I know Brandon League had an awful outing tonight against the Marlins. 5 runs in one inning is pathetic. And I know he can be frustratingly inconsistent, sometimes going long stretches without giving up a run, then having games were he gives up 3+ runs at a time. However, he's still a good pitcher. In 2 of the last 3 seasons his ERA has been 2.53 and 2.18.There's something to be said about not having blind faith. If I truly thought he was garbage, I'd be ripping into him right now. I don't idiotically believe Alex Rios and Vernon Wells are in a "slump" but rather consider their performance as crap. Blow Jay Ryan and Jesse Carlson have drawn my ire also. So why is there such hate on League? In 17 of his 23 outings he hasn't given up a run. The reason his ERA is so bloated is because in 4 of those instances he's surrendered 3 runs or more. That's his problem more than anything, consistency.
League, Jason Frasor and Scott Downs are the only men in this bullpen we can rely upon. Unless you count relying on Jesse Carlson and B.J. Ryan to screw up EVERY time. We are going to need to count on League in ball games throughout the season. League will be fine. Have some faith, the dude can pitch. And it's not blind faith.
1 comment:
Well, although I agree with you on some points, I still have a hard time with Brandon League. To be more specific, I cringe when I see him come in to the game. He is a little of a mystery, considering he does have very good stuff, but at the major league level you have to have more than just good stuff. Unfortunately, in baseball, you also have to be consistent, and his ERA does tell us something. I would just have to say he's better used in the pen for either middle relief, or MAYBE to get after a batter or two. He's just too inconsistent to bring in late in the game, especially with the game on the line.
Brandon
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