Giants post: Meet Sergio Romo. He has a beard too

Glorious

Warning: These are Giants post that use very specific Giants vocabulary meant specifically for those who follow the Giants. The jokes are even lamer. Specifcially.

            There were beards on the 2010 Giants team. In fact, nearly everyone in the Giants bullpen had a beard. Even little ole’ Chris Ray had a beard. Then in 2011, most of the player shaved their fuzz, because they probably became itchy. The only beard hold overs were Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo. Cody Ross had one too, but he shaved it sometimes, which disqualifies him from being a beard hold over. Wilson’s beard produced national acclaim, and thousands upon thousands of beard jokes, many which were unfunny. Romo’s beard on the other hand, though well known within the Giants community, never received the same praise as the zeus-like Wilson beard. Romo could have easily pouted or sulked as his teammate’s beard absorbed the spotlight from the infamous beard community. However, Romo never complained, being the gentle human he is, and instead pitched baseballs, an action many baseball players have a tendency of doing. Then Saturday happened, and Romo’s beard’s time has finally come.

            Wilson will have season ending elbow surgery, after experiencing pain in his elbow during his latest outing in Colorado. As a fan, this news is disappointing. You see, Brian Wilson is a funny man. I like watching a human chia pet throw baseballs. This season, from what I can see, his beard game is at an all time high. Brian Wilson is also a good pitcher, and he’s a staple of the 2010 Giants team, and it’s always sad to see someone from that team leave. I will also miss making Brian Wilson the Beach Boy and Brian Wilson the pitcher jokes, even though they are not funny and comedians die a little inside every time they’re uttered. Yep, the injury sucks. Now, I am crying L.

            However, once you get passed the disappointment as a fan, realize that the injury is not like Buster Posey’s a season ago. In fact, it’s not even in the same stratosphere. Last season, Wilson’s WAR was 0.6. It was his worst year since he became the Giants closer. He had a 3.91 xFip and a 3.11 ERA , both career highs. He had a 1.74 K/BB rate, also a career low and it marked a significant drop off from the previous 2 seasons. This is not to say Wilson wasn’t very good last season, as a 3.11 ERA is still very good and you could still count on Wilson for the most part during the end of games. But it’s not like he was untouchable, as he was during 2010 and most importantly, it’s not like he wasn’t replacable. Which brings us to Sergio Romo.

           

            Bruce Bochy stated earlier this week that he would employ a closer by committee between Romo, Santiago Casilla and Javier Lopez. Expect one of those guys to lock down the job, as Bochy tends to be stubborn when it comes to the closer.  That rules out Lopez, who’s a lefty specialist, and might only steal 2 or 3 saves depending on the matchups during the season. Casilla seems to be a lot of people’s favorite to win the job, as he posted a 1.74 ERA last season. But his command can fluctuate and he got extremely lucky during last season (.232 BABIP. Go here for the definition). If you’re idea of closer is the best reliever, which probably is most manager’s definition, than Sergio Romo is your guy.

            Last season Sergio Romo’s K/BB rate was 14.00. But wait, where does that rank him among MLB pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings? Asked the little town boy. Well, that ranks him 1^st. That is higher than 2^nd, 3^rd and even 4^th. A 14 K/BB rate isn't just good, it's one of the best rates in the history of baseball. Mariano Rivera's best K/BB rate was 12.8, which is also ridiculous. Yep Sergio Romo likes to throw strikes. If I had to guess whether he would rather ride a unicorn or throw strikes, contrary to popular opinion, I would say he would choose to throw strikes. I would choose unicorn, but that’s just me. He had a 1.50 ERA last season, the 5^th best in MLB. He had a 2.2 WAR, which for a reliever is outstanding. Romo has had an ERA over 2.18 just once in his 4 big league seasons. The man was better than Wilson has ever been last season. His slider is absolutely dirty. If his slider and Tim Lincecum’s changeup made love and had a baby, the baseball universe would collapse once the resulting pith is thrown. Yes, Sergio Romo is good. Very good.

            I’m going to miss Brian Wilson. But if Sergio Romo was a closer last season, he would be far and away the best. Now let’s all relish Sergio Romo and all his glory. And his beard.