The Stopper

[Answerman]

I know the closer gets lots of accolades and big paychecks, but I am a big fan of the "Stopper" - the guy who comes in during the fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth inning when the game is on the line. Someone who can get us out of a jam with big outs. Last year, Andrew Miller was extremely valuable in that role.

So, who can do that this year. I posted in another thread that Ubaldo could maybe be that guy. I really think Tommy Hunter has that potential if he could keep all of his pitches the knees or lower and throw that nice curve ball a little more frequently.

What say ye? Do we have a reliable stopper on the current roster? Is there a guy in the minors?

[BohKnowsBmore]

For the first few weeks, I could see it being Miguelito CK Gonzalez.

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[BohKnowsBmore]

El Asesino Frio.

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[Can_of_corn]

No offense to Answerman, this has been brewing for a while.

I am SICK of hearing about Andrew Miller.

He's a relief pitcher for goodness sake who pitched around 60 innings in the regular season.

The difference between having a Miller there and Tommy Hunter is actually really small.

There is a fair chance that last year was a career year for him.

To paraphrase Tony: We don't know if Andrew Miller is going to be Andrew Miller this year.

[weams]

I know the closer gets lots of accolades and big paychecks, but I am a big fan of the "Stopper" - the guy who comes in during the fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth inning when the game is on the line. Someone who can get us out of a jam with big outs. Last year, Andrew Miller was extremely valuable in that role.

So, who can do that this year. I posted in another thread that Ubaldo could maybe be that guy. I really think Tommy Hunter has that potential if he could keep all of his pitches the knees or lower and throw that nice curve ball a little more frequently.

What say ye? Do we have a reliable stopper on the current roster? Is there a guy in the minors?

There is no stopper. There never was any stopper. For a brief period of time, some pitchers are unhittable. For some unknown reason. There are never any stoppers. Just guys who can get outs.

[Beef Supreme]

There is no stopper. There never was any stopper. For a brief period of time, some pitchers are unhittable. For some unknown reason. There are never any stoppers. Just guys who can get outs.

Mo, Eck...just guys who can get outs for some unknown reason.

[weams]

Mo, Eck...just guys who can get outs for some unknown reason.

They were closers. They were good at it. And they were paid.

[joe42]

There is no stopper. There never was any stopper. For a brief period of time, some pitchers are unhittable. For some unknown reason. There are never any stoppers. Just guys who can get outs.

I'm hoping that guy is Brian Matusz this year.

[JayThomas]

I'm hoping that guy is Brian Matusz this year.

Wow. Well, I'm guessing you're the furthest one out on the limb with this one ...

[JayThomas]

No offense to Answerman, this has been brewing for a while.

I am SICK of hearing about Andrew Miller.

He's a relief pitcher for goodness sake who pitched around 60 innings in the regular season.

The difference between having a Miller there and Tommy Hunter is actually really small.

There is a fair chance that last year was a career year for him.

To paraphrase Tony: We don't know if Andrew Miller is going to be Andrew Miller this year.

I would've offered him 4/32 to come close to the guy he was last year, but go 80 innings for us as exactly this thing called 'a stopper'. Alas, 4/32 wouldn't have gotten it done either. Now I have to hope that Andrew Miller reverts to the Andrew Miller before there was an Andrew Miller.

[MurphDogg]

Leverage index is a stat that measures the preassure that a pitcher faces.

From Baseball Reference:

LI looks at the possible changes in win probability in a give situation and situations where dramatic swings in win probability are possible (runner on second late in a tie game) have higher LI's than situations where there can be no large change in win probability (late innings of a 12-run blowout).

The stat is normalized so that on average the leverage is 1.00. In tense situations, the leverage is higher than 1.00 (up to about 10) and in low-tension situations the leverage is between 0 and 1.0.

Andrew Miller was fourth on the team in leverage index, note that this is not a rate stat, so the fact that he only pitched 20 innings doesn't indicate that other pitchers simply had more high leverage opportunities.

Miller's aLI was 1.44. Ahead of him was Britton at 1.73, Tommy Hunter at 1.59 and Darren O'Day at 1.50.

Hunter's leverage index is skewed by the fact that he was the closer for the 6 weeks of the season, so from June 18th (when he first became a setup man) through the end of the season, his leverage index was 1.02 with a 1.31 ERA over 41 and a third innings. In the period between June 18th and July 31st when we acquired Miller, Hunter's leverage index was 1.31 with a 0.95 ERA over 19 innings.

Miller did not pitch in otherworldly leveraged situation, his usage really wasn't that different from Hunter and O'Day's.

[weams]

I would've offered him 4/32 to come close to the guy he was last year, but go 80 innings for us as exactly this thing called 'a stopper'. Alas, 4/32 wouldn't have gotten it done either. Now I have to hope that Andrew Miller reverts to the Andrew Miller before there was an Andrew Miller.

I absolutely loved having the Andrew Miller that never was Andrew Miller until he became Andrew Miller. I would have paid him 150 million dollars. To be that Andrew Miller exactly that Andrew Miller, for the the next two decades. It would be like having Rivera for 20 years. And never injured or bad or sore. Just massive. And left handed.

[weams]

Leverage index is a stat that measures the preassure that a pitcher faces.

From Baseball Reference:

Andrew Miller was fourth on the team in leverage index, note that this is not a rate stat, so the fact that he only pitched 20 innings doesn't indicate that other pitchers simply had more high leverage opportunities.

Miller's aLI was 1.44. Ahead of him was Britton at 1.73, Tommy Hunter at 1.59 and Darren O'Day at 1.50.

Hunter's leverage index is skewed by the fact that he was the closer for the 6 weeks of the season, so from June 18th (when he first became a setup man) through the end of the season, his leverage index was 1.02 with a 1.31 ERA over 41 and a third innings. In the period between June 18th and July 31st when we acquired Miller, Hunter's leverage index was 1.31 with a 0.95 ERA over 19 innings.

Miller did not pitch in otherworldly leveraged situation, his usage really wasn't that different from Hunter and O'Day's.

A very relevant post.

[wildcard]

Isn't that what Brad Brach did last year? Isn't that how he ended up with a 7-1 record and a 3.18 ERA?

[scOtt]

Isn't that what Brad Brach did last year? Isn't that how he ended up with a 7-1 record and a 3.18 ERA?

Brach too. Like Weams said, a lot of guys that can be "that guy" for a period of time. We have many good arms, Buck can play the hot hand for a while, switch when there's someone doing better.