Over-Hyped Pitcher Acquisition Comparison Game

By Asher B. Chancey

Much has been made of a recent Chicago White Sox acquisition, without a single reference to what I or many thousands of Mariners fans must be thinking: Freddy Garcia isn't that good!

This of course reminded me of another such acquisition, and I decided to compare the two players, just for the heck of it.

P ERA K/9IP K/BB IP/SEAS
A: 3.90 6.7 2.185 198
B: 3.95 6.4 2.202 199

Pitcher A is Freddy Garcia, with .606 career Win%, and Pitcher B is Andy Pettitte, with a .656 Win%.

There is no real point here, other than to point out how similar Pettitte and Garcia are. I'm sure someone will bring up the fact that Pettitte singlehanded took the Yankees to the World Series a bunch of times, and singlehanded won it for them three times in four years, like so many baseball commentators have when talking about how much the Yankees will miss Pettitte (though I've noticed the Yanks have done pretty well without him). That argument is so rose colored that I have, and will continue to, ignore it.

I would like to point out, as I think only fair, that despite the fact that I have dumped on the Astros and the White Sox almost immediately for these acquisitions, the most obvious "Over-hyped Pitcher Acquisition" of the last year goes the Angels for signing Bartolo, and I completely missed it, buying in wholeheartedly to Bartolo Fest '04.

Lest I pat myself on the back too vehemently when Garcia and Pettitte prove to not be worth the money.