C.C. Sabathia v. Johan Santana
In this basic comparison chart, career and seasonal numbers are compared between Johan Santana and C.C. Sabathia in their big signing years. For Santana, we used his 2007 numbers, and Sabathia used this year’s. Make your own inferences.
Sabathia (2008) v. Santana (2007) - Tale of the Tape
| Category |
Sabathia
|
Santana
|
Notes |
| Height/Weight |
6′7" 250
|
6′0" 195
|
|
| Hails From |
Vallejo, CA
|
Tovar, Vz
|
|
| Salary in Contract Year |
11.0M
|
13.0M
|
|
| Contract Offer |
6/140
|
6/137.5
|
Santana’s contract does not include the 13 million he was due from the Twins. |
| Age at Offer |
28
|
28
|
Santana was closer to 29. |
| MLB Seasons |
8
|
8
|
Both had 8 MLB Seasons - Santana had only been a full time starter in 4. |
| Full Seasons as Starter |
8
|
4
|
Santana has started games in all 8 seasons, but did not become a fixture in the rotation until 2004. |
| Games Started |
254
|
175
|
Sabathia has 30 or more starts in all but one season (2006). |
| Awards |
1 CY, 2 AS
|
2 CY, 3 AS
|
Received CY Votes as a starter - Santana 4/4, Sabathia 2/8 |
| IP |
253
|
219
|
Sabathia pitched 241 innings the year before and surpassed that in 2008. |
| ERA |
2.70
|
3.33
|
Santana posted his highest ERA as a starter. |
| WHIP |
1.12
|
1.07
|
Santana’s WHIP remained low - but giving up home runs at almost twice the rate of Sabathia added to his ERA woes. |
| K/9 |
8.93
|
9.66
|
Sabathia has never been a top-tier strikeout pitcher but he saw a huge increase in strikeouts. |
| BB/9 |
2.09
|
2.14
|
Both pitchers continue to show improved control. |
| HR/9 |
0.68
|
1.35
|
Santana had a spike in HRA - he allowed 9 more than in any previous season. |
| CG/SHO |
10/5
|
1/1
|
Sabathia had a 41% CG/Start Ratio with Milwaukee. |
| ERA Below League Average |
1.67
|
1.00
|
Sabathia’s ERA was significantly lower compared to the league average. |
| Career ERA |
3.66
|
3.22
|
Santana has a sub 3 ERA as a starter. |
| Career WHIP |
1.24
|
1.09
|
Sabathia’s higher WHIP is mostly attributed to his slightly higher BB/9. |
| Career K/9 |
7.56
|
9.50
|
Santana had a 9.7 K/9 as a starter. |
| Career BB/9 |
2.84
|
2.58
|
Very close walk rates. |
| Career HR/9 |
0.81
|
0.99
|
Sabathia keeps the ball in the park on a more consistent basis. |
| Career CG/SHO |
26/10
|
6/4
|
In 79 more starts, Sabathia has shown an ability to close out ball games. |
| VORP in Contract Year |
67.6
|
57.7
|
Sabathia’s aggregate VORP was slightly below an average Santana year, but beat him in his contract year. |
Based on all the data in the chart, it is safe to assume that in the year of the big contract, Sabathia was more dominant. However, Santana was not a free agent but was entering his FA year. Both pitchers were one year removed from winning the Cy Young award, in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Over the length of their careers, Santana has been more effective in his time as a starter, but Sabathia has been a steady ace the past few years and, even in his first three seasons, was a dominant #2. That being said, if I had to choose one to be on my team, it would be Johan Santana. He is consistently dominant and his highest ERA as a starter was 3.33 ERA in 2007. Sabathia has pitched 250 innings in the previous two years, and you have to begin worrying about durability in an otherwise durable career. Santana has yet to miss a start in 5 years.
Who would you rather have, and why?
I’ll take Sabathia for the fact that he is built like a Mack truck. I know he has logged more innings but to me Johan is built like Pedro and we all know how his body held up in his 30’s
@DocBooch
I’ll agree with that. Sabathia is a mack track. But on the topic of the body holding up, I’d have to think Sabathia needs to shed a few (not a ton) pounds. I worry that it will affect him in the long run. We all know what happened to Bartolo Colon! (though Sabathia is much more handsome)
I will recommend not to wait until you get enough amount of cash to order all you need! You should just take the loans or just secured loan and feel comfortable