Tyler Clippard Passes the Eye Test
Oct 4, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard (36) pitches in the 10th inning against the San Francisco Giants in game two of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
It is safe to assume the Oakland Athletics were not anticipating a rebound from Ryan Cook.
It is also safe to assume the A’s would prefer some combination of Marcus Semien, Ben Zobrist, and Eric Sogard to play shortstop in 2015 over Yunel Escobar.
The result of those assumptions is the newly acquired Tyler Clippard.
Our own Tony Frye posted a nice write-up of the trade and explains who the A’s are getting in Clippard,
"“Well, Tyler Clippard is a two time All Star pitcher with a career 2.88 ERA and a 2.75 K/BB ratio. He’s a flyball pitcher with a fair amount of grounders who has a career 1.04 HR/9 average. His fastball, a primary pitch for him, sits in the low 90’s and his changeup, which he uses about a third of the time, is in the low 80’s.”"
He has racked up 34 saves and 150 holds, all with the Washington Nationals. In three of his last four seasons he has posted WHIP totals less than 1.00 and a K/9 of more than 10.
He throws quality pitches and can eat lofty innings totals as a late-inning reliever.
Clippard passes the eye test.
But he also meets the expectations of us sabermetrically inclined folk.
Oct 4, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard (36) reacts after getting the third out in the tenth inning against the San Francisco Giants in game two of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports
Over the past four seasons his win probability added has accumulated more than seven wins, he has been worth four wins above average, and he has been worth nearly four wins above a replacement level player.
His FIP as a reliever is 3.46, but that number is inflated due to his awful 2008 campaign as 23-year old. Since then his FIP has been as high as 3.32, but as low as 2.75. His runs allowed per nine innings as a reliever is 2.89.
For those of you who do not know, FIP measures how good a pitcher is at preventing homers, walks, hit batters, while causing strikeouts. Runs allowed per nine innings is merely all runs allowed with no differentiation between earned runs and unearned runs.
He has not needed much help to keep a low ERA.
There are several reasons this move makes sense for Oakland, other than the numbers:
1. The A’s are getting a premier right handed setup man. This is not a repeat of Jim Johnson.
The team had an under-the-radar need for another power righty in the pen. Cook is no lock to regain his all-star form. Rookie R.J. Alvarez is not guaranteed a spot with the big league club just yet, and the team had room in the budget to pick up the $9.5 million tab Clippard comes with.
2. The Escobar-for-Clippard deal rids the A’s of an older, albeit above-average, shortstop with character problems and is expected to decline sharply from here on out.
3. Our bullpen will be much stronger and deeper now. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the A’s already had baseball’s sixth best bullpen. Clippard without a doubt moves them up at least a notch or two.
Sep 1, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman Eric Sogard (28) returns to the dugout against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
4. Why not give the marketing department two opportunities for a night of spectacles? See what I did there? But seriously, Sogard needed a glasses-wearing buddy.
5. While Luke Gregerson has elite numbers as an eighth inning guy, his failures always seemed to come when the A’s least needed it. His slider is wicked, but stressful to watch. Clippard eliminates the need for me to stand and watch out of anxiety when the game heads to the late innings.
6. Lastly, should things not turn out as Billy Beane and company have planned, Clippard along with Zobrist and Scott Kazmir make a nice trio of deadline trade chips. And if not, should the A’s extend a qualifying offer to any of these guys it would likely be turned down and Oakland would receive a first round pick.
This trade has a lot more layers to peel back before you can really appreciate Beane’s latest work.
But this could be one of Beane’s famous under-appreciated deals when reflected on next fall.
He basically traded a bench bat without a position, a fourth-outfield prospect, and a high level infield prospect for two major league contributors at the top of their craft.
And hey, y’all wanted more all-stars, right?