Taking a Look at NL Pitching

Posted on May 21, 2008 by Hef

We’re about a quarter of the way through the so I thought now was as good a time as any to take a look at the leading candidates for the NL Cy Young award.

1. Brandon Webb: What more can you say about the greatest pitcher ever? Lowest WHIP among all starters is impressive, but it’s even more so when you realize that he wants the batters to hit the ball. Yes, he benefits from an above average defense, but for someone with a K/9 under 7, he sure does control batters effectively.

2. Edinson Volquez: First in ERA; first in K/9 at 10.27; only 2 HRs allowed. This kid is amazing. A couple of negatives: high BB/9 at ~5; only 54 IP through 9 starts means he only averages 6IP which isn’t awful but he’s last on the list (this has more to do with his high pitch count/inning I imagine). A hell of a good pitcher. Too bad he pitches for the Reds. Very deserving of an “If his team didn’t suck” post.

3. Tim Lincecum: We’ve already talked about Lincecum here, but damn that kid is good. He strikes out 10.1/9IP and has a K/BB of 3. Great velocity and control will do that. He’s got an ERA of 1.92 which is second among all starters in the NL. Great pitcher on an awful team will cost him a deserving shot at the Cy Young.

4. Johan Santana: Has given up 11 HRs this year and his ERA is only 3.30. His WHIP is only 1.12. I guess all of the hits he’s given up are for HRs. Maybe he should work on that. K/9 rate of 8.55. Really, the only reason he’s on this list is because of his name.

5. Aaron Cook: An ERA of 2.82 and a WHIP of 1.27 at spacious, thin aired Coors Field. He’s got 6 wins for a shitty team and deserving of more acclaim. I know I’ll receive a lot of emails about putting Cook in this spot over Zambrano but I couldn’t help it. Someone has to mention him.

Random Note: You know who has the highest K/BB ratio right now? Dan Haren at 4.5 (!?!?!). He doesn’t strike out a ton of guys, but he only walks ~1.5/9.

Noticeably absent: Jake Peavy-his team is playing lousy and his ERA is high for a pitcher’s park plus he’s been injured; Scott Olsen-having a good year for the first place Marlins but he’s a total douche and I could never put him on any positive list of any kind; Carlos Zambrano-strikeouts are down, but he’s racking up wins on a good team.

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13 Responses to “Taking a Look at NL Pitching”

  1. PKIGUY22, on May 21st, 2008 at 2:17 pm Said:

    Um you forgot Hamels. He has been pitching lights out lately but he hasn’t had the run support. I think that he falls into the same category that Harang is in. Great SO pitcher and definite #1 ace on the team, that just doesn’t get the attention they deserve.

  2. Hef, on May 21st, 2008 at 3:20 pm Said:

    pki: I’ll take a look at him. Maybe he’ll warrant an individual post.

  3. PKIGUY22, on May 21st, 2008 at 3:34 pm Said:

    I think a great post would be “good pitcher, bad team” or “middle market teams, and the pitchers who we ignore”.

    I have the hard part done and now you can just fill the rest in with words and stuff.

  4. Hef, on May 21st, 2008 at 3:42 pm Said:

    You mean something like this: http://tinyurl.com/5ebl5x

  5. PKIGUY22, on May 21st, 2008 at 3:58 pm Said:

    I don’t get it. Was that supposed to be a funny link to something hilarious?

  6. Hef, on May 21st, 2008 at 4:05 pm Said:

    No, dummy. You said we should do a post called “good pitcher, bad team.” Round here we call it: “If his team didn’t suck.”

    /hangs head

  7. RomanWarHelmet, on May 21st, 2008 at 4:12 pm Said:

    Johan is on the list in name only but remember his history proves he gets better throughout the season…so I am going to venture that the other guys stats will get worse while Johan’s will get better..it will all mean nothing though because the Mets are pitiful

  8. PKIGUY22, on May 21st, 2008 at 4:18 pm Said:

    my humor is completely lost on the internets.

    /goes back into the lab to figure out how sarcasm can be displayed into internet.

  9. Spencer096, on May 21st, 2008 at 4:42 pm Said:

    why isnt fausto carmona on this list?

  10. stephen a, on May 21st, 2008 at 6:41 pm Said:

    spence i hope you’re joking.

  11. Diesel, on May 21st, 2008 at 7:52 pm Said:

    Santana on this list at this point in the season is retarded. Good to see you give props to Lincecum and Cook though. I had a claim in for Cook and someone beat me to him in fantasy, each start hurts more and more.

  12. Hef, on May 21st, 2008 at 8:16 pm Said:

    Diesel, he’s on the cusp. He won’t/shouldn’t win. I was able to snag cook myself and he’s been a nice addition to a team that is reverting to the mean.

  13. Bruce, on May 21st, 2008 at 9:50 pm Said:

    What, no love for Todd Wellemeyer?

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