Brandon Beachy and Vance Worley

   Well, Albert Pujols finally hit his first homerun today, so that helps support my previous blog entry. Now, on to discussing Brandon Beachy and Vance Worley. Both of these pitchers are relatively new to the game of baseball, and they both have just over a year in the Major  Leagues on their resumes. With the huge contracts that free agents obtain and the way the arbitration works (usually in favor of the player going through arbitration) I think it is safe to say that the Brave's should sacrifice a little bit of money to go ahead and lock up Beachy long term, and the Philles should do the same for Worley. Therefore, following the example that the Tampa Bay Rays have set with such players as Matt Moore and Evan Longoria. So, let's look at some numbers from the promising young starters. So far for Beachy's career he has posted a 10-6 record, has a 3.22 ERA, has a 3.55K/BB ratio, and just over 195 IP. So, how does Worley compare to Beachy? Worley has posted a record of 14-6, has an 2.86 ERA, a 2.65K/BB rate, and has just over 182 IP. Both of these pitchers have been phenomenal for their team, and so far they have exceeded expectations. So which pitcher is better is up for debate. (Viewers should look into more advanced metrics to learn more, and make ther decision). Looking at the numbers, Beachy and Worley are very similar pitchers, and each has their advantage over the other in different categories, but either way, the Atlanta Braves should try to lock Brandon Beachy up long term when he is first arbitration eligible if he continues to perform at an astonishing rate, and the Philadelphia Philles should do the same for Vance Worley. Therefore, both teams could lock up potential future "Ace's" relatively cheap, and if either team ends up regretting their decision, the possible cheap and huge reward for locking these pitchers up longterm before they are  arbitration eligible is a low risk worth taking for both teams to help them win in the short term as well as the long term. (Numbers/Stats provided by baseballreference.com).

The Mystery of Albert Pujols

We all know that Albert Pujols has scuffled out of the gate with the LA Angels. But, I'm more interested in trying to analyze why he has struggled, and give some possible reasons, most of which other people have already stated. Pujols has established a career with a slash line of .327/.418/.612, we all know that those are great numbers especially over 12 years in The Bigs. Pujols has also slugged 445HR's. So, why has Pujols struggled through the first month of the season with the Angels? Maybe it's the new ballpark, a new team, new teammates, maybe it's the climate, regrets about deserting St. Louis....or maybe it is the expectations that came from that 240 Million dollar contract he signed this offseason? Let me put it in perspective this way. Adam Dunn left the Washington Nationals last year to sign with the Chicago White Sox for a large contract, and last year he posted a slash line of .159/.292/.277, while only hitting which is atrocious, hitting a mere 11 HR and having 42 RBI's. Maybe he needed time to adjust to his new place and role, because it looks like Dunn is headed in the right direction this season, having already slugged 5HR and having 16 RBI's, only time will tell though. My point with the comparison is that Pujols will turn things around, but when and how quickly remains yet to be seen! (Numbers provided by baseball reference).