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Big Z and John Lackey | Print |  E-mail
Written by Justin Bridgman   
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 21:53

The top free agent pitcher on the market this offseason is the Angels star John Lackey. He will probably command a huge deal because people love a durable starter who wins lots of games and has proven himself. Lackey fits that bill, over his eight career seasons he has 102 wins, a 3.81 ERA, and a 117 ERA+. He has earned every bit of the money he gets this offseason.

Something struck me during the playoffs this season though. Lackey was starting his second game of the ALDS and got a questionable ball four call. This led to Lackey breaking down mentally and walking the next batter on four pitchers before getting taken out of the game. Lackey screamed at his manager as he left the game and spent the rest of it in the dugout screaming about being removed. Sound like anybody we know? That's right Carlos Zambrano.

Now today the news of Ted Lilly's injury brought some thinking that the Cubs might need another big time starter. This led one member of the media to say "Who is available in free agency? John Lackey is probably too pricey for the Cubs, but he is exactly what they need. A veteran starter who has pitched in the postseason and thrives under pressure"

This couldn't be more of a false statement. The Cubs already have John Lackey- he is Carlos Zambrano. They are pretty much the same pitcher, with similar personality flaws. Both are veteran staters, both have pitched in the postseason, and as noted above perhaps both aren't the greatest under pressure. I'm betting both end up getting a similar long term deal too.

Just for fun here are the two guys 162 game averages

Z: 14-9 3.51 ERA 33 GS 212 IP 181 K 96 BB 1.296 WHIP 126 ERA+
Lackey: 15-10 3.81 ERA 34 GS 219 IP 175 K 65 BB 1.306 WHIP 117 ERA+

Pretty darn close huh? Nobody is claiming that Z is a better pitcher, nobody is ignoring what Lackey did in 2002 (winning pitcher of game 7 in the World Series), but nobody should claim that Lackey is "what the Cubs need" when they already have a pitcher who puts up the same numbers.



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