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Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Steven Stamkos

2011's Best Starting Pitchers

November 23rd 2011 18:53
This is a ranking of the best starting pitchers of the 2011 season, and it's based on the performance of last season alone.

1. Roy Halladay- His 2.20 FIP was awesome, his efficiency gets overlooked because of the hype surrounding the guy directly below him.

2. Justin Verlander- Deserved the Cy Young, but his season was a little overrated (.236 BABIP). Still, accomplishing a 2.40 ERA with 8.96 fans per nine is no easy feat.

3. Clayton Kershaw- Although Halladay should have won the award, it's tough to argue with a guy who had the pitching Triple Crown. But of course, the Triple Crown doesn't trump advanced statistics; even if it's still an incredible feat.


4. CC Sabathia- Lost among a season of elite pitching was Sabathia's 2011 campaign.

5. Cliff Lee- Had a 2.60 FIP and was in the thick of the "race", well, for those who paid attention to him.

6. Dan Haren- If you dig deeper, it becomes apparent that Haren was truly the best starter on the Angels last year.

7. Jered Weaver- But hey, Weaver did have a 2.41 ERA regardless of the luck involved.

8. Ian Kennedy- How could I not reward the former Yankees prospect?


9. Madison Bumgarner- This sophomore was no bum, as he garnered a 2.67 FIP.

10. Zack Greinke- A 10.54 K/9 and 2.56 xFIP? I think so.

11. C.J. Wilson- There's a reason why he's easily the top free agent starter on the market.

12. James Shields- Would have been in the top ten in most seasons; just not this one.

13. Matt Cain- The guy who somehow defies sabermetrical logic year in and year out, but he did have a 2.88 ERA that was in line with his 2.91 FIP this season.

14. Cole Hamels- Yeah, the Phillies offense really dragged the team down.

15. Doug Fister- And we thought this trade was meaningless when it first went down.

16. David Price- Wasn't all that much worse than his teammate, but he was still worse.

17. Matt Garza- Well, at least the Cubs got what they wanted in the trade; an over-performing pitcher. He won't always be this good, but that season alone might make that trade at least a solid one for the Cubbies.

18. Felix Hernandez- Yeah, I probably put him a little too low, but it really wasn't the best of years for Felix. But just you wait for 2012 Mariners fans, you'll have the Astros to beat up on.

19. Tim Lincecum- No top 20 is complete without Timmy's presence, even in a "down" year (he still had a 2.74 ERA).

20. Daniel Hudson- He and Kennedy are two young starters to build a rotation around.

21. Brandon McCarthy- Now who saw that coming?

22. Josh Beckett- He really carried the Red Sox sagging rotation this year with a 2.89 ERA.

23. Matt Harrison- Scouts love him when he doesn't nibble, and he had a solid year that he should be able to build on.

24. Chris Carpenter- A boss year in and year out, and to think that the Cards won it all without Wainwright.

25. Jaime Garcia- What better way to end a top 25 starter list than a World Champion?
What a rebound year
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8/2011 Team Scope: Seattle Mariners

August 16th 2011 14:15
The Mariners have the worst offense in baseball, and Dustin Ackley is the only player with at least 200 plate apperances who has an RC-plus of over 100. Franklin Gutierrez, Miguel Olivo, and Chone Figgins have been so bad that they might as well sign Carlton Lassiter (for you Psych fans out there). I mean really, this team just can't hit! Ackley has been outstanding, but nobody else has been around the league average in hitting (100 RC-plus ). Chone Figgins? He has an atrocious 35 RC , has a -0.8 WAR, and he only provides value on defense (marginal value really).

The funny thing is that offseason acquisition Brendan Ryan has the highest WAR on the team. His RC is only 90, but that's the fourth highest on the team. We all know Ryan can't hit, and the reason why he has value is because of his glove. He has been very good in the field, and Ryan has also been smart on the basepaths this year.

Dustin Ackley will overtake Ryan in WAR, and he has been on fire since his call-up. Ackley's RC of 141 will definitely cool down, but he has really produced for the M's. His ISO is .201, his wOBA is .374, and he has provided value defensively and on the bases as well. In short, Ackley is the team's best non-pitcher. I don't care about regression, because frankly, nobody else on this roster is really that good (again, non-pitchers only).

The Mariners don't really have a good pitching staff either; it's only OK. Even though Casper Wells has been great since the Doug Fister trade, I still don't think the M's should have traded Fister. That mindset might change if Francisco Martinez ends up being a solid major leaguer.

Anyway, Felix Hernandez is a beast so we don't need to talk about him. Now what about Michael Pineda? Nobody is talking about him much anymore, but he's still been very good. His fastball is still getting up there in a hurry (95 mph), and his slider has been nasty. The K's are high (9.13) but so are the walks (3.13). Pineda has had a great season, and he definitely deserves to be the AL Rookie of the Year.

Brandon League has surprisingly held up as a closer and is having a pretty good year. I can't say the same for the rest of the bullpen; especially Jamey Wright and Aaron Laffey. Those two are pitching much worse than what the raw stats would indicate.

In summary, the Mariners stink and will continue their losing ways until some influx of competence in the lineup is created. This offense doesn't nearly resemble a Major League offense, and they have no true power hitter or table setter. If you don't have either of those two, I don't see how you can hope to be at least an average team at this level. And heck, they don't really even have much of a bullpen either. They should be thankful that teams like the A's and Astros exist, because the Mariners would probably be the worst team in baseball, from a pure talent perspective, without them. Well, they might actually be worse than the A's, but that's a debate for another day.
M's best hitter

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