14 David Price stats Red Sox fans need to know
It may sound like a lot of money, but for the Boston Red Sox, the Price is right
The Red Sox and free-agent starting pitcher David Price reached an agreement on a seven-year, $217-million deal on Tuesday, as first reported by The Boston Globe. The deal’s reported average annual value of $31 million is the most ever for a pitcher (perhaps only until Zack Greinke signs a blockbuster deal of his own in the next few days). The 30-year-old lefty is a five-time All-Star. While he has had postseason troubles throughout his career, the Red Sox have had an entirely different sort of postseason trouble lately: They have finished in last place in each of the last two seasons.
Price has worn uniform No. 14 throughout his career (you can follow him on Twitter: @DAVIDprice14), but that number is retired in Boston having been worn by Hall of Famer Jim Rice.
Here are 14 stats to know about David Price:
1. David Price has only lost two or more starts in a row six times in his career and only lost three in a row twice, in 2011 and then again, in 2013.
2. Price is a workhorse, having made 166 starts (77.9 percent of all his starts) in which he has thrown at least 100 pitches. He had 31 such starts in 2014 and 25 in 2015. He averaged more than 100 pitches per start every year from 2010.
3. Since 2010, he’s had five seasons in which he has thrown 200+ innings. Only Cole Hamels, Felix Hernandez, and Price’s mentor James Shields have done it in all six seasons during that span.
4. Price has always been consistent throughout a game: In innings 1-3, batters have hit .234 against him; in innings 4-6 and 7-9, they have hit .232.
5. Over the last three seasons, Price has a WHIP of 1.085, good for 15th in the majors amongst starters, placing him between Felix Hernandez (1.067) and Stephen Strasburg (1.093).
6. Price throws strikes, leading the AL in strike percentage in 2015 at 68 percent, exceeded only by National League pitchers Max Scherzer (70.9 percent) and Bartolo Colon (69.8 percent).
7. Price is not consistently a 10+ strikeout-per-game pitcher. He’s had 29 such games in his career, 11 in 2014 and four in 2015.
8. There are very few numbers to be concerned about with Price, but one that may be worrisome is that his ground ball rate is only 41.7 percent, which ranked 62nd amongst all qualified pitchers last season. On the other hand, he did induce 17 DIDP last season, tied for 36th in the majors.
9. Last season, Price had 24 quality starts (minimum six innings and maximum three earned runs) and 17 ultra quality starts (minimum seven innings and maximum two earned runs). His 82 percent QS rate last season was the best in his career. Over the last three seasons, Price has had 44 UQS, tied with Chris Sale for the sixth-most in the majors.
10. Against the heart of the batting order (the 3-4-5 batters), Price held opponents to a .239 batting average against and a .364 slugging percentage against.
11. In 80 bases-loaded situations, he’s allowed only two grand slams, but has a .303 batting average against.
12. Last season, there were 305 stolen base opportunities against Price, but only two runners attempted a theft against him. Both were thrown out. David Price allowed no stolen bases in 2015.
13. Over the last five seasons, Price has a 3.34 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP against the AL East. Against the Yankees, he has a 4.28 ERA and 1.362 WHIP.
14. Speaking of the Yankees, no batter has more hits off of Price than Jacoby Ellsbury, who has gone 24 for 68 (.353). Toronto’s Jose Bautista has hit five homers off Price, the most of any batter. The Indians’ Yan Gomes has had far less success, going 0 for 15 with eight whiffs.
Price held the Red Sox to a .186 batting average throughout his Fenway career. Starting in 2016, he will have the opportunity to face the opposition at Fenway. Red Sox Nation can only hope for similar success in Boston.
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