Push for the Fish to go get Zach Duke
by marlinsrdasht on Jul 29, 2009 2:21 PM EDT
Email
Print
By Michael Belanger
I’m pushing for the marlins to go get Zach Duke because he’s a reasonable fit for the Fish. Unlike a Roy Halladay with an outrages price tag that will only last half a season. I’m screaming for Duke because of what he does in Pittsburgh. He’s 9-9 so far with a 3.42 ERA, pitched 140 innings only walking 34 batters and struck out 74. In 20 starts he has 3 complete games and one complete game shutout. The guy has only aloud 13 homeruns and 137 hits and has a .266 average against batters. Zach duke is only 26 years old and the Pirates are paying him $2,200,000. That’s in the Marlins price range and with Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, and Chris Volstad, Duke’s could be the marlins 4th solid starter. He’s more then a half of season pick up, he’s a player the Marlins could keep around. 6 out of Duke’s 9 losses, the Pirates lost by 2 or less runs. With the Marlins offense Duke could be the missing piece to the puzzle to making a playoff run and help an even more solid and reliable rotation. The Marlins need to see Duke as a opportunity to make things happen. He’s a pick-up that’s perfect for now and the future.
19 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Eh.
He’s definitely a major league-quality pitcher. I just suspect Duke’s not as good as his stats this year. His batting average on balls in play (as of July 4) was around .270, which is major luck. (Then again, his BABIP in the three previous years was well above .320, and in one case .360. So those might be skewed in the opposite direction.)
Ultimately, I’d say Duke’s true talent is somewhere in the 4.00-4.50 ERA range. So I wouldn’t mind adding him if we could get him for the price of a fourth starter. But basically, the dude is a fourth starter.
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
you don't get it
It doesn’t matter how far back the team is, in terms of both games and talent, and whether the newly acquired player(s) put us far enough ahead in talent of the teams in front that we subsequently make up the difference in games — all that matters is that we make a move. Teams that make moves make the playoffs and teams that don’t make moves don’t make the playoffs. Once we make a move, we become one of those teams that makes moves and makes the playoffs (except for, you know, the overwhelming majority of teams that make deadline deals and still don’t win anything). That’s why we have to make a move.
Deck chairs on the Titanic, anyone?
Marlins Stadium: When It's Raining, The Roof Will Happen!
making a move shows "commitment" and "determination."
It means the team is “addressing its weaknesses” and “going in for the kill.” No sir, they won’t be “waving the white flag” or “giving up” or “standing pat.”
Even if you’re giving up prized prospects for extra relievers, back-end starters, or other non-difference-makers, that won’t show “desperation” or “lack of a larger plan.” To the contrary, a trade will show “dedication” and “passion” and “refusing to lose” and “never saying die” and that “quitters never win.” With a new stadium coming, a trade of some sort is “giving back to the fans” and “putting their money where their mouth is” and “going all in.”
Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Baseball demands entropy, not enthalpy.
I wouldn't mind us getting Zach Duke
The only issue is that Pittsburgh really isn’t in need of a Bonerface or Hermida, so we’d be giving up prospects and/or cash for him.
The Player's Commenter
Big Fan of Tyler Thigpen, the boy from Coastal Carolina
'Phins are gonna go 10-6 this year, but better would be nice!
Member of the "I Hate Emilio Bonerface Club"
to me Zach Duke is worth it so giving up prospects or money aint bad cause Duke makes alil ove 2 mill and the marlins can works something out.
by marlinsrdasht on Jul 29, 2009 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions
that's the problem.
there’s a million players I wouldn’t mind getting, Duke being among them. But we also have to be serious about (a.) what it’ll take to get said player, and (b.) if said player really puts the team over the top.
Unless it’s a solid 3B, a top closer, or a quality outfielder, I don’t think a trade makes any sense. At a certain point, you have to concede that a team’s best days are ahead of us. We should be loaded for next year and 2011. I really don’t want to risk that by giving away top prospects for a player who’s an improvement, but only a marginal one.
Duke is basically Pittsburgh’s biggest remaining star (I’m already counting Sanchez as a non-Pirate). He won’t come cheap, and he’d end up being a 4th starter on our team. I don’t think that’s good value.
your right about are best day are to come but duke is worth more then any of are pitching prospects and gaby wouldnt be in the trade anyways. we would keep miller for the 5th starter and that rotation could be solid for many years to come. but dues is very valuable for the fish right now like i said hes not a arm and a leg and hes an accurate fit
by marlinsrdasht on Jul 29, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
idk
duke is a 2nd iguyin the rotation kind ofguy and possibly a 1st . but just look at what the Pirates lost since last year when his era was higher. ya despite all that his era has lowered so i disagree hes underrated getting cover with that win loss record. say if the Pirates scored a few more runs get could be 12-6 but they didnt so no ones going to pay attention to this guy.
by marlinsrdasht on Jul 29, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't even know what you're trying to say here.
Nobody legitimately uses wins and losses as a means of evaluating a pitcher any more.
And it’s clear why his ERA has lowered — the balls people hit against him are getting caught more frequently. Now, pitchers have little or no control over batting average on balls in play. (There are some instances where this isn’t quite true — ground ball pitchers tend to allow a slightly lower BABIP, for example.) Fielders are of course a factor, and the general consensus is that Pirates are a slightly better fielding team than they were last year. But “slightly better” doesn’t explain a 50-point drop. A lot of that is luck. Could be good luck this year, could be bad luck in previous years. Is both.
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
all im try to say is Duke is a good fit for florida he a quality pitcher for a good price
by marlinsrdasht on Jul 29, 2009 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, and we need a pitcher who can be expected to contribute a 4.00-4.50 ERA… why? And what would we trade for him? I’m not saying he’s not a useful player, I’m saying there are a lot of good or pretty good players out there who we’re not trading for, because the position our team is in does not justify it.
I’m also saying that, because of his deceptively good stats this year, he’s likely to command more in a trade than his talent justifies.
And now I’m saying that his salary isn’t really relevant, because he’s signed to a one-year contract, and I believe an arbitration contract. So I’m pretty sure he’s going to be a free agent at the end of the season. Either that,. or he’s going back to arbitration, where he will presumably receive substantially more money. (I always get a bit shaky on the details of the whole arbitration/five-year thing.)
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
Techinically major leaguers have a better batting average on ground balls than on fly balls...
so unless they’re also not giving up liners, that’s not true. But your point is still valid about Duke
Yeah, that's how it works.
Pitchers who give up more fly balls also give up more line drives. (As a general tendency. There may well be exceptions.)
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
lol
the guy is great he pitched 7 shutout inning tonight
by marlinsrdasht on Jul 29, 2009 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually...
Line drives are much more out of the control of the pitcher. They vary drastically around a center mark, but they’re not consistent. Most guys are in the 20% range. Meanwhile, year to year hitters hit some 40-60 points higher on the ground than in the air. Unless you’re talking about guys in the region around 60% GB, but those guys are a special case. Even players in the 50% range still generally give up 18-20% LD%.
Looking back, I guess it does apply only to extreme ground ball pitchers. Sorry for the confusion.
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
I mean, anyway...
…my point was that pitcher effects on BABIP are minor and/or questionable at best.
He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Fish Stripes
Related FanShots on Fish Stripes
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Ku Klux Klan, umpires and bowling: Why the minor leagues tossed out Jim Evans academy
- The Cardinals Hall of Fame can now be found at Bill Clinton’s library in Arkansas (Huh?)
- Will Bryce Harper start the season with the Nationals?
- Mitch Mustain puts football behind him, signs reported rookie deal with White Sox
- Robinson Cano and Denzel Washington face off in Jay Leno’s Yankees trivia contest
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
