Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Rotation’s steady improvement has Kapler doing backFIPs
Gabe PHILADELPHIA » Kapler flips for FIPs.
The somewhat analytics oriented manager says he often studies metrics gathered on Fielding Independent Pitching, which is essentially an ERA-style valuation based on strikeouts, walks, hit batsmen, etc. rather than balls put into play. But Kapler, who is well aware of his reputation for pouring over advanced stats, says he likes to analyze data on FIP and ERA.
“We start with FIP but also (include) ERA,” Kapler said. “If they’re out of whack and the FIP is much lower, then my feeling is the ERA is slated to come down a little bit. FIP tells you what happens next, but ERA tells a great story about what has happened thus far.”
What has happened, as Kapler pointed out Friday before the Phillies’ game against the Miami Marlins, is that his starting staff has a cume FIP under 4.
That’s like, pretty good as Charlie Manuel might have said. That’s real good.
“I think it’s pretty impressive,” Kapler said. “It speaks to what our guys have done this year and also indicates what they’re going to do going forward. I haven’t done a full study, but I’d be interested to hear if there are other rotations that can boast that.
“I thought that’s pretty cool, and I think it’s part of the reason this group has so much confidence right now. We’ve shown that we can bounce back from a number of tough losses and it’s reason to believe that nothing can overwhelm this group.”
A glance at the current MLB pitching leaders shows staff ace Aaron Nola at a 2.68 FIP, which is third-best in the majors behind the Mets’ Jacob deGrom and Arizona’s Patrick Corbin.
*** Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilson Ramos have something in common, or will whenever Ramos is healthy enough to play again.
Both players should reveal themselves as significant rental-player contributors both in starting roles and as pinch-hitters down the season stretch for the Phils. But they also share something else in common — both natives of Venezuela have played together before.
“I played with him two months in Washington,” said Cabrera, 32, who was sent at the 2014 non-waiver trade deadline to Washington, where he got re-introduced to Ramos, who was developing into an All-Star catcher with the Nationals.
Now they’re reunited as two pending free agents taking a late season stab at glory with a young Phillies team on the rise.
“He can bring new energy,” Cabrera said of Ramos, 30. “He’s a good hitter, too. So I think that’s a good move for the Phillies. With everything that happens in this business, you don’t know what’s going to happen. This game is so crazy.”
*** The Phillies “other” trade deadline day acquisition, lefthanded reliever Aaron Loup, hadn’t had a chance to make a contribution entering Friday night’s game. But Kapler said Loup’s adjustment to the Phillies had already begun.
“He makes sense as more of a traditional lefty (specialist),” Kapler said of Loup. “But the one thing you know is we’re not going to box people in. (Assistant pitching coach) Chris Young already took a really cool dive into how (Loup) might get righthanded hitters out more successfully. So we’ll wait and see.”