The Curious Case of Ben Sheets
Dec/080
The lack of interest in Ben Sheets is very strange to me. AOL Fanhouse has him pegged as this year’s Kyle Lohse and nobody should ever have to be Kyle Lohse. It’s crazy to me that GENERAL MANAGERS forget just how good Ben Sheets was last season. Before getting hurt down the stretch he was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Injury concerns are a big deal though and I can see where teams would be worried. What I can’t see however is why AJ Burnett would get such a huge deal and Ben Sheets would be ignored. It’s one thing for CC Sabathia to get a huge deal and Sheets to be ignored, AJ Burnett is a whole other story.
Did you know that:
- Based on baseball reference’s similiarity index Ben Sheets is most like AJ Burnett
- Ben Sheets is two years younger than AJ Burnett
- Using OPS+ Ben Sheets has been the better pitcher 4 out of 5 seasons. The only season he was behind, 2006, the score was 119 to 117.
- Average starts per season during that same period: AJ Burnett 26.6 / Ben Sheets 25.6
- 3 year averages:
Sheets: ERA: 3.51 WHIP 1.16 K/9: 7.69
Burnett: ERA 3.92 WHIP 1.28 K/9 9.03 - Both Marcel and Bill James project Ben Sheets to be better next season than AJ Burnett
After reading all that doesn’t it seem weird that one pitcher isn’t getting any offers over two years and the other one (the older one) just signed for 5y/$82.5 million?
I’m a bit torn here. I like Ben and hope he gets a good deal, but at the same time I’d like to see the market stay where it’s at so that he can return to the Brewers next season. As long as he doesn’t go to the Yankees I think I’ll be alright.
