White Sox breakout closer, Sergio Santos, inked a new 3-year deal this past week. This is swell for a couple reasons: Santos is a damn good pitcher, and it is cost effective that avoids the ever so fun arbitration process. The Sox also have three club options after the initial three year deal. This effectively locks up Santos for six years. For a team that needs to be extremely cost effective next year, this is win for Kenny Williams. Considering how grossly closers are overpaid in arbitration (see Bobby Jenks).
Santos had a pretty strange year. He basically started the year as a 6th inning guy. But, thanks to Matt Thornton random suckiness, he became closer by default. He didn’t allow a run until May 20th against the Dodgers, in which he allowed four. Santos ended the season with a 3.55 ERA. However, looking at ERA doesn’t tell much, especially for relievers. Santos had 11 of his 25ER allowed in three blown saves. So, when Santos was off he was really off, and when you are reliever one, let alone three bad outings will hurt you. I remember John Smoltz had one year where he had one game where he allowed 6 ER in less than an inning, and his ERA was a full point higher just because of that ONE game.
I’m explaining this mostly because of my father saying Santos is a bad reliever, and that I am sure there are more fans like my father out there. Fact of the matter is that Santos was a very good reliever last year. Santos was in the Top-10 in WAR (1.6) among AL relievers, which is mighty impressive because he only threw around 63 innings. He was also 2nd in K/9 (13.07) among AL relievers.
In conclusion, he had a good HR%, a good FIP, had the 3rd lowest contact %. Basically Sergio Stantos did everything HE could to be an elite reliever last year. Pretty good for a guy who use to be a shortstop.
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