Thursday, March 11, 2010

New Face, New Place: Roy Halladay, Phillies


Just when you thought Roy Halladay couldn't get any more valuable ...

Halladay's numbers the past eight years have been out-of-this world, and they came with the Blue Jays in the AL East. Now he's in the NL with the Phillies. No DH. Pitcher batting ninth. Better offense backing him up. Tough park, yes. But also consider:

g Halladay's new home, Citizens Bank Park, was 16th in home runs allowed in 2009. Right behind it at No. 17? Rogers Centre in Toronto.

g The general rule of thumb is to shave at least a half a run off a pitcher's ERA when he moves from the AL to the NL. Halladay's ERAs the past two seasons? 2.79 and 2.78.

g Halladay's career ERA against the NL in interleague play: 2.65.

g He won 17 games last year. On a team that won 75 games.

In other words, there's a whole lot to like about Halladay in 2010. I have zero concerns about his age or durability at this point. I think he'll be out to prove he's baseball's best pitcher as he strives for the first playoff appearance of his career. And I think he could outperform Tim Lincecum as fantasy's top pitcher this year.


Photo by The Associated Press

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