(H/T to Lefty for reminding me of this bit ‘o news.)
After enduring another season plagued by injuries, Jason Schmidt is preparing to hang up his pitching cleats and retire from baseball — most likely.
“Just leaving my options open,” he said. “At this moment, no, I’m not thinking about pitching anymore. Down the road, I’m not sure. Initially, I’d say no way. I’m not planning on playing at this moment. In my mind, I retired when I left in August.”
Even though Schmidt didn’t leave the Giants on great terms he was one of the best pitchers in modern Giants history, if not the best.
Giants SP since the team moved to SF in 1958 ranked by ERA+ (min. of 600 IP)
| Rk | Player | ERA+ | IP | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Schmidt | 126 | 1069.2 | 2001 | 2006 |
| 2 | Juan Marichal | 125 | 3444.0 | 1960 | 1973 |
| 3 | Matt Cain | 124 | 872.1 | 2005 | 2009 |
| 4 | Gaylord Perry | 119 | 2294.2 | 1962 | 1971 |
| 5 | Johnny Antonelli | 114 | 636.0 | 1958 | 1960 |
| 6 | Sam Jones | 112 | 633.0 | 1959 | 1961 |
| 7 | Noah Lowry | 109 | 618.1 | 2003 | 2007 |
| 8 | John Montefusco | 105 | 1182.2 | 1974 | 1980 |
| 9 | Rick Reuschel | 104 | 601.0 | 1987 | 1991 |
| 10 | Ed Halicki | 103 | 1027.2 | 1974 | 1980 |
I was surprised to see Schmidt edge out Marichal by ERA+. The Top-10 is a pretty good group to be associated with. There’s a couple of HoF’s (Marichal, Perry) mixed in with a bunch of guys that had some truly great years. Does Matt Cain’s ranking surprise anyone. It really shouldn’t. He’s been very good since he put on a Giants uniform.
Schmidt’s Giants career:
| Year | Age | W | L | ERA | G | IP | H | R | BB | SO | ERA+ | BB/9 | SO/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 3.39 | 11 | 66.1 | 57 | 29 | 33 | 65 | 118 | 4.5 | 8.8 |
| 2002 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 3.45 | 29 | 185.1 | 148 | 78 | 73 | 196 | 112 | 3.5 | 9.5 |
| 2003 | 30 | 17 | 5 | 2.34 | 29 | 207.2 | 152 | 56 | 46 | 208 | 179 | 2.0 | 9.0 |
| 2004 | 31 | 18 | 7 | 3.20 | 32 | 225.0 | 165 | 84 | 77 | 251 | 136 | 3.1 | 10.0 |
| 2005 | 32 | 12 | 7 | 4.40 | 29 | 172.0 | 160 | 90 | 85 | 165 | 97 | 4.4 | 8.6 |
| 2006 | 33 | 11 | 9 | 3.59 | 32 | 213.1 | 189 | 94 | 80 | 180 | 125 | 3.4 | 7.6 |
| W | L | ERA | G | IP | H | R | BB | SO | ERA+ | BB/9 | SO/9 | ||
| SFG (6 yrs) | 78 | 37 | 3.36 | 162 | 1069.2 | 871 | 431 | 394 | 1065 | 126 | 3.3 | 9.0 | |
Most will remember Jason for his 2003 season. That was the year when he led the NL in ERA and ERA+. He struck out a batter per inning and only walked two batters per 9. Just a dominant season and one of the best ever for a Giants pitcher. He followed it up with a very, very good 2004 and then battled injuries his last two years with the Giants. Check out his BB/9 in 2005. A red flag for arm problems? In Schmidt’s last season with the Giants he pitched quite well but to the casual observer he was a different pitcher. His 95+ mph fastball was closer to 90 mph and his declining K/9 seems to back up the velocity loss.
If you’re a Giants fan, it should be pretty easy to ignore the 3-year deal Schmidt signed with the Dodgers. When it comes down to it, he’s one of the best pitchers in Giants history and we should all be thankful that we got to watch him in his prime, throwing heaters and nasty changeups while wearing a Giants uni.
All data courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
