Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

Midseason Review: Freddy Garcia

W-L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	SV	SvOp
10-5	4.91	113.2	130	65	62	28	66	0	0

Something nice:  Despite the fact that his stuff has declined, he's managed to pitch well enough to lead the staff in wins.  He's a bit more of a competitor than people give him credit for.

Must improve:  Disposition.  There hasn't been a satisfactory explanation for why he's lost velocity on his fastball, and we're still waiting.  In the meantime, it'd be nice if he stopped calling out his teammates on the field.  Maybe he's trying to combat the stoner label thrust upon him by a Venezuelan paper, but openly expressing disgust after bad defense isn't the way to do it.

Three best games

May 9
Freddy shuts down the Angels, despite the fact that they're a West Coast team, and they were facing a new starter.  Eight innings of one-run ball, six strikeouts, no walks and more groundballs than flyballs.

May 20
Just about an identical performance to his Angels one, going eight innings, walking nobody and getting groundballs.  This time, however, he allowed zero runs.

June 22
Freddy gets revenge for his tough one-hit loss against the Twins last year by shutting down the Cardinals while Anthony Reyes one-hit the Sox.  He committed an error, but only allowing four hits and a walk will make those easier to absorb. 
 
Three worst games

May 26
The Blue Jays smack Freddy around Rogers Centre for 12 hits, and three of them leaving the yard.  Freddy's propensity for giving up the long ball becomes more evident.

June 11
The same story -- the Indians take Garcia over the wall three times to build an early lead.  The Sox almost climb out of the hole in the ninth, but ultimately end up two runs short.

July 8
Freddy had a leg up on Josh Beckett as the White Sox took the lead, but Garcia blows up after Rob Mackowiak fails to call for a ball and lets it drop.  Freddy throws his arms up in the air and lets a few F-bombs drop, the Red Sox rack up four straight hits and eventually tie the ballgame.  It's the second time Freddy embarrasses a teammate -- he did it to Tadahito Iguchi against Toronto.

Grades

Arm: C
Since when did he turn into a junkballer?  We know that he's a slow starter, and usually needs a few innings to get up to 94 -- that's why he got roughed up in the first inning so often last year.  Now he's lucky if he hits 91.  This man cannot live on breaking stuff alone.  What gives?

Head: C+
Look through his game logs and you won't see a lot of disastrous starts.  Even without his stuff, he can keep his team in the ballgame, which is why he has 10 wins.  The attitude is bothersome, though, and he doesn't have the right to show up his teammates with the way he's throwing.

Fielding:  C-
It was bad enough when baserunners were 19-for-24 last year -- in 2006, they're 25-for-26, and many of them are uncontested.  He's not good enough to ignore baserunners like Jose Contreras does.  I've railed on Chris Widger before, but Freddy has to throw his catchers a bone.

Awards

Pitcher of the Week, June 18-24
Pitcher of the Weak, May 21-27
Pitcher of the Week, May 14-20
Pitcher of the Week, May 7-13
Pitcher of the Weak, April 23-29
Pitcher of the Weak, April 16-22
Pitcher of the Weak, April 2-9