Best Relief Pitchers with RISP

Min. 50 plate appearances with RISP (Click image to enlarge)

These pitchers have been the best in the majors when the opposing team is primed to score.  While Pittsburgh Pirates fans have seen just how good Jason Grilli has been over the past couple of seasons, the rest of the country may be surpised to see him at the top of this list. Grilli's wOBA has been 130 points lower when dealing with runners in scoring position.  In the 56 plate appearances where he has dealt with runners 180 feet or less from home, Grilli has allowed just three hits.  Only one of those was an extra base hit, a HR to Jimmy Rollins in July of last year.

Other notes: Kenley Jansen of the Dodgers holds the highest strikeout rate (47.5%) with RISP; Michael Wuertz has the highest wOBA at .511.

News: Pirates to License TruMedia's Analytics Software

Today TruMedia Networks announced that they will be licensing their baseball analytics platform to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This agreement will provide the Pirates baseball operations department with access to TruMedia’s customizable analytics platform, including proprietary data visualization and integrated pitch by pitch video analysis.

Click here to read the announcement.

Barmes a Poor Fit for PNC Park

The Pirates switched shortstops this offseason, declining Ronny Cedeno's one year, $3 million option and bringing in Clint Barmes on a two-year, $10.5 million deal. The move is curious. Barmes is four years older than Cedeno, more expensive and not necessarily a better player moving forward. His defense is well-regarded, however, and GM Neal Huntington considers Barmes in the "middle of the pack in terms of offensive production for a shortstop."

At first blush, that assessment of Barmes' offensive prowess seems reasonable, if somewhat generous. He batted .244 with a .312 on-base percentage and a .386 slugging percentage with Houston this past year, and his three-year line is .240/.300/.394. For comparison, shortstops have a collective .263/.317/.380 triple-slash over the past three seasons.

But here's the problem: Barmes posted those numbers in Coors Field (2009-10) and Minute Maid Park, both of which give a big boost to right-handed pull hitters. Both Coors and Minute Maid increase home runs by 17 percent for righty hitters and bolster extra-base hits overall, according to StatCorner. And nearly all of Barmes' power comes to the pull side:

Barmes' hit chart, 2009-2011

Since '09, Barmes has a .722 slugging percentage on balls put in play to the pull side. He has slugged just .339 to the middle of the field, and .273 on the rare occasions that he goes the other way.

That pull-heavy approach produced passable offensive lines at Coors and Minute Maid, but PNC Park isn't nearly as cozy. With a near-390 foot left field fence and a 410 foot notch in left-center, PNC decreases home runs for righties by 27 percent. It's a miserable environment for righty power.

Once you make park adjustments to Barmes' offense, his bat has been 22 percent below average (78 wRC+). Only notorious out-makers Orlando Cabrera and Yuniesky Betancourt have worse adjusted lines among qualified shortstops over that period. As with the signing of catcher Rod Barajas, the Pirates added a hitter whose main offensive attribute -- pull power -- is mitigated by their home park. Cedeno is an out-maker of the highest degree, but the difference between him and Barmes might not be as big as you think.