Ace’s in the Era of Pitchers
In the an age known as the Era of the Pitcher, it is impossible to declare the top three pitchers in Major League Baseball that would be accepted by everyone. However, there are a few who stand out more than their equally capable counter parts. Here’s a
look at baseballs best young ace’s that are changing the face of the game with their raw talent, in-field performances and statistics.
There are many categories of pitchers out there, but if one were to talk about young and relatively new pitchers in baseball then the following three have proved themselves beyond their years already.
Adam Wainwright has had a 60-29 record in the span of four seasons with twelve of the mentioned losses coming in the 2007 Major League Baseball season which was his first year where he fully started. His excellent ERA over the span of four seasons is 3.70,
3.20, 2.63, and 2.07 with a career 62-30 complimented by a 2.94 ERA. As statistics evidently point out he has been getting better every year. Wainwright was awarded 2009’s Most Outstanding National League Pitcher and has an All Star selection to his name as
well. Although he hasn’t been performing this season due to a necessary Tommy John surgery, it is more than expected that upon return he will be better than ever.
Josh Johnson is going 10-4 this year with a 1.97 ERA. In the duration of the last three seasons his record stands at 32-10, which is excellent seeing how he is on a sub-par team. Johnson led the National League’s ERA in 2010 and has won two National League
Pitcher of the Month Awards, including two All Star selections. His pitches are a well matched combination of sliders, curveballs and change-ups and average at about 90-100mph. Johnson is probably the only one out these who could battle it out with Roy Halladay,
the seasoned Philadelphia Phillies ace and emerge out of the match-up victorious as was seen in the series between the Phillies and the Florida Marlins.
Tim Lincecum is comparatively slower this year pitching wise, but his down period is better than the best of most pitchers out there. His 51-22 record and 2.95 ERA speak for itself. If there’s someone out there who can retire 21 Oakland Athletics batters
and unleash 133 pitches and seem unfazed, it is Lincecum himself. He is tough on the hitters and his special delivery where he hides the ball well is something Major League hitters are unaccustomed to, so he uses that to his full advantage. In Game 5 of last
year’s World Series where he went up against the experienced and undeniably talented Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies, who has years of experience over him, Lincecum was successful in battering him as well. That day, in the most crucial of times he pitched
for eight innings where Tim gave up barely three hits and a run coupled with ten strike-outs. This proves how even under the most intense pressure, Tim’s excellence doesn’t waver.
Although these players are young and haven’t been around for a long time, they have left no stone unturned in an effort to prove themselves to be capable of the hype that they are surrounded by. In every game played, whether it ends as a victory or loss
for the team, the pitching of these young aces is always beyond comparison. The level of maturity in their delivery, raw power and the control they have over the ball can be comparable to that of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels of the
Phillies’ Four Aces, who are said to be the best pitching rotation in history.
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