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21 August 2051
FANGRAPHICS
Article: Bethel Hotdiggety-Dogg looks at Magpies relief pitcher Jesús Benítez
It’s a question every SCL general manager faces multiple times every season: how long do you stay patient with a guy who has all the talent in the world, and has been successful previously, but it just not able to get it together at the moment? Magpies’ GM Billy DePodesta is facing just such a situation at present with his reliever Jesús Benítez.
Drafted in the second round of the 2048 draft, 24-year-old Benítez progressed rapidly and made it to the Magpies’ big league roster mid-way through the 2049 season. There he thrived, posting a 3.66 ERA from 37 appearances. He was even better last season: over 70 games he put up a 2.00 ERA and 2.42 FIP. Off the back of these impressive numbers, over the last winter DePodesta agreed a 3-year contract extension with him to keep him at the club through to the end of the 2054 season.
This year, though, has been a completely different story. Benítez’s headline numbers have slumped badly compared to his breakout 2050 performance: he has a 5.09 ERA and 4.78 FIP. Even peeking under the analytics hood shows his numbers down across the board. He’s walking 3.86 batters per 9 innings compared to 3.38 last year. Strikeouts: 10.18 per 9 versus 12.80 last year. WHIP: 1.47 versus 1.11. K/BB ratio: 2.64 versus 3.38. Home runs: 11 allowed in 58 innings versus 4 in 72. I could go on. His high BABIP of .336 is nowhere near high enough to suggest poor luck to be the sole explanation for this year-long slump.
Benítez is a brilliantly talented relief pitcher, of that there is no doubt. When he’s been at his best, he looks unhittable. But he seemingly has not recovered his confidence after his poor display in the Western League wildcard game last year. DePodesta needs to decide what to do. So far, he’s backed Benítez to turn things around. But as the year goes on towards September and Benítez’s disappointing displays continue, will DePodesta finally decide that the young man needs a spell in the minor leagues?
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