MLB Weekly: Comparing A.J. Burnett & Josh Beckett

After last night's incredible pitching duel between A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett; I thought it would be the perfect time to compare these two pitchers. The majority of people would say without question that Josh Beckett is a much better pitcher than A.J. Burnett and also a healthier pitcher. However, that's not exactly the case and the two are a lot closer than you might think.

Let's take a look at Beckett and Burnett's stats over the last 5 seasons ('05-09'):

Josh Beckett

120 ERA+

908.1 IP

141 GS

76-40 WL

3.80 ERA

829 K's

247 BB

3.35 K/BB

8.21 K/9

1.19 WHIP

A.J. Burnett

114 ERA+

871.1 IP

134 GS

60-43 WL

3.78 ERA

846 K's

341 BB

2.48 K/BB

8.74 K/9

1.29 WHIP

Not as much difference between the two pitchers from 2005 through this season as you would expect. Beckett has a little better control, but other than that these two guys have been mirror images of each other. It's also a myth that Beckett is the healthier of the two pitchers, considering that only 7 starts and 37 innings pitch separate to two pitchers over the past 4 plus seasons.

Many people thought it was outrageous for the Yankees to pay $16.5 million a year to A.J. Burnett, but my guess would be that if Josh Beckett were a free agent he would be looking at a contract over $20 million a year. I still think Beckett is the better pitcher overall, but considering the two pitchers are so close in performance, it seems to me that Burnett making $16.5 million a year is actually a bargain compared to what Josh Beckett would probably command on the open market.

In a way the Yankees added a "Josh Beckett-lite" to their rotation with their signing of Burnett.

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