Javier Vazquez is something of a statistical anomaly. I challenge my readers, if there are any of you out there, to name another starting pitcher who dominates as much as Javy does, part of the time, but winds up with mediocre results (after looking into it a bit, A.J. Burnett is the only guy that compares). Javy gives his team length, he strikes people out at a prodigious rate, he keeps people off base at a decent clip, he doesn't give up a ton of home runs, and he's not that good.
Last year, Javier Vazquez finished 10th in all of baseball with 200 strikeouts. Strikeouts are usually a decent indicator of stuff, and last year the guys with the most strikeouts, with the exception of Vazquez, were the guys that were the best pitchers. Of the other pitchers with 200 strikeouts, only Burnett's era wasn't a full run better than Vazquez's (and Burnett won 18 games in the AL East, while Vazquez went 12-16 in a weak division). This year, Javier has gone from a hitter's park in the American League to a pitcher's park in the National League. The result is that his stuff is dominating even more. His 50 strikeouts are 2nd in baseball behind the unconscious Zack Greinke, and his strikeout rate per 9 innings is 4th behind Rich Harden, Tim Lincecum, and Johan Santana. That's some company.
By the way, Vazquez is 2-3 with a 4.19 era. Pitching in the National League in a pitcher's park hasn't made Javy a winning player.
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