from Amazon
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Daniel Bard, shutdowns and meltdowns (S & M)
Bard:
“That was the game right there. You guys have heard me talk about it time and time again that the game can be won in the sixth or seventh. For me, that was it. He came in and stopped it,” Francona said.
I asked Bard what his title should be. If Jonathan Papelbon is the closer, what is he?
“Maybe you can call me the stopper,” he said.
Bard said he has spent some time on Fangraphs.com reading the work those guys have done on a stat called Shutdowns and Meltdowns. It’s a simple way to evaluate relievers.
“It’s just another way to look at things,” Bard said.
Bard got +0.21 wins of WPA in that game, easily clearing the bar for a shutdown. Papelbon got +0.13 wins.
Glove-slap: Jeff.