Oakland Athletics vs. Giants Position-By-Position Breakdown: Who Wins?
Pitcher #1: Sonny Gray* vs. Madison Bumgarner
The battle of two 26-year-old aces. So what if Madison Bumgarner strikes out more people (9.1 strikeouts per nine innings) than Sonny Gray (7.3 K/9)? So what if he had one of the best postseason pitching performances of all time? So what if he rakes more than Sonny Gray, with five home runs and a respectable batting average of .247, as well as two Silver Slugger awards?
Here’s why I take Gray: Gray had a better ERA last year (2.73 vs. 2.93), gives up less hits(7.2 hits and 0.7 home runs per nine innings vs. 7.5 and 0.9 for MadBum), and in general, hitters do better against Bumgarner than they do Gray. In the last two years, Gray allowed a batting line of .225/.288/.322, while Bumgarner allowed .231/.272/.360. In the same period of time, Gray’s Win Probability Added was a combined 6.1 vs. Bumgarner’s 4.2. The numbers are close, but this round goes to the Athletics.
Advantage: A’s
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Pitcher #2: Rich Hill vs. Johnny Cueto*
One won a World Series last year. The other started four times. That may be a cursory, flippant statement, but consider both pitchers’ entire body of work. Johnny Cueto has 96 total wins, a 3.30 ERA, and 1,171 strikeouts. Rich Hill has 26 wins, a 4.54 ERA, and 487 strikeouts.
Hill’s story is one of redemption, but Cueto’s is one of dominance.
Advantage: Giants
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Pitcher #3: Kendall Graveman vs. Jeff Samardzija
It’s not fun to berate a former Athletic, but Jeff Samardzija‘s numbers had him nearly falling off the map last year. No one thinks a 4.96 ERA is at all redeeming, and The Shark put up career highs in ERA, WHIP, hits, earned runs, and homers in 2015. In fact, he led the league in the latter three categories. Plus, he is going into his age-31 year.
Kendall Graveman has promise but has much to prove at the major league level, posting a serviceable 4.05 ERA last year, as well as 77 strikeouts in 115 innings.
Because of too many question marks, this position also is a push.
Next: A's vs. Giants: Starting Rotation, Continued