MLB: Six Unlikely Pitchers That Are All-Star Worthy
Believe it or not, the MLB season is almost 1/4 of the way over. With teams ramping up their marketing efforts to promote All-Star Game voting, Call To The Pen looks at some unlikely names that should warrant strong consideration for a spot in the Midsummer Classic.
In just under two months, the brightest stars in Major League Baseball will take the field at Petco Park in San Diego for the All-Star Game. Though it may seem like the season just got started, the 2016 campaign has reached the quarter mark, and there have been some breakout players that deserve a good long look for All-Star recognition.
Yesterday, we looked at position players that have put themselves in line for all-star consideration, but there have been a post of surprising pitchers in 2016 as well. Established stars like Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, and Jake Arrieta are sure things to be in San Diego, but who might be joining them on the mound?
Pitchers are not part of the fan voting, so there may be a better chance for a few sleeper candidates to get the all-star nod. Let’s take a look at some of the candidates.
Next: Who will be on the bump in San Diego?
Jose Quintana – Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have been one of the big surprises of 2016, and it has a lot to do with the team’s pitching. While Sale gets the lion’s share of the recognition, Quintana has very quietly been one of the best pitchers in the game this year.
Because the Pale Hose have been out of contention the past couple of years, Quintana has flown under the radar despite solid numbers. From 2013-2015, the lefty threw at least 200 innings and won nine games each of those years. He’s been worth about 5.0 fWAR in each of the past two seasons.
Currently, he leads the American League and trails only Arrieta with a 1.54 earned run average, and is among the top four pitchers in the game in fWAR and FIP. His 0.17 home runs allowed per nine innings are tops in all of baseball, and his better than eight strikeouts per nine is the best of his career.
Next: The O's Ace
Chris Tillman – Baltimore Orioles
Much like the White Sox, the Orioles have exceeded expectations thus far in 2016, and Tillman is a big reason why. The Orioles, a team with sluggers like Chris Davis, Manny Machado, Adam Jones, and Mark Trumbo, are hanging their hats on pitching.
Tillman’s emergence as the O’s ace is maybe not too surprising, as he’s had solid seasons in the past, but this year he’s reached a different level. His 2.61 ERA is fourth in the American League and his 2.88 FIP is fifth. At 6-1 through his first nine starts, Tillman is also blowing his career averages for strikeouts and home runs per nine innings out of the water.
And Tillman is getting better as the season progresses. After Wednesday’s victory against the Seattle Mariners, the right-hander has six straight quality starts and a 1.83 ERA in that span.
Next: A career renaissance in the Bay Area
Rich Hill – Oakland Athletics
At the age of 36, Hill is experiencing a career renaissance in Oakland through his first nine starts of 2016. After showing a flash of this in four late-season starts for Boston a year ago, the left-hander has been the ace of an A’s staff that counts Sonny Gray as a member.
Hill is 6-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 49.2 innings of work. That ERA is seventh-best in the American League, as is his 1.3 fWAR. With an FIP of 2.93, he places sixth, which is ahead of such names as Corey Kluber, Marcus Stroman, and Jordan Zimmerman.
There are other pitching metrics where Hill is near the top of the league as well, including strikeouts per nine, home runs allowed per nine, and percentage of homers hit off his fastball. While his performance thus far may not be sustainable given his career numbers, Hill should get a look for a spot on the AL all-star staff.
Next: Electric stuff in Philly
Vincent Velasquez – Philadelphia Phillies
Vincent Velasquez, along with teammate Aaron Nola, have been huge on the mound for a Phillies team that no one saw contending this season. Part of the Ken Giles trade with the Houston Astros in the offseason, the big right-hander has the look of an ace in the making.
Velasquez is 5-1 with a 2.42 ERA through his first eight starts for the Phillies, and ranks among the top ten pitchers in all of Major League Baseball with a 1.7 fWAR, 2.45 FIP, a 0.99 WHIP, and 10.99 strikeouts per nine innings.
The California native burst onto the scene in April, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out nine in a 1-0 win over the New York Mets and following that up with a complete game, 16-strikeout blanking of the San Diego Padres. Far from a flash in the pan, Velasquez has also had two other starts holding the opposition scoreless.
Next: Representing the ASG host city
Drew Pomeranz – San Diego Padres
After years spent as a top prospect in the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies organizations and a two-year stint bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen in Oakland, Pomeranz is finally putting all together for the Padres at the age of 27.
Pomeranz, who made 53 appearances for the A’s in 2015, is making a mockery of his career averages this season, and beginning to perform the way a former fifth overall pick in the draft is expected to.
Despite the abysmal state of the San Diego offense, Pomeranz is 4-4 with a 1.96 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 1.2 fWAR. That ERA is ninth among MLB pitchers, and along with his ninth-ranked 10.96 strikeouts per nine and 16th-ranked 2.87 FIP, is evidence that the lefty may well end up being the host city’s lone all-star in 2016.
Next: Another young arm from Philadelphia
Aaron Nola – Philadelphia Phillies
Aaron Nola has not gotten the same fanfare that his teammate Velasquez has received, but he is every bit as deserving of a place on the all-star team. The Phillies first round pick, number seven overall, in the 2014 draft out of LSU, Nola’s numbers have his name being spoken in the same breath as Kershaw and Arrieta in 2016.
Nola’s 2.14 FIP is third in MLB behind only Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard of the New york Mets. The righty’s 1.9 fWAR places sixth, one spot ahead of Velasquez, and his 2.89 ERA and 9.85 strikeouts per nine innings put him solidly in the top tier of NL hurlers.
Next: Houston Astros showing depth in farm system
More importantly, Philadelphia has won the last five games Nola has started, keeping pace with the Mets and Nationals far further into the season than anyone could have imagined. The young Phils may not have enough seasoning to contend all summer, but with arms like Nola and Velasquez, they should be in the conversation (and all over all-star rosters) for years to come.