Matt Moore and the 15 Best Young Arms in Major League Baseball

You have to hand it to Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon. He pressed all the right buttons in the final five weeks of the regular season to get his team into the postseason, and with his selection of Matt Moore as his starter in the all-important first game of the ALDS against the Texas Rangers, he continued working his magic.

Moore, in just his second major league start, held the Rangers to just two hits, both by Josh Hamilton, striking out six and walking two in seven tidy innings. Take Hamilton out of the equation and you’re looking at a no-hitter.

Moore made his first start of the season just eight days ago, holding the New York Yankees to four hits in five innings, striking out 11. Against the Rangers, they clearly looked befuddled as Moore tied them up with sharp breaking balls while freezing them with a 95-97 mph fastball.

With starters James Shields, David Price and Jeremy Hellickson all unavailable, Maddon went with the rookie who had struck out 210 batters in just 155 innings between and Double-A and Triple-A ball.

So, is Matt Moore the most impressive young arm in Major League Baseball right now? We’ll take a the pitchers who made their marks during the 2011 season.

For the purposes of argument, we will only look at those who either made their debut in the 2011 season, or players who may have had a cup of coffee in the majors last year before making an impact in the 2011 season.

15. Tyler Chatwood: Los Angeles Angels

Young 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Tyler Chatwood certainly showed flashes of brilliance during his first season with the Los Angeles Angels. Called up in early April to take the place of Scott Kazmir in the Angels’ rotation, Chatwood was at times brilliant and at times maddeningly wild.

Chatwood walked 71 batters in 142 innings, just three short of the number that he struck out. For Chatwood to take the next step, he will need to harness his command and attack the zone.

Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia cited the need to strengthen the pitching staff next season, especially the back end of the rotation, so while Chatwood has a future in baseball, he will have to improve his command if that future will be with the Angels.

14. Eric Surkamp: San Francisco Giants

Much like Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants pitcher Eric Surkamp completely dominated at the minor league level for much of the 2011 season before getting the call from the Giants.

Surkamp was 11-4 with a 1.94 ERA, making most of his starts at the Double-A level. Surkamp struck out 170 batters in 148.1 innings, and his 1.072 WHIP obviously indicated a terrific command of the strike zone.

Making his major league debut against the Houston Astros on Aug. 27, Surkamp showed the big club he was worthy of the call-up, allowing just one run on four hits in six innings. With the exception of a stinker against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 24, Surkamp clearly showed that he will be an impact pitcher at the major league level for some years to come.

13. Cory Luebke: San Diego Padres

When the 2011 season started, many people probably never gave San Diego Padres pitcher Cory Luebke a second thought. While he debuted in the previous September for the Padres, making four starts, he started this season in the bullpen.

Luebke was thrust into the rotation by Padres manager Bud Black in late June, and while Luebke’s overall line may not blow people away, the results were nonetheless positive.

As a starter, Luebke was 5-8 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.093 WHIP and an outstanding 9.9 K/9 and 3.83 K/BB rate. Luebke also induced a swinging strike rate of 10.9 percent, putting him in the top 10 overall in the National League.

12. Alex White: Colorado Rockies

When Alex White made his major league debut on April 30 against the Detroit Tigers, White was impressive, allowing just two runs on six hits in six innings of work.

White followed that up another impressive outing against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, before going down in his next start with a ligament injury to his right middle finger.

White was included in the trade that sent Ubaldo Jimenez from the Colorado Rockies to the Cleveland Indians, and White was activated from the DL on Aug. 23.

White struggled in Colorado, going 2-4 with an 8.42 ERA in seven starts. However, it was clear that the Rockies saw potential in the Alex White who pitched earlier in the season before his injury. Along with Drew Pomeranz, White could provide the Rockies with a solid starting core in the coming years.

11. Henderson Alvarez: Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have a lot to look forward to, with several youngsters making their presence felt during the 2011 season. With Brett Lawrie and David Cooper making their debuts, and several other prospects ready to make an impact, the Blue Jays will be well-positioned for the future.

However, one youngster clearly made an immediate impact: 21-year-old right-hander Henderson Alvarez.

Alvarez made 10 starts for the Blue Jays after his call-up in early August, and there wasn’t any one start in which Alvarez looked lost on the mound. Working at least five innings with each start, Alvarez posted an impressive 3.53 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.00.

Manager John Farrell, a former pitching coach, will certainly be licking his chops next season, seeing what Alvarez will be able to do with a full season under his belt.

10. Guillermo Moscoso: Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics starter Guillermo Moscoso got a few looks in the majors with the Texas Rangers in 2009 and 2010, but only as a reliever. Traded to the A’s during the offseason, Moscoso got his chance to shine as a starter.

Moscoso showed tremendous poise after being called up from Triple-A Sacramento in late May. The victim of lousy run support at time, four of Moscoso’s losses came during games in which he gave up two earned runs or less.

His finishing totals (8-10, 3.38 ERA, 1.094 WHIP) were clearly impressive, giving rise to a promising future.

9. Jordan Walden: Los Angeles Angels

When flame-throwing right-hander Jordan Walden took over as the full-time closer for the Los Angeles Angels in April, he immediately showed off the skills that mark a great closer—a fastball that regularly reached 100 mph and a sharp-breaking, high-80s slider.

Walden finished the season with 32 saves, but also blew 10 saves as well, and his two losses and one blown save in the last week of the regular season showed that Walden was clearly tiring down the stretch.

However, there was enough of a body of evidence to indicate that Walden can indeed be a dominant closer in the future.

8. Stephen Strasburg: Washington Nationals

A torn ulnar collateral ligament that required Tommy John surgery prevented Washington Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg from being higher on this list, however after his return, he certainly showed that he will be a major force for the Nats in 2012.

Strasburg, in five starts, posted a 1.50 ERA striking out 24 batters and walking just two in 24 innings, holding opposing batters to a 1.79 batting average.

Together with Jordan Zimmerman, the two will clearly help lead the Nationals throughout most of the next decade.

7. Jeremy Hellickson: Tampa Bay Rays

There was certainly a lot to like about the performance of 24-year-old right-hander Jeremy Hellickson during the 2011 season.

A 13-10 record, 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and .210 BAA would be impressive numbers for any pitcher.

Hellickson, together with the rest of the homegrown Rays’ pitching staff, can only bode well for the team going forward.

6. Drew Pomeranz: Colorado Rockies

When the Colorado Rockies made the decision to deal Ubaldo Jimenez to the Cleveland Indians, they insisted that prospect Drew Pomeranz be included in the package sent to Colorado.

Pomeranz, the fifth pick overall by the Indians in the 2010 MLB Draft, made a rapid rise to the majors, and while his four starts are just a small sample size, the Rockies are nonetheless thrilled that Pomeranz will be a part of their future.

5. Brandon Beachy: Atlanta Braves

After the season that 25-year-old right-handed starter Brandon Beachy put forth in 2011, the Atlanta Braves can be nothing but excited about what the future holds. And Beachy was probably only the third-best rookie on his own team (Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel).

Beachy posted a record of 7-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 25 starts, striking out 169 batters in 141.2 innings. Along with Julio Teheran and Mike Minor, the Braves’ starting rotation should be well-positioned for years to come.

4. Michael Pineda: Seattle Mariners

If the American League Rookie of the Year Award balloting were held at the All-Star break, Seattle Mariners 22-year-old right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda might have been the easy winner.

At 8-6 with a 3.03 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 113 innings, Pineda was the best pitcher for a team that featured Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez.

Pineda clearly lost his mojo in the second half, with a 1-4 record and 5.12 ERA in 10 starts, and was shut down for the season on Sept. 21.

However, with improved stamina and conditioning, Pineda clearly established himself as one of the bright young arms in the American League, and will likely start the 2012 season in Seattle as the No. 2 starter behind King Felix.

3. Matt Moore: Tampa Bay Rays

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Why would Moore be No. 3 on this list with just two starts?”

Well, those two starts were THAT impressive. On Sept. 21, Moore struck out 11 New York Yankees in five innings, giving up just four hits in a scoreless outing.

Then, under huge pressure to get the Tampa Bay Rays off to a good start in Texas, Moore completely shut down a potent Rangers’ offense, allowing only two hits to Josh Hamilton in a beautiful seven-inning performance.

And Moore’s season may not be over just quite yet.

2. Craig Kimbrel: Atlanta Braves

There is probably no one in baseball who feels worse right now than Atlanta Braves standout rookie closer Craig Kimbrel.

Kimbrel allowed the tying run in the top of the ninth inning on Wednesday to the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing them to stay in the game and finish off the Braves in extra innings, knocking them out of the playoffs.

However, Kimbrel’s final outing certainly should not be what defined his season. His 46 saves set an all-time rookie record, and his 2.10 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .178 BAA were certainly impressive.

When combined with the season of set-up man Jonny Venters, the pair was easily the best back-end bullpen tandem in the National League, and Kimbrel will no doubt be a favorite for NL Rookie of the Year honors.

1. Ivan Nova: New York Yankees

To say that New York Yankees rookie pitcher Ivan Nova finished out the year strongly would be a vast understatement.

Nova won his last 12 decisions, not posting a loss since June 3. His performance in the second half of the season made him the easy choice as the Yankees’ No. 2 starter during the postseason behind CC Sabathia.

While the Yankees’ rotation had been the subject of discussion, Nova quieted much of that talk with his outstanding second half.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.