Mound Musings: The 2017 Season Pitching Awards Issue

It's amazing how fast a season can pass. It seems like mere days ago I was chatting about the events of Spring Training. Equally amazing would have to the ups and downs, and the surprises and predictable results compiled over the year. I would have to say that 2017 gave us even more surprises than usual. Injuries opened so many doors that might have otherwise never materialized. Meanwhile, we dealt with a highly volatile baseball, and umpiring crews committed to making sure those baseballs were hit as often as possible. Fantasy baseball in general, and the pitching aspects of the game specifically, is rapidly evolving, and becoming more and more of a challenge.

That said, let's get to my list of a few 2017 award winners:

Newcomer Award – Dinelson Lamet: There are always a handful of pitchers who receive consideration for this award, but there is considerable extra credit when one is a bit of a surprise. Lamet wasn't really on my radar until he made his Padres debut, but he was instantly someone I felt I could endorse as a nice flyer for Musings' readers. He's still a work in progress, needing more consistency with his off speed stuff, but when he gets ahead in the count, that slider/fastball combination is devastating. His potential for maintaining a low hit rate, and a high strikeout rate make him very appealing.

Biggest (Pleasant) Surprise – Gio Gonzalez: I really thought a lot about this award. There are always guys who surprise me with better than expected results, but I usually reserve this honor for a veteran with a long track record. At age 32, Gio has compiled a 1.14 WHIP, with a 2.68 ERA, 15 wins and 179 strikeouts. It's the WHIP and ERA that won him the 2017 award. He's always had good stuff, and while he still throws too many pitches at times, he's getting deeper into games with more consistency. It's hard to predict a step forward at this point in his career, but he managed a better season.

Biggest Disappointment – Yu Darvish: Many would say he didn't really have a bad season, and they would be correct. He has posted a modest WHIP (1.20) and ERA (3.96), along with over 200 strikeouts, but this award is all about my expectations. I really believed this would be his season to set a new standard. Anything short of a Cy Young would qualify as a disappointment. He did show flashes of his ceiling ability, but his command was sub-par, and he suffered through some nagging health issues, pushing pitch counts up and contributing to several poor outings. I'm going to hope for better times in 2018, and if fully healthy, I'll project him to be a true ace again.

Tommy John Award – Garrett Richards: This is the spot for perpetually broken down arms who still show some exciting ability when they are healthy. Like Masahiro Tanaka, Richards was a serious candidate for Tommy John surgery, but instead opted for rehabilitation. He was pulled from his first start in April, missing most of the year before returning in September. The key is what he showed when he was on the mound. It's unfortunately a small sample, but he looked sharp. This path (bypassing surgery) is still too new to have a clear outcome, but Richards is keeping me very interested.

From the Ashes Award – Justin Verlander: I have always really liked the "changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes" angle for quality veteran pitchers. Sometimes a different perspective, observations and suggestions from new coaches, or just a fresh start, can make a big difference. Verlander is a future Hall of Famer (in my opinion) who is now transitioning from a pure power pitcher to a power pitcher with exceptional finesse. The move to Houston seems to have revitalized him. If he stays with a youthful, exciting, contending team like the Astros, he could be on the path to a monster season.

The Stars Come Out Award – Robbie Ray: This is a tough award to earn because it requires a significant move upward in my pitching tiers ranking. Being a confirmed strikeout junkie (I enjoy a pitch that corkscrews a hitter more than a mammoth home run), Ray has always been of interest, but he seemingly has taken the next step. With a more consistent release point, he's throwing his devastating arsenal with more conviction. This has taken him from a mid-tier starter with potential to a fringe top-10 starter with the ability to potentially anchor a fantasy rotation. He's exciting!

Kevin Gregg Award – Sam Dyson: This award is the ultimate smoke and mirrors honor. Named after one of the most famous (infamous?) mock closers in the history of the game, every year some guy zigs and zags through the season, somehow collecting a few saves. With so many bullpens in turmoil this season, Dyson narrowly edged out stiff competition like Brad Ziegler, Santiago Casilla, Jim Johnson and Bud Norris, to name just a few. With Mark Melancon suffering an injury-plagued season, Dyson was in the right place at the right time. He's not a true closer, but he now has that "closing experience" tag so opportunities could arise again in the future.

Closer of the Year – Kenley Jansen: I admit to being a huge Jansen fan, and even though he didn't lead baseball in saves, I think he deserves this award. His peripherals have been exceptional, and he again contributed more than 100 strikeouts. The save total wasn't his fault – he has blown just one save opportunity – but the Dodgers weren't always cooperative in providing him with chances. Their habit of scoring a lot of runs in the seventh and eighth innings erased a lot of potential save opportunities.

Pitcher of the Year – Chris Sale: Here's the big one – the difference maker. Some readers might prefer someone else, but I think it would be difficult to find fault with my rationale. In this year of all (home runs) or nothing (strikeouts) that includes injuries galore, Sale has been incredible. I'll primarily base my choice on three things. First, he has taken every turn, and leads baseball in innings pitched. Very few pitchers have taken the ball every five days. Second, he's 17-7 and he has been a huge factor in Boston overcoming an uncharacteristically shaky offense while staying atop the very challenging AL East. And finally, he just eclipsed 300 strikeouts for the year, which is almost unbelievable in this era of limited pitch counts and shorter outings.

• I haven't seen many reasons for the Tigers to be overly optimistic, but they did get a little boost from Matt Boyd who took a no-hitter into the ninth inning last Sunday. Don't get overly excited. He's not an ace-in-waiting but he could be marginally useful if he can more consistently command his decent stuff.

• The Pirates' Tyler Glasnow continues to frustrate fantasy owners. He was horrible earlier in the year, then dazzled everyone with his potent stuff after returning to Triple-A. The team brought him back, and he immediately fell back into his bad habits. Don't give up on him. There is talent there and he'll learn.

• Both James Paxton and Felix Hernandez are back with Seattle after spending time on the disabled list, something all Mariners' starters can pretty much relate to. I don't think they'll be allowed to run up high pitch counts, but they'd just like to finish the year healthy. They might be a slight boost to a fantasy staff.

• Brewers' starter Jimmy Nelson underwent shoulder surgery (labrum repair), and the team already has announced he may miss time early in the 2018 season. As you know, any shoulder injury is a major concern, and such a pessimistic outlook so soon after the procedure is more than enough to scare me away.

• Folks who like watching unorthodox pitching motions might enjoy looking at Oakland's Daniel Mengden. His wind-up and delivery are reminiscent of the 1930s when exaggerated movement was the norm. He's the definition of deceptive, but his stuff will probably fail to generate long term success.

• The Cubs (and many fantasy owners) will welcome back Jake Arrieta into the rotation following some time off with a hamstring strain. They may limit his workload in his first start back, but being full strength heading into October will be critical, so the goal will be to get him up to speed as quickly as possible.
  

The teams headed to the playoffs will manage bullpen workloads but they also will focus on finalizing any role question marks. Case in point, the Yankees will plan to use their primary closer, Aroldis Chapman, in October, so look for him to pitch the ninth as often as possible right now. You have to wonder just what the A's were thinking when they continued to run an ineffective Santiago Casilla out there to close. Since moving from Oakland to the Nationals, Sean Doolittle has been a beast. Adding Doolittle (as well as Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler) has made Washington a serious World Series threat. The Orioles are reportedly considering bringing Zach Britton's season to an early end to protect his ailing knee. He should be good to go next spring, but this would give Brad Brach a little extra value right now. Sometimes a closer can be a major case of heartburn for his MLB manager, and his fantasy owners, but he's still fun to watch. Arizona's Fernando Rodney fits that description for me. He can have epic meltdowns for a couple of outings, but then he'll be incredibly dominant as if nothing bad had happened. That's a true closer. Tampa Bay's Alex Colome doesn't get a lot of attention but he does get a lot of saves. The major league leader in the category benefits from closing in front of a team that plays a lot of close games.