Jordan Zimmermann, Washington Nationals
Jun 20, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (27) throws during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Zimmerman, narrowly edges out Patrick Corbin and Shelby Miller for the fifth and final spot.
Again, I’m left to nitpick. Zimmerman’s K/9 rate of (6.28 K/9) is low, at least for the others on this list. Corbin’s is only slightly better (6.98), and Miller’s (9.88) blows both of them away.
The caveat to Miller’s case is that he’s pitched 22.2 innings less than Zimmerman and 17.2 less than Corbin. Innings pitched isn’t the end-all-be-all stat, sure, but aces almost always eat up innings. I know, the St.Louis Cardinals are being cautious, because Miller is a rookie, but that doesn’t change point.
Then, it came down to Corbin and Zimmerman: Corbin had the lower ERA (2.22) to Zimmerman (2.28), but Zimmerman has pitched five more innings, and his FIP is 14 points lower than Corbin’s.
Don’t know what nitpicking means? No need to grab a dictionary–just read this slide again.