Fun Fact About Luke Hochevar

Yes I am still mired in project hell, and yes I miss writing on a daily basis.  Hopefully by this weekend I can get back to writing routine and substantive posts again.  I do realize that substantive is really a matter of personal perception and preference, but they are to me so I’m going to roll with the assumption that there are others of you out there that enjoy the posts you find here.  Anyway …

You may or may not recall a piece I wrote back in August about how truly inept Sidney Ponson’s time as a member of the Kansas City Royals.  If you missed it or don’t remember it and want to check it out click here.

My post about Ponson leads into my “fun stat” about Hochevar.  If you read other Royals blogs, and I sincerely hope you do, you are probably already aware of Luke’s less than stellar 2009 pitching line, but for posterity I’ll include it here.

25 starts, 143.0 IP, 7-13 record, 6.55 ERA, 167 H, 46 BB, 106 SO, 1.490 WHIP

Keep that in mind when you consider …

2009 ERA+

Sidney Ponson = 59

Luke Hochevar = 67

I don’t point this out to say anything about Hochevar’s future, be it successful or otherwise.  I certainly don’t point this out to suggest that having a better ERA+ than Punch Out Ponson this season makes Luke’s season remotely redeemable, although he did have his moments.  Still, that would be like suggesting that Betancourt is okay as the Royals starting SS because he’s not TPJ.  Yunie over Pena Jr. is probably a stronger argument, but when it all comes down to it, neither of them were very good.

Clearly Luke Hochevar had a disappointing season.  Clearly Sidney Ponson was just awful and a mistake from the day he was signed.

Just wanted to point it out because it made me kind of giggle in a twisted sort of way.  After watching the Royals 2009 season play out, my sense of what is funny has clearly been skewed.

Based on one of Dick Kaegel’s latest posts over at MLB.com, it seems I’m going to need a skewed sense of humor to get through 2010 as well.