It really is a shame that the Chicago White Sox had to place Jose Contreras on the 15 day DL this past Friday (May 5th). Not just for the White Sox since they are losing, arguably, the best pitcher on their staff; but because for 15 days we won't be able to watch Contreras develop into one of the best pitchers in baseball.
It was a little less than two years ago (July 2004) when the New York Yankees, who fought tooth and nail to sign the right-hander before the 2003 season, traded Contreras to the Chicago White Sox for Esteban Loaiza. This trade was a case of impatience to the nth degree. While Contreras was in the midst of a not-so-good second season with New York (95.7 IP, 8-5, 5.64 ERA) that year, it was just the season before when he was very impressive in his debut. In 2003 Contreras went 7-2 in 71 IP with a 3.30 ERA. Not only did the surface numbers look good, his peripheral numbers supported them. He struck out more than a batter an inning (72 K's), walked less than half of that (30), and only allowed four HR's to be hit against him.
With that great 2003 season behind him, the Yankees were hedging their bets that 2004 was going to be a truly great year for the then-32 year old pitcher. When that didn't quite work out and the Yankees lost their patience and traded him away. If you take a look at Contreras' combined numbers from his first two seasons in Pinstripes, you can see the Yankees probably shouldn't have sent him packing:
166.7 IP, 15-7, 4.64 ERA, 145 Hits allowed, 26 HR allowed, 154/72 K/BB (2.14)
Yes, that ERA was a little higher than the Yankees would prefer, but if they took the time to see his very good K/BB ratio and accepted the fact that players go through tough stretches like Contreras was in 2004 they would have never traded him for Loaiza; whose ERA at the time was 4.86.
What was done was done though, and after finishing that 2004 season with a 5.30 ERA in 74.7 IP and a less-than-stellar K/BB ratio of 68/42 (1.62) the White Sox were probably disappointed they had made the trade. But, unlike the Yankees, Chicago showed patience by deciding to hang onto Contreras and were able to watch him develop the next season into the pitcher he was supposed to be coming out of Cuba just three years earlier. In 2005 Contreras pitched 204.7 innings for the South-siders with a 3.61 ERA and struck out more than twice the amount of hitters that he walked (154/75). Also, not to be forgotten, was that Contreras was a very important part of a rotation that led the White Sox to a World Series title that season, and in the playoffs went 3-1 in 32 IP with a 3.09 ERA and a 14/2 K/BB ratio.
Contreras seemed to have finally settled in during that 2005 season, but he wasn't done. This season, before he got injured, Contreras had a 1.41 ERA in 44.7 IP. While this league-best ERA wasn't supported by good peripheral numbers (21/11 K/BB), it doesn't take away from the fact that Contreras is finally feeling comfortable .
How comfortable is he? Since the All-Star break last season only three pitchers with at least 100 IP have a lower ERA than Contreras (2.49, Johan Santana, Noah Lowry, and Tom Glavine), and nobody has more wins (16).
Jose Contreras has finally made the adjustment to American baseball, and is now dominating. While he is getting up there in age, 34, he still has a few good years left. Years that I'm sure the Yankees wish he were wearing Pinstripes for.
Oh, and by the way, since the trade Contreras is 25-11 in 324 IP with a 3.69 ERA. Esteban Loaiza is 13-15 in 277.7 IP with a 4.80 ERA.
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to email me at frnkbndy@yahoo.com.
