WTP sleeper fave Sergio Mitre was in control facing the Mets tonight, putting up a 7.2IP 8H 0ER 1BB 8K line, and getting 12 groundball outs to 1 flyout (two outs came off of outfield assists). He now has a 56% GB-rate (it actually dropped thanks to all the K’s) and 6.4K/9, putting him among Gil Meche and Brandon Webb as the only pitchers with rates that high in both categories.
The real development in Mitre’s game, and the reason he’s running a 1.89ERA, is that he’s only walked 1.6 batters per nine so far this season. It’s been 55 innings now, so the small sample-size argument is getting weaker–especially since these peripherals vary a lot less than something like ERA or batting average. We’ve got to start looking at this as a new skill pretty soon, and it’s one that makes him a pretty dang good pitcher.
Mitre shouldn’t be availabe in anything but a 12-team mixed league, and his gaudy ERA probably guarantees he isn’t. If you didn’t grab him when I suggested it earlier, you probably won’t have the chance. I think he’s for real though, and we might see a solid 2005 Brandon Webb/Derek Lowe type of season out of him this year.
