The NL East Arms
Race
The
Philadelphia Phillies are the first team to come to mind and their ace Cole
Hamels is a grizzled veteran and ready for the retirement home when compared to
the other pitchers who will be profiled. Hamels is 29 years old and is
beginning his seventh year in the majors. Besides all that, he is already a
World Series champion, winning with the Phillies in 2008. In addition to the
ring Hamels also won both the NLCS and World Series MVP posting a 4-0 record in
the postseason. His lifetime record in the postseason is 7-4 so he has proven
not only that he is an ace but also has the moxie to handle the playoffs. The
Phillies have an older roster surrounding Hamels and their postseason successes
may be few and far between over the next few years but Philadelphia fans and
all of baseball know that Hamels will do all he can to make sure that failure
isn’t an option.
Next up are
the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have a plethora of young arms but the one that
stands out above the rest is Kris Medlen. Medlen started his career as a reliever
and spot starter for Atlanta but last year was converted to a full time starter
and since then both he and the Braves haven’t looked back. In twelve starts
last year Medlen posted a 10-1 record to go along with a 1.57 ERA. He had 120
strikeouts and of the 12 starts, two were complete games, one being a shutout.
So far this year Medlen has a 1-1 record with a very respectable 1.50 ERA. Tim
Hudson may be the veteran leader and the guy all the other pitchers will turn
to for advice and guidance, but they all know that Kris Medlen is the key.
The next
stop on the tour around the NL East brings us to our nation’s capital. The
Washington Nationals, like the Braves, have a number of young pitchers but the
ace of the staff and the engine that makes the car run is without question
Stephen Strasburg. Already in his career Strasburg has had to undergo Tommy
John surgery and rebounded quite well from it, even if the controversy of
shutting him down last year was a hot topic around baseball. My personal
opinion, they were justified in doing so. Gio Gonzalez was having a Cy Young
year, the rest of the pitching staff was quite formidable, and with the money
they have invested in Strasburg they wanted to protect both his future and the
future of the franchise. Strasburg before he is done will have a Cy Young or
two on his mantle along with a World Series championship or two. The young core
of players that Washington boasts will carry them to success for many years to
come.
As readers
of this blog know I am from New York City, the craziest, wildest media circus
known to man. Here in New York, Mets fans like to think that there is a rivalry
between themselves and the Yankees, when in reality, we all know to be
considered a rivalry there needs to be sustained success on both sides.
However, with all that being said, the future sure looks bright for a rivalry
to be brewing. Despite their financial struggles, which according to the team
are over, the Mets have built a good young nucleus of players to carry them
forward for years to come. Besides “Captain America” David Wright the one name
that comes to mind with the Mets future is Matt Harvey. Harvey made his Major League
debut last season as July call up for the team and pitched well despite a 3-5
record. The problem last year was the Mets were a horrible run scoring team,
whereas this year they lead the league in that category. All Harvey has done
this season is remind fans of Doc Gooden, posting a 3-0 record while allowing
only six hits in 22 innings pitched. Those numbers are ridiculous and are
almost incomparable. Some records Harvey has already set are being the first
pitcher since 1900 to win first three starts by having 25+ K’s and 6 or fewer
hits yielded. Also, since World War 2 only three pitchers have started a season
with 7+IP, and 3 hits or fewer allowed, those being Jim Rooker, Nolan Ryan, and
Matt Harvey. In 13 career starts Harvey has 95 strikeouts which rank him 3rd
in franchise history through that many games trailing only Nolan Ryan and Doc
Gooden. Whether Yankee fans like it or not the Mets will be for real soon
enough and will boast the best pitcher in the area by far.
Finally we
look at our youngest contestant in the contest for best young pitcher in the
division. Down in South Beach the Marlins do things that make fans scratch
their heads and turn on the franchise on a consistent basis. I shudder to write
anything positive about this guy for fear he will be traded because of his
stats thus far and the unwillingness to have to pay him in the future. The man I
am talking about is Jose Fernandez. Fernandez is all of 20 years old and has
never pitched above A-Ball but since making his debut last week due to injuries
in the rotation, all he has done is shut down the Mets and Phillies. Fernandez
is of Cuban descent and has one hell of a story to tell about getting this far,
including three thwarted defection attempts that led to prison terms, and on
his fourth attempt, which was successful, his mother fell overboard and
Fernandez had to jump in and save her. Dealing with circumstances like that isn’t
going to affect a guy standing on the mound staring down any hitter in the box.
His fastball hits 97 and his breaking pitch has the velocity of a slider but
the movement of a curve. He is also working on a changeup that will be
devastating as well from the looks of it once he has mastered it. Last night
against the Phillies he also showed an ability to hit as he drove in a run on a
base hit to left field. His swing is forceful and one of a guy who knows what
he is doing in the box. Hopefully he is a pitcher that Marlins fans can enjoy
and cheer on for years to come, but so often that isn’t the case and he will
end up somewhere where he can be truly appreciated by fans and ownership alike.
The next few
years in the NL East will provide a lot of good games and matchups people will
go out of their way to see. The fights for division titles and playoff spots
will define excitement, and as a baseball fan I’m glad I have a front row seat.
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