So I had an idea of some numbers to calculate (knowing full well what I'd find beforehand), but someone beat me to it. If you compare Beckett/Lester/Delcarmen/Hansen's numbers vs. the NL to Anibal Sanchez's against the NL, theye're just about the same. Sox pitchers had a 2.82 ERA; Anibal's is 2.89. Sox pitchers had a BAA of .200; Anibal's is .208. Except: the Sox pitchers got way more strikeouts (8.9 vs. 5.5 K/9IP) and gave up way fewer walks (1.7 vs. 3.8 BB/9IP). Sanchez had only 2 starts versus the AL, dominating the Yankees but getting shelled by the Red Sox (7 ER in 4.1 IP). Basically, this all means that the Red Sox currently have a number of young pitchers on their roster who are better than Anibal Sanchez.
The lesson of all this, once again: the NL sucks. Even the NL East, which will probably produce the NL champion, sucks. If I were Theo (and could afford to be petty and vindictive) I'd want nothing more than to get Arroyo, Meredith, and Sanchez back for 2007, just to remind Sox fans of this very obvious, but apparently very easily forgotten, fact.
P.S. how long before we start hearing about the name "Rudy Seanez" in the list of pitchers we never should've given up? Now that would be awesome.
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