The Nationals Best Pitcher

The Nationals Best Pitcher Isn’t Named Strasburg or Gonzalez

The Washington Nationals are blessed with having four really good, young pitchers in their starting lineup. They have a pair of “aces” in Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, two guys who have all the hype and Cy Young finishes on their resume. Strasburg last season was shut down after 159 innings as he was coming off Tommy John Surgery the year before. There was a lot of furor over shutting him down given the team’s position in the playoff race and the likelihood that they would finish with the best record in baseball and be on the fast track to the World Series. The Nationals responded to that criticism by saying that the plan was in place from the beginning and they wouldn’t budge on it despite their record because they wouldn’t put Strasburg in future danger.

Another factor in the reasoning of the Nationals was that they had Gio Gonzalez, who was in the process of matching R.A. Dickey in stats and wins in the Cy Young race. Having a guy in the middle of such a great season (21-8, 2.89 ERA, 199.1IP, and 207 strikeouts) gave the Nationals some rope to play with and eased their decision making. Also, the Nationals had one of the best bullpens in the majors last season, so the pressure on the starters was minimal knowing they had capable arms behind them to hold leads or keep them in games. Unfortunately for the Nats their season ended with a game 5 loss in the division series to the St. Louis Cardinals, where Strasburg pitching could’ve made a difference but we’ll never know.

Despite all this talk of Strasburg and Gonzalez, the Nationals have another pitcher who had a quality year last year and is following it up so far this season with another fantastic start. When all is said and done this pitcher will go on to show that not only is he severely underrated but will also show that he is not only better than Gonzalez, but Strasburg too. That pitcher’s name is Jordan Zimmermann.

In 2012 Zimmermann ended the year with a 12-8 record. Most will look at that and say that isn’t a good record but when you consider the fact that his ERA was 2.94, he pitched 195.2 innings, and had 153 strikeouts you see a guy who was a victim of circumstance. That circumstance being that he got no backup from his team in the form of run support. Despite the lack of run support, a 12-8 record is quite the feat.

This season however, Zimmermann is on a tear and shows no signs of slowing down. He has a 5-1 record with an ERA of 1.64 and has pitched two complete games, one being a shutout. He has surrendered only eight runs in two starts and is showing a strong command and pinpoint control over all his pitches.

Strasburg this year has had his problems, whether they be mechanical or due to injury, and Gonzalez is pitching nowhere near the level he did last year, begging the question of whether he was a one hit wonder. Zimmermann, at 26, is showing consistency and durability, qualities his counterparts in the rotation have lacked thus far. So while the other guys may have gotten the headlines in the past, Zimmermann is doing his part to get the recognition he rightfully deserves.