Quote:
Originally Posted by monkeyman576
well, the Nationals were the last ranked bullpen in the league during the regular season, it's pretty amazing that they made it to the world series with that statistic.
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Well, akshually...
What were they last in? Not WAR. Not ERA. Not FIP, Not xFIP,. Not ERA-. Not FIP-. Not xFIP-
If you're going to be bad at something, be bad at the bullpen. The difference between the best bullpen (Rays) and worst (Marlins) was 9.8 fWAR. The difference between the best starting staff (Nationals) and worst (Angels) was 18.1 fWAR. The best position players (Astros) and worst (Tigers) was 43.4 fWAR. The difference between the best and the worst bullpen just isn't THAT big
The Nats' overall bullpen stats were trashed by performances like:
- Matt Grace - 6.65 ERA in 45 innings
- Kyle Barraclaugh - 6.66 ERA in 26 innings
- Trevor Rosenthal - 22.75 ERA in 6 innings
Guys who didn't make any playoff rosters.
The bullpen certainly wasn't a strength for the team, but the narrative is somewhat overblown.