Pitching to Context: How bad is Jeff Suppan?
You might have heard that Jeff "Ace" Suppan is not pitching well. If you haven't, go back and read today's Frosty Mug, where I linked to seven articles and posts discussing it.
All of this has created an interesting debate: Can two terrible starts, combined with a poor performance down the stretch in 2008, be enough to boot a veteran pitcher from the rotation? That remains to be seen, but there is another question we can answer: Where does Jeff Suppan rank among the worst starting pitchers in Brewer history?
A quick disclaimer: For each leaderboard, I only used pitchers with at least 300 IP (approximately two full seasons as a starter) in a Brewer uniform. As such, Matt Kinney, Ruben Quevedo, Victor Santos, and Rafael Roque, among others, were not eligible for consideration. That doesn't mean they weren't terrible, because they all were, they just weren't terrible as a Brewer for long enough to get into this conversation.
Any conversation about bad pitching should probably start with ERA. Among Brewers who pitched at least 300 innings, Jeff Suppan has the fourth worst ERA:
| Pitcher | Seasons | IP | ERA |
| Glendon Rusch | 2002-2003 | 334 | 5.34 |
| Jimmy Haynes | 2000-2001 | 372 | 5.10 |
| Gene Brabender | 1969-1970 | 331 | 5.00 |
| Jeff Suppan | 2007-2009 | 392 | 4.94 |
| Steve Woodard | 1997-2000 | 481 |
4.73 |
That's not an entirely fair comparison, though, because it's not league-adjusted. When you use ERA+ instead, Suppan drops to eighth place:
| Pitcher | Seasons | IP | ERA+ |
| Gene Brabender | 1969-1970 | 331 | 74 |
| Glendon Rusch | 2002-2003 | 334 | 78 |
| Bill Champion | 1973-1976 | 432.1 | 84 |
| Bill Parsons | 1971-1973 | 518.1 | 85 |
| Don August | 1988-1991 | 440 | 85 |
| Pete Broberg | 1975-1976 | 312.2 | 85 |
| Jimmy Haynes | 2000-2001 | 372 | 87 |
| Jeff Suppan | 2007-2009 | 392 | 89 |
And what about allowing baserunners? Last night (6 walks in 3.2 IP) was an extreme example, but Suppan is always pitching with men on. Again, among pitchers with at least 300 innings as a Brewer, Suppan is the sixth worst in WHIP:
| Pitcher | Seasons | IP | WHIP |
| Pete Broberg | 1975-1976 | 312.2 | 1.586 |
| Jimmy Haynes | 2000-2001 | 372 | 1.581 |
| Jaime Cocanower | 1983-1986 | 365.2 | 1.564 |
| Glendon Rusch | 2002-2003 | 334 | 1.554 |
| Angel Miranda | 1993-1997 | 363.1 | 1.544 |
| Jeff Suppan | 2007-2009 | 393 | 1.531 |
But, in light of Suppan's last two starts, here's the last one I wanted to check: Among Brewer starting pitchers who pitched at least 300 innings, here are the bottom five in Quality Start percentage:
| Pitcher | Seasons | W | L | QS% |
| Gene Brabender | 1969-1970 | 19 | 29 | .380 |
| Jeff Suppan | 2007-2009 | 22 | 24 | .433 |
| Steve Woodard | 1997-2000 | 25 | 30 | .438 |
| Pete Broberg | 1975-1976 | 15 | 23 | .442 |
| Don August | 1988-1991 | 34 | 30 | .457 |
So where does that leave Suppan? It's not fair to call him the worst SP in Brewer history: certainly Gene Brabender (the ace of the expansion Pilots, out of the majors after the 1970 season) was worse, and so were Glendon Rusch and Jimmy Haynes. But I think you can make a case for Suppan's inclusion in the bottom five, and that's an awfully heavy chain to allow to drag behind a contending team.
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23 comments
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Comments
In terms of stats, Suppan isn't THE worst pitcher in Brewers history
However, if you include financial considerations/contracts, that makes Suppan the worst starting pitcher in Brewers history, at least in my opinion. Especially if he’s already bottom five when not considering contracts.
:) + Suppan = :'(
by NoahJ on Apr 13, 2009 3:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Whether he's the worst or just one of the worst
It doesn’t really change the fact that Melvin looks like a giant tool for saying Suppan is performing as expected.
by Marty McSuperFly on Apr 13, 2009 3:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
This just makes me feel so much better about the rest of the year.
I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_
by Hyatt on Apr 13, 2009 3:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If we released him...
Would he clear waivers? Would any team want to take on his $12.5 M salary? I don’t know the repercussions of releasing a player, but I would venture to say we’d be better off in the long and short term without him.
Then again, who are we going to replace him with? Villanueva? McClung? Maybe we can make a move when Hoffman gets healthy.
by spell on Apr 13, 2009 3:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Nobody would pick him up.
However, we’d still be paying him his salary.
As was discussed earlier, If we sent him to the minors, he could ask to be released, in which case, another team could pick him up at the league minimum, leaving us to pay the rest.
by tcyoung on Apr 13, 2009 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I addressed this on the front page.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
by KLSnow on Apr 13, 2009 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
There can be no discussion of worst Brewers pitchers without ...
Ruben Quevedo. I understand the 300 IP criteria and all that jazz, but I think those criteria should be waived for Ruben. He’s in a class all of his own. And don’t forget: he was the centerpiece of the Dave “Stormy” Weathers trade. That should count for something.
by Rubie Q on Apr 13, 2009 3:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
who was then flipped for Richie Sexson
who was then flipped for Chad Moeller, Junior spivey, et. al.
I just sit back and root for the taser
I'm on Twitter now. www.twitter.com/Enrico_Palazzo_
by Hyatt on Apr 13, 2009 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was the other tubby Brewer reliever:
Bob Wickman was traded for DickSex, not Stormy. Ruben, sadly, couldn’t be scrapped for anything by the time he was done in Milwaukee.
by Rubie Q on Apr 13, 2009 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The issue...
… with Suppan is that he doesn’t pitch well until
A) July-August-September
B) Postseason
… and there’s been decline in all of those numbers as he gets older. Thus, his window of effectiveness is closing, and for a guy who has been teetering at average/slightly above average his entire career, it’s going from medicore to worse. Even his frequently talked about virtue, taking the ball every fifth day, has taken a hit.
Teams need to overpay for mediocre starters, so the Suppan deal wasn’t that surprising, but we may have crossed an event horizon regarding if he should be a starter any longer. He’s a control pitcher who has little control.
He’s being paid too much to be cut (his contract goes through 2010; about $25mm is still owed to guy), and since pitching is at a premium anyway, he’ll be with the team all season because his numbers will improve (modestly). The best case scenario is for Suppan to show his purported veterany wisdom and tell Macha “I’m throwing garbage, let me work out my stuff in mop up/long relief while McClung gets a shot.” I haven’t seen that kind of humility out of Suppan yet, but I hope I do.
My non-embarrassing thoughts on the Brewers:
Two Fisted Slopper
by nmc on Apr 13, 2009 4:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Best case scenario
Actually, it would be better for Suppan to go to Macha and request that Rivera be his regular catcher, because Rivera calls a better game than Kendall.
by Marty McSuperFly on Apr 13, 2009 4:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
You were so close to having that right:
Actually, it would be better for Suppan Ace to go to Macha and request that Rivera be his regular catcher, because Rivera calls a better game than Kendall.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
by KLSnow on Apr 13, 2009 4:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I could call a better game than Kendall
but it wouldn’t matter if the pitcher couldn’t throw what I called. “130 mph fastball at the knees” That’s certainly better than Kendall called, but I don’t think it would be very useful.
by ecocd on Apr 13, 2009 4:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'll take it
Maybe the team can “give up” on days Suppan pitches, give all the regulars a day off, and have a 100% real major league team the other four games.
Or Suppan discovers he’s a natural lefty.
My non-embarrassing thoughts on the Brewers:
Two Fisted Slopper
by nmc on Apr 13, 2009 4:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not only are his numbers declining
His stuff, velocity, break, control, and stamina are too. More on this later.
Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.
by Jordan M on Apr 13, 2009 6:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Macha needs to grow a pair
Macha should have given Suppan the “heave-ho” after he walked in the first run last night. I realize that (right now) we don’t have a middle-reliever that can come in and throw strikes or get anyone out. (Who selected these guys to make the roster anyway? – another story). However, Brewer fans deserve much more than a re-treaded Ned Yost who feigns confidence in his players and sticks with them in situations that cry out change. Winning is everything. You are their manager – not their friend!
by cptneemo on Apr 13, 2009 4:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Of all the talk of Macha "learning" in the beginning of the year...
I think a valuable lesson happened last night. A weird side of me was sorta happy it happened on national TV, so that everyone could see just how bad the Suppan Problem is. (And a hint of the Kendall Problem, as well.)
by andrew_p on Apr 13, 2009 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just like last year, though.
Suppan knows he sucked and he doesn’t need his Manager and GM to tell everyone else that. It was infuriating for the fans to hear Ned defend every player until he was blue in the face, but how many guys will play for a manager that calls them out after every pair of bad starts? Being a manager and a friend is not mutually exclusive.
Last night, it was as simple as (a) if Suppan gets one last out he can pitch another 1 or 2 innings and (b) Julio wasn’t ready in the bullpen. If there’s no one ready to go. Julio got up in the bullpen after the first walk and there wasn’t any especially good reason to have him up before it. Macha did all he reasonably could last night, given the team he has to manage. It’s not fair to blame him for it.
by ecocd on Apr 13, 2009 5:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you suck, you should be "outta there"
ecocd said – “… how many guys will play for a manager that calls them out …”
That’s my point. It’s the type of paranoia that managers and coaches can succumb to – resulting in little or no control of their team.
If you are productive – the manager will play you. If not – you sit. Simple as that. Managers and coaches who worry that non-productive players may harbor a grudge as the result of lack of playing time, being pulled for a relief pitcher, asked to be more patient at the plate, being given the bunt sign, or asked to work on hitting the ball to the opposite field (to name a few) – will lose control of the team.
Say what you mean and mean what you say. Players will respect your authority.
by cptneemo on Apr 13, 2009 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you get mentioned in the same breath as Glendon Rusch
Chances are that you either homered, or are not a very good pitcher.
Crimson and Cream Machine
Baseball season = Go Brew Crew!
by dishingoutdimes on Apr 13, 2009 5:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs




























