Henderson Alvarez: Can an MLB Pitcher Win Without Strikeouts?

Henderson Alvarez, the 22-year-old RHP for the Toronto Blue Jays, is good. He's posted a 3.26 ERA over his first 16 starts (105 IP), but he hasn't exactly dominated.

Alvarez has a 4.46 K/9 in his 16 starts, while posting a 54.8 percent ground-ball rate. He has allowed a batting average on balls in play of just .249, while opposing hitters are hitting just .243 against Alvarez to this point.

The young right-hander has gotten by with an impressive sinker. While his win-loss total is just 3-5 in his brief career, some fans and fantasy players will get excited by his current 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.

However, can you trust a guy with a 12:10 K:BB in 41.1 innings, or do you need to worry about luck running out? Alvarez is one of many players with impressive numbers without making guys swing and miss.

Warren Spahn

Warren Spahn won a Cy Young in 1957, he won 20 games in a season 13 times, and he won 363 games in his career, which spanned from 1942-1965. Oh...he also was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973.

If you're going to argue that a pitcher can't win without striking someone out, you can't look much further than Spahn. He posted a career K/9 of 4.4, while striking out 2,583 batters in 5,243.2 career innings.

His career was lengthy and he pitched in more games due to the time period, but would he have lasted today, in a time where statistical analysis can outweigh performance?

Tommy John

Tommy John is more famous now for his career-saving surgery, the reattaching of the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow, which so many pitchers have undergone to continue their career.

Prior to becoming the most famous medical name in sports this side of Lou Gehrig, John was a career 288-231 pitcher with a 3.34 ERA and a 4.3 career K/9. John amassed 2,245 strikeouts in 4,710.1 career innings, had three All-Star appearances and garnered votes for the Cy Young in four seasons. 

While John isn't a Hall of Famer, he is very important for careers of many patients who have continued being able to pitch without pain, which can't be overlooked. Nor can his 288 wins and low strikeout rates for the importance of this article.

Mel Stottlemyre

Mel Stottlemyre had his career cut short due to a rotator cuff injury to his throwing shoulder, which led to his release by the New York Yankees after the 1974 season. Before the injury, Stottlemyre was a very good pitcher, appearing in five All-Star games, winning 20 games three times and compiling a 164-139 record and 2.97 career ERA.

Stottlemyre had a 4.3 career K/9 rate, striking out 1,257 batters in 2,661.1 innings. Stottlemyre's career was over at the age of 32, and it could be debated that he would have won close to 300 games if he had another six to eight halfway-decent seasons left in him.

He went on to be a successful pitching coach, leading a pitching staff that won four championships in 10 seasons from 1996-2005.

Robin Roberts

From 1950-1956, Roberts led the league in wins four times, games started six times, complete games five times and innings pitched five times, all the while compiling 157 wins and winning at least 20 games in a season for six straight years. He went to the All-Star Game in each of those seasons and a seventh season, as well. 

Then, Roberts turned 30 and he won 15 games or more in a season twice (1958 and 1959). He wasn't nearly as effective, but he did enough to get into the Hall of Fame in 1976.

Roberts compiled a 286-245 career record in 4,688.2 innings, while striking out 2,357 batters, good for a career 4.5 K/9.

Carl Hubbell

253-154 with a career 2.98 ERA, Hubbell compiled 1,677 strikeouts in 3,590.1 career innings for a career K/9 of 4.2.

Hubbell was a nine-time All-Star and appeared in three World Series while winning one championship with the New York Giants. Hubbell was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.  From 1936 to 1937, Hubbell won 24 consecutive games, still a major league record, using his famous screwball to keep batters off balance.

The Sporting News ranked him No. 45 on the 100 Greatest Baseball Players list in 1999. 

Chien-Ming Wang

I'm not saying that Chien-Ming Wang is a Hall of Famer or anywhere near the pitcher the other guys on this list are, but the guy has had success.

Wang is 59-29 (.670 winning percentage) over six seasons, striking out 335 batters in 733 innings, good for (or bad for?) a 4.1 career K/9. Wang won 19 games in back-to-back seasons for the Yankees in 2006 and 2007 before being overcome with shoulder woes.

He is now a member of the Washington Nationals, making his way back from more shoulder issues. He is due back very soon and it will be interesting to see how the Nationals handle his return with Ross Detwiler pitching so well at the back of the rotation.

Can a Pitcher Win Without Strikeouts?

While some sinkerball pitchers have success without striking opposing hitters out, they'll always have Mark Reynolds and Adam Dunn to look forward to facing to even out their statistics.

Henderson Alvarez looks like a very good young pitcher, but you have to wonder if he can maintain his success. While his career K/9 is 4.5, his K/9 in six starts in 2012 is just 2.6.

Will he join the ranks of Spahn, Roberts and others?