San Francisco Giants 2017 Player Review: Starting Pitchers
San Francisco Giants. JEFF SAMARDZIJA. B. . RHP
Record: 9-15
ERA: 4.42
IP: 207.2
GS: 32
2017 ’twas an interesting year for Mr. Samardzija. When he was on, he was on. When he was off, it was ugly.
Let’s start with the positive. His K/9 rate was 8.9, which led the Giants. Samardzija also got one of the 2017 Giants’ two shutouts by starters.
I gave him a B because he wasn’t hurt at all, and his WAR (even though I’m not crazy about this stat) was 2nd among pitchers.
Samardzija (and all the starters for that matter, but especially him) didn’t receive much run support this year. On average, he received 3.9 runs of support, which was good for 5th worst in the league.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, I’m talking about you long ball. How do I put positive spin on this…Jeff Samardzija is good at not keeping the ball in the yard from time to time. I had the great pleasure of being in attendance for a fine showcase of that.
Remember that game in Chicago against the White Sox? Y’know, the one where Samardzija gave up like 14 home runs in 6 innings? Yep. I was there. Without reservation, I can say it was the least enjoyable baseball game I’ve ever attended. So thanks for ruining my Saturday Jeff.
Besides that atrocity, his home run antics weren’t all that much better. His HR/9 was 1.3, which is about par for the course with the 2017 Giants, but a couple ticks up from last year. It’s no wonder the front office is making a point to limit home runs next year.
All in all, it was a mixed bag for Jeff. To be honest, I’m still a little peeved at him for making me waste a Saturday night. Plus, I’m double peeved because I’ve had to spell his name like 10 times. You’d probably get an easier name to spell using a random password generator.
No matter how you feel about the guy, he’ll be in the Giants’ plans for the foreseeable future. He may not be an ace, but if he’s healthy next year and the Giants improve offensively, he’ll be good for a record around .500 and an ERA just under 4.0 (similar to 2016 numbers). But of course, I just jinxed it so all bets are off.