Sosa (Again)

So over the weekend, Gary Cohen remarked that he was now "Everyday" Jorge Sosa, because he'd pitched in six of the last seven games. And pitched pretty well, too. So I decided to take a look at how Sosa, who I don't think is a very good pitcher, has fared since moving to the bullpen to make way for Brian Lawrence.



The short answer is, great! He's got a 1.69 ERA since he moved to the bullpen. But how's he doing it? Pitching in short bursts, can he cut loose and start striking people out? Well, here's your answer. Of course, after looking at this data, I realized what a shitty way this is to present it.



Below you'll find Sosa's K/9, BB/9, HR/9, and K/BB rates presented as a pecentage above or below NL average, both as a starter and a reliever. For example, as a starter, Sosa strikes out 5.2 batters per nine innings, about 30% below average in the NL.

As a starter, Sosa was below average in strikeouts per nine, and also strikeout-to-walk ratio, but average in walks per nine and HR per nine. As a reliever, Sosa actually has an even worse strikeout rate, an average strikeout-to-walk ratio, but is a stellar 48% better than average in walks per nine, and is infinitely better in HR per nine, having given up none.

So basically, he's striking out fewer batters than before, walking even fewer, and not giving up any home runs. I'm not sure this is sustainable, even pitching out of the bullpen. Of course, the usual small sample size caveats do apply -- he's only pitched 16 innings out of the 'pen.





Having said that, I actually do like using Sosa out of the bullpen. I suspect that his success there has more to do with the fact that he's faced 42 right-handed batters, who have batted .201/.243/.294 against him this year, and only 16 lefties, who've batted .303/.381/.491. Sosa is a ROOGY (Right-handed One Out GuY).

And PS, how can a guy who throws 95 mph strike out so few batters?