J.P. Howell

Why The Rays 1-2 Bullpen Punch Might Be Good Enough Part-One; The Set-Up

DRaysBay (Free subscription) | 12/06/2009

by Tony Gutierrez - AP An ugly ERA, should prevent Tampa Bay Rays' reliever, Grant Balfour from earning his true value in arbitration. For him this is bad, for the team and us, this is good. View full size photo » The Atlanta Braves have wasted no time in setting the market for relief pitching. The signing of Billy Wagner to a one-year deal worth seven million dollars should give teams a barometer...

Ranking The AL Closers; JP Howell Second Worst

Rays Index (Free subscription) | 11/30/2009

Last year, Joe Posnanski generated a new statistic to evaluate closers (CLOSER+) based on Bill James’ method of classifying saves. James breaks down save opportunities into three categories: 1. Easy Save. This is a save when the first batter faced is not the tying or go-ahead run. 2. Tough save: This is a save when the tying [...]

Past Trade Analysis: Joey Gathright Runs Faster Than J.P. Howell’s Fastball

DRaysBay (Free subscription) | 11/28/2009

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP Boston Red Sox center fielder Joey Gathright (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Browse more photos » If you were to go through all the players on the Opening Day roster for the 2006 Devil Rays, it's incredible how few of them survived on the team for long. Actually, considering the talent involved, maybe it's not such a surprise. This isn't a complete list, but...

Attempting To Explain The Jesse Chavez Home Run Issue

DRaysBay (Free subscription) | 11/15/2009

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP A common sight for Chavez as he watches another home run clear the fence. But why the increase in homers? Browse more photos » Without the Rays scouting department handing over their report on Jesse Chavez , there is only so much we can tell from the numbers. However, there is some data that might be worth noting. It could be something, but it could...

Royals Links: Is a Zack Greinke Cy Young Imminent?

Royals Review (Free subscription) | 11/03/2009

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke smiles and looks at the scoreboard after getting Chicago White Sox's Jim Thome to swing at a pitch during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Wednesday, April 8, 2009. Is Greinke about to become the 2009 Cy Young? (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) Browse more photos » Are we building up...

Regarding J.P. Howell's "Issues" As Closer

DRaysBay (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009

I've heard and read a few comments saying the Rays really need to invest in a closer - oxymoron - because J.P. Howell just isn't cut out of the job. The Rays should sign someone like [Veteran Pitcher] so Howell can go back to roving as a fireman and leave the saves to a more qualified arm. Naturally, I was befuddled when I viewed his ERA in save situations. ERA lacks in quality and I would never encourage...

2004 NL West Draft Review

Purple Row (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP Seth Smith, one of several good draft selections by the Rockies in 2004. Browse more photos » As Tracy Ringolsby reported recently, Baseball America rated the Rockies' 2009 draft the best in baseball . With Tyler Matzek, Tim Wheeler, Rex Brothers, Chris Balcom-Miller, and Nolan Arendao, it's hard to argue otherwise. Still, we can't assess fully the...

J.P. Howell: Four Pitch Puppet Master

DRaysBay (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP J.P,'s Glove of Magic Tricks Browse more photos » In 2009, there were 1023 different pitches thrown a minimum of 200 times by individual pitchers. J.P. Howell managed to produce 4in the top 169 in terms of Non-Contact Strike% (NCS), which includes both whiffs and called strikes. In all of Major League Baseball there were just two other pitchers with three...

If Player X isn’t part of The Plan, why not trade him (when his value is decent)?

Royals Review (Free subscription) | 10/15/2009

(Note: the first sentence of this post originally said: “I’ll make this brief.” Yeah, I redacted that). Player X most obviously represents Kila Ka’aihue, but you may think of others to plug into that sentence. The Royals have actually done a decent job of moving players that don’t have futures (in their eyes) in KC— J.P. Howell , Ambiorix Burgos , Billy Buckner ,...

Fantasy Baseball: 2010 AL closer dynasty/keeper rankings

Fake Teams (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP Browse more photos » 1. Mariano Rivera - Another year older, another year of a sub 2.00 ERA. I do think Mo's age will catch up with him one day, whether it be in the form of injury or inefective-itis, but I don't think that will be 2010. I think Rivera will have another season of 35+ saves and excellent peripherals. 2. Joe Nathan - Had a career high 47 saves...

Rays Unlikely To Acquire Closer

MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009

The Rays don't find adding a closer realistic this offseason, executive VP Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Friedman's said the Rays are more likely to add two or three late-inning relievers who can handle high-leverage situations. The plan is sure to please the stat-head crowd. J.P. Howell saved 17 games in 25 opportunities for the Rays this year, but the majority of his...

J.P. Howell Put on Ice; Rays Shutdown Defacto Closer

DRaysBay (Free subscription) | 09/26/2009

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP about 1 month ago: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher J.P. Howell, right, hugs catcher Greg Zaun after closing out the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday Aug. 18, 2009, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays won 5-4. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Browse more photos » Word came down last night that the Rays have decided games would no longer...

Scratchwork: Poorly Timed Caught Stealings By Rays Catchers, Kennedy's "Job", And Howell Wisely Shut Down

The Rays Party (Free subscription) | 09/26/2009

When I started to write this post, I see Kevin Kennedy return to the TV booth . Weird schedule, I guess he hates the Trop and prefers the comforts of the West in Texas where he managed for a couple of years. Oh and it is a weekend series meaning he avoided missing his radio show . Not like this matters anyway unless you watch too much Rays TV coverage, which is expected when they are on the road. I...

Rays decide to shut down Howell

Tampa Bay Online (Free subscription) | 09/26/2009

J.P. Howell had hit the wall quite a while back, and the Rays decided it was time for him to stop trying to run through it.

• Rays decide to shut down Howell - TBO > Sports

All Time (2002 and later) WAR Rays Team

DRaysBay (Free subscription) | 09/19/2009

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP All Rays WAR bullpen arm: Jesus Colome Browse more photos » Fangraphs calculates WAR going back to 2002. I thought it worth a look to see how the all-time Rays WAR team would look. The criteria: -We are isolating individual seasons -Players are only eligible for their primary position for that season -Pitchers and relievers can only be credited...