Point Counterpoint – Who is the best SP in MLB?

Johan Santana
Rob Swift

Some of you may wonder why I think Johan Santana is the best Starting Pitcher in the Majors.  To give you some insight, in my initial draft for this, I ran out of room before I even came close to running out of statistical data to support my claim.  So, since I can’t possibly present all of my ideas, I’m going to concentrate on why I feel his record for this season is not more reflective of his normal level of success.

On February 2nd of 2008, Santana signed a six year, $137.5 million contract extension with the Mets.  It made him the highest paid pitcher baseball.  However, I believe that both the Mets front office and Santana himself could not even begin to have imagined the abysmal level of offensive support he would get this season when he pitched.  But the numbers, or lack thereof, do not tell half of the story.  Santana has been a victim this year, a victim of his own team. 

In three particular games this season, Santana has left the game and handed a lead to the bullpen.  The scores when he left those games were 4-1 in the 6th inning, 5-2 in the 8th inning, and 4-0 in the 7th inning.  In order, the final scores of those games were 4-5, 6-8, and 4-5 or in other words, three blown saves and three no decision.  There was another game he would have won but an error was made on a routine ground ball that led to the winning run. 

The ultimate example was the second game I mentioned; it was on July 22nd at Shea Stadium against Philadelphia and this one still has me shaking my head.  Santana left the game after he closed out the 8th inning; handing a 5-2 lead off to the bullpen.  This game was in the bag and he would have his 9th victory of the season.  It took four relievers to give up six runs off five hits and two walks, another ND.

This is what Santana has had to deal with all season, the Mets’ offense scores hardly any runs for him and the bullpen continuously blows the leads he leaves them. If you add those wins he would have gotten, and subtract those losses he did get his Win – Loss record would go from 12-7 to 16-6.  Now that record is a little more reflective of the best Starting Pitcher in baseball I think. 

Hmm, not making my point clear to ya yet?  Well, how about some stats?  First off, even with just a 12-7 record, he has 159 Ks and a 2.70; he averages almost seven innings per start, and he is tied for 2nd in the league having only given up four stolen bases.  As far as his career goes, in just nine seasons including this one, he has 105 Wins, 3.15 ERA, and 1540 strikeouts. 

But there is nothing he can do about his team not scoring runs when he goes to the mound.  The bottom line is that Johan Santana has been the best Starting Pitcher for the last three to four seasons.  His average basic stat line is a win-loss record of 16-8, 219 Ks, and a 2.91 ERA.  So my simple question is can anyone top that? Didn’t think so!

Tim Lincecum
Daniel Paulling

Naming the best pitcher in baseball is a worthless task: You just can’t go wrong with any of the top names. But if you had to pin it down on one pitcher, you’d be hard-pressed not to go with Tiny Tim “The Freak” Lincecum. Heck, he’s a lefthander who throws 98 right handed. His middle name is LeRoy. What more could you want? 
 

Well, there are the ridiculous stats. Lincecum played three seasons in a ridiculously tough baseball conference, the Pac 10. He dropped his BB/9 and lowered his WHIP every season. His ERA dropped from 3.53 to 3.11 to 1.94. His final year he struck out 14.29 hitters every nine innings. Really, some of the best baseball talent in the country had no chance against him. 
 

Lincecum moved up to professional baseball, a 5-11, 170 man-child. He started 13 games across Low Class A, Hi Class A, and Class AAA. No one could come close to touching him. He averaged more than 15 strikeouts per nine innings and a WHIP of 0.79. This was a 22-and 23-year-old pitcher facing some of the best professional talent in the world. 
 

The Giants called Lincecum to their major league franchise about 13 starts too late into his career. Last season wasn’t too great, but as he showed the ability to do in college and minor league ball, Lincecum improved dramatically. This season has been a completely different story. He has struck out three hitters for every one he’s walked. The average batting line against him is .221/.297/.312. He’s making every major league hitter look like Neifi Perez. And that’s hard to do! 
 

Yes, people have concerns about his delivery. It’s weird. It’s different. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. He repeats his delivery very well, and his arm slot is good. If he can keep doing that, he should stay relatively injury free. 
 

Yes, it’s also a little early to be anointing him the best pitcher in the major leagues. But for someone this young, with so many quality pitches, we need to hop on the bandwagon now. If he keeps taking the mound, we’ll all see how great he can be, and we’ll all start called him the freak.

Brandon Webb
By Zach Greenberg

Every great pitcher has that signature pitch. Mariano Rivera is recognized for his cutter. Same with Cole Hamels and his changeup. For Webb, it’s his sinker. A sinker is a type of a fastball pitch that has downward movement. This pitcher is known to induce ground balls, which is exactly what Webb is able to do. 
 

However, Webb’s fastball is especially devastating, and is considered the best ever. One reason why the sinker is so effective is because of its drop. The sinker drops 5 to 10 inches, which causes batters to hit ground balls, over and over again. 
 

Ultimately, pitchers that throw sinkers are expected to have better groundball percentages than pitchers who do not. That is where Webb comes in with excellent numbers. While the average GB% is 43.88, Brandon Webb has a ridiculous 61.76 GB%, which besides Felix Hernandez and his 60.83 GB%, no one comes close to Webb’s ability to induce ground balls. This is especially important for Webb, who pitches his home games at Chase Field, which is notoriously known for being a hitter’s park. With that in mind, think about all that Webb has been able to accomplish. 
 

So far, Webb’s career has been nothing short of spectacular. His career era is just 3.18, which is remarkable. He has kept his BAA low at just .242. His average amount of strikeouts per year is about 144, but again, Webb’s specialty is inducing those ground balls. In just about six years of MLB service, Webb has given up just 87 home runs. 
 

In all, I believe Webb is the best pitcher in baseball. When you consider his history, his phenomenal numbers, and his mastery of the sinker, you can say with no regrets, that Brandon Webb is the best pitcher in baseball.

CC Sabathia

Adam Adkins

It's a common debate among baseball people.  Who's the best starter (and by extension, pitcher) in baseball?  It's a four horse race for me, but in truth, for me, it's all about 1.

Tim Lincecum?

You're great, kid, but I need some more time from you before I crown you.  Hell of a start, though.  You're probably the most dynamic pitcher to come up since... well, when?  Wanna head back to Doc Gooden?  Or Pedro?  The kid is that good.

Brandon Webb?

Few pitchers impress me as much as Webb.  Four years strong as an elite producer (albeit in a weak division).  Fantastic ground-ball rates which will make his decline slower.  Good strikeout rates, low walk rates.  No homers.  Pretty much a wonderful pitcher.

Roy Halladay?

Essentially Brandon Webb in the tougher league.  Incredibly impressive.  Someone asked if Josh Beckett was still the AL pitcher you'd most want in a Game Seven, assuming the Game 7 occurs before his impending elbow reconstruction.  I'm pretty sure I'd take Roy Halladay and not worry about it afterwards.  At no point over the last four years has Beckett been a superior pitcher than Halladay.

Three excellent cases.  But my pick is CC Sabathia.  He has the wonderful strikeout rates, very low walk rates, decent enough homer rates, and he's an absolute workhorse.  Throwing 241 innings in today's baseball is an amazing feat. He has been very good for several years now, and he should be great for several more years.

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