Here are the top pitchers amongst the top 150 sorted by games started on MLB.com and then sorted by WHIP with only those starting pitchers with a WHIP less than 1.20. I chose WHIP because it is most likely to tie to hitters which I sorted by AVG.
What struck me was the number of pitchers with WHIPs under 1.00 - 18. Last year, no pitcher had a sub-1.00 WHIP, and only one pitcher, Johann Santana, had a 1.00 WHIP. There are also a lot of pitchers with WHIPs below 1.20. 47 to be exact. Last year, there were around 18.
Is there something fundamentally different this season that would make anyone think this is sustainable for a long enough period of the season to make this the "Year of the Pitcher"? Or am I correct, if not a bit hyperbolic, to say Pitching Armageddon is near?
| Player | TEAM | IP | W | SO | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F Hernandez | SEA | 17.0 | 2 | 18 | 0.00 | 0.47 |
| R Hill | CHC | 14.0 | 2 | 11 | 0.64 | 0.57 |
| B Tomko | LAD | 6.0 | 0 | 9 | 0.00 | 0.67 |
| R Ortiz | MIN | 15.0 | 2 | 8 | 1.80 | 0.67 |
| S Trachsel | BAL | 13.7 | 0 | 4 | 2.63 | 0.73 |
| T Lilly | CHC | 19.0 | 1 | 24 | 2.37 | 0.74 |
| C Sampson | HOU | 8.0 | 1 | 5 | 0.00 | 0.75 |
| M Belisle | CIN | 12.0 | 2 | 9 | 1.50 | 0.75 |
| J Beckett | BOS | 18.0 | 3 | 18 | 1.50 | 0.83 |
| J Peavy | SD | 20.0 | 2 | 12 | 0.90 | 0.85 |
| K Wells | STL | 20.0 | 1 | 18 | 2.25 | 0.90 |
| J Sowers | CLE | 13.0 | 0 | 4 | 2.08 | 0.92 |
| M Cain | SF | 13.0 | 0 | 10 | 2.77 | 0.92 |
| T Wakefield | BOS | 13.0 | 1 | 7 | 1.38 | 0.92 |
| W Rodriguez | HOU | 13.0 | 0 | 10 | 2.77 | 0.92 |
| J Verlander | DET | 19.0 | 1 | 15 | 1.42 | 0.95 |
| I Snell | PIT | 20.0 | 1 | 20 | 1.80 | 0.95 |
| T Hudson | ATL | 21.0 | 2 | 16 | 0.86 | 0.95 |
| D Moseley | LAA | 14.0 | 1 | 7 | 1.29 | 1.00 |
| J Bonderman | DET | 21.0 | 0 | 15 | 2.57 | 1.00 |
| J Santana | MIN | 20.0 | 2 | 25 | 3.60 | 1.00 |
| R Halladay | TOR | 23.0 | 2 | 13 | 2.35 | 1.00 |
| R Harden | OAK | 19.0 | 1 | 20 | 1.42 | 1.00 |
| R Keisler | STL | 6.0 | 0 | 3 | 3.00 | 1.00 |
| R Lopez | COL | 13.0 | 1 | 7 | 1.38 | 1.00 |
| T Gorzelanny | PIT | 12.0 | 1 | 9 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| C Gaudin | OAK | 10.7 | 0 | 9 | 2.53 | 1.03 |
| K Lohse | CIN | 21.3 | 1 | 19 | 2.53 | 1.03 |
| K Davies | ATL | 6.7 | 0 | 8 | 2.70 | 1.05 |
| J Towers | TOR | 13.3 | 1 | 10 | 2.03 | 1.05 |
| C Schilling | BOS | 19.0 | 2 | 15 | 2.84 | 1.05 |
| G Maddux | SD | 11.3 | 1 | 10 | 3.18 | 1.06 |
| M Owings | ARI | 11.3 | 1 | 11 | 1.59 | 1.06 |
| C Capuano | MIL | 16.0 | 2 | 15 | 2.81 | 1.06 |
| M Buehrle | CWS | 8.3 | 0 | 2 | 4.32 | 1.08 |
| G Chacin | TOR | 11.0 | 1 | 6 | 4.91 | 1.09 |
| B Sheets | MIL | 20.0 | 1 | 8 | 5.85 | 1.10 |
| B Looper | STL | 19.0 | 2 | 9 | 2.37 | 1.11 |
| J Blanton | OAK | 18.0 | 1 | 14 | 4.00 | 1.11 |
| D Matsuzaka | BOS | 14.0 | 1 | 14 | 2.57 | 1.14 |
| N Robertson | DET | 20.0 | 2 | 14 | 1.80 | 1.15 |
| R Oswalt | HOU | 21.7 | 2 | 13 | 3.32 | 1.15 |
| J Jennings | HOU | 12.0 | 0 | 12 | 3.00 | 1.17 |
| J Washburn | SEA | 12.0 | 0 | 6 | 3.75 | 1.17 |
| P Byrd | CLE | 6.0 | 1 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.17 |
| R Wolf | LAD | 18.0 | 2 | 15 | 4.00 | 1.17 |