Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Josh Beckett is out of the season to undergo surgery to relieve a pinched nerve in his neck, the Dodgers announced on Saturday.
The Dodgers traded for Josh Beckett, the former All-Star pitcher who infamously drank beer, ate fried chicken and played video games in the clubhouse during the Red Sox collapse. The second pitch he threw for the Dodgers was blasted way out of the park by Tyler Colvin in a 10-0 loss last August.
A look at traditional stats would seem to indicate that Beckett won seven games for the $31.5 million he will be paid for both seasons – five for Boston and two for Los Angeles. However, Sean Smith’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) indicates that Beckett pitched only well enough to earn and additional 0.3 wins over what would have been won anyway if a replacement pitcher (borderline major leaguer) had pitched in his place in all 36 starts over the two seasons, so he has only added 0.3 wins by pitching for the Dodgers – or a pace of one win per $105 million earned.
From 2001 to 2011, Beckett was worth an additional 33.4 wins to his teams and was a key part of runs by the Florida Marlins and Red Sox. The Dodgers’ $216 million salary is just $12 million less than the New York Yankees’. Even though the Dodgers are in last place, they entered play Saturday only 5.5 games out of first place since there is no dominant team in the NL West, so a return to form for the inconsistent but often dominant Beckett could have helped a playoff run. Beckett’s stats over the past two years and his 13-year career follow:
| Year | Age | Tm | W | L | ERA | GS | IP | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 32 | BOS-LAD | 7 | 14 | 4.65 | 28 | 170.1 | 0.9 |
| 2013 | 33 | LAD | 0 | 5 | 5.19 | 8 | 43.1 | -0.6 |
| 13 Yrs | 132 | 100 | 3.94 | 312 | 1935.1 | 33.7 |
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.