FanPost

Re-Defining the Quality Start

As anyone who has listened to the D Backs broadcasts over the last several years know, there used to be a pretty good natured debate between Daron and Mark over the value of the Quality Start statistic. Daron would bring up the QS statistic, usually in relation to a D Backs pitcher when it was advantageous. Gracie, in mock outrage, would rail against the stat, thinking it useless to point out a guy with just 6 IP and 3 ER and a 4.50 ERA as having produced "Quality". Then Daron would dutifully point out that league average ERA was indeed close to 4.50.....and so it went.

Well.....things have changed, and it looks like this "debate" has been settled in Gracie's favor.....at least in the current run scoring environment.

The NL ERA is currently 3.84. That makes a 4.50 ERA look decidedly worse than average. The time has come to scrap the "Quality Start" stat as previously defined. It's time to define a quality start as 7 IP and 3 ER or less. That works out to a 3.86 ERA , so almost exactly current league avg. I think even Gracie would agree that going 7 full innings and no more than 3 ER would be considered Quality.

Here is the list of the current MLB leaders in this newly defined Quality Start. I put the cutoff at 9 so we can get Joe Saunders in there. You guys know I just LOVE selective beginning and end points. ;)

Rk              Player #Matching  W L  ERA CG SHO
1     Justin Verlander        18 15 2 1.38  4   2
2        James Shields        17 10 4 1.40  7   3
3          Cole Hamels        17 12 3 1.57  2   0
4         Jered Weaver        16 11 0 1.07  4   2
5         Roy Halladay        16 12 2 1.79  6   0
6          CC Sabathia        14 12 1 0.99  2   1
7      Felix Hernandez        14  8 3 1.92  2   0
8         Ricky Romero        13  7 4 1.44  3   1
9        Ricky Nolasco        13  6 4 1.75  2   1
10           Dan Haren        13  7 1 1.05  3   2
11         C.J. Wilson        12  7 3 1.92  2   0
12         Carl Pavano        12  6 1 1.94  2   0
13    Justin Masterson        12  4 2 1.39  1   0
14        Tim Lincecum        12  6 4 1.23  1   1
15           Cliff Lee        12  9 1 0.84  5   5
16     Clayton Kershaw        12 10 0 0.94  4   2
17          Tim Hudson        12  9 1 1.81  1   1
18       Trevor Cahill        12  8 3 1.42  0   0
19        Mark Buehrle        12  4 3 2.15  0   0
20       Daniel Hudson        11  8 1 1.82  2   0
21     Yovani Gallardo        11  8 2 1.10  1   1
22           Matt Cain        11  5 1 1.56  1   0                                         
23          Randy Wolf        10  5 1 1.63  0   0
24       Ervin Santana        10  5 2 1.93  3   1
25         David Price        10  7 2 1.63  0   0
26         Ian Kennedy        10  6 0 1.16  1   1
27         Gavin Floyd        10  7 2 1.33  0   0
28        Johnny Cueto        10  5 2 1.31  3   1
29     Chris Carpenter        10  4 1 1.64  2   0
30   Madison Bumgarner        10  5 4 1.57  0   0
31        Josh Beckett        10  6 1 1.18  1   1
32        Joe Saunders         9  6 1 2.02  1   0
33      Anibal Sanchez         9  5 1 1.43  2   1
34     Wandy Rodriguez         9  4 1 1.38  0   0
35       Jair Jurrjens         9  8 0 1.29  2   1
36       Philip Humber         9  5 1 1.80  0   0
37       Luke Hochevar         9  5 1 1.94  0   0
38       Matt Harrison         9  8 0 1.21  0   0
39      Jeremy Guthrie         9  4 5 1.91  2   0
40         Doug Fister         9  2 3 2.21  1   0
41         Scott Baker         9  6 1 1.20  1   0