For Washington Nationals' lefty specialist Sean Burnett, the 2011 season was classified as a disappointment. Coming off the best season of his young career with a brand new two-year $3.7 million contract extension, Burnett underperformed everyone’s expectations, which he had set for himself the year before. In 69 games and 56.2 innings of relief, he accumulated a relatively weak 3.81 ERA and 1.324 WHIP. He also struck out only 33 batters while walking 21.
His biggest problem though, was runners in scoring position. In 60 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Burnett gave up 33 huge runs and 21 hits, leading to a horrible .350 batting average against. He also walked seven for a .423 on-base percentage against. To make matters even worse, with two outs and runners in scoring positions, batters were hitting an astounding .406 with 13 hits in 32 at bats. These stats for a late inning, high-pressure pitcher made the Nationals and their fans nervous to see Burnett pitch wit...
Original Story:
|
June 05, 2012
