The Yankees. The Red Sox.
The Red Sox. The Yankees.
The “SAWX and the YANKS!” as PTI’s Michael Wilbon likes to say.
It’s seemingly all ESPN and everyone else ever talks about, and it’s not only Wilbon that is sick and tired of it. I’m sure you are too.
Whether it’s the fact that nearly every ESPN game involves the Sox and the Yanks, other teams and players unfairly get lost in the shuffle.
One great example of this is at closer. I don’t mean to pick on ESPN so much, but no closer exists to them other than Mariano Rivera and Jonathan Papelbon. The publicity those two greats garner is warranted, but it often comes at the expense of someone who deserves it just as much.
Minnesota’s Joe Nathan.
Give this guy some lovin'.
Strangely enough, ESPN has talked about him extensively lately, but ONLY because he will be out for the entire 2010 season after undergoing the ever-popular Tommy John surgery.
Where was the love when he was playing? Ever since coming to the Twins for the 2004 season in one of the biggest trade heists in recent history, has been one of the most valuable players in the league and every bit as good as the future-hall-of-famer Rivera (and every one else, for that matter).
The stats don’t lie.
- Joe Nathan (2004-2009): 246 SV (90.8 SV%), 1.87 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 5.8 H/9, 2.6 BB/9, 4.3 K/BB, 11.1 K/9, 0.6 HR/9, 237 ERA+ (418.2 IP)
- Mariano Rivera (2004-2009): 243 SV (93.1 SV%), 1.90 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 6.8 H/9, 1.6 BB/9, 5.4 K/BB, 8.7 K/9, 0.5 HR/9, 233 ERA+ (440.1 IP)
- Trevor Hoffman (2004-2009): 239 SV (89.8 SV%), 2.63 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 7.2 H/9, 1.9 BB/9, 4.2 K/BB, 8.0 K/9, 0.7 HR/9, 151 ERA+ (332 IP)
- Jonathan Papelbon (2006-2009): 151 SV (89.9 SV%), 1.74 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 6.2 H/9, 2.0 BB/9, 5.2 K/BB, 10.6 K/9, 0.6 HR/9, 271 ERA+ (264 IP)
- Francisco Rodriguez (2005-2009): 229 SV (88.8 SV%), 2.62 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 6.6 H/9, 4.3 BB/9, 2.58 K/BB, 11.2 K/9, 0.7 HR/9, 168 ERA+ (344 IP)
- Joakim Soria (2007-2009): 89 SV (89.9 SV%), 2.09 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 6.1 H/9, 2.6 BB/9, 3.89 K/BB, 10.0 K/9, 0.6 HR/9, 214 ERA+ (189.1 IP)
Bet you didn’t know that nobody has as many saves as Nathan since 2004. Bet you didn’t know that nobody has been tougher to hit off of than Nathan, either. Or that Nathan is more of a strikeout pitcher than both Papelbon and Rivera, and K-Rod’s equal.
The statistics between Nathan-Papelbon-Rivera are so close all-around, that it would be unfair to say one is better than the other two. And that’s EXACTLY my point — because that’s precisely what’s happening here. Based on hype/the media/accolades, Papelbon and Rivera are better than Nathan. Not true.
If only he played for a bigger market, maybe more people would realize this.
When Eric Gagne was in his hey day, that’s all ESPN talked about. They do like Joe Nathan, did a special on closers 2 or 3 years ago and named him the best. They categorized Rivera separately for his success in the post season. ESPN announcers on nationally televised games frequently praise Joe Nathan and mention stats dating from 2004. I avoid ESPN studio shows but am aware they’ve covered Rivera more in the past couple of years. Some people assume Nathan is not known enough because of his market but it’s not the case and he’s well noted by writers. The NY market isn’t what some may imagine for a closer. With Rivera, even up until the 2009 post season, he usually only got back page mention or headlines in the tabloids if he screwed up. He’d get a big picture with him looking like an idiot. Only bad news got headlines, as those who’ve observed since Rivera started in 1995, now 14 post seasons and 10 All Star games. It’s a mistake to assume owners of media outlets are Yankee fans, seek jobs with the Yankees, Mets, etc. As for reporters, their big paydays are at ESPN, not cheering for NY teams. The negativity is overwhelming in NY media and is a reason some players won’t play here. As you know, the save stat alone can be very misleading. For example, 2004-2008 Multi IP Nathan 26, Rivera 69. ROB Nathan 22, Rivera 61. No one says Nathan isn’t a great pitcher.