Ranking the MLB's Best Southpaws of the 2012 Season

Since 1999, the Oklahoma Sports Museum has given out the Warren Spahn Award to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Warren Spahn was one of the greatest left-handers ever.

Spahn, a 14-time All-Star, won 363 games with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. He won the 1957 NL Cy Young Award and finished second in three other seasons. Spahn even finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting six times!

The Hall of Famer’s (1973) legacy lives on through this award. Who will win it this season?

Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2011 Warren Spahn Award. Will he repeat?

Let’s look at the top 10 left-handed pitchers right now that will likely compete for the 2012 Warren Spahn Award. This list is limited to starting pitchers.

*All statistics updated through June 26, 2012.

10. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

CC Sabathia will miss his next two scheduled starts after injuring his groin on Sunday. He will not return until after the All-Star break.

For Sabathia’s standards, 2012 has been about average. Though the three-time Warren Spahn Award winner (2007-09) is on pace to rival career bests in wins and strikeouts, his 3.45 ERA is his worst in a Yankee uniform. His 9.0 hits per nine innings is also a career high.

Compared to all left-handed pitchers, his ERA is 14th-best, and his WHIP (1.271) rounds out the top 15.

Sabathia is still an excellent pitcher, but maybe he has thrown too many innings through this point in his career. He has never pitched fewer than 180 innings in a full season. He has also thrown over 210 innings six times.

9. Johan Santana, New York Mets

Johan Santana won the Warren Spahn Award in 2004 and in 2007 with the Minnesota Twins. With a dominant second half of 2012, he could make it three.

Santana has thrown two shutouts this season, including the first no-hitter in Mets history. These are good signs for the Mets, who have not gotten the pitcher they expected upon his arrival in 2008.

Santana is earning approximately $23.1 million in 2012, which leads all MLB pitchers. He has not pitched like a $23.1 million man aside from the shutouts and the 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings, but perhaps the no-hitter will jumpstart his second career, one that will put him back amongst the elite hurlers.

8. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw won the NL pitching Triple Crown in 2011, as well as the NL Cy Young Award and the Warren Spahn Award. He earned a huge pay raise over the offseason for his efforts, as he is now making $7.5 million after a $500K salary last season.

The Dodgers have the second-best record in the NL this season, but they have won only two of their last 10 games. They also have a sub-.500 road record.

Kershaw has only won five games this season. He has seven no-decisions as well. Most notably, though, is that his ERA has risen by 0.46 runs from 2011. Granted he won the Cy Young last season, but this seems like a fairly significant increase.

Some other pitchers are having better all-around seasons than Kershaw right now. Hopefully for him, his numbers can get back to 2011 totals, but as of June 27, Kershaw cannot be considered a top-five southpaw.

7. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

David Price won the 2010 Warren Spahn Award and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting that season. The former No. 1 overall pick (2007) leads a Rays staff with good young talent, which includes Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson.

Price’s 10 wins ties for the most amongst left-handed pitchers in 2012. His 2.95 ERA and 1.249 WHIP, though, do not crack the top five and top ten amongst southpaws, respectively.

Much like Clayton Kershaw, Price will likely have an outstanding MLB career, but there are a few guys who have better overall numbers than him so far.

6. C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels

This past offseason, C.J. Wilson was the most highly sought-after pitcher in free agency. The Angels were lucky enough to acquire not only Wilson, but super slugger and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols.

Wilson became a full-time starting pitcher with the Texas Rangers in 2010. Prior to then the Rangers had him in their bullpen—as a result, Wilson has already appeared in 341 games and has 52 saves.

The transition to starter was flawless for Wilson. He has improved every year since 2010.

In 2012, he has nine wins and a 2.36 ERA. His 1.148 WHIP is also a career best, which includes time spent as a reliever.

Wilson will likely never win the Triple Crown on account of strikeouts, but that does not take away from his value. He has already pitched in two World Series with the Rangers as well.

5. Chris Capuano, Los Angeles Dodgers

To the surprise of many, Chris Capuano—and not Clayton Kershaw—has been the best left-handed starter for the Dodgers this season.

Capuano has more wins (nine) and a better ERA than Kershaw. In his first season in Los Angeles, Capuano has helped the Dodgers reach the top of the NL West with a career year. Prior to 2012, his best season ERA was 3.95. This season? 2.60.

Time will tell if Capuano finishes with a better 2012 than Kershaw, but right now, he is the better pitcher.

4. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies

Originally the third ace in Philadelphia, Cole Hamels has overtaken Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee as the ace of aces.

Halladay has not pitched since May 28 (back), and Lee has not won a game in 2012. The Phillies’ lack of run support has hurt Lee more than other pitchers, because his numbers suggest he should have quite a few wins by now.

Hamels, though, has built up his case to be the top free agent pitcher in 2013. He has kept the Phillies from sliding farther down the NL East standings without Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and now Halladay.

Hamels is tied for the league lead amongst southpaws with 10 wins. He also has more strikeouts than innings pitched.

With the trade deadline just a month away, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. could look to deal Hamels. A trade would allow the Phillies to get something in return, rather than letting Hamels walk in free agency.

3. Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals

The NL East has some really great starting pitching. Gio Gonzalez is the third pitcher from the division to appear on this list.

Along with Stephen Strasburg, Gonzalez has led the Washington Nationals to the best record in the NL.

His 10 wins and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings lead all left-handed pitchers.

Gonzalez raised eyebrows in 2010 with the Oakland Athletics. He went 15-8 with a 3.23 ERA and 171 strikeouts. Gonzalez made the AL All-Star team in 2011 with the A’s, and is well on his way to representing the Nationals and the NL this season in Kansas City.

He could very easily win 20 games if the Nationals continue to play like World Series contenders.

2. Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks

Wade Miley has turned himself into a feared pitcher in the NL after just 23 major league appearances. So far in 2012, Miley sports a 9-3 record, a 2.19 ERA and a 1.007 WHIP.

Though he pitched 40.0 innings in 2011, Miley qualifies as a rookie this season. With that said, he is a front-runner for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Miley helps the Diamondbacks at the plate, too. His .357 batting average ranks third on the team, which includes players with not enough plate appearances to qualify.

If not for R.A. Dickey, Miley could very well be the top pitching story in the NL this season.

1. Chris Sale, Chicago White sox

Like C.J. Wilson, Chris Sale started his major league career as a relief pitcher. The White Sox moved Sale into their starting rotation this season, and the move has paid off big time.

Sale is 8-2 with an AL-best 2.24 ERA. His 0.962 WHIP leads all southpaws and his 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings places third amongst lefties.

Sale is making $500,000 in 2012 and is scheduled to make the same amount in 2013. If he stays amongst the elite pitchers when arbitration rolls around in 2014 though, he could earn himself some serious cash.

After putting up numbers like this so far, general manager Kenny Williams should make sure Sale is not for sale anytime soon.

Outlook

Gio Gonzalez looks like the best bet to win the 2012 Warren Spahn Award. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for three seasons now, and he would probably have better numbers had he pitched outside of Oakland.

In addition, the Washington Nationals have the best record in the NL so far. Gonzalez could also lead the league in strikeouts based on his current performance.

Wade Miley and Chris Sale have certainly made strong cases for themselves, but their relative lack of experience might hurt their chances.

Anyone else worthy of a top 10 selection? Let the debate begin below in the comments section.