It’s no secret, but here at Bay City Ball, we’re huge fans of Sergio Romo. His slider is one of the best pitches in the game right now out of the bullpen – maybe one of the best in the game regardless of pitcher role. It’s a devastating pitch that right-handed batters continue to swing-and-miss at. They know it’s coming and they still can’t touch it.
Romo’s stats this year have been truly nuts: 36 IP, 19 H, 2 HR, 4 BB (!), 52 SO (!!), 210 ERA+, 1.0 BB/9, 13.0 SO/9, 13.00 SO/BB
Whenever I see numbers like that, I feel like I should go around town and spray paint them on the side of various buildings. Or maybe get a ’1.0 BB/9, 13.0 SO/9′ tattooed on my back between two flaming sliders. In 2011, Romo has been treating fans to one of the best relief seasons by a Giants pitcher in quite some time. Don’t believe me? Let’s run a few quick searches with the Baseball-Reference Play Index Tool to find where Romo currently stands.
Search criteria: 1950-2011, minimum of 35 innings pitched, 80% games in relief
By walks-per-nine innings (BB/9)
Rk Player BB/9 IP Year Age Tm 1 Sergio Romo 1.00 36.0 2011 28 SFG 2 Rod Beck 1.03 70.0 1997 28 SFG 3 Jim Barr 1.27 35.1 1971 23 SFG 4 Jim Barr 1.40 128.2 1982 34 SFG 5 Rod Beck 1.45 62.0 1996 27 SFG 6 Rod Beck 1.47 79.1 1993 24 SFG 7 Rod Beck 1.47 92.0 1992 23 SFG 8 Mike Caldwell 1.68 107.1 1976 27 SFG 9 Bill Henry 1.71 42.0 1965 37 SFG 10 Marv Grissom 1.79 80.2 1956 38 NYG
By strikeouts-per-nine innings (K/9)
Rk Player SO/9 IP Year Age Tm 1 Sergio Romo 13.00 36.0 2011 28 SFG 2 Robb Nen 12.55 66.0 2000 30 SFG 3 Brian Wilson 11.21 74.2 2010 28 SFG 4 Robb Nen 11.17 88.2 1998 28 SFG 5 Michael Jackson 10.84 42.1 1994 29 SFG 6 Joe Price 10.80 35.0 1987 30 SFG 7 Robb Nen 10.78 77.2 2001 31 SFG 8 Scott Garrelts 10.75 106.1 1987 25 SFG 9 Jonathan Sanchez 10.73 52.0 2007 24 SFG 10 Alex Hinshaw 10.66 39.2 2008 25 SFG
By strikeout-to-walk ratio (SO/BB)
Rk Player SO/BB IP Year Age Tm 1 Sergio Romo 13.00 36.0 2011 28 SFG 2 Rod Beck 6.63 70.0 1997 28 SFG 3 Rod Beck 6.62 79.1 1993 24 SFG 4 Rod Beck 5.80 92.0 1992 23 SFG 5 Sergio Romo 5.00 62.0 2010 27 SFG 6 Robb Nen 4.84 66.0 2000 30 SFG 7 Rod Beck 4.80 62.0 1996 27 SFG 8 Michael Jackson 4.64 42.1 1994 29 SFG 9 Robb Nen 4.40 88.2 1998 28 SFG 10 Bill Henry 4.38 42.0 1965 37 SFG
By adjusted ERA (ERA+)
Rk Player ERA+ IP Year Age Tm 1 Frank Williams 296 52.1 1986 28 SFG 2 Robb Nen 286 66.0 2000 30 SFG 3 Steve Reed 274 54.2 1998 33 SFG 4 Michael Jackson 269 42.1 1994 29 SFG 5 Robb Nen 266 88.2 1998 28 SFG 6 Frank Linzy 253 81.2 1965 24 SFG 7 Jeremy Affeldt 249 62.1 2009 30 SFG 8 Marv Grissom 243 80.2 1956 38 NYG 9 Felix Rodriguez 240 80.1 2001 28 SFG 10 Jeff Brantley 235 86.2 1990 26 SFG ... 13 Sergio Romo 210 36.0 2011 28 SFG
All data provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used Generated 8/4/2011.
To recap, among relievers since 1950 with 35 innings pitched, Romo ranks (1) in BB/9, (1) in SO/9, (1) in SO/BB, and (13) in ERA+. These lists, for the most part, are filled with bullpen aces. You’ve got players like: Rod Beck, Robb Nen, Brian Wilson, Felix Rodriguez, and Jeff Brantley. I think the most striking list is the SO/BB ratio ranking. Romo’s SO/BB (13.00) is nearly double the 2nd best pitcher, Rod Beck (6.63). That’s historic, and just sickening to look at.
Rarely has any reliever combined the ability to strikeout batters with the ability to not walk hitters. What Romo has done, to this point, is jaw-dropping, and bordering on sheer ridiculousness. Romo’s SO/BB is rubbing elbows with some of the most dominant seasons of all-time. Dennis Eckersley’s 1989 (18.33) and 1990 (18.25) are the only two seasons — within our search criteria — that beat Romo’s 2011.
Sergio Romo has quietly become one of the best relievers in baseball. For fans that have watched him pitch the last couple of years, that’s not surprising, but for the rest of the baseball world, they might scratch their heads at the funky frisbee slider throwing pitcher in San Francisco.
