With Max Scherzer, Mets Just Pulled A 2001 Diamondbacks
If you want to know the importance of what the Max Scherzer signing with the New York Mets is, look to the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. That’s really the last time we saw this.
The Diamondbacks had added Curt Schilling at the 2000 trade deadline, but that team couldn’t stay in the race. That wouldn’t be an issue the following season.
Schilling combined with Randy Johnson to be one of the most lethal, if not the most lethal co-aces atop a rotation. The result was a 92 win season.
It’s difficult to argue they didn’t do it themselves. Schilling and Johnson both pitched over 249 innings and had an ERA under 3.00. The rest of the rotation struggled, and the bullpen wasn’t great aside from Byung-Hun Kim and Bret Prinz.
Offensively, that was one of the worst teams you could imagine for a World Series winner. Consider, Luis Gonzalez had a phenomenal year hitting 57 homers, and they still only had a team 97 wRC+.
That’s what having two of the best pitchers in all of baseball means. Their innings and greatness masks so much. Case-in-point, that team was 52-18 when Schilling and Johnson pitched, and they were 40-52 when they didn’t.
It was a feat replicated in the postseason. The Diamondbacks were 9-2 when they pitched, and they were 2-4 when they didn’t.
Good pitching beats good hitting. Great pitching wins World Series nearly single-handedly. That was the case in 2001, and it may be the case again in 2022.
With all due respect to Schilling and Johnson, if Jacob deGrom is healthy, deGrom and Scherzer are a more formidable duo.
Consider this. Schilling’s best ERA+ was 159, and his best FIP was 2.40. deGrom has bested that ERA+ three times and the FIP twice. Scherzer had a better ERA+ three times.
Johnson was on a different level than Schilling with a career best 197 ERA+ and 2.04 FIP. deGrom bettered than ERA+ and FIP once, and it would’ve been twice if he was healthy in 2021.
In addition to deGrom and Scherzer being the better duo, the 2022 Mets promise to be a better roster. This team is not done with their offseason, and they still have players like Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Brandon Nimmo.
With deGrom and Scherzer, this Mets team is already a World Series contender. We need look no further than the 2001 Diamondbacks as proof of that. How great they will be will be determined by the rest of this offseason.
Did you say the 2001 diamonbacks were bad offensively? In runs per game that year they were 6th in mlb. 5.02. What are you talking about? Ops+ is a flawed stat. So is slugging. A guy that hits 2 doubles is scored the same as a guy who hits 1 homerun. I’d prefer 2 xbh to 1. 40 doubles and 20 homers is better than 30 homers and 20 doubles, yet they are scored equally. 60 xbh to 50. That team was stacked offensively. Your wrc numbers mean nada. Tell me the 2001 diamondbacks batting average with risp compared to the league. You could find a better example. White Sox last world series win prob
You’re wrong
Why use era+? How about just era? You are complicating this. It’s gonna be a great duo but up to now you can’t say Johnson and Schilling combined are not as good as degrom and Scherzer. It’s close but you’re wrong. Neither ever got hurt. Degrom missed half a year last year and Scherzer couldn’t take the ball in the game that ended the Dodgers. Johnson was credited with wins in game 6 and 7 of the 01 World series I do believe. Good try, but don’t compare them.
ERA+ is a far superior stat
According to your stat the dbacks in 01 were sub league average going by ops+, but who cares about on base when you score runs? 7th most rbI total. Terrible argument.
RBI = good offense.
You’re funny