QOTD: Is Sergio Romo Better Than Brian Wilson?

No one has better celebrations, that's for sure.

Pitcher A: 3-1, 1.67 ERA, 0.637 WHIP, 53 K in 37.2 IP, and only four walks
Pitcher B: 6-3, 2.77 ERA, 1.404 WHIP, 49 K in 52 IP, and 28 walks

From the surface, I want Pitcher A closing my games out. Those numbers are just scary. Scary control, unhittable pitches, and runs are a rarity. But Pitcher A is Sergio Romo, first-class setup man and beard aficionado, and Pitcher B is Three-Time All-Star Closer and Rockstar Brian Wilson.


First of all, they both do very different things. Very different things. The difference between being a setup man and a closer is more than just an inning. It's an attitude. It's that extra five MPH on the fastball. It's the spandex tuxedo.

Brian Wilson has been very good. He has the most saves in the majors in the last three years. He may have been a liiiiittle bit shaky this year, but his job has never been in question. Wilson is still, no question, the best closer in the National League.

But Sergio Romo just polished off a streak of sitting down 31 batters in a row without allowing a single baserunner a couple days ago. That's a 10 1/3 inning perfect game. His stats are insanely good. In his career, batters are hitting under .200 off Romo (.187). This year, they're hitting a meager .154.

Wilson is not as good this year as he was last year. He's like the Giants team embodied in a player. He added something new, a two-seamer that he throws 95 MPH. And he can control it. He discovered it at the end of last year, and he was supposed to be better this year for it. But for whatever reason, he's not as dominant as 2010.

Walks are up (26BB/74IP to 28BB/52 IP). Opposing batting average is up (.220 to .231). Strikeouts are down (11.2/9IP to 8.5/9IP). He has four blown saves this year after only having five last year. But he has better pitches. It doesn't make sense.

This isn't really trying to make a case for either one. I'm just kind of curious to know what people think. Romo has simply dominated this year. I wouldn't be comfortable if the Giants decided to jettison Wilson and insert Romo as closer, but here in 2011, Sergio Romo has been well nigh unhittable.