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With the Yankees and Phillies, the 2009 World Series teams, now eliminated by the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants in a very unexpected outcome of the NLCS and ALCS, we've got a couple of days to digest each aspect of the two teams, and analyze each team to the core.
A lot of us follow our favorite teams incredibly closely but don't know a whole lot about these two underdogs, so this thread can allow people to share their thoughts on statistics from the regular season and the postseason, and to make some predictions.
I'm going to start by saying that I think the Rangers have a much better offense. They got some serious weapons on the field in Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero and Michael Young. Three full-time starters on the Rangers batted at/over .300 in the regular season:
LF Josh Hamilton - .359
RF Nelson Cruz - .314
DH Vladimir Guerrero - .300
Evidently all 3 of these players also hit 20 or more HRs, and one more player belted 20 or more Home Runs for the Rangers (3B Michael Young - 21 HR).
..........................HR...OBP.....SLG....OPS
LF Josh Hamilton -.....32 HR...411.....633....1.044
DH Vladimir GUerrero -.29 HR...345.....496....841
RF Nelson Cruz -.......22 HR...374.....576....950
What's even more impressive is that Hamilton and Cruz hit 22 and 32 home runs, yet neither played in 140 games due to injuries this season. Hamilton played only 133 games due to a concussion late in the season, and Cruz only played 108 games. Both are healthy and lethal weapons in this lineup.
Now let's take a look at the pitching for Texas
Texas has 4 pitchers who put up 10 or more wins this season.
C.J. Wilson - 15-8 - 3.35 ERA
Tommy Hunter - 13-4 - 3.73 ERA
Colby Lewis - 12-13 - 3.72 ERA
Cliff Lee - 12-9 - 3.18 ERA (4-6 - 3.98 ERA with Rangers)
Despite Lewis and Lee not having stellar records, their ERAs show that they have the ability to shut down opposing offenses and if they have run support behind them, the Rangers are in great position to win.
The Rangers also have the ability to close out games with their young closer Neftali Feliz. Feliz recorded 40 saves, only 3 blown saves and had an ERA of 2.73 with a 4-3 record. The Rangers' bullpen is all-around solid, and they got 3 legitimate arms in the pen to set up for Feliz in the 9th. Darren O'Day pitched 72 games posting a 6-2 record, 22 Holds and a 2.04 ERA along with a WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched) of 0.89, which is outstanding. Francisco pitched in 55 games ending the regular season with a record of 6-4, 2 saves, had 15 holds and a 3.76 ERA. Darren Oliver also appeared in 64 games. Oliver had a 1-2 record, 14 holds, and a 2.48 ERA. Alexi Agando also had a nice year out of the bullpen as he played in 44 games, had a 4-1 record, had 7 holds but had an unreal ERA of 1.30.
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While the Rangers appear to be stronger on offense in terms of power, the Giants prevail on offense in eye at the plate. Their strongest weapons on offense tend to draw a good amount of walks and put the ball in play rather than strikeout. Only 1 player on the Giants struck out more than 100 times in the 2010 season and that was Andres Torres with 128 strikeouts. The next 3 on that list are Juan Uribe (92) and Aubrey Huff (91). Huff also drew 83 walks against his 91 strikeouts giving him a pleasant Walks-Strikeouts ratio.
Andres Torres lacks at the plate, tending to strikeout often and batted just /268. He did however hit 43 doubles in 2010 and is a threat to swipe 2nd base when he gets on safely, having 26 steals in 2010. Huff may have been the team's most well-rounded offensive player in 2010, leading the club in HRs (26) and RBIs(86), while also ranking 3rd in the Giants lineup in AVG with a .290. Young Catcher Buster Posey will get a lot of attention from the Rangers rotation, as the young Catcher hit 18 HRs, 67 RBIs, .305 AVG, and hit 23 doubles in only 108 games this regular season as a rookie.
Don't be fooled by the offensive numbers in the regular season, late-season additions to the roster like Cody Ross have been remarkable in this postseason and the postseason is the perfect time to have the hot hand at the plate. The Giants' pitching staff is also far superior to the Rangers, especially out of the Bullpen.
From quick glance at the team's statistics there are 4 relievers out of the bullpen with at least 25 appearances in the Regular Season and ERAs under 2.00.
CL Brian Wilson - 70 Games - 48/53 Saves/Opp - 1.81 ERA - 93K/26BB
RP Santiago Casilla - 52 Games - 7-2 W/L - 1.95 ERA
LP Javier Lopez - 27 Games - 16 Ks/2BB - 1.42 ERA - 0.68 WHIP
RP Ramon Ramirez - 25 Games - 0.67 ERA - 0.89 WHIP
*RP Sergio Romo - 68 Games - 21 Hold - 2.18 ERA - 0.97 WHIP
The Giants' bullpen was phenomenal this season and will keep games close, and also have the ability to hold the fort should a game go into extra innings. Nevertheless, the Giants also have a great front-3 in their rotation:
Tim Lincecum - 16-10 - 3.43 - 231 K
Matt Cain - 13-11 - 3.14 - 177 K
Jonathon Sanchez - 13-9 - 3.07 - 2.05
The Giants also got a great young 4th pitcher named Madison Bumgarner. Madison had just 18 starts and went 7-6 this season, but had a solid ERA of 3.00. He pitched 111 innings and struck out 86 batters versus just 26 walks, and has been solid in the postseason appearing in 3 games, 2 of which were starts and has a record of 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA. The entire Pitching Staff has been rock-solid in the postseason as 6 pitchers have ERAs under 3.00:
SP Matt Cain - 2 S - 1-0 - 0.00 ERA
CL Brian Wilson - 7 Games - 5 Saves - 0.00 ERA
RP Javier Lopez - 7 Games - 5 Holds - 1.80 ERA
SP TIm Lincecum - 3 S - 2-1 - 1 Hold - 1.93 ERA
RP Sergio Casilla - 3 Games - 1 Hold - 2.70 ERA
SP Jonathan Sanchez - 3 S - 0-1 - 2.93 ERA
(Sorry PM7)
Feel free to start discussing the two and don't be afraid to provide any interesting statistics on teams, players, managers, etc.
A lot of us follow our favorite teams incredibly closely but don't know a whole lot about these two underdogs, so this thread can allow people to share their thoughts on statistics from the regular season and the postseason, and to make some predictions.
I'm going to start by saying that I think the Rangers have a much better offense. They got some serious weapons on the field in Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero and Michael Young. Three full-time starters on the Rangers batted at/over .300 in the regular season:
LF Josh Hamilton - .359
RF Nelson Cruz - .314
DH Vladimir Guerrero - .300
Evidently all 3 of these players also hit 20 or more HRs, and one more player belted 20 or more Home Runs for the Rangers (3B Michael Young - 21 HR).
..........................HR...OBP.....SLG....OPS
LF Josh Hamilton -.....32 HR...411.....633....1.044
DH Vladimir GUerrero -.29 HR...345.....496....841
RF Nelson Cruz -.......22 HR...374.....576....950
What's even more impressive is that Hamilton and Cruz hit 22 and 32 home runs, yet neither played in 140 games due to injuries this season. Hamilton played only 133 games due to a concussion late in the season, and Cruz only played 108 games. Both are healthy and lethal weapons in this lineup.
Now let's take a look at the pitching for Texas
Texas has 4 pitchers who put up 10 or more wins this season.
C.J. Wilson - 15-8 - 3.35 ERA
Tommy Hunter - 13-4 - 3.73 ERA
Colby Lewis - 12-13 - 3.72 ERA
Cliff Lee - 12-9 - 3.18 ERA (4-6 - 3.98 ERA with Rangers)
Despite Lewis and Lee not having stellar records, their ERAs show that they have the ability to shut down opposing offenses and if they have run support behind them, the Rangers are in great position to win.
The Rangers also have the ability to close out games with their young closer Neftali Feliz. Feliz recorded 40 saves, only 3 blown saves and had an ERA of 2.73 with a 4-3 record. The Rangers' bullpen is all-around solid, and they got 3 legitimate arms in the pen to set up for Feliz in the 9th. Darren O'Day pitched 72 games posting a 6-2 record, 22 Holds and a 2.04 ERA along with a WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched) of 0.89, which is outstanding. Francisco pitched in 55 games ending the regular season with a record of 6-4, 2 saves, had 15 holds and a 3.76 ERA. Darren Oliver also appeared in 64 games. Oliver had a 1-2 record, 14 holds, and a 2.48 ERA. Alexi Agando also had a nice year out of the bullpen as he played in 44 games, had a 4-1 record, had 7 holds but had an unreal ERA of 1.30.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the Rangers appear to be stronger on offense in terms of power, the Giants prevail on offense in eye at the plate. Their strongest weapons on offense tend to draw a good amount of walks and put the ball in play rather than strikeout. Only 1 player on the Giants struck out more than 100 times in the 2010 season and that was Andres Torres with 128 strikeouts. The next 3 on that list are Juan Uribe (92) and Aubrey Huff (91). Huff also drew 83 walks against his 91 strikeouts giving him a pleasant Walks-Strikeouts ratio.
Andres Torres lacks at the plate, tending to strikeout often and batted just /268. He did however hit 43 doubles in 2010 and is a threat to swipe 2nd base when he gets on safely, having 26 steals in 2010. Huff may have been the team's most well-rounded offensive player in 2010, leading the club in HRs (26) and RBIs(86), while also ranking 3rd in the Giants lineup in AVG with a .290. Young Catcher Buster Posey will get a lot of attention from the Rangers rotation, as the young Catcher hit 18 HRs, 67 RBIs, .305 AVG, and hit 23 doubles in only 108 games this regular season as a rookie.
Don't be fooled by the offensive numbers in the regular season, late-season additions to the roster like Cody Ross have been remarkable in this postseason and the postseason is the perfect time to have the hot hand at the plate. The Giants' pitching staff is also far superior to the Rangers, especially out of the Bullpen.
From quick glance at the team's statistics there are 4 relievers out of the bullpen with at least 25 appearances in the Regular Season and ERAs under 2.00.
CL Brian Wilson - 70 Games - 48/53 Saves/Opp - 1.81 ERA - 93K/26BB
RP Santiago Casilla - 52 Games - 7-2 W/L - 1.95 ERA
LP Javier Lopez - 27 Games - 16 Ks/2BB - 1.42 ERA - 0.68 WHIP
RP Ramon Ramirez - 25 Games - 0.67 ERA - 0.89 WHIP
*RP Sergio Romo - 68 Games - 21 Hold - 2.18 ERA - 0.97 WHIP
The Giants' bullpen was phenomenal this season and will keep games close, and also have the ability to hold the fort should a game go into extra innings. Nevertheless, the Giants also have a great front-3 in their rotation:
Tim Lincecum - 16-10 - 3.43 - 231 K
Matt Cain - 13-11 - 3.14 - 177 K
Jonathon Sanchez - 13-9 - 3.07 - 2.05
The Giants also got a great young 4th pitcher named Madison Bumgarner. Madison had just 18 starts and went 7-6 this season, but had a solid ERA of 3.00. He pitched 111 innings and struck out 86 batters versus just 26 walks, and has been solid in the postseason appearing in 3 games, 2 of which were starts and has a record of 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA. The entire Pitching Staff has been rock-solid in the postseason as 6 pitchers have ERAs under 3.00:
SP Matt Cain - 2 S - 1-0 - 0.00 ERA
CL Brian Wilson - 7 Games - 5 Saves - 0.00 ERA
RP Javier Lopez - 7 Games - 5 Holds - 1.80 ERA
SP TIm Lincecum - 3 S - 2-1 - 1 Hold - 1.93 ERA
RP Sergio Casilla - 3 Games - 1 Hold - 2.70 ERA
SP Jonathan Sanchez - 3 S - 0-1 - 2.93 ERA
(Sorry PM7)
Feel free to start discussing the two and don't be afraid to provide any interesting statistics on teams, players, managers, etc.
