2011 Top Pitchers Of The Year

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance gives the season’s top pitchers its Walter Johnson Award. Johnson was a tall right hander who threw with a side-arm motion and was equipped with blazing speed. He toiled for decades for the Washington Senators, a team that would often put the “L” into losing. What he accomplished during some of those years with a losing club is hard for me to believe.

Take the 1910 season, for example. The Senators won 66 games and lost 85, for a percentage of .437. In the games in which Johnson pitched and earned the decision, however, the team’s record was 25 wins and 17 losses, for a percentage of .595. I’m certain some Senators fans were wondering, what can this guy do if we actually put together a winning team? Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait very long to find out.

By 1913, the Senators had become a very good team, finishing second. How good was Johnson that year? Pick your adjective. Unbelievable. Phenomenal. Fantastic. During this season “The Big Train” turned in one of the finest campaigns ever had by any pitcher, in any era. Just look at these stats: 346 innings pitched, a record of 36 wins and only 7 losses, 1.14 ERA, 11 shutouts, 29 complete games, 0.780 WHIP and a 12.4 WAR. For his efforts he was awarded the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award.

What I find even more amazing, if that’s possible, is that eleven seasons later, in 1924, Walter Johnson won the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award again. At the age of 36 he still had enough gas in the tank to go 23-7 for the only Washington Senators team to become World Series Champions.

Walter Johnson’s pitching prowess won him endless accolades, including the stamp shown up above. Perhaps the most meaningful one he experienced during his lifetime came in 1936 when he was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

A Few Words About Numbers: In the baseball universe, A Sabermetric approach is one that uses statistical analysis to determine a player’s performance and value. These numbers are useful, and I understand many key measurements. However, this blog isn’t about numbers and I’m not a big numbers guy. But in voting for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance annual awards, I have been using them more than I usually do. For my readers who aren’t familiar with these types of statistics and/or terms, here’s a brief explanation:

Pitching record: the number of decisions a pitcher won and lost, stated in that order. For example, a pitching record of 25-5 means the pitcher won 25 games and lost 5 games.

Earned Run Average: Often abbreviated to ERA, this is the number of earned runs that an opposing team will score against a pitcher, on “average,” during a nine-inning game. If your starting pitcher has an ERA of 1.5, more often than not, all you will have to do is score 2 runs and you will win the game.

WHIP measures the combination of walks + hits that a pitcher will surrender per inning pitched. When a WHIP is low, the pitcher is allowing fewer runners to get on base. Keeping runners off the bases limits your opponent’s scoring opportunities.

WAR measures a player’s value, in terms of wins, against a replacement player’s value.

National League Pitchers

1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers. The left hander is my choice for the Walter Johnson Award for Top Pitcher in the Senior circuit. He statistics were 21-5, 2.28 ERA, 0.977 WHIP, 6.9 WAR.

2. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies: 19 – 6, 2.35 ERA, 1.040 WHIP, 7.4 WAR.

3. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies: 17-8, 2.40 ERA, 1.027 WHIP, 6.8 WAR.

4. Ian Kennedy, Arizona Diamondbacks: 21-4. 2.88 ERA, 1.086 WHIP, 5.5 WAR

5. Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants: My only relief pitcher on this list. 3-1. 1.50 ERA, 0.708 WHIP, 2.0 WAR.

American League Pitchers

1. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers: By far and away the best pitcher in the American League this season, Verlander is my selection for the Walter Johnson Award for Top Pitcher in the American league. He threw a no-hitter on May 7th against the Toronto Blue Jays. I saw that game on television and was impressed by how much stronger he got as the game progressed. His key statistics were: 24-5, 2.40 ERA, 0.920 WHIP and 8.6 WAR.  He had an excellent season that contributed to the Tigers winning the American League’s Central Division. It will be interesting to see if 2011 was the year of his greatness. If the Tigers remain a good team, he could be a 20-game winner for years to come. As a baseball fan, I find myself wondering what might happen if he continues to get better.

2. Jared Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 18-8, 2,41 ERA, 1.010 WHIP, 6.6 WAR.

3. James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays: 16-12, 2.82 ERA, 1.043, 6.1 WAR.

4. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees: 19-8, 3.00 ERA, 1,226 WHIP, 6.9 WAR.

5. Dan Haren, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 16-10, 3.17 ERA, 1.024 WHIP, 4.0 WAR.