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Atlanta Braves Add Colon, Dickey; Backing Off the Ledge, Slowly

By Dan Horton

May 2, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) bunt pops out to the pitcher during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) bunt pops out to the pitcher during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 27, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning against Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning against Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Bartolo’s Big Sexy Numbers

Let me please first say, I’ve always loved watching Colon play. He brings an energy, flair, and child-like attitude to the game. He has immeasurable fun when he’s on the mound.

That being said, I’ll admit, I thought Bartolo was a novelty; a side-show. I thought his effervescent flavor was all he brought to the table. But as I found out, Colon actually, at 43, still has some gas left in the tank.

It’s my hope that I can help those who have had similar reactions to mine and ease their frustration, confusion, or incredulous feelings about the signing.

I looked at sites like StatCorner, FanGraphs, and Baseball Reference, to get a better idea and picture of what Colon brings. It’s pretty impressive, for 43-year-old “Big Sexy”.

For starters, stability and consistency are near the top of the list in all of baseball …

Also, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick wrote a wonderful piece on what this means for the Braves. I would encourage you all to give it a look.

Additionally, according to FanGraphs, Colon finished near the top for walks per nine. His 1.51 was top in the NL and  3rd overall for all of MLB.

A quick review of StatCorner shows that in certain situations, Colon was more valuable than I had originally thought.

The percentage of pitches thrown by Colon when ahead in the count was 39.6%. For comparisons sake, tops in the league was Clayton Kershaw with 43.9%. Translation: That’s pretty dang decent.

This means that Colon gets ahead early and throws almost 40% of his pitches when ahead. He’s also going to pound the strike zone.

His percentage of pitches in the strike zone this year was 54.8%, good for 6th overall. First in the league was Rich Hill at 56.7.

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