And not in a good way. It seems he's always one pitch or one batter away from blowing the save. It's hard to complain about success, but I can't remember the last time Frankie went back-to-back games retiring the side in order.
Is it ability or luck that has gotten him to 43 saves? Probably a bit of both, but to be considered a dominating closer a pitcher shouldn't rely too much on luck. Looking at this year's stats compared to previous numbers:
#P/IP BB/IP K/IP OBA
2008 17.3 0.60 1.04 .302
2007 17.9 0.50 1.34 .299
Career 16.4 0.45 1.30 .277
Yeah, he's not as dominating. Looking a little closer to his numbers, there's been a trend away from dominance. In his first full year (2003), his OBA allowed has gone from .262 to .302 this year increasing each year (except a slight down tick in 2004). Not a good thing when entering your free agency, but will probably be overlooked because of his high saves total. Some team will pony-up the $15 million/year he's demanding, but buyer beware.
Frankie needs to cut back on the fist-pumping, heaven pointing, and maniacal yelling when he closes out a game and get back to throwing strikes...if he's able. To me it's comical to see a player barely hold on to the save and then act like he's just went out and blown away the other team on 9 straight, high 90's pitches.
The Angels should let Frankie walk after this year and take the 2 draft picks they'll get as compensation. Trading for bullpen help, either with a deadline deal now or waiting until the off-season, should be a priority. This would also give Arredondo another year pitching the 8th before closing games in 2010.
Leave a comment