The wait is over: on Monday night, Cliff Lee agreed to a five-year contract with the Yankees Rangers Phillies. There’s good reason Lee was so highly coveted this offseason, as his 2010 season was one of the most masterful seasons in baseball history. In 212 innings, Lee struck out 185 batters while unintentionally walking just 18. From the Bill James Handbook 2011:
|
American League SO/BB Ratio Leaderboard (2010)
|
| Pitcher |
SO/BB |
| Cliff Lee |
10.28 |
| Jered Weaver |
4.31 |
| Shaun Marcum |
3.84 |
| James Shields |
3.67 |
| Francisco Liriano |
3.47 |
Not only was Lee’s 10.28 ratio miles ahead of every other pitcher in baseball last year, but that figure also rates as the second-best season in baseball history.
|
Best Single Season SO/BB Ratio
|
| Pitcher |
Season |
Strikeouts |
Walks |
Ratio |
| Bret Saberhagen |
1994 |
143 |
13 |
11.0 |
| Cliff Lee |
2010 |
185 |
18 |
10.3 |
| Curt Schilling |
2002 |
316 |
33 |
9.6 |
| Pedro Martinez |
2000 |
284 |
32 |
8.9 |
| Greg Maddux |
1997 |
177 |
20 |
8.8 |
Note: since 1900, minimum one inning pitched per team game
Additionally, Cliff Lee joins a Phillies’ rotation which already features Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, making the Phillies the popular favorites in the National League. Here are our projections for the Philly aces from the 2011 Handbook:
|
Phillies' Pitcher Projections for 2011
|
| Pitcher |
ERA |
Wins |
Losses |
Innings |
Walks |
Strikeouts |
| Roy Halladay |
3.16 |
18 |
9 |
245 |
38 |
190 |
| Roy Oswalt |
3.38 |
16 |
9 |
221 |
52 |
176 |
| Cole Hamels |
3.45 |
15 |
9 |
219 |
58 |
209 |
| Cliff Lee |
3.50 |
14 |
10 |
216 |
49 |
169 |
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