The All-Time LA Dodger Team: The Lefty Setup Man

by Eric Stephen on Feb 11, 2009 5:00 PM PST in All-Time Dodgers Comment 9 comments

All-Time Lineup: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8
All-Time Starting Pitchers: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5
All-Time Bullpen: Closer | Fireman | RHP Setup

Big Bad John put the smack down and won the RHP setup position in our bullpen. Now that he's graduated on to the big boy chair, maybe he can one day supplant Gagne on this team.

All-Time LA Dodger Bullpen
No	Player	Pos
38	Eric Gagne	Closer
16	Ron Perranoski	Fireman
51	Jonathan Broxton	RH Setup
		LH Setup

The criteria for being a lefty setup man on our list is pitching in 120 games in relief. Here are the candidates, with their stats as LA Dodgers:

Closer	Years	Gms	IP	W-L	Saves	ERA+	WHIP
Joe Beimel	2006-2008	216	186.1	11-4	3	148	1.336
Mark Guthrie	1995-1998	205	216.0	5-10	2	107	1.370
Scott Radinsky	1996-1998	195	176.1	16-8	17	148	1.287
Terry Forster	1978-1982	150	207.0	11-13	27	115	1.309
Jesse Orosco	1988,01-02	146	96.0	4-5	10	119	1.365
Tom Martin	2003-2004	127	79.1	1-3	1	108	1.336
Jim Brewer*	64-67,74-75	123	235.2	13-10	8	108	1.180

*Brewer's stats are only from his time as a setup man, and nothing from 1968-1973 counts since he was the primary fireman during that time.

Eric's Pick

Since all of these candidates were only here a short time, it's easy to look at VORP. Out of these seven pitchers, there were 25 seasons in non-closer relief. Here are the top VORP-iest years:

1) Guthrie, 24.7

2) Beimel, 20.8

3) Beimel, 19.6

4) Brewer, 19.3

5) Brewer, 17.0

6) Radinsky, 16.0

7) Forster, 14.0

8) Radinsky, 14.0

9) Beimel, 13.8

10) Brewer, 11.8

I thought I would end up picking Jim Brewer here (shades of fitting Willie Davis into our #8 spot in the lineup), and he has three of the top ten seasons here by VORP, so he'd be a worthy choice. However, if you notice just ahead of Brewer all over this list are Joe Beimel's three seasons with the Dodgers. Beimel has two of the top three years and also three of the top ten. Despite an ERA a couple runs below his expected FIP (he has allowed only one HR in the last two years), I don't care about the luck. I'm going with Joe Beimel here. Now I know Beimel will get at least two votes (me plus however many times noted crazy man Troy from West Virginia votes).

One thing I wanted to mention is Tom Martin's amazing 2003. Among all the great things accomplished by that club when the other team was in the batter's box, my favorite quirky stat was that Martin alllowed only five of 42 inherited runners to score. Not bad for a LOOGY who was signed based partly on a recommendation from Martin's pal Paul Shuey, whom the Dodgers acquired the season before.

Phil's Pick

I'll go with the Screwballer Brewmeister, followed by punk of the month Radinsky . Kuo of course kicks all those seasons off the charts with his 29.2 VORP .

Poll

Who is the LHP Setup Man for the All-Time LA Dodger team?

Joe Beimel

60 votes

Mark Guthrie

6 votes

Scott Radinsky

26 votes

Terry Forster

13 votes

Jesse Orosco

15 votes

Tom Martin

1 votes

Jim Brewer

35 votes

156 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Yeah

I’m the least confident in Beimel of any of my picks for the all-time team.

Kuo is just a victim of timing. If he keeps it up, he’d be on the team after 2010 if not next year.

by Eric Stephen on Feb 11, 2009 5:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

re:

I expected better numbers from Orosco and Forster. My biggest surprise has been the K/Rate of so many guys who I remembered being strike out pitchers. As El Lay Dave pointed out the K rate for Howe was amazingly low for a guy with his stuff.

by meercatjohn on Feb 11, 2009 5:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

K rate

The K rate for the whole league during Howe’s Dodger time (1980-1985) was 5.35 K/9. Howe’s was low, at 5.01, but not so bad compared to the league (about 94% of league).

Beimel, meanwhile, is at 4.88 K/9 in a period in which the NL K rate was 6.80 (man, that seems high). So Beimel is even less punchouty than Howe, but of course we knew that.

I was watching the Harvey Wallbangers special on MLB Network, and I was amazed when I looked up Pete Vuckovich’s stats. He was a big hulking dude, kind of with a wrestler body. Hell, he played Clew Haywood in Major League. But during his Cy Young year (1982), he pitched 223.2 innings but only stuck out 105, only 4.23 per 9. He walked 102. Judging from his size and style, I would have thought he struck out much more than he did, too.

by Eric Stephen on Feb 11, 2009 5:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

re:

No, I remember his style, very few K’s. How many times are you going to watch that special? That was a fun team to root for, had some of my all time favorite players. Once upon a time I hated Robin Yount because he said as a kid he’d rather play golf then baseball. Then just as quickly he and Molitor become two of my favorite players. It seems I’ve had a lot of favorite players which I guess is better then hating everyone.

by meercatjohn on Feb 11, 2009 5:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs