***Official 2021 STL Cardinals Thread***

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by jd1020

You don't get it because you think he was good this year.

You say he was bad last year, but good this year? The only thing he did better this year was be fortunate to not have a worse ERA. He had a 3.22 ERA when he was expected to have a 4.86. Every single advanced metric is as bad or worse than it was last year. He doubled up his IP from last season which amounted to 0.3 fWAR over what you say was a bad year. Ya... he was amazing this year.

He was really good for 1.5 seasons 2 years ago. You know who else had a run like that? Jake Arrieta.

Would I take Flaherty right now? Absolutely. But only because like you mentioned he's 25 years old and he has shown at his peak what he can be. But he hasn't been that in 2 years and injuries aside, if he comes out looking like a 2 fWAR pitcher again next year, I would probably think about seeing what teams would be willing to trade for him, if he was on my team.

Flaherty clearly wasn't right when he returned from his injury. He made it through a few starts and then basically got shut down as he struggled.

He was excellent in April and May. His peripherals for that time period don't show any major deviations from his 2019 and 2018 seasons, especially for a sample of that size.

His performance - even looking at FIP-, which is a very advanced metric and a great way to compare guys year-over-year, he was a top 30 SP in baseball and likely would have turned in a 3 win season. Gotta apply some context.

Acting like a top 50 prospect becoming a top 30 SP in MLB by the age of 25 is anything less than a success is just goofy.