Fantasy Baseball: NL K/9 Leaders Since All-Star Break

by Ray Guilfoyle on Sep 2, 2009 10:00 AM EDT in Baseball

I am in deep looking at pitchers stats of late. Today we take a look at the K/9 leaders since the All Star break, and there are a few names on the list that will surprise you.

Let's take a look:

Player	INN	GS	QS	W	K	BBI	HA	ERA	WHIP	K/BB	K/9
Harden, Rich CHC	55	9	7	3	69	22	30	2.45	0.95	3.14	11.29
Scherzer, Max ARI	43	8	2	3	53	12	51	5.65	1.47	4.42	11.09
Sanchez, Jonathan SF	47.7	8	4	3	58	24	33	3.59	1.2	2.42	10.94
Kershaw, Clayton LA	59.3	10	7	2	69	29	42	2.43	1.2	2.38	10.47
Lincecum, Tim SF	65.7	9	7	3	73	20	46	2.33	1.01	3.65	10.00
Gallardo, Yovani MIL	59.7	10	6	4	66	32	54	4.68	1.44	2.06	9.95
Nolasco, Ricky FLA	55.3	9	5	3	57	16	50	4.55	1.19	3.56	9.28
De La Rosa, Jorge COL	53	8	5	6	54	17	56	4.08	1.38	3.18	9.17
Perez, Oliver NYM	39.3	8	2	1	40	30	37	5.49	1.7	1.33	9.16
Hanson, Tommy ATL	47.7	8	6	5	48	12	46	3.4	1.22	4.00	9.06
Vazquez, Javier ATL	57	8	5	5	56	12	48	3.16	1.05	4.67	8.84
Mock, Garrett WAS	46.3	9	3	3	45	20	57	4.47	1.66	2.25	8.75
Johnson, Josh FLA	57	9	7	6	55	11	52	3.63	1.11	5.00	8.68
Zambrano, Carlos CHC	35.3	7	2	3	33	19	43	5.09	1.75	1.74	8.41
Harang, Aaron CIN	51.3	8	4	1	47	17	58	4.91	1.46	2.76	8.25
Dempster, Ryan CHC	44	7	3	3	40	12	48	4.3	1.36	3.33	8.18
Petit, Yusmeiro ARI	44.3	8	5	3	40	14	43	3.86	1.29	2.86	8.13
Haren, Dan ARI	58	9	4	4	51	13	58	4.5	1.22	3.92	7.91
Rodriguez, Wandy HOU	56	9	6	4	49	17	47	2.89	1.14	2.88	7.88
Jimenez, Ubaldo COL	65.7	9	9	6	57	23	46	2.47	1.05	2.48	7.81

The pitchers that stand out for me are Jonathan Sanchez, Clayton Kershaw, Jorge De La Rosa and Garrett Mock.

Sanchez has really turned it around since being sent down to the minors earlier in the year. We may look back and say that was the turning point in his career. A few months ago, Sanchez' name was thrown around in trade rumors. I am sure the Giants are glad they did not trade him, yet you never know what they will do in the off season, as they do need another bat in that lineup, and already have a solid pitching staff.

Kershaw, only 21 years old, has the looks of a future ace already. Being a Dodgers fan, and Kershaw owner in the UBA league, I can tell you that he should have at least 5 or 6 more wins with the way he has pitched since early June. He's had 7 quality starts since the ASNB and only two wins to show for it.

De La Rosa has pitched very well since the ASB as well, striking out just over 9 batters per nine innings, with a 3.18 K/BB ratio.

Mock could be a late round sleeper pick in 2010 drafts who can contribute in 5x5 leagues. The Nationals are a very young team with a bright future, and Mock could be part of a talented rotation in 2010 and beyond headed by Stephen Strasburg.

Poll