Low Three Quarter Media

By Josh Bookbinder

What do Garrett Anderson, Craig Monroe, David Dellucci, Travis Hafner, J.D. Drew, Geoff Blum, Jay Gibbons, Chris Snelling, and Gary Matthews have in common? What links this odd group of early 2000’s baseball players together? Here’s a hint: it has to do with a modern-era baseball record, a Venezuelan reliever-turned-starter, and the year 2005 in Minnesota.

Carlos Silva‘s baseball career started as an amateur free agent out of Bolivar, Venezuela, a product of the Phillies international scouting. Two moderately productive seasons followed his debut in 2002 in the Philadelphia bullpen before he was shipped to Minnesota in a deal for veteran Eric Milton. A more productive year followed in Minnesota as Silva made the switch from reliever to starter, and shined in the new role. He ate innings, 203 of them to be exact, to the tune of a 112 ERA+ (4.21 ERA). This was a complete surprise to most, as Silva wasn’t even expected to be the centerpiece in the deal (Nick Punto took that cake). But the best was yet to come, as the next year he would make modern-era history.

In 2005, Carlos Silva would throw 188.1 innings, own a 130 ERA+ (3.44 ERA), a 1.17 WHIP, and walk only 9 batters the entire season. 749 times, batters stepped into the box against Silva. 740 of those times, they would make contact, get hit by a pitch, or strike out. Simply absurd.

Here’s a couple of notes about Silva’s 2005 from Reddit user u/aweinschenker in his post from 2017:

Carlos Silva and his remarkable 2005 season.
byu/aweinschenker inbaseball

Silva’s feats didn’t end with just his season totals. In May, Silva fired a complete game on only 74 pitches, the lowest recorded total for a complete game. Famously, a “Maddux” is considered throwing a complete game shutout in under 100 pitches. Maybe a complete game where a pitcher allows runs should be called a Silva.

The process for Silva’s success was simple: the same thing that made him an unremarkable early 2000’s reliever helped make him an outstanding starter when paired with excellent control. His repertoire consistent of a very low 90’s sinker paired with a changeup, splitter, and slider. He threw nearly entirely low in the strike zone and relied heavily on the changeup and splitter, which create a ton of ground balls. He didn’t walk many people, as has been established, but his pitch mix also was not at all conducive to strikeouts, either. He was noted as a quick pace pitcher, and despite his larger frame, was in shape enough to take very little time in between pitches. Combine that with his mustache/goatee combo and baggy jersey, and that describes just about 70% of the 2005 MLB pitcher base.

Silva’s control was what set him apart, and 2005 was the peak of it. He answered the question “what happens when you give an average pitcher superhuman command?”, and answered it well. Greg Maddux has long been the benchmark for old-school coaches, and anyone who played baseball in any capacity since 1995 has likely heard some form of “…and all Maddux needed was control!” This is half-right. Maddux had superhuman control, but his stuff was also off the charts; his 92-94 mph was above average MLB velocity at the time, and the movement he was able to create rivaled or topped anyone in pitching history. Carlos Silva is far more representative of the power of command in pitching. He was average, and found the ability to put the ball wherever he wanted it, and that made him great for a season.

Unfortunately, that season was all it was. 2006 brought fresh challenges for Silva, and he did not face them well. He was still a control pitcher, but he was more above average than all-time great; his ERA ballooned to a 75 ERA+ (5.94 ERA). He lasted 5 more years in major league baseball, bouncing to two more organizations, and spent two final years in the minors with two more organizations looking to find it again. His 2005 season went down as an anomaly, but a beautiful one at that.

So what is it, then, that Garrett Anderson, Craig Monroe, David Dellucci, Travis Hafner, J.D. Drew, Geoff Blum, Jay Gibbons, Chris Snelling, and Gary Matthews have in common? They were the only people to get free passes to first base from Carlos Silva in the greatest show of command in a season in the modern era of baseball. Two of them didn’t even earn them, as Silva handed them out on purpose in intentional walks.

Somehow, I don’t think those nine have a regular reunion.