Brad Penny

Penny's histogram shows some bimodal data, and with a slight skewing to the right.

The time series plot is a bit more telling, as it reminds us that Penny performed worse in the second half of the season, when he was playing through some pain. As a result, he pitched basically without a breaking ball, and did not peak nearly as often as he did with one.

Penny showed some excellent potential, though, particularly early in the season. In August and September, though, he demonstrated his fallability as well as his poor health. Could Brad Penny lose 30 lbs and become a health nut, he could likely be one of the best pitchers in the game. As it is now, though, he's that frustrating C+/B- gifted kid.

Here are his numbers:

Starts: 33

Mean: 49.76

SE: 2.80

Min: 24

Q1: 35

Q2: 53

Q3: 63

Max: 76

The histogram shows the skewness, but what is really telling is that the mean and median are more than a standard error apart.

More: The LA Times has a bit more after talking to Brad Penny. This I found particularly insightful:

A split-finger changeup Penny developed last spring gave him a devastating third pitch to go with his 96 mph fastball and sharp curve. But he stopped using the splitter at mid-season because he was afraid it might lead to arm problems.

"It's hard on the arm and I shied away from it," he said. "Then I had trouble with my curve for a while, so I was out there throwing one pitch. It's tough to get by just with your fastball."

The rest of the article is here. Also encouraging is that Penny lost 10 lbs in the offseason. A step in the right direction, certainly. I wonder if he'll start throwing a cutter with that fastball and curveball. . .