Let’s wrap up our Top 50 starting pitcher rankings with a look at the final ten on the list:
41. Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants
42. Jeff Samardzija – Chicago Cubs
43. A.J. Burnett – Pittsburgh Pirates
44. Homer Bailey – Cincinnati Reds
45. Tim Hudson – Atlanta Braves
46. C.J. Wilson – Los Angeles Angels
47. Hyun-Jin Ryu – Los Angeles Dodgers
48. Wandy Rodriguez – Pittsburgh Pirates
49. Josh Beckett – Los Angeles Dodgers
50. Mike Minor – Atlanta Braves
Thoughts:
- Can Tim Lincecum rediscover his old form? We all know he was awful last season (5.18 ERA over 186.0 innings), as his velocity dropped nearly two mph (92.3 mph in ’11 to 90.4 mph in ’12). He did have success in the postseason, albeit as a reliever, so that just has to add to the concern. It’s hard to imagine a pitcher that was this good completely losing it and having to be banished to the bullpen. Time will tell, but as a SP4 he is well worth rolling the dice on.
- Hyun-Jin Ryu is the latest import from Korea, but how will his performance translate to the Major Leagues? We’ll have to wait and see, but he has upside and is worth gambling on.
- It is definitely looking like 2011 was the aberration year for C.J. Wilson, isn’t it? His K/9 in 2010 was 7.50, similar to last year’s 7.70. His BB/9 in 2010 was 4.10, similar to last year’s 4.05. The only thing that really changed was his luck (his BABIP was .281), meaning we should expect numbers closer to last year’s 3.83 ERA and 1.34 WHIP (as opposed to 2011s 2.94 and 1.19).
- Will Josh Beckett be able to rebound in Los Angeles? To find out why he’s a good gamble, click here.
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Make sure to check out our 2013 rankings (all of which will be updated in the next few weeks):
- Catchers (updated 02/18/13)
- First Basemen (updated 01/15/13)
- Second Basemen (updated 01/22/13)
- Shortstops (updated 01/24/13)
- Third Basemen (updated 01/29/13)
- Outfielders 1-20 (updated 02/06/13) | 21-40 (updated 02/07/13)
- Starting Pitchers 1-20 (updated 02/12/13) | 21-40 (updated 02/14/13)
- Relief Pitchers (updated 01/31/13)
Wandy’s up there with some pretty good pitchers. What’s the analysis behind his ranking?
In a league in which Quality Starts are used instead of Wins….how much do guys like Samardzija (see also: Felix, etc…) rise in the rankings once you take the lack of run support out of the equation?
I hate to be “that guy”, but Ryu is from the Korean league not Japan.
He doesn’t seem to have an athletic build and lacks a plus fastball so his control is going to have to be close to superb. I just don’t see him in the same ballpark as Minor, Wilson, Bailey, etc.
Ryan – Wandy is ranked as a borderline SP4, so he’s hardly ranked among the best. That said, he has always put up consistently solid ERA & WHIP (think 3.50-3.75 and 1.25-1.30 ranges), despite pitching in Houston. Now that he’s in Pittsburgh, the win potential is a little bit greater. What really hurts is his decline in strikeouts, otherwise he would’ve been ranked even higher.
Marky Mark – I wouldn’t push Samardzija up too high, as he was hit incredibly hard last season (22.3% line drive rate) and he has had control issues in the past. He needs to prove that the latter are truly behind him. Maybe a handful of spots, but there still is risk involved.
J – Thanks, it was a typo that has been fixed!