:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/42950252/452937902.0.jpg)
Kyle Kendrick at Baseball-Reference.com and Fangraphs.
Without having looked, I couldn't have told you much about the overall quality of Kendrick's 2014 season. I mean, I knew he wasn't good, and I was fairly sure he wasn't a freight train full of poo, but beyond that? Because, frankly, the most memorable thing about him this year was that he wasn't very memorable.
I mean, in 2010 and 2011, he shuttled back and forth to the bullpen as needed and racked up some decent numbers. In 2012 and 2013, he regressed hard but still found it in him to lead the team in complete game shutouts. Seriously, who saw that coming? No, no you didn't. Sit down.
But this year, though, he had nothing like that. Just another mediocre innings-eater.
Kendrick finished the year with career highs in losses, starts, innings pitched, hits allowed, runs allowed, walks, strikeouts and wild pitches. He was called for zero balks, which is kind of the pitchers' equivalent of me not going to work an hour late the day after Daylight Savings Time ends: rare, but unremarkable. He also managed to allow the second fewest unearned runs with six, among all pitchers who allowed more than 100 runs, which is kind of the equivalent of bring picked second to last for your flag football team. It's actually the most Kyle Kendrick thing of all.
He was paid $7,675,000 this season, and produced 0.4 WAR. He's due to be a free agent, and I think it would be wise for the Phillies to let him go. I've said this here and elsewhere before: I kinda like Kyle, but there's no justifiable reason to resign him.
Assuming he's not re-signed, he'll end his Phillies' career with a 74-68 record, 185 starts, 1,138 and two-thirds innings and 622 strikeouts. He was paid a total of $19,025,000, and accrued 6.1 rWAR (or 4.6 fWAR). Which, actually, is probably how we should remember him.
Good luck Kyle.
Ed. note: Kendrick reported to Japan as instructed for his exit interview, but we neglected to send anyone there to speak with him. We assume it went well.