Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez doesn't always have the cleanest innings, littering the bases with some hits and walks, working some deep counts and elevating fans' heart rates. But like a great adventurer, he finds his way to the finish line almost every time. Over the past three seasons, he has 237 strikeouts in 183â…” innings and an adjusted ERA+ of 194.
To put that last number into perspective, these are the career adjusted ERA+ stats for some relievers of whom you have probably heard:
Bruce Sutter 136
Goose Gossage 126
Trevor Hoffman 141
Rollie Fingers 120
Dennis Eckersley 116
Mariano Rivera 205
Those are all Hall of Fame relievers, of course, and though it's not fair to compare a smaller sample of Vazquez's career with the whole of the others, you get the point. He's pitching really well for Pittsburgh, he's right in the prime of his career, and other teams would love to have him, especially in light of his contract.
