The Chicago White Sox jettisoned relief pitcher Scott Linebrink today to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Kyle Cofield.
The 34-year-old Linebrink went 3-2 with a 4.40 ERA for the White Sox last season. He recorded 52 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. However, his numbers seemed a lot worse than that? Maybe it’s because he was limited mostly to mop-up duty perhaps? Opposing hitters batted .262 against Linebrink in 2010.
Not all that impressive, but these numbers jump out at you a little bit:
Linebrink held opposing hitters to a .203 (15-for-74) batting average with runners in scoring position and posted a .083 (1-for-12) opponent’s average with the bases loaded.
Yes, a couple years ago Linebrink was a key contributor on the AL Central division winning team, and was once considered a fairly good set-up man. But his health has deteriorated since then and he’s lost his velocity, and with it his effectiveness.
Cofield went 1-3 with a 4.39 ERA in 18 appearances (10 starts) for Double-A Mississippi this past summer. The 23-year-old right-handed reliever was selected by the Braves in the eighth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.