On to the American League
The first question here, one imagines, is what sort of leeway should be given to the AL trios because of the league’s use of the DH? How about in a year following a 60-game, pandemic schedule that’s somehow deposited every other MLB player, seemingly, on the injured list before July 4?
You got me. Is a 0.30 higher ERA about right? Is a good AL WHIP, rather than 0.90, 1.05? 1.20? Let’s look at some prominent numbers and see if there’s even a point in trying to answer these questions?
This is a way of asking if any team is within spitting distance of the Mets.
Generally speaking, the AL starters who have performed the best this season are now in two places – in the AL East and on the Southside of Chicago. Gerrit Cole leads the Yankees top three starters, which also include Corey Kluber and Domingo German. Tyler Glasnow leads an excellent Rays group that also comprises Rich Hill and Ryan Yarbrough – three WHIP figures below 1.09, in the aggregate a tiny bit better than the Yankees’ WHIPs, despite Cole’s 0.87.
Even lowly Baltimore has a star starter in John Means, whose ERA and WHIP figures are better than both Cole’s and Glasnow’s.
However, for the most part, the American League features three starters per team very much like those who lead the Blue Jays, Steven Matz, Hyun Jin Ryu, and Robbie Ray, three guys who largely pass the often-cited eye test, but who have thus far posted surprisingly mediocre numbers. They have three decent WHIPS, but no ERA better than 3.43, and nine losses among them.
Ten different teams can be sensibly classified as Jays-equal, Jays-plus, or Jays-minus. Including Toronto, of course.
The stark exception to this trend is the White Sox staff, which is led, somewhat weirdly, by three pitchers who don’t lead the team in starts – Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, and Carlos Rodon – 18-6 in the aggregate, with ERAs between 1.51 and 3.38 (two are below 1.90), and WHIPs between 0.84 and 1.23 (two are below 0.95). So, this is a trio arguably only a hair behind the Mets top three starters, if that.
But, more than that rough equivalence, the Pale Hose feature two other starters who have both started more games than the starter stats leaders, and who could – either of them, Dallas Keuchel or Lucas Giolito – replace any of the three current leaders.
Moreover, Keuchel is now 6-1, and Giolito’s WHIP is 1.11. Both have already started 14 games.
So, the Mets have the top three starters; the White Sox have the best five starters, and the Brewers are very, very good as well.