What a Vaz-hole…Part II

In an effort to comfort myself through this Javier Vazquez ordeal, I decided to look up Javy’s first four starts each season throughout the course of his career. What I found might shock you:

2010 first four starts:1-3, 20 IP, 9.00 ERA, 25 H, 20 ER, 11 BB, 18 SO, 5 HR, .309/.398/.580, .978 OPS, -0.771 WPA

2009 first four (ATL): 2-1, 24 IP, 2.63 ERA, 22 H, 7 ER, 7 BB, 34 SO, 1 HR, .237/.290/.333, .623 OPS, .179 WPA

2008 first four (CHW):3-1, 25.1 IP, 3.20 ERA, 23 H, 9 ER, 6 BB, 27 SO, 0 HR, .237/.295/.330, .625 OPS, .262 WPA

2007 first four (CHW):2-0, 24 IP, 3.75 ERA, 20 H, 10 ER, 9 BB, 21 SO, 1 HR, .225/.314/.348, .662 OPS, .362 WPA

2006 first four (CHW):2-1, 27 IP, 3.67 ERA, 20 H, 11 ER, 5 BB, 20 SO, 1 HR, .211/.272/.295, .567 OPS, .212 WPA

2005 first four (ARI):1-2, 20 IP, 7.65 ERA, 31 H, 17 ER, 6 BB, 19 SO, 2 HR, .356/.400/.517, .917 OPS, -0.306 WPA

2004 first four (NYY):2-2, 27.1 IP, 2.63 ERA, 21 H, 8 ER, 6 BB, 24 SO, 5 HR, .208/.259/.376, .635 OPS, .638 WPA

2003 first four (MON):2-1, 25.2 IP, 3.16 ERA, 22 H, 9 ER, 4 BB, 37 SO, 4 HR, .224/.255/.388, .643 OPS, .537 WPA

2002 first four (MON):0-1, 26 IP, 3.81 ERA, 24 H, 11 ER, 3 BB, 18 SO, 4 HR, .240/.260/.410, .670 OPS, .221 WPA

2001 first four (MON):2-1, 23 IP, 3.91 ERA, 20 H, 10 ER, 8 BB, 23 SO, 1 HR, .230/.295/.356, .651 OPS, .100 WPA

2000 first four (MON):2-0, 26 IP, 3.46 ERA, 21 H, 10 ER, 11 BB, 18 SO, 4 HR, .219/.306/.417, .722 OPS, .412 WPA

1999 first four (MON):1-1, 22 IP, 5.32 ERA, 23 H, 13 ER, 3 BB, 15 SO, 4 HR, .264/.297/.494, .791 OPS, -0.172 WPA

1998 first four (MON):0-2, 17 IP, 9.53 ERA, 24 H, 18 ER, 11 BB, 13 SO, 2 HR, .329/.424/.507, .930 OPS, -0.914 WPA

So, yeah. We haven’t seen a four-game start this bad from Javy since his rookie campaign of 1998. You could make the argument about 2005, but he still ended that campaign with an ERA+ of 101 and fanned 192 batters.

Then again, what should we have expected when the Yanks signed a guy who will turn 34 in June and has made just one All-Star team (albeit when he was with the Yanks in ’04) in his 12 seasons prior to 2010? Even though he trails only Randy Johnson in strikeouts since the 2000 season, this sluggish start makes me shudder to think about what’s to come.

However, I have a feeling that he will rise to the occasion and stick it up the White Sox’ ass when he makes his next start on Saturday. If not to save his spot in the rotation (and his good name) then to show Ozzie Guillen, who called him out for sucking a few years ago, that he is a good pitcher.

Whatever, these four games are just a small sample size. CC also didn’t do too well in his first four starts in pinstripes last year: 1-1, 24.1 IP, 4.81 ERA, 25 H, 13 ER, 14 BB, 12 SO, 1 HR, .269/.373/.366, .738 OPS, -0.346 WPA. Those numbers aren’t as bad as Javy’s, but it’s just a reminder that we should be a little patient with pitchers. Lest we forget that CC turned it around and came in fourth in CY Young voting, and a World Series triumph, last year.

Is Javier Vazquez an a-hole?

Final thought: It’s too early to tell, but if he doesn’t turn it around by mid-May then we should get him some help.