What is with Barry Zito? Early NL Cy Young Favorite?

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300505128

 

5-0 start 1.49 ERA... (despite that awful contract) that it might have been worth it to take a flier on him if the SF Giants would have taken back some of our crap (Suppan, Hall, etc...)

Between Zito and Lirano, we've seen some pretty big bounce backs early in 2010

[endaround]

He's been lucky with home runs. His xFIP is 4.09 making him a solid starter but not a #1.

[Gobias Industries]

I saw on BBTN it said he's yet to give up a hit on his curveball. That thing has a much more sharp break than in years past.

 

Good for him. The Giants are one of my favorite teams besides the Brewers, and I've always been a Zito fan.

[yfinn6]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300505128

 

5-0 start 1.49 ERA... (despite that awful contract) that it might have been worth it to take a flier on him if the SF Giants would have taken back some of our crap (Suppan, Hall, etc...)

Between Zito and Lirano, we've seen some pretty big bounce backs early in 2010

Do you think the Giants were just going to give up Barry Zito for Bill Hall and Jeff Suppan? What other "crap" did you have in mind as a toss-in?

[diener34]

I think Ubaldo is the early favorite.

[dlk9s]

The way things are going, the NL Cy Young race is going to be great. Ubaldo, Lincecum, Halladay, Zito, etc. Should be fun to follow.

[Ennder]

It is a fluke more or less. He is pitching better than in the previous few years but nowhere near as good as his ERA. He has been the 4th best starter on that team this season. He isn't going to maintain his 0% HR/FB, his .228 BABIP or his 82.1% strand rate.

[BrewCrewForever]

He has been quite good this season, I never thought he would bounce back. I still think the Cy Young will come down to Halladay, Jimenez and Lincecum though.

[Paulus88]

What about Livan Hernandez, he of the .99 ERA with more walks than Ks. It sort of takes away the sting of the complete game shutout he threw against the Brewers.

[RockCoCougars]

Say what you want about Zito, but he's never been 'Suppan bad' during this obscene contract, at least the Giants have gotten something for their money. Zito's looked like Steve Carlton in his prime over the past 3 years when you compare him with Soup.

[Invader3K]

He was actually much better last year compared to the first two seasons of his contract. His strikeouts were also up significantly last season.

[Ennder]

I'd take 2007+2008 Suppan over 2007+2008 Zito. 2009+2010 Zito is another story. Zito was worse than Suppan those first 2 years though.

[JohnBriggs12]

The way things are going, the NL Cy Young race is going to be great. Ubaldo, Lincecum, Halladay, Zito, etc. Should be fun to follow.

Other names in the mix as of now: Wainwright, Marmol, and even Jaime Garcia.

[rluzinski]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300505128

 

5-0 start 1.49 ERA... (despite that awful contract) that it might have been worth it to take a flier on him if the SF Giants would have taken back some of our crap (Suppan, Hall, etc...)

Between Zito and Lirano, we've seen some pretty big bounce backs early in 2010

Do you think the Giants were just going to give up Barry Zito for Bill Hall and Jeff Suppan? What other "crap" did you have in mind as a toss-in?

Zito is 32 years old. He's something like a true 4.25 ERA pitcher right now and is obviously on the downward slope of his career Here is the guaranteed money remaining on his contract and in parentheses, my quick and dirty estimate of his projected worth):

 

2010: $18.5 mil ($8 mil... basically assuming he's average now)

2011 $18.5 mil ($7 mil)

2012: $19. mil ($6 mil)

2013: $ 20.0 mil ($5 mil)

 

A person could argue that he's worth less than that but I'll be nice. So Zito's contract overvalues his projected performance by something like FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS. How much talent do you think you could buy for negative $50 mil?

 

I would say that Vegas would happily give you 5,000+:1 odds on Zito winning the Cy Young ever again. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

 

 

 

[jhart05]

I'm pulling for Ubaldo Jimenez.

 

I love watching that guy pitch.

[mletto157]

I'd rather watch Lincecum pitch, it's just sweet seeing his entire body flail like it does. Plus I just hate Ubaldo's name... it's the only reason why I always pass him over on my fantasy baseball drafts. Haha! So I'd rather see Lincecum win it again. Though I think it's probably Halladay's to lose in the minds of most of the voters. Halladay has been my favorite fantasy baseball pitcher for who knows how long. He's as consistant as they come.

[Schlitz001]

Now that there is a thread about how great Zito is this year, he will inevitably blow up in his next start.

 

I remember reading that he is more focused this year compared to the years right after he signed his contract in which he partied consistently and didn't concentrate on his starts. Not to mention his fastball is slightly faster. I would like to think that he can't keep it up since I traded him in my fantasy league.

 

As for a Cy Young favorite, I think you have to go with the guy that won it the past two years.

[owbc]

As with many other aging pitchers, Zito had to reinvent himself when he lost velocity on his fastball. Ben Sheets should pay attention.

[davego]

the Giants STILL have him for three more years AFTER this year? Wow. Seems like he went there in from the A's in like 1979.

[Schlitz001]

As with many other aging pitchers, Zito had to reinvent himself when he lost velocity on his fastball. Ben Sheets should pay attention.

Actually his fastball has been faster the past two years than in his down years of 2007 and 2008. Link He's on par with his contract year.

[Funketown]

My money's still on either Lincecum or Halladay this year. Those two have been absurdly dominant so far, shown by Halladay's 9.75/1 K:BB ratio and Lincecum's xFIP of 1.96. Yeah, I know it's early May, but an xFIP that low after 6 starts is absurd.

 

Was it last year or the year before that Zito became San Fran's $18 million loogy?

 

I doubt he finishes the year with below a 3.5 ERA, but he has looked much better these last two years than in his first two years with the Giants.

[rluzinski]

As with many other aging pitchers, Zito had to reinvent himself when he lost velocity on his fastball. Ben Sheets should pay attention.

Sheets' fastball is over 5 MPH faster than Zito's.

[endaround]

For some perspective on luck at this point, Doug Davis' xFIP is 4.00, Zito's is 4.05.