Monday, February 3, 2014

Monday Mid-Morning Food For Thought: Who Is The Real Preston Claiborne?

Preston Claiborne's first 2 months as a Major Leaguer in 2013:

24.2 IP, 19 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 20 K

Preston Claiborne's last 2 months of the season in 2013:

15.1 IP, 23 H, 15 ER, 7 BB, 14 K

If you've got your calculators handy, that's a 1.46 ERA/3.12 FIP split from May and June compared to an 8.80/6.98 split in August and September.  Claiborne was due to regress after his unsustainably hot start last year, and regress he did, but I don't think anybody anticipated his finish to the season being as disastrous as it was.  He's the de facto "7th Inning Guy" right now and the question is what type of pitcher will he be in that role?  While a repeat of either one of those extremes is unlikely, where his 2014 performance falls in the middle of them is a big unknown.  Something shaded closer to the bad side of the extreme might not be good enough for a regular middle relief role.

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