My second half and final report card - 2021

[waroriole]

Hays and Mountcastle were graded very generously for guys with .310ish OBP. At least Hays is valuable defensively

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Philip said:

I think you were too hard on McKenna. He was average or better at all three OF positions and his sprint speed is 25th out of several hundred. He may not hit well but he’s a great late inning defender or pinch runner. And his hard-hit rate was just a little below average at 47th percentile. Until Neustrom or Stowers displaces him, he’s got to be the 4OF heir apparent.

And if Santander goes down or away, we can expect Stowers to leapfrog McKenna so even then, he’s be our 4OF.

You tend to like guys who are good defenders no matter how poorly they hit.   I don’t agree with that.   The better you defend, the less you have to hit, but there’s a limit.   Sure he’s a good defensive replacement and baserunner, but when you get 169 plate appearances you have to do something at the plate.   

[HowAboutThat]

51 minutes ago, Frobby said:

You tend to like guys who are good defenders no matter how poorly they hit.   I don’t agree with that.   The better you defend, the less you have to hit, but there’s a limit.   Sure he’s a good defensive replacement and baserunner, but when you get 169 plate appearances you have to do something at the plate.   

I don’t disagree, and if this were an 85-win team, there might not be a place for him. But at the moment there’s no one available who offers what he offers. I was mentally comparing him with David Lough and Joey Rickard. They both hit better than McKenna and Lough might have been a better defender, and neither one was good enough for a playoff team in 2016(Rickard was around but they tried to replace him constantly)  

But we might be a 70-ish win team next year and McKenna is fine for that.

[Frobby]

THE PITCHERS

This is going to be about as ugly as you’d expect it to be.   I list the pitchers in order of innings pitched, and I cut it off at 40 IP, sparing guys like Lowther and Baumann from getting graded but putting Alexander Wells under the knife.   I did leave on the first-half grades of those who got graded then even if they ended up under 40 IP.

John Means 1^st half: 4-2, 71.0 IP, 2.28 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 5.3 K/BB, 3.1 rWAR: A; 2^nd half: 2-7, 75.2 IP, 4.88 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 5.0 K/BB, 0.9 rWAR: C.  Overall grade: B.  After an ace-like first half that was interrupted by injury, Means stayed healthy in the second half but was just so-so.   I thought he was a bit unlucky in the second half, but the long ball hurt him.

Matt Harvey 1^st half:  3-9, 72.1 IP, 7.34 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.3 K/BB, -1.5 rWAR: F; 2^nd half: 3-5, 55.1 IP, 4.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 3.1 K/BB, 0.8 rWAR: B-.   Overall grade: D.   Harvey had a short stretch after the all-star game where he pitched extremely well, then came back to earth a little.   He was pitching with leg injuries for a good bit of the season, and you have to admire him for hanging in there.   Considering he was a non-roster invitee, I give him a passing grade.

Jorge Lopez 1^st half: 2-10, 76.0 IP, 5.92 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.2 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: C; 2^nd half: 1-4, 45.2 IP, 6.31 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.7 K/BB, 0.2 rWAR: D-.  Overall grade: D.  Lopez pitched himself out of the rotation by posting a 7.23 ERA in 9 starts in the second half, then looked pretty good in relief over the next three weeks, pitching to a 2.16 ERA in 8 relief appearances before being shut down with an injury.   I was lenient with him in the first half, but felt I needed to be harsher with his second half and final grades.   Still, I have some hopes for him as a bullpen piece in 2022.   

Keegan Akin 1st half:  0-4, 38.0 IP, 7.11 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 2.3 K/BB, -0.4 rWAR: F; 2nd half:  2-6, 57.0 IP, 6.32 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 1.9 K/BB, 0.0 rWAR: D.  Overall grade: D-. Akin was very bad for most of the season, but gave us a glimmer of hope at the end, pitching to a 4.02 ERA over his final six outings before being shut down with an abdominal injury that required surgery.   Hoping for better in 2022.

Dillon Tate 1^st half: 0-3, 32.0 IP, 3.66 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 2.5 K/BB, 0.6 rWAR: B; 2^nd half: 0-3, 35.2 IP, 5.05 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 1.8 K/BB, 0.3 rWAR: C-.  Overall grade: C+.   Tate looked good at times, but was very inconsistent.   He was terrible when entering a game with runners on base, allowing 47% of inherited runners to score.  

Bruce Zimmermann 1^st half: 4-4, 59.1 IP, 4.83 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 2.7 K/BB, 0.7 rWAR: B, 2^nd half: 4.3 IP, 7.71 ERA, 1.93 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 1.5 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: Incomplete.   Overall grade: B.   My first half comment:) While I can’t say Zimm has been a world-beater, he’s outpitched his higher-rated peers and generally hung in games.   Since my expectations were low, I could have gone with B+, but I dinged him for landing on the IL.

Cole Sulser 1^st half: 2-0, 30.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12.6 K/9, 3.6 K/BB, 1.2 rWAR: A; 2^nd half: 3-4, 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 2.7 K/BB, 1.2 rWAR: B.  Overall grade: A-.  Our most consistent performer out of the bullpen this year.   His A- grade is due in part to the fact that he exceeded my expectations by a lot.

Tyler Wells 1^st half: 2-0, 35.2 IP, 3.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 4.1 K/BB, 0.6 rWAR: A-; 2^nd half: 0-3, 21.1 IP, 4.64 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 5.0 K/BB, 0.3 rWAR: B-.   Overall grade: B+.   Wells faded a bit at the end, not surprising given that he hadn’t pitched in a competitive game since 2018.  Hyde may have pushed him a little too hard at the end, and he was shut down with shoulder soreness.   Hopefully he is healthy next spring, in which case he figures to be either a back of the bullpen guy or maybe even a starter. 

Adam Plutko 1^st half: 1-2, 41.2 IP, 5.18 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 7.8  K/9, 2.1 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: B-; 2^nd half: 0-0, 14.2 IP, 11.05 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 0.9 K/BB, -0.9 rWAR: F.   Overall grade: F.    After doing a decent if inconsistent job in the first half, Plutko completely bombed in the second half and was eventually DFA.  He’s elected free agency.

Spenser Watkins 1^st half: Did not play.  2^nd half: 2-7, 54.2 IP, 8.07 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 5.8 K/BB, 1.8 K/BB, -0.8 rWAR: F.   Watkins started his Orioles career with a scoreless inning of relief followed by three solid starts, momentarily enthralling O’s fans, then pitched to a 10+ ERA the rest of the season.

Tanner Scott 1^st half: 3-2, 30.2 IP, 2.93 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 14.0 K/9, 1.9 K/BB, 0.9 rWAR: B-; 2^nd half: 2-1, 23.1 IP, 8.10 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 2.0 K/BB, -0.9 rWAR: F.  Overall grade: D.  The maddeningly inconsistent Scott cut down on his walks in the second half, but also became very hittable and saw his strikeout rate plummet.   Many games, he seemed to have no command of his fastball and had to overuse his slider because he could get it over the plate.   He eventually was shut down, along with half of our staff.

Dean Kremer 1^st half: 0-7, 49.2 IP, 7.25 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.9 K/BB, -0.7 rWAR: F; 2^nd half: 4.0 IP, 0-0, 4.0 IP, 11.25 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 2.0 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: Incomplete.  Overall grade: F.  (My first half comment:) I expected Kremer’s numbers to look more like Zimmermann’s.   His command has been very shaky and that was supposed to be a strong suit for him.    Looks like he’ll be an up and down guy all year shuttling to and from Norfolk.  (Second half comment:)  He didn’t do well enough at Norfolk to earn shuttle status, coming up only for a single appearance when we were desperate 

Paul Fry 1^st half: 2-2, 30.2 IP, 3.52 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 12.0 K.9, 2.7 K/9, 0.8 rWAR: B+; 2-3, 16.2 IP, 10.80 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 1.1 K/BB, -1.4 rWAR: F. Overall Grade: D.   Simply put, Fry suddenly lost his ability to throw strikes, walking 19 batters in 16.2 innings in the second half and earning a demotion to Norfolk.    While it would be easy (and perhaps correct) to blame it on the spider-tack ban, Fry did have a stretch from mid-July to early August where he had eight straight scoreless appearances and was extremely effective.   Though unable to get the ball over the plate in the seocnd half, Fry maintained a high strikeout rate and didn’t allow many hits at all.  So, a really bizarre season for Fry and we’ll see if he can get his act back together next season.   

Cesar Valdez 1^st half: 3-1, 26.2 IP, 5.74 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 4.1 K/BB, -0.3 rWAR: D-; 2^nd half: 0-0, 18.2 IP, 5.79 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.5 K/BB, 0.0 rWAR: D-.  Overall grade: D-.   Valdez never regaained the magic of 2020 and the first six weeks of 2021.   I couldn't tell if the league just figured him out, or his command wasn't as crisp, or both.  Probably both, IMO.

Alexander Wells 1^st half: Did not play; 2nd half: 2-3, 42.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 1.6 K/BB: D-.   Overall grade: D-.  Wells’ overall stuff was as unimpressive as advertised.   However, his command, always his calling card in the minors, was just so-so in the majors and not good enough to overcome his mediocre stuff.   Wells did have a few good outings here and there, including his final start of the year, but quite simply, he will need to be much sharper than he was this year if he wants to stay in the majors.  He also needs a better changeup. 

Travis Lakins 1^st half: 1-4, 28.0 IP, 5.79 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.4 K/9, -0.3 rWAR: D; 2^nd half: injured.   Overall grade: D.   (First half comment:)  I wasn’t expecting much, but he’s been disappointing.   In particular, a guy with underwhelming stuff can’t walk 17 batters in 28 IP.

Shawn Armstrong, 0-0, 20.0 IP, 8.55 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 2.2 K/BB, -0.6 rWAR: F; 2^nd half: traded.   Overall grade: F.   (First half comment:)  He was DFA and nobody wanted him, so he’s now toiling at Norfolk.   In addition to the horrible stats above, he allowed 9 of 11 inherited runners to score.

 

[Frobby]

10 hours ago, Philip said:

I don’t disagree, and if this were an 85-win team, there might not be a place for him. But at the moment there’s no one available who offers what he offers. I was mentally comparing him with David Lough and Joey Rickard. They both hit better than McKenna and Lough might have been a better defender, and neither one was good enough for a playoff team in 2016(Rickard was around but they tried to replace him constantly)  

But we might be a 70-ish win team next year and McKenna is fine for that.

Well, we are a bad team, so a D+ player may have a spot.   But I don't think I was too harsh on him.   If he wants to have anything more than a brief career in MLB, he will need to hit more.   And I'm not saying he has to be Babe Ruth, but his OPS needs to be at least 100 points higher than his current .559 for his defense to carry him.   And honestly, I'd like to think he's capable of it.

[Just Regular]

13 hours ago, Philip said:

I think you were too hard on McKenna. He was average or better at all three OF positions and his sprint speed is 25th out of several hundred. He may not hit well but he’s a great late inning defender or pinch runner. And his hard-hit rate was just a little below average at 47th percentile. Until Neustrom or Stowers displaces him, he’s got to be the 4OF heir apparent.

And if Santander goes down or away, we can expect Stowers to leapfrog McKenna so even then, he’s be our 4OF.

The Rays did want Brett Phillips out of nowhere for reasons that mostly can only be guessed at.

McKenna probably fits better on someone else's roster, as Hays/Mullins/Santander (or Stowers/Neustrom's young legs if they filter in) don't cry out for defensive replacements.   As a starting group i guess they kind of give the manager the luxury of a 4th outfielder who can really hit, kind of like how DJ Stewart is meant to be except he isn't.

[Moose Milligan]

20 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Wait a minute..isn’t an F grade offensive now?  Is this allowed?  

Is this a commentary on how soft America is becoming now?

[HowAboutThat]

21 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Is this a commentary on how soft America is becoming now?

Every year I send many of my students to a very prestigious local music competition, I’ve always liked that competition because among other things it was clean. You either won or you lost. They handed out first, second, third, and then, at the judge’s discretion, A single honorable mention. I loved that.

Two years ago, for the first time they actually had trophies for every member of a particular division. If they were six kids Entered, then the worst of them got “sixth Place.”

Last year, I considered that prizes to be so meaningless, I didn’t even pick them up for the kids, and the kids didn’t care either.It offended me, and it annoyed me, but mostly, it broke my heart. If kids can’t learn to accept honest defeat, then there will never be any real rewards for victory. The claptrap about everybody is equal and there are no losers and crap like that is just ruining society. 
 

edit: Giving a comment like this down vote is much more a reflection on you than it is on me.

[HowAboutThat]

3 hours ago, Just Regular said:

The Rays did want Brett Phillips out of nowhere for reasons that mostly can only be guessed at.

McKenna probably fits better on someone else's roster, as Hays/Mullins/Santander (or Stowers/Neustrom's young legs if they filter in) don't cry out for defensive replacements.   As a starting group i guess they kind of give the manager the luxury of a 4th outfielder who can really hit, kind of like how DJ Stewart is meant to be except he isn't.

The problem with that comparison is that Stewart doesn’t do anything well. McKenna does. Even if his value is strictly on defense, he has a great deal of it. Choosing between McKenna and Stewart should be an instant vote in favor of McKenna.

I don’t for a second disagree that he needs to hit better or he won’t have a long career, oh but the fact remains that he is not valueless, and until the team is much better, he will continue to be a useful part of it.

[MurphDogg]

3 minutes ago, Philip said:

The problem with that comparison is that Stewart doesn’t do anything well. McKenna does. Even if his value is strictly on defense, he has a great deal of it. Choosing between McKenna and Stewart should be an instant vote in favor of McKenna.

I don’t for a second disagree that he needs to hit better or he won’t have a long career, oh but the fact remains that he is not valueless, and until the team is much better, he will continue to be a useful part of it.

McKenna is more rosterable on a good team, Stewart is more rosterable on a bad team.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

McKenna is more rosterable on a good team, Stewart is more rosterable on a bad team.

This is akin to arguing which vernal disease is less unpleasant to contract.

[HowAboutThat]

20 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

McKenna is more rosterable on a good team, Stewart is more rosterable on a bad team.

Why? Stewart doesn’t do anything well, and he takes a spot from someone who might, even if that person might himself be incomplete.
There is value in a guy who is an elite runner and defender. That’s why guys like Endy Chavez and Craig Gentry Held on for so long, and although Kevin Pillar is past his expiration date,  And no longer defends well enough to keep a place, his elite Defense kept him around for a couple of extra years.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Philip

[LA2]

31 minutes ago, Philip said:

Why? Stewart doesn’t do anything well, and he takes a spot from someone who might, even if that person might himself be incomplete.
There is value in a guy who is an elite runner and defender. That’s why guys like Endy Chavez and Craig Gentry Held on for so long, and although Kevin Pillar is past his expiration date,  And no longer defends well enough to keep a place, his elite Defense kept him around for a couple of extra years.

Without looking up the stats, my memory is that Chavez, Gentry, and Pillar all hit a lot better than McKenna. As for Stewart, he is at least a home run--he's had days at the plate than McKenna can only dream of.

[OriolesMagic83]

52 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

McKenna is more rosterable on a good team, Stewart is more rosterable on a bad team.

It will be nice in a couple of years when the O's will likely have competent major league outfielders with no place to play them.  Hopefully, Elias will solve that w/ a trade.  I think that Stowers and/or Neustrom will likely hit as well as Stewart, but can actually field the position competently.  I will be disappointed if Stewart has a spot on the 2022 Orioles.

[LA2]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

THE PITCHERS

This is going to be about as ugly as you’d expect it to be.   I list the pitchers in order of innings pitched, and I cut it off at 40 IP, sparing guys like Lowther and Baumann from getting graded but putting Alexander Wells under the knife.   I did leave on the first-half grades of those who got graded then even if they ended up under 40 IP.

John Means 1^st half: 4-2, 71.0 IP, 2.28 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 5.3 K/BB, 3.1 rWAR: A; 2^nd half: 2-7, 75.2 IP, 4.88 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 5.0 K/BB, 0.9 rWAR: C.  Overall grade: B.  After an ace-like first half that was interrupted by injury, Means stayed healthy in the second half but was just so-so.   I thought he was a bit unlucky in the second half, but the long ball hurt him.

Matt Harvey 1^st half:  3-9, 72.1 IP, 7.34 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.3 K/BB, -1.5 rWAR: F; 2^nd half: 3-5, 55.1 IP, 4.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 3.1 K/BB, 0.8 rWAR: B-.   Overall grade: D.   Harvey had a short stretch after the all-star game where he pitched extremely well, then came back to earth a little.   He was pitching with leg injuries for a good bit of the season, and you have to admire him for hanging in there.   Considering he was a non-roster invitee, I give him a passing grade.

Jorge Lopez 1^st half: 2-10, 76.0 IP, 5.92 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.2 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: C; 2^nd half: 1-4, 45.2 IP, 6.31 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.7 K/BB, 0.2 rWAR: D-.  Overall grade: D.  Lopez pitched himself out of the rotation by posting a 7.23 ERA in 9 starts in the second half, then looked pretty good in relief over the next three weeks, pitching to a 2.16 ERA in 8 relief appearances before being shut down with an injury.   I was lenient with him in the first half, but felt I needed to be harsher with his second half and final grades.   Still, I have some hopes for him as a bullpen piece in 2022.   

Keegan Akin 1st half:  0-4, 38.0 IP, 7.11 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 2.3 K/BB, -0.4 rWAR: F; 2nd half:  2-6, 57.0 IP, 6.32 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 1.9 K/BB, 0.0 rWAR: D.  Overall grade: D-. Akin was very bad for most of the season, but gave us a glimmer of hope at the end, pitching to a 4.02 ERA over his final six outings before being shut down with an abdominal injury that required surgery.   Hoping for better in 2022.

Dillon Tate 1^st half: 0-3, 32.0 IP, 3.66 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 2.5 K/BB, 0.6 rWAR: B; 2^nd half: 0-3, 35.2 IP, 5.05 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 1.8 K/BB, 0.3 rWAR: C-.  Overall grade: C+.   Tate looked good at times, but was very inconsistent.   He was terrible when entering a game with runners on base, allowing 47% of inherited runners to score.  

Bruce Zimmermann 1^st half: 4-4, 59.1 IP, 4.83 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 2.7 K/BB, 0.7 rWAR: B, 2^nd half: 4.3 IP, 7.71 ERA, 1.93 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 1.5 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: Incomplete.   Overall grade: B.   My first half comment:) While I can’t say Zimm has been a world-beater, he’s outpitched his higher-rated peers and generally hung in games.   Since my expectations were low, I could have gone with B+, but I dinged him for landing on the IL.

Cole Sulser 1^st half: 2-0, 30.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12.6 K/9, 3.6 K/BB, 1.2 rWAR: A; 2^nd half: 3-4, 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 2.7 K/BB, 1.2 rWAR: B.  Overall grade: A-.  Our most consistent performer out of the bullpen this year.   His A- grade is due in part to the fact that he exceeded my expectations by a lot.

Tyler Wells 1^st half: 2-0, 35.2 IP, 3.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 4.1 K/BB, 0.6 rWAR: A-; 2^nd half: 0-3, 21.1 IP, 4.64 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 5.0 K/BB, 0.3 rWAR: B-.   Overall grade: B+.   Wells faded a bit at the end, not surprising given that he hadn’t pitched in a competitive game since 2018.  Hyde may have pushed him a little too hard at the end, and he was shut down with shoulder soreness.   Hopefully he is healthy next spring, in which case he figures to be either a back of the bullpen guy or maybe even a starter. 

Adam Plutko 1^st half: 1-2, 41.2 IP, 5.18 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 7.8  K/9, 2.1 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: B-; 2^nd half: 0-0, 14.2 IP, 11.05 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 0.9 K/BB, -0.9 rWAR: F.   Overall grade: F.    After doing a decent if inconsistent job in the first half, Plutko completely bombed in the second half and was eventually DFA.  He’s elected free agency.

Spenser Watkins 1^st half: Did not play.  2^nd half: 2-7, 54.2 IP, 8.07 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 5.8 K/BB, 1.8 K/BB, -0.8 rWAR: F.   Watkins started his Orioles career with a scoreless inning of relief followed by three solid starts, momentarily enthralling O’s fans, then pitched to a 10+ ERA the rest of the season.

Tanner Scott 1^st half: 3-2, 30.2 IP, 2.93 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 14.0 K/9, 1.9 K/BB, 0.9 rWAR: B-; 2^nd half: 2-1, 23.1 IP, 8.10 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 2.0 K/BB, -0.9 rWAR: F.  Overall grade: D.  The maddeningly inconsistent Scott cut down on his walks in the second half, but also became very hittable and saw his strikeout rate plummet.   Many games, he seemed to have no command of his fastball and had to overuse his slider because he could get it over the plate.   He eventually was shut down, along with half of our staff.

Dean Kremer 1^st half: 0-7, 49.2 IP, 7.25 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 1.9 K/BB, -0.7 rWAR: F; 2^nd half: 4.0 IP, 0-0, 4.0 IP, 11.25 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 2.0 K/BB, -0.1 rWAR: Incomplete.  Overall grade: F.  (My first half comment:) I expected Kremer’s numbers to look more like Zimmermann’s.   His command has been very shaky and that was supposed to be a strong suit for him.    Looks like he’ll be an up and down guy all year shuttling to and from Norfolk.  (Second half comment:)  He didn’t do well enough at Norfolk to earn shuttle status, coming up only for a single appearance when we were desperate 

Paul Fry 1^st half: 2-2, 30.2 IP, 3.52 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 12.0 K.9, 2.7 K/9, 0.8 rWAR: B+; 2-3, 16.2 IP, 10.80 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 1.1 K/BB, -1.4 rWAR: F. Overall Grade: D.   Simply put, Fry suddenly lost his ability to throw strikes, walking 19 batters in 16.2 innings in the second half and earning a demotion to Norfolk.    While it would be easy (and perhaps correct) to blame it on the spider-tack ban, Fry did have a stretch from mid-July to early August where he had eight straight scoreless appearances and was extremely effective.   Though unable to get the ball over the plate in the seocnd half, Fry maintained a high strikeout rate and didn’t allow many hits at all.  So, a really bizarre season for Fry and we’ll see if he can get his act back together next season.   

Cesar Valdez 1^st half: 3-1, 26.2 IP, 5.74 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 4.1 K/BB, -0.3 rWAR: D-; 2^nd half: 0-0, 18.2 IP, 5.79 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.5 K/BB, 0.0 rWAR: D-.  Overall grade: D-.   Valdez never regaained the magic of 2020 and the first six weeks of 2021.   I couldn't tell if the league just figured him out, or his command wasn't as crisp, or both.  Probably both, IMO.

Alexander Wells 1^st half: Did not play; 2nd half: 2-3, 42.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 1.6 K/BB: D-.   Overall grade: D-.  Wells’ overall stuff was as unimpressive as advertised.   However, his command, always his calling card in the minors, was just so-so in the majors and not good enough to overcome his mediocre stuff.   Wells did have a few good outings here and there, including his final start of the year, but quite simply, he will need to be much sharper than he was this year if he wants to stay in the majors.  He also needs a better changeup. 

Travis Lakins 1^st half: 1-4, 28.0 IP, 5.79 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.4 K/9, -0.3 rWAR: D; 2^nd half: injured.   Overall grade: D.   (First half comment:)  I wasn’t expecting much, but he’s been disappointing.   In particular, a guy with underwhelming stuff can’t walk 17 batters in 28 IP.

Shawn Armstrong, 0-0, 20.0 IP, 8.55 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 2.2 K/BB, -0.6 rWAR: F; 2^nd half: traded.   Overall grade: F.   (First half comment:)  He was DFA and nobody wanted him, so he’s now toiling at Norfolk.   In addition to the horrible stats above, he allowed 9 of 11 inherited runners to score.

 

Thank you for all the effort. I myself would have given a lower grade to Zimmerman and a higher one to Akin's second half. Was Lowther too lowsy to include?