Phillies’ Shane Victorino Raises Eyebrows With Response to Larry Bowa

We all know the story of the 1951 New York Giants.

They mounted a historical comeback on the Brooklyn Dodgers and finally won the pennant on the final day of the season behind Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

But, as it would be discovered later on, they did it with the help of a camera mounted in centerfield.

Now let’s flash forward to 2007.

The New York Mets were in the depths of an epic collapse within the NL East, and they accused the pursuing Philadelphia Phillies of using a centerfield camera to steal signs during games at Citizen’s Bank Park.

The Mets asked the league to look into the issue in 2007, but the investigation was inconclusive.

Not unfounded, but inconclusive.

The story has gained new life during the 2009 World Series after former Phillies manager Larry Bowa, who currently serves as third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, remarked that the defending champs were “good at stealing signs.”

Bowa made the comments on a Philadelphia radio station, and Charlie Manuel didn’t have the opportunity to respond at the pregame press conference on Monday because Manuel had not gotten wind of the situation yet.

That’s when Shane Victorino stepped into play.

Victornio responded in an irate and fuming manner, and he had this to say about the comments from Bowa:

“I guess I’m not smart enough to steal signs, so obviously it’s not working for me,” he said. “I guess if it’s an art, it’s an art, but for a guy to pop off like that and say that’s why we’re not successful right now, that’s what I’m trying to get at.”

Now, Victorino never played for Bowa, as the flyin’ Hawaiian came to Philly in 2005, which was one year after Bowa’s tenure as manager expired.

But logically, how difficult would it be to mount a camera in centerfield under the nose of everyone, including the league?

Not very.

And don’t you think the league would want to keep this under wraps even if they had found a camera in centerfield?

Victorino insists that they wouldn’t have lost the first two games at home against the Yankees in this World Series if they had been stealing signs, and this is why I have a problem with the way Victorino disputed the issue.

He never said straight up that the Phillies don’t steal signs, and his response was unusually aggressive towards Bowa. 

This is where I made my decision that maybe something is going on, because Victorino didn’t have to say anything about this.

He could have swept it under the mat and dismissed it as an off base comment from Bowa, or Victorino could have moved on with his pursuit of capturing another championship. 

Instead, he was the only player on the team to respond, and he attacked Bowa for not knowing what he was talking about because things were different when he managed the team.

“Don’t talk about what has happened or what you know. If you know for a fact that we’re stealing signs, then that’s a different story,” said Victorino.

What does he mean by “that’s a different story?”

Is Victorino unknowingly implying that the Phillies’ indeed do steal signs, but since Bowa doesn’t know the process that he should keep his mouth shut?

The thing is that the accusations began in 2007, two years after Bowa had left the team, so he wouldn’t be commenting as an insider about the situation.

Look, we all know that stealing signs is a part of the game, but you have to use your eyes and not the lens of a camera to do so.

The big thing is that stealing signs doesn’t make for guaranteed production, and that’s where I see a giant hole in Victorino’s story. He makes it out that if you know the other team’s signs, you will automatically win.

Sure, you might know that a breaking ball is on the way, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to do something productive with the pitch.

Maybe you pop it up, maybe you ground out, or heck, maybe you hit a home run.

I just don’t buy Victorino’s defense.

Thanks to Victorino’s interesting comments, I think that something is awry in Philly, and somewhere Bobby Thompson is quietly chuckling.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Pedro Martinez Solidifies Position as First Ballot Hall of Famer

It doesn’t matter who he says is his daddy.

Pedro Martinez is a first ballot Hall of Famer.

The 38-year-old from the Dominican Republic may not have the mid-90s fastball he once displayed, but he still has the prowess on the bump to take over a contest on the game’s biggest stage.

Just look at the way he navigated through Game Two against the New York Yankees on Thursday night.

Only breaking 90 MPH a handful of times, Martinez used his devastating changeup to set up hitters for failure, spotting his pitches beautifully on the black of the plate all night long.

I don’t know if you’re ever gotten a chance to see Pedro’s hands, but he has some unbelievably long fingers. This allows him to snap the ball off the end of his digits, getting maximum movement out of all pitches.

The use of his freak fingers was never more evident than last night, when even his fastball was biting hard—just ask Alex Rodriguez.

Sure, Mark Teixeira hit one on the screws, and Hideki Matsui did his best Phil Mickelson impression to golf a low breaking ball out to right field.

Yet despite taking a loss in Game Two, Pedro’s most recent performance further solidifies his position in the annals of all-time great pitchers.

Pedro threw 72 strikes on the night, and 23 of those were called strikes. That number of strikes looking was so high because he was making an All-Star lineup look like fools by keeping them guessing on what pitch was upcoming.

They had no idea what to expect, and Pedro had the Yankees baffled by his approach, resulting in them taking pitches at which they would normally swing.

How many pitchers can continue to stay that effective without their top-notch arsenal?

Not many, especially in the so-called “steroid era.”

Consider the following numbers Martinez has posted in his decorated career.

He has led the league five times in earned run average, twice posting marks below two, in addition to his 2.93 career ERA.

He is fifth all-time in career Cy Young shares, winning the award three times, and he also ranks sixth in career winning percentage (.687).

He averages more strikeouts per nine innings than Nolan Ryan.

He has the second best adjusted ERA in the history of the game, trailing only the immortal Mariano Rivera.

Those numbers are unwavering in the face of criticism, but if anyone is bold enough to question the résumé of Martinez, I have one more stat to throw your way.

Bill James developed a tool called the Hall of Fame monitor, and it tries to assess how likely it would be for an active player to make the Hall.

A number of 100 means there is a good chance the player will be voted into the hall; a mark of 130 signifies a virtual cinch for being elected.

Pedro’s number is 202.

That means if you divided his career amongst two players, both would still have a good possibility of making the Hall of Fame.

The interesting thing about his current situation is that any team could have had Pedro at the beginning of the season, but maybe it’s better that he enjoyed four months of time off to relax and prepare for the stretch run.

Perhaps if he had come back with the New York Mets in April, he would have suffered the same fate as the rest of the team, which is of course finding his way to the disabled list and seeing his career dwindle away into the sunset.

But I think Pedro made the right decision in waiting until the time was right.

As fans of the game, we don’t want to see falling stars burn out, and Pedro has prevented that from happening.

The man’s career has personified winning, and he knew that if he kept in shape and bided his time until late in the season, then he could help a high-caliber team capture a World Championship.

Sure, critics will look back on Thursday night and say that Charlie Manuel left in Pedro for an inning too long, just like in 2003 when he was with the Boston Red Sox.

Maybe they’re right. I still contend that Pedro had the stuff to get hitters out in that final hitting, and it was just a matter of execution that led to his exit. His release point was still OK, and he was still keeping the ball down in the zone, but the veteran Yankees hitters finally made the necessary adjustments to get the better of Martinez.

But remember what he did to that lineup.

Remember what he did to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, tossing seven innings of two-hit, shutout baseball. 

All of this was done with a diminishing arsenal, but his advanced knowledge of the game aided his arm through a brilliant postseason campaign. 

If that was indeed the last time we see the immortal Mr. Martinez on the mound, then he couldn’t have had a more ideal send-off for a storied career.

Pedro left the Yankee Stadium turf in the seventh inning to a chorus of boos from the Bronx Zoo, and with him chuckling his way to the dugout after an altogether dominant performance, it may have been the perfect ending to a nearly perfect career. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Cliff Lee Making History with Jaw-Dropping Postseason Efforts

Entering the 2009 postseason, only four pitchers in playoff history had recorded double-digit strikeouts while issuing zero walks.

Cliff Lee has now done it in back-to-back outings.

In Game Three of the NLCS, Lee navigated eight innings of shutout baseball while posting 10 strikeouts and zero walks against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lee did it again on Wednesday night in Game One of the World Series, tossing a complete game six-hitter and recording 10 punch outs, with zero free passes, against the potent New York Yankees’ lineup.

The trick had only been turned two times in World Series history before Lee did it.

 

	Date	Series	Opponent	IP	SO/BB
Tom Seaver	10/6/1973	NLCS	CIN (L, 1-2)	8.1	13/0
Sterling Hitchcock	10/4/1998	NLDS	HOU (W. 6-1)	6	11/0
Don Newcombe	10/5/1949	WS*	NYY (L, 0-1)	8	11/0
Deacon Phillips	10/1/1903	WS*	BOS (W, 7-3)	9	10/0
Cliff Lee	10/18/2009	NLCS	LAD (W, 11-0)	8	10/0
Cliff Lee	10/28/2009	WS*	NYY (W, 6-1)	9	10/0

 

Interestingly enough, Phillips, Newcombe, and now Lee have all done it in the World Series opener.

Additionally, Lee set himself apart from the rest of the list because every other pitcher allowed at least one earned run in their impressive outing, while Lee hasn’t surrendered an earned run in either of his back-to-back gems.

That makes him the first pitcher in World Series history to strikeout 10, walk none, and allow zero earned runs.

Phillips was previously the only pitcher on that list to strike out 10, walk none, and win the game. Now Lee joins him in that exclusive club.

To put this in perspective, Phillips’ outing was the first World Series game ever. That means the feat, which happened 106 years ago, went unmatched for 605 World Series games until Lee did it on Wednesday.

Utterly amazing.

I have to say that watching Lee work last night was one of the most unique things I’ve seen in a long while.

The southpaw used a nasty knuckle-curve (or “spike curve,” as Tim McCarver dubbed it), along with a changeup that drops off the table and well-placed cut fastballs to stifle the Yankees.

He was pitching in one of the most pressure-packed situations, and yet he looked as if he was walking his dog in the park.

“To be honest, I really never have been nervous in the big leagues,” Lee said. “This is what I wanted to do my whole life.”

If only every pitcher had that sort of swagger in his first trip to the postseason.

One of the most amazing stats I found from last night’s game was that Lee only threw a first-pitch strike to 50 percent of the hitters he faced (16 out of 32), which is astonishing when you consider the type of dominance he shelled out on the Yankees.

Despite working from behind in the count half of the time, Lee still managed to retire hitters quickly and efficiently, only going to a three-ball count three times over the course of the game.

As if those dominant numbers weren’t convincing enough to cement Lee as having one of the top single-season playoff performances ever, he now has the lowest ERA of all-time for pitchers with at least three postseason starts.

 

	ERA
Cliff Lee	0.54
Harry Breechen	0.83
Claude Osteen	0.86
Babe Ruth	0.87
Sherry Smith	0.89

 

You can’t help but be absolutely floored by the way Lee has stepped into the role as hired ace for the Phillies, and fulfilled every last request of his new team, plus some more.

He dismantled a Dodgers team that led the senior circuit in batting average and on-base percentage during the regular season, then promptly annihilated a Yankees lineup that led the majors in both home runs and runs scored.

No amount of rain falling at the new Yankee Stadium could have dampened the night Lee accomplished, and his historic effort has set the tone early in this series to put the Yankees on notice that they have a formidable enemy in their opponents from Philadelphia.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

The State of the MLB: A Trading Deadline Mega-Review

The main thing that stands out about the 2009 trading deadline is the lack of financial flexibility for most clubs. Teams are nervous about taking on a large contract and ruining their future ability to make moves.

Keeping that in mind Roy Halladay has been the focal point of the 2009 trade deadline. He is locked into a contract through next season but after that he could be a big money free agent. Not quite CC Sabathia big, because Halladay will be going on 34-years old after the 2010 season, but he will still command a hefty payload.

That is perhaps keeping teams at an arms length because they are only guaranteed to have him for the next two stretch runs (I’ll come back to that in a bit). Organizations know have to balance whether or not the loss of future talent is worth risking for Halladay’s arm through next October.

We need to also keep in mind that October is not a guarantee. Jayson Stark from ESPN detailed five myths about the trading deadline and this was one of his points and I agree with him 100 percent.

The Doc, no matter how dominant he is, doesn’t ensure a team making the postseason. Sabathia and Manny Ramirez did it last year but we must not forget the other times where the big deal hasn’t quite paid off.

The Jays are asking, and rightfully so, for a lot in return. They mainly want Major League talent, along with top prospects, in exchange for the Doc. Toronto Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi says that, “I think at this point, it’s probably unlikely that we’ll trade Doc.”

Whether Ricciardi is just trying to bait potential suitors into bolstering their offers or actually feels that the trade is unlikely to occur, I still think that Halladay will be moved during this next week. He told the Jays that he will become a free agent after 2010 and to get maximum value they must move him now.

The problem they face is that once the deadline passes on Jul. 31 his value will decrease dramatically. At that point he could still be traded but he would have to clear waivers before any transaction occurred, and there are a handful of teams who would claim him if that situation unfolded.

Basically, a Halladay deal needs to be done within the next eight days or things are not going to be easy for the Jays. They will lose value in the deal if they hold on to him into the offseason.

He has a much higher value now because a team can get him for the pennant chase this year and next year before needing to re-sign him. If they Jays wait until the offseason, they lose this year’s pennant chase as leverage in a trade.

But we will get back to him later. First, here is my up-to-date list with the status of every team and their positioning in the trading market.

 

Buyers

Angels, Astros, Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, Yankees

 

Sellers

Athletics, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Indians, Nationals, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Royals

 

Undecided

Braves, Cubs, Mariners, Marlins, Mets, Rangers, Rays, White Sox

 

Now that we know what direction teams are looking to go, let’s breakdown the overall rumor mill division-by-division to best understand the situations surrounding the fast-approaching trading deadline.

 

AL West

Coming off a 101-loss season, the Seattle Mariners have quietly hung around in the AL West and sit just 5.5 games behind the division leading Los Angeles Angels.

With the pitching staff the M’s have, Don Wakamatsu’s team could be a dangerous bunch down the stretch run but they are still unsure if they can hang around if they can add a bat to their pedestrian offense.

Look for them to find a shortstop or utility IF/OF that can make an immediate impact on the field. Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez have been rumored to be the focus of the Mariners, but both players have been struggling in the month of the July and I’m not so sure they provide the Mariners with the gap power they are in need of.

A better option would be Orlando Cabrera of the Oakland Athletics. Cabrera has been rumored to be on the market and the Mariners could plug him in everyday at shortstop right away. Ronny Cedeno cannot be relied upon if the Mariners are serious about the postseason.

The A’s and Mariner have worked together recently, as Jack Hannahan moved to the M’s just weeks ago.

But Hannahan clearly is not the solution they were looking for as he has seen his average fall below the Mendoza line to .191 with a pitiful .281 OBP. The next seven days will dictate whether the Mariners pursue another bat through a trade or decide to unload one of their talented pitchers to set the stage for next season.

Those resilient Los Angeles Angels have surged after the tragic beginning to their season with the loss of Nick Adenhart. Somehow the team has managed to piece together a makeshift pitching staff and take control of the AL West.

They are still lingering in the Halladay discussion because their team ERA ranks 27th (4.71) and they have some decent pieces to offer in exchange. Eric Aybar, Howie Kendrick, and Mike Napoli are all possible players that could be moved but the Halos will have to offer more talent to win the sweepstakes for the coveted pitcher.

That pitcher might be Cliff Lee. The Indians are playing atrocious baseball although he is seen as high-priced, if Arte Moreno can put the right deal on the table they could pickup the ’07 Cy Young winner as an important piece for the stretch run.

The Texas Rangers are only 2.5 games back of Boston for the Wild Card and they could use help anywhere to gain some ground. It would be in their best interest to get an arm like Lee, but they just don’t have the payroll to add that sort of talent. It could spell their demise as the summer months wear on.

They could dangle prospects Justin Smoak or Derek Holland in a potential deal for Cliff Lee but they really don’t want to depart with those pieces. Now that Vincente Padilla has the Swine Flu (no, seriously, he does), they might be more inclined to check out the market.

 

AL Central

The Cleveland Indians are now soliciting offers for catcher Victor Martinez and the switch-hitting signal caller is batting .289 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI. Martinez would be an extraordinary addition to the lineup but it doesn’t seem like the deal will be made between the teams.

Both the Red Sox and Rays have spoken with Cleveland about Martinez. It appears Clay Buchholz would have to be included in a deal for the Sox to get him.

The Minnesota Twins need to find a third-baseman after Joe Crede has under-performed and is facing an uncertain future with shoulder issues. He recently underwent an MRI and results are expected back soon.

They are supposedly checking out Cabrera in Oakland as a possible option. If Crede is healthy, despite his poor bat as of late, his defense is outstanding and a left side of he and Cabrera would be dominant.

The Chicago White Sox seem to be content with the roster they have to make a run at the central. They are tied for the lead with the Detroit Tigers and with Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon due back soon and Carlos Quentin has returned to aid their attempt at defending their division title.

The Tigers finally got back Carlos Guillen, who has been out since May 5 with a shoulder injury.

Expect the Central to be perhaps the most exciting race to the finish with the Tigers, White Sox, and Twins all bunched at the top.

 

AL East

The Tampa Bay Rays have been rumored to be in pursuit of Cliff Lee, but ESPN’s Buster Olney has reported that they are actively shopping Scott Kazmir. He speculates that moving Kazmir to the Angels could be one part of a larger three-way deal.

They are appearing more and more interested in make some deals as they draw closer to falling Red Sox in the Wild Card.

The Boston Red Sox finally ended a five-game skid and have already been active on the trade market. They acquired Adam LaRoche (1B) earlier this week and are still looking for another stick to insert in the order.

The Sox also traded their terrible infielder Julio Lugo for Chris Duncan of the St. Louis Cardinals. All I have to say about this move is that it was a complete waste of paperwork.

For once, the New York Yankees have been silent thus far in the unpredictable market. Hal Steinbrenner seems more interested in waiting until the offseason to offer exorbitant amounts of money to free agents because the Yanks can outbid any team in the league.

Their recent winning ways have pushed them in 2.5 games in front of the wavering BoSox and I would be inclined to think that if they make a move on someone it would be a player who hits the waiver wire after Jul. 31 passes.

They need to shore up the gaping hole that Chien-Ming Wang dug in their rotation and they could get a better bargain once the deadline passes.

 

NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers could also use an arm. They will most likely be looking for a reliever although don’t count them out of the Halladay sweepstakes quite yet. They lack a high-level minors pitcher in exchange and have been outspoken to the fact that Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are untouchable.

Assistant GM Logan White has been in Toronto for the past two series and ESPN’s Peter Gammons reports that the Dodgers also have an interest in reliever Jason Frasor.

George Sherrill, the lefty reliever for the Baltimore Orioles, has also drawn attention from Dodgers scouts at recent games. They also took a look at David Weathers, Arthur Rhodes, and Francisco Cordero when they were in town the past weekend with the Cincinnati Reds.

I wouldn’t suspect any of the Reds players to become Dodgers, but don’t be surprised if Sherrill moves across the country to help the Boys in Blue for the stretch run to keep distance from the second place Rockies.

Speaking of the Wild Card leading Colorado Rockies, they traded for relief pitcher Rafael Betancourt in exchange for minor leaguer Connor Graham. Having just pulled ahead of the slumping San Francisco Giants the Rockies are turning things into high gear in hopes of capturing a playoff berth.

Manny Corpas was the Rox setup man for a period of time but he will undergo elbow surgery on Friday. He has been on the DL since Jun. 20 and has struggled mightily this season (1-3, 5.88 ERA).

Speaking of the Giants, has anyone seen their bats lately? These guys score less than the 40-year old virgin. They rank 27th in the Majors in runs scored and the Bay Area fans would be severely let down if they don’t add an offensive piece to make a run at the postseason.

It would be a shame if the organization let a team with outstanding young pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain slip into mediocrity because they couldn’t find someone get on base or drive in runs. Maybe taking a chance on oft-injured Nick Johnson (.305/6/40) would be beneficial and give them a quality left-handed bat to rely on in the middle of the lineup.

While Travis Ishikawa is a defensive gem, his lack of production at the plate is really dragging the team down. He has picked up the slack lately and made some things happen but he is not a reliable player to count on in the clutch (.179 in late and close situations).

Pablo Sandoval can only do such much but he can’t carry this team on his back alone.

The San Diego Padres may be willing to part ways with closer Heath Bell, who has saved 24 of the Friars 38 wins.

With Holliday off the market, don’t forget about Adrian Gonzalez on the San Diego Padres, either. His average has slid to .248 but he still has 25 home runs and 54 RBI.

The low RBI total can be contributed that he plays for the worst offense in baseball and there are rarely runners on base for him. A team like the Mariners could really use his bat in the AL.

 

NL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals have traded for Matt Holliday, the right-handed slugger. They are desperately in need of some support for Albert Pujols and Holliday could provide at least some protection for the potential Triple Crown winner.

After being shipped from Colorado to Oakland in the offseason, Holliday’s offensive production has fallen off (.287/11/54) since ’07 (.340/36/137). I still think Holliday will be a positive gain for the Cards. He has turned it around and is hitting .344 in July and went 4-for5 on Monday with two home runs and six RBI.

Don’t let his powerful physique fool you—he has swiped 12 bases this season and possesses good instincts on the base paths. Holliday will be a free agent after the season so it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals hold onto him into next year.

Gonzalez didn’t have a home run in the month of July before going deep against the Florida Marlins on Jul. 20, and the power-hitting lefty hit just four in the month of June after his torrid start.

Despite hitting just .184 this month, if someone pulls the trigger and makes a move for Adrian I would expect him to be a positive contributor and find a rhythm wherever he may wind up.

And how about them Cubbies? The Chicago Cubs suddenly sit just 1.5 games behind St. Louis in the Central.

The Cardinals are dueling with the Phillies over the weekend and welcome Major League-leading Los Angeles to town on Monday while Chicago takes on the falling-off Cincinnati Reds and then the Houston Astros next week. By this time next week, we could be talking about a Cubs team that leads the division.

The Cubs are another team limited by their finances and that could hurt them in the sweepstakes for the Orioles Sherrill. They could use a good bat with some run production and there’s a pretty bad team hoarding one of those on the Eastern seaboard.

The Washington Nationals have Adam Dunn who is in hot pursuit of what would be the greatest accomplishment in baseball history: hitting more home runs than games your team wins (24 HR/28 wins).

The Astros will have to decide if they recent injury to Lance Berkman will prevent them from continuing their annual second-half surge before they go out and make a transaction.

The Milwaukee Brewers are treading water but they have Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar to offer for an arm. They have to jump the Cards, Cubs, and Astros and after what happened with C.C. last season I think they need to pull the trigger for either Cliff Lee or Halladay if they can find a way to make it happen. If the Mariners decide to be sellers, they could also snag Erik Bedard in an 11th hour deal.

 

NL East

If Roy Halladay does get moved, expect him to be the newest member of the Philadelphia Phillies, as they can offer Kyle Drabek, a top of the line-pitching prospect that is projected to be a No. 1 starter in the near future. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that Blue Jays scouts attended Drabek’s start in Double-A on Wednesday night.

The Phillies need to bolster their staff because once you get past Cole Hamels and JA Happ there really isn’t much to fear. Pedro Martinez just won’t cut it and the Phils are in need of a boost to make them confident about defending their World Series title.

The defending champs have won nine of the last 10 although the problem is that in return for Halladay, the Jays are reportedly asking for Drabek, Happ, and OF Dominic Brown. Happ is 7-1 with a 2.97 ERA this season.

The Phils have turned down that trade offer but I wouldn’t expect them to just walk away; look for some negotiating to continue into the week and until the deadline hits. 

The Atlanta Braves are playing better as of late and have moved within 5.5 games of the Phils but they don’t appear to have the chips to trade for a much-needed hitter. 

The recent swap with the New York Mets where they got Ryan Church in exchange for Jeff Francouer was a head scratcher for anyone who expects them to stay in the hunt. I think Atlanta is looking for help on the offensive side but Turner Field is so big any hitter would dread playing home games there.

 

PJ Ross is a Featured Columnist for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Check out the video feed of the trading deadline 

Jonathan Broxton: The Most Underrated Pitcher in Baseball

When discussing the best relief pitchers in baseball, you will rarely hear Jonathan Broxton’s name arise.

Mariano Rivera, Francisco Rodriguez, Joe Nathan, Trevor Hoffman, or Brad Lidge may very well be some of the answers you hear to that question, but there are more than enough reasons why Broxton needs to be regarded more highly.

You might remember Broxton from the NLCS last season. He surrendered a go-ahead, game-winning two run home run to Matt Stairs in the top of the eighth of Game Five. The home run lifted the Phillies to a 7-5 win and they went on to defeat the Dodgers 4-1 in the NLCS. 

This season, Broxton has rebounded and been back to business as usual. Just take a look at Broxton’s 2009 projections:

76 IP, 14-0, 1.33 ERA, 36 Sv., 14.59 K/9 IP.

Those are not stats from Play Station Three baseball. Those are his projected numbers for a 162-game season, according to baseball-reference.

Thus far in ’09, Broxton has complied 13 saves in 15 opportunities, which ties him for third in the NL, and is posting a 1.24 ERA.

This is Broxton’s first full season as the Dodgers closer. He took over the role for the injured Takashi Saito last July 18.

Big Jon stands at an imposing 6’4″, 295 lbs. and has the power to back up that physique. Broxton displays a fastball that regularly touches 99 MPH. The soon-to-be 25 year old also displays a hard slider that he likes to go to with two strikes.

What has been most remarkable is that Broxton, with six wins, also stands tied for second in the NL in that category. That already surpasses his career high, four, posted in both ’06 and ’07.  

Two of his wins have followed one of his own blown saves.

However, Broxton has earned four gritty wins in one run games at home. Joe Torre likes to bring Broxton in during games that are either tied or the Dodgers trail by one run.

Torre does this because he trusts in Broxton to deliver a scoreless inning. This allows the offense to have a better chance to win the game in the bottom of the eighth or ninth.

The strategy seems to be working, as the Dodgers are 11-1 at Dodger Stadium during one-run games.

This weekend, the World Champion Phillies came to Los Angeles and saw two ninth inning leads turn into one run losses. Brad Lidge blew saves on Friday night and Saturday afternoon proving, after a perfect 41/41 effort in 2008, that he is hittable.

Broxton notched his sixth victory on Friday, pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. The Dodger offense took advantage of Broxton keeping them just one-run behind, and Andre Ethier whacked a two-run walk off double in the bottom of the ninth.

Ethier followed up Friday with another walk off on Saturday, this time a home run to deep center field. Corey Wade got the win and added to the bullpen’s major league leading 17 wins.  

The bullpen, filled with pitchers you probably wouldn’t recognize if they walked into your house, has been a big part of the reason the Dodgers are having so much success.

As for young Jonathan, he has become the leader of the bullpen.

It is probably unrealistic to expect Broxton to keep winning so many games. Let’s just consider he finds a way to win four more games this year, and winds up with a total of 10 at season’s end.

He is also projected to save 36 games. Let me take a second to say that I do think saves are a somewhat misleading stat, but as we analyze Broxton’s other numbers in consideration with the saves, they will further support his overall dominance.

We can adjust his ERA to fall more closely in line with his career numbers. In 2009 he has only surrendered four runs and on average, he allows 22 runs/year. Let’s estimate he gives up 12 more runs, because he is having a career best year, and has a total of 16 runs allowed in 09’. He is projected to pitch 76 innings, putting his ERA at 1.89.

If Broxton can achieve 10 wins, 30 saves, and a sub-2.00 ERA, he would be just the fourth pitcher in history to do so:

	W-L	Saves	ERA
John Hiller (1973)	10-5	38	1.44
Greg Minton (1982)	10-4	30	1.83
Doug Jones (1992)	11-8	36	1.85
Jonathan Broxton (2009)*	10-0	36	1.89

*Projections

Maybe those numbers aren’t enough to convince some people of his dominance. So how about this?

Left-handed hitters have struck out in 26 out of the 50 at-bats they have faced Broxton. Right-handed batters have fallen victim to the strikeout 21 times in 46 tries. That means he is striking out 49 percent of the hitters he faces overall.

He is also yet to allow a home run in ’09, and only gave up two in the entire ’08 season.

Considering the remarkable consistency Broxton has shown since debuting as a raw 21-year old four years ago, we can expect good things to keep coming from the Big righty.

I think it’s time we give him proper consideration and put him in the discussion amongst the elite relievers in today’s game.