGinnity 1900-04 5 T14 Bill Dinneen 1900-04 5 T14 Christy Mathewson 1901-05 5 T14 Hippo Vaughn 1916-20 5 T14 Lefty Grove 1928-32 5 T14 Juan Marichal 1962-66 5 T14 Tom Seaver 1967-71 5 T14 Greg Maddux 1989-93 5 T14 Kevin Brown 1996-00 5 T14 Randy Johnson 1998-02 5 T14 Carlos Zambrano 2003-07 5 T25 Deacon Phillippe 1900-03 4 T25 Noodles Hahn 1901-04 4 T25 Eddie Plank 1902-05 4 T25 Doc White 1902-05 4 T25 Jake Weimer 1903-06 4 T25 Addie Joss 1905-08 4 T25 Jeff Pfeffer 1914-17 4 T25 Joe Bush 1921-24 4 T25 Urban Shocker 1921-24 4 T25 Lon Warneke 1932-35 4 T25 Tommy Bridges 1934-37 4 T25 Dutch Leonard 1938-41 4 T25 Bob Feller 1938-41 4 T25 Bucky Walters 1939-42 4 T25 Mike Garcia 1951-54 4 T25 Warren Spahn 1951-54 4 T25 Whitey Ford 1961-64 4 T25 Jim Maloney 1963-66 4 T25 Jim Bunning 1964-67 4 T25 Jim Palmer 1970-73 4 T25 Phil Niekro 1971-74 4 T25 Tom Seaver 1975-78 4 T25 Jim Palmer 1975-78 4 T25 Phil Niekro 1976-79 4 T25 Rick Reuschel 1977-80 4 T25 Dave Stieb 1982-85 4 T25 Denny Neagle 1995-98 4 T25 Roy Oswalt 2004-07 4 T25 Brandon Webb 2004-07 4 T25 Johan Santana 2004-07 4 T55 Jack Taylor 1902-04 3 T55 Rube Waddell 1903-05 3 T55 Bob Ewing 1905-07 3 T55 Ed Walsh 1906-08 3 T55 Three Finger Brown 1908-10 3 T55 Ed Walsh 1910-12 3 T55 Rube Marquard 1911-13 3 T55 Carl Weilman 1914-16 3 T55 Wilbur Cooper 1920-22 3 T55 Red Faber 1920-22 3 T55 Eddie Rommel 1921-23 3 T55 Howard Ehmke 1924-26 3 T55 Ted Lyons 1925-27 3 T55 Tommy Thomas 1927-29 3 T55 Wes Ferrell 1930-32 3 T55 Larry French 1930-32 3 T55 Lefty Gomez 1933-35 3 T55 Hal Schumacher 1933-35 3 T55 Dizzy Dean 1934-36 3 T55 Lefty Grove 1935-37 3 T55 Red Ruffing 1936-38 3 T55 Paul Derringer 1938-40 3 T55 Mort Cooper 1942-44 3 T55 Bob Feller 1946-48 3 T55 Bob Lemon 1948-50 3 T55 Don Newcombe 1949-51 3 T55 Ed Lopat 1949-51 3 T55 Early Wynn 1954-56 3 T55 Johnny Antonelli 1954-56 3 T55 Frank Sullivan 1955-57 3 T55 Jim Bunning 1960-62 3 T55 Warren Spahn 1961-63 3 T55 Camilo Pascual 1961-63 3 T55 Bob Gibson 1964-66 3 T55 Bob Veale 1964-66 3 T55 Bob Gibson 1968-70 3 T55 Sam McDowell 1968-70 3 T55 Bill Hands 1968-70 3 T55 Wilbur Wood 1971-73 3 T55 Don Sutton 1971-73 3 T55 Andy Messersmith 1973-75 3 T55 Frank Tanana 1975-77 3 T55 Steve Carlton 1976-78 3 T55 Dwight Gooden 1984-86 3 T55 Mike Witt 1984-86 3 T55 Bert Blyleven 1984-86 3 T55 Jimmy Key 1985-87 3 T55 Jack Morris 1985-87 3 T55 Teddy Higuera 1986-88 3 T55 Mark Langston 1987-89 3 T55 Mark Gubicza 1987-89 3 T55 Orel Hershiser 1987-89 3 T55 Bruce Hurst 1988-90 3 T55 Dennis Martinez 1990-92 3 T55 Kevin Appier 1991-93 3 T55 Jose Rijo 1991-93 3 T55 Tom Glavine 1991-93 3 T55 Jack McDowell 1991-93 3 T55 Kevin Appier 1995-97 3 T55 Roger Clemens 1996-98 3 T55 Tom Glavine 1996-98 3 T55 Pedro Martinez 1996-98 3 T55 Jeff Fassero 1996-98 3 T55 Jamie Moyer 1997-99 3 T55 Bartolo Colon 1998-00 3 T55 Mike Hampton 1998-00 3 T55 Mike Mussina 1999-01 3 T55 Brad Radke 1999-01 3 T55 Tom Glavine 2000-02 3 T55 Barry Zito 2001-03 3 T55 Tim Hudson 2001-03 3 T55 Jamie Moyer 2001-03 3 T55 John Smoltz 2005-07 3 T55 John Lackey 2005-07 3 T55 Aaron Harang 2005-07 3
Posted by WW Staff at March 6, 2008 02:13 PM
Comments
um, what does it matter that not that many YANKEE pitchers have done it? if 129 pitchers have done it, then wang falls into THAT category...theres nothing that actually differentiates yankee pitchers from other teams' than their uniforms...
it really is incredible how pessimistic you are!
Posted by: kunaldo ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 10, 2008 01:08 AM