Philadelphia Phillies Bullpen in Review: 2011 Quality Appearance Ratio

When I completed the bullpen reviews of the National League Central I did not anticipate the changes the hot stove had in store. I finished the review of the Phillies several months ago but became immersed in the rampaging rumors during the winter meetings that burst into flame after the meetings ended with deals both earth shattering and on a smaller scale.

The Philadelphia Phillies must have the most frustrated ownership in all of baseball since they won the World Series October 27, 2008. Sounds like an odd statement but consider the results.

In the last four years the Phillies have amassed a record of 384-264. Interestingly the New York Yankees share an identical record of these 4 years. Both teams won a World Series, the Phillies in 2008 and the Yankees triumphed the following year. The following three years have seen the Phillies improve their record each year but when they enter into playoff competition they find himself finishing further from second title each and every year.

Philadelphia won the World Series in 2008 4 games to 1 over the Tampa Bay Rays. 2009 saw the Phillies fall short to the Yankees 4 games to 2 in the World Series. After devastating the Reds in the NLDS in 2010 they fell to the eventual champion San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. Finally this year they lost in the division series to the Wild Card and again, the eventual World Series champion, St. Louis Cardinals.

Mike Lurie used the WAR rating in his inaugural article to demonstrate the dominating power the Philadelphia pitching staff sends to the mound each night. They have an exceptional starting rotation but in 2011 they also had one of the best relief corps in the game. Let’s take an objective look at the actual performance of the Phillies bullpen and see if it looks as good on paper as it does in the record book.

It has been a while since I have discussed the Quality Appearance Ratio so I will again offer the definitions to make sense of the statistics presented.

Criteria for a Quality Relief Outing (QRO)

Reliever allows no inherited runners to score.
Reliever records at least one out.
Reliever allows no runs to score or maintains a 3.00 ERA in extended outings.

Criteria for a Failed Relief Outing (FRO)

Reliever allows an inherited runner or runners to score.
Reliever records no outs.
Reliever does not maintain a 3.00 ERA for the relief outing.

Criteria for a No Decision Outing (ND)

Reliever allows more hits/walks than outs but allows no runs to score.
Reliever gives up unearned runs but no earned runs.

Tables abbreviations are defined as::

RA = Relief Appearances: Total # of Relief Appearances
QRO = Quality Relief Outing: # of Appearances where more outs are recorded than hits + walks and a 3.00 ERA is maintained for the relief appearance.
FRO = Failed Relief Outing: # of Appearances where earned runs are allowed, inherited runners score or no outs are recorded. (See ERA allowance in the QRO description
ND = No Decision. Does not meet the criteria for a QRO or a FRO
QAR = Quality Appearance Ratio: QRO/RA
FAR = Failed Appearance Ratio: FRO/RA

Two things jump out with painful clarity when examining the Phillies 2011 season. The first is the number of relief appearances on the season. The Phillies had a total of 394 appearances all season long. In the National League Central division the Division champion Brewers had the least appearances with 431 relief opportunities on the season. The Reds had 497 calls to the bullpen and the Pirates had a whopping 549 appearances. This is a testament to the success of the Phillies starters who led the league with and average of 6 and two-thirds innings pitched per start. In addition the Phillies have a better success rate than any NL Central team. The Brewers again led the NL Central with a 66.6% Quality Appearance Ratio but are still short of the Phillies 67.5% ratio.

The excellence of the Phillies staff is bench-marked by the leadership of Ryan Madson. He led the team with an 84% QAR. He started the season as the setup man behind Jose Contreras who was replacing the injured Brad Lidge. It was not until the 19th game of the season that Ryan earned his first of 32 saves after Contreras had already notched 5 saves before the first of two injuries that crippled his season. Antonio Bastardo provided an excellent setup man with a 75% success rate, Micheal Stutes also pitched well with a 68% success rate, and of course their is one member of the Phillies squad with a 100% success rate in his loan appearance in the 19th inning vs. the Reds on May 25th, when Wilson Valdez managed to survive an inning without giving up a run, retiring Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, and reliever Carlos pitcher to earn a QRO, the win and delivering a crushing blow to the Reds psyche for the rest of the season.

The tables are now turned as Ryan Madson will spend the 2012 season on the other side of the diamond. Here’s hoping this gives the Reds make the most of this new opportunity.

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