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2008 As expected, Lidge bounced back from his poor 2006 to be one of the best relievers in the game again last year. The thing is, his rates have shown very little variation over the past three seasons seen above. His BABIP allowed dropped 30 points last year, all of which went to his ERA, but he didn't actually pitch much differently in 2006 than in the two stronger years surrounding it. Dealt to Philadelphia, Lidge will find his new home park no more forgiving of his fly-ball tendencies than Minute Maid was. 2007 The joke goes that the ball Albert Pujols hit off Brad Lidge in the 2005 NLCS still hasn`t landed. If so, it appears to have taken Lidge`s confidence along for the ride. Sabermetric orthodoxy would suggest that anyone can close, but Lidge never seemed to recover from that shot to the ego, flailing in the closer role last year. For those looking for a physical explanation for his poor showing, Lidge has a long history of arm and specifically elbow issues (as a starter in the low minors, he appeared in just 19 games from 1999 to 2001) owing to his violent mechanics. His struggles with his control last year just might be a portent of another date with the surgeon`s table. 2006 Lidge is being pilloried for his postseason failures more than he should be because Albert Pujols is just that good. He has tremendous power and control, a healthy shoulder, a slider that righties lose sleep over, and there`s no team in baseball that wouldn`t love to have him. Don`t believe the backlash: Lidge is a complete and utter badass and could put up numbers in 2006 that would make Goose Gossage proud. 2005 Lidge was important to the Astros not just for the quality of his pitching, but because his performance enabled the team to trade Octavio Dotel for Carlos Beltran, a deal that fell just short of putting them in the World Series. He's not young; remember that he basically lost three years to arm problems, making just 19 appearances from 1999 through 2001. If recent history is a guide, he'll pitch another three months at his 2004 level, then regress just a bit. 2003 If you’ve ever owned a Jaguar XKE with the V-12, you understand the hope and despair associated with a cranky, high-performance piece of machinery. The organization coddled Lidge through 131.1 innings last year, a total that exceeded his previous four professional seasons combined. Lidge’s extreme brittleness prevents him from carrying a starter’s workload or recovering quickly enough to survive Williams’s typical reliever usage. It’s worth creating a unique role for his hard fastball and untouchable slider: regularly scheduled multi-inning relief appearances. Lidge could prepare for them like a start and they also would give his overworked bullpen mates needed days off. Don’t bet on it happening. 2002 Health problems have been a consistent issue for Lidge, as he’s missed most of the past three seasons. Last year, it was shoulder problems that required surgery. Although he can deal in the mid-90s, he’s had to change his throwing motion, and he dropped his curve for a slider. Nothing has helped keep him healthy. Lidge is a prospect in the same way that Jeff D’Amico (the big one on the Brewers) is a Cy Young candidate, but he’s talented enough to become an outstanding reliever someday. 2001 Unlike Ireland, Brad Lidge has no problem keeping his innings down. That's because the former #1 pick has suffered a number of injuries. What makes his health record so frustrating to the Astros is how well he’s pitched when he’s able to take the mound (just 14 times the last two seasons). He was healthy enough to pitch in the AFL briefly and handled himself well for someone who has yet to pitch above A-ball. He definitely knows how to pitch and could be the Jeff D’Amico of 2003. Of course, that would mean he missed most of 2001 and 2002.
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