John Lepore | December 15th, 2019
Madison Bumgarner has signed a 5-year/$85 million contract with the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks. $15 million is deferred. The big lefty played an integral role in the San Francisco Giants winning three championships in five years at the beginning of the decade. Here’s what he brings to his new team.
Madison Bumgarner was drafted 10th overall in 2007 out of High School by the Giants. He got his call-up in 2009 a little over a month after his 20th birthday. Since then, he’s been a model of consistency with the exception of a couple of fluke injuries. Between 2011-2016, Bumgarner posted an ERA between 2.74 and 3.37 with a FIP between 2.67 and 3.50. In that stretch he made at least 31 starts each year along with 200+ innings.
At only 30 years old, he should still have plenty left in the tank. The question comes when you look at his usage. In the past 10 years, he’s thrown 1,938.1 innings when you include the playoffs. He got hit harder last year than ever before at 43.8%. He also had his lowest GB% of his career at 35.8%, and he was unlucky with a 71.4% LOB% which was 5% under his career average. These are things he will need to correct to live up to the contract.
MadBum has the classic intense mentality you want from a starter. He’s shown he can pitch when the lights are the brightest also with his ridiculous 0.25 ERA in the World Series. His velocity was fine and other peripherals look to be in line with much of his career. If he can fix a couple things that hurt him last year, MadBum can be a valuable piece to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although the Diamondbacks have other, more pressing needs, he can be a veteran presence to the rotation. Despite a supposed decline that’s being predicted and a distance from his last postseason heroics, he will be worth every penny of the $85 million especially down the stretch and into the playoffs.
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