Mound Musings: The 2019 Season Pitching Awards Issue

Weren't we just enjoying Spring Training a few days ago? I will have to say that 2019 gave us even more surprises than usual, maybe a few more cases of heartburn as well. Injuries opened so many doors that might have otherwise never materialized. Fantasy baseball in general, and the pitching aspects of the game continue to rapidly evolve – or digress, depending on your perspective. Roster management is still becoming more and more of a challenge. "Openers" and "bulk relievers" have had a huge impact – making quality starts far more difficult to accumulate and innings more unpredictable. As much as I hate to admit it, that philosophy appears to be here to stay, and a 26th roster spot next season could be another boost to bullpen depth. Still, there are always standouts.That said, let's get to my list of the 2019 award winners:

Newcomer Award – Mike Soroka: Certainly several pitchers were considered for this award, but Soroka stands out as a shining light for the playoff bound Braves. He has compiled a 12-4 record with a 2.57 ERA and an even more impressive 1.09 WHIP over 164 innings. His modest strikeout total of 130 is perhaps the only soft spot in his game right now. Soroka pitches with supreme confidence and command of his full repertoire, a devastating combination for opposing batters to deal with. If he needs more to stake his claim, consider that he went eight starts from mid-July to late-August without recording a win despite allowing three or fewer runs in seven of those outings. A combination of little to no run support and some bullpen failures over that stretch are all that stand in the way of a Cy Young worthy season. And the best part, he's still getting better as his strikeout rate is gradually climbing.

Biggest (Pleasant) Surprise – Lucas Giolito: Even though he was just shut down for the season after suffering a mild lat strain in his most recent outing, Giolito already made his "I have arrived" statement. A highly touted first round draft pick in 2012, he was considered to be one of the elite pitching prospects in the game, but the road to the majors had its share of twists and turns. He virtually fell off the radar, and there were many who questioned whether he would ever make a contribution when he was dealt to the White Sox. Maybe it was the "changes in latitudes" angle, but he clearly transformed from a thrower into a pitcher this season. He cleaned up the mechanics, resulting in much more consistent command, and he fully bought into the concept of pitch sequencing, leading to a 14-9 record with a 3.41 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and a dazzling total of 228 strikeouts over just 176 innings. There were a couple of lapses, but the young Sox are on the way up, and he could very well be leading the way.

Biggest Disappointment – Chris Sale: Where does one begin to chronicle the season of discontent in Boston this year? For Sale, it began horribly – he was 0-5 in six April starts with a 6.30 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP – and while there were occasional flashes of the old Sale, things never really came together, and he was shut down in mid-August with elbow inflammation. The good news is he won't require Tommy John surgery, but 2019 will certainly go down as a lost season. We have to wonder if the elbow flared up from time-to-time during the campaign. The strikeouts were still there (his K/9 was 13.32), but his velocity was erratic, ending up down a tick overall, and he was plagued by the long ball more than most, serving up 24 home runs in just 147 innings. Let's give him a mulligan for this year and hope for a return to form – and good health – in 2020. He's been too dominant for too long to write off.

From the Ashes Award – Yu Darvish: It wasn't that long ago that I considered Darvish a potential top 10 starting pitcher. I even predicted an imminent Cy Young award, but then the injuries set in, and even when he was on the mound, he was often a shadow of himself. He missed all of 2015 and big chunks of the seasons after. Not really relying on overwhelming velocity, his calling card is an assortment of about eight different quality pitches that can make things very daunting for opposing hitters when they are all working. That's been the problem. On most nights, Darvish could only consistently spot a couple of those offerings and things got pretty ugly. His mechanics were simply out of synch – until the second half of this season. Folks, I'm declaring him back. He has returned to dominance, and I'm tempted to renew the Cy Young predictions.

The Stars Come Out Award – Jack Flaherty: This is a tough award to earn because it requires a significant move upward in my pitching tiers ranking. Flaherty was already fairly high on that list as a high skills, solid starting pitcher, but the first half of this year, he struggled. On July 2, he sported a lackluster 4.90 ERA with an equally uninspiring 1.29 WHIP. Then, as it often does with blue chip young pitchers, all the pieces fell into place. All he did after that date was string together 12 consecutive starts allowing two or fewer runs. His ERA now stands at 3.05, while his WHIP has improved to a sparkling 1.03. That's eye-popping, and more importantly, it's the real deal. He follows the template for success these days – very good stuff, with an assortment of pitches he can throw to spots. Flaherty has his sights squarely set on the elite pitcher tier.

Kevin Gregg Award – Emilio Pagan: 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. Don't get me wrong, this year's award winner is a solid reliever. I just think his ultimate calling will be as a very versatile guy who can enter a game when the matchups are clearly in his favor and perhaps even pitch multiple innings when the situation calls for it. That's a huge deal with Tampa Bay's tendency to play bullpen games. The Rays have a well-deserved reputation for getting the most out of pitchers like Pagan, but I still think Nick Anderson could emerge as their closer in 2020.

Closer of the Year – Liam Hendriks: My initial thought was to bestow this award on the Padres' Kirby Yates. Many of the usual suspects faltered this year, and Yates was about as dependable as you can be, but then I reconsidered. Hendriks has just 23 saves, but he didn't take over the role until late June. Since then, he's been an ultra-high value boon to both the A's and his fantasy owners. Consider that as a starter early in his career, his fastball was an ordinary 90 to 91 mph. He shifted to the bullpen and it bumped up to 93 to 94 mph – not unusual. Now, 30-years-old, he pops the mitt at 97 to 98 mph, and the movement is better than ever. Like fine wine, he just keeps getting better with age.

Pitcher of the Year – Justin Verlander: Somebody forgot to tell the 36-year-old Verlander that he is getting older, and his best years are behind him. So, he casually goes out and posts a 19-6 record with a 2.50 ERA and an almost unbelievable 0.79 WHIP. He has contributed 212 innings (his 12th 200-plus inning season) with 283 strikeouts. Okay, he gives up a few homeruns (34). Who doesn't today? But, they don't hurt much with nobody on base. As I have said many times, Verlander sits easily in the upper 90s but looks like he's throwing a long toss. That is the ultimate blueprint for success. If I had a young aspiring ballplayer interested in pitching, I'd have him intensely study Verlander. Of note, my runner-up for this award is his teammate Gerrit Cole.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• San Diego's Chris Paddack was definitely in the hunt for the newcomer award. He put together an outstanding season and he did it with only two pitches, which is remarkable, especially in this day of offensive fireworks. Paddack is young and obviously very talented, which makes him a candidate to take another step forward as he develops more consistency with his breaking pitches.
• I made it a point to check out the season debut of New York's Luis Severino, and I was wowed by his performance. He appeared to be in midseason form, hitting 99 on the radar gun, breaking off some nasty sliders and displaying pretty good command, but be aware, he was understandably limited to just 67 pitches.
• The Brewers' Brandon Woodruff returned to the mound after missing a couple months with an oblique injury. Milwaukee remains in the hunt for a playoff spot, and Woodruff is their best starting pitcher. He looked great, albeit for just two innings, but they likely will increase his pitch counts as quickly as possible.
• It was a very busy night for me this past Tuesday, as several high profile starters were returning to the mound. Tampa Bay's Blake Snell has missed six weeks, but like Severino and Woodruff, he looked sharp in a short outing. He struck out four in two spotless innings, but time is short to build up his pitch counts.
• Adam Wainwright isn't quite the pitcher he once was, but he reminded us that veteran pitchers who know what it's like to win can, under certain circumstances like a key game with huge playoff implications, shake off the cobwebs and take their performance up a level. Keep that in mind at this point in the season.
• Neither Jesus Luzardo nor A.J. Puk are currently in the Oakland rotation, but they are auditioning for spots next year. The early returns have been very positive. While Luzardo has a bit higher upside, I was particularly impressed with Puk's most recent outing. He just needs to refine his command.

Endgame Odyssey:

A couple weeks ago, the Pirates' Felipe Vazquez was involved in an altercation with a teammate, and earlier this week he was arrested in Florida on some very serious charges. He's done for this year, and depending on the legal outcome, this could potentially be career threatening. Keone Kela would be my choice to assume ninth-inning duties. Sean Doolittle is back from the injured list, but the Nationals aren't providing any save chances, and he has been used in various hig–leverage situations. He probably remains the most likely recipient of save opportunities, but Daniel Hudson could also figure into the mix. The Indians desperately need Brad Hand pitching the ninth inning. An MRI showed no structural damage, and he's now scheduled for a bullpen session. If all goes well, I expect to see him back very soon. In a case of too little, too late, it looks like Brandon Workman has claimed the closer's gig in Boston.