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Chad Gaudin – Super_Sleeper?

Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:50 am
by Gordon Gekko II
First of all, a little background about Mr Gaudin…



Gaudin has been pitching in the majors since he was 20!!! This year he just turned 26. Still a puppy. I remember Gaudin from his days in Oakland where he was a reliever, turned starter, turned reliever again. Now he’s back to a starter. What better place than SD!



His career stats…

K9 6.7

BB9 4.3

HR9 0.9



Normally I’d shy away from a pitcher with such a high career walk rate, but there are a couple mitigating circumstances here.

1. He’s young, only 26

2. He’s been moved around a lot. He’s been on three teams in the past year. How would YOU feel if you were working for three different employers in 3 years? Would your work suffer?

3. He’s moved from the AL to NL and into the best pitcher park in baseball

4. With young players, I only like to look at his stats for the last one year (two at the most)



His one year stats (62 IP in OAK; 27 IP in CHC; 39 IP in SD)...

K9 7.4

BB9 3.7

HR9 0.8



Certainly headed in the right direction. Based on the past 5 years of ACTUAL starting pitcher data, that translates to an ERA of 3.93 and a whip of 1.37. Decent totals, but I think there is room for more optimism. His K9 in the NL-only (27 IP in CHC; 39 IP in SD) is 8.5. :eek:



If he can attack the strike zone more in Petco park without fear of getting blasted by homeruns, I think there is a modest profit to be had.



This week Gaudin plays at home against the Diamondbacks. I know they blasted Gaudin 2 weeks ago, but that game was in Arizona. On the road, Arizona is one of the worst teams in baseball (based on OPS and K/AB). If he can limit the walks, he should be in line for a very nice start. Enjoy!



[ June 03, 2009, 10:50 AM: Message edited by: Gordon Gekko II ]