Darren O’Day‘s name is not commonly among those listed when we talk about the best relievers in the game. Heck, his name probably does not even come up when we talk about the best relievers in the Baltimore Orioles’ bullpen. Well, that needs to change because Darren O’Day is having a career year.
I get it. To claim that a middle reliever is having a career year is akin to claiming that a replacement level player is having a career year. And, for most relievers, this might be true, but Darren O’Day is not a replacement level player, nor has he been in throughout his career.
Head on over to the BSL Forum to discuss Darren O’Day’s excellent season and much more!
Darren O’Day, even after coming off of his worst outing of the season, currently has +2.4 rWAR, marking the fifth 2+ rWAR season of his career, and only one-tenth of a win away from matching his career high.
Darren O’Day is currently sporting career best marks in ERA, SIERA, and xFIP and his FIP is far lower than his career mark coming into this season. Take a look at his 2014 numbers compared to his career marks coming into the 2014 season:
Darren O’Day’s 1.34 ERA is the third best mark in the majors among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched and his RE24 (which takes context into account and gives more credit for stranding inherited runners while ERA gives none) of 20.59 is the fourth best mark among relief pitchers.
So why, at 31 years of age, is Darren O’Day having a career year? Has he gotten better? Has luck been on his side? Well, how about both?
Throughout his career, Darren O’Day has posted low batting averages on balls in play (BABIP). His career mark coming into the season was .256 but his 2014 mark is .224, an unsustainable low mark. And when he has allowed base runners he has stranded 92.1% of them, almost 10% higher than his career mark coming into this season. These things can happen when you pitch 60 innings, though.
The good news is that Darren O’Day has been striking out a career percentage of players this year. His 27% strikeout rate is well above his 22.1% rate coming into this season. The added strikeout ability can likely be attributed to his increase in velocity. Take a look:
Not exactly a flame-thrower but adding nearly two miles-per-hour is a big deal, especially at age 31. The added velocity has helped lead to a career high 13.2% swinging strike rate.
Another reason for Darren O’Day’s exceptional season is that he is getting left-handed hitters out almost as frequently as right-handed hitters, something that he has had trouble with in the past.
Whether it be luck, added velocity, or both, Darren O’Day is enjoying a career year and the Orioles are hoping it continues well into the postseason.
-Jonathan C. Mitchell can be found writing at The Florida Post and you can follow him on twitter: @FigureFilbert
Jonathan C. Mitchell is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Florida Post and has had articles featured on ESPN and FanGraphs, among others. He is a former contributor to DRaysBay and Marlins Daily (formerly part of ESPN’s SweetSpot Network) and currently resides in Tampa with his beautiful wife and daughter. In his spare time you are likely to catch him at a local coffee roaster talking about sports, espresso, or single-origin coffees.