By Jason Wojciechowski on April 19, 2011 at 9:25 PM
Joe Sheehan wrote about the Indians last Thursday:
Mitch Talbot had a 1.28 K/BB last year; it's 2.20 to start 2011; Fausto Carmona jumped from 1.72 to 2.50; Justin Masterson improved from 1.92 to 3.00. The Indians' starters, save for Josh Tomlin, are throwing more strikes and issuing fewer free passes. They're also allowing the lowest line-drive rate -- 13.6% of balls in play -- in MLB. These numbers reflect a change in skills that has shown up on the scoreboard.
The Indians had at the time he wrote that played twelve games. Twelve. Is what passes for mainstream sabermetrics now a conclusion that there has been "a change in skills" after, what, 15, 20 innings of baseball for each of these pitchers?