MLB Power Rankings: 15 Best Pitching Seasons from Starters in 2011

This past season has shown us many excellent pitching performances.  We have seen everything from a super trio (Lee, Halladay, Hamels) forming in Philadelphia to Justin Verlander pitching the second no hitter of his career.  

We will take a look back the best pitching seasons of the past regular season.  The Triple Crown statistics (Wins-Loses, ERA, K's) will be the ones most commonly looked at with other stats being brought into play to decide placement.  Pitchers who did not have a winning record were not considered for this list.  Without further ado, here is the list.  Let the debates begin!

15. Zack Greinke

Stats: 16-6, 3.83 ERA, 201 K's

Believe me when I say that it was hard to put Zack Greinke on this list because of his high ERA. However, he has a winning record and a high strike out total that was hard to ignore, because of this, Greinke is on the list.

14. Yovani Gallardo

Stats:  17-10, 3.52 ERA, 202 K’s.

Gallardo had a break out performance this year, and led the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL Central.  While he has the highest ERA on this list, his 17 wins and 202 K’s have earned him a spot.

13. Tim Hudson

Stats: 16-10, 3.22 ERA, 158 K’s.

Tim Hudson anchored the Braves staff this year.  Hudson could be higher on this list, but he simply does not strike out as many hitters as most of the other pitchers on this list.  However, his win total, ERA and low walks have earned him a spot on this list.

12. Dan Haren

Stats:  16-10, 3.17 ERA, 192 K’s

Dan Haren is the No. 2 starter for the Angels, although he could probably be at the top of the rotation for a lot of teams.  If the Angels can get some help at the plate this offseason, then we may see the trio of Haren, Weaver and Santana pitch well into the postseason.

11. Gio Gonzalez

Stats:  16-12, 3.12 ERA, 197 K’s

Gio Gonzalez probably isn’t known by the casual baseball fan.  He pitches in Oakland and consistently performed well despite an abysmal offense supporting him. 

Despite his solid stats in the Triple Crown categories, he led the American League with 91 walks.  If he can get some offense behind him and cut down on the walks, he will be a force to be reckoned with next season.

10. C. J. Wilson

Stats:  16-7, 2.92 ERA, 206 K’s

In only his second season as a starter, C.J. Wilson had a solid season and is expected to be the top pitching prize in free agency this offseason.  With teams gunning for Wilson this offseason, they need to be able to answer whether or not he can consistently be a No. 1 starter. 

Wilson has had a fine season this year, but this was his first at the top of the rotation.  Is he a one year wonder, or here to stay?

9. C.C. Sabathia

Stats:  19-8, 3.00 ERA, 230 K’s

On a pitching staff that was out of sorts all season, C.C. Sabathia was a constant for the Yankees.  His ERA is not as low as the pitchers in front of him, but C.C. blew batters away for 230 K’s and consistently carried the Yankees into the seventh or eighth inning each start.  We can say this much, if Sabathia opts out and leaves New York, the Yankees are in huge trouble.  

8. Cole Hamels

Stats:  14-9, 2.79 ERA, 194 K’s

Finding Hamels place on this list statistically was tough.  Only having 14 wins did not bode well for him, but he had a lower ERA than Wilson and Sabathia who are ranked behind him.  He also walked about 30 fewer hitters than Wilson and had a batter’s average against of .214.    

One thing to note about Hamels, he had a WHIP of .99, only Verlander and Kershaw were better.  While his win total is not high and his K’s aren’t toward the top, he was still one of the hardest starting pitchers to get a hit off of.  

7. James Shields

Stats:  16-12, 2.82 ERA, 225 K’s

Big Game James had an excellent season taking the ball every fifth day for the Rays.  While the 12 losses are a lot for someone on this list, consider the following: 

1. He pitched for a team that lost Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena, and somehow improved.

2. He pitches in the AL East, meaning he saw David Ortiz, Alex Gonzales, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and Jose Bautista regularly and had an ERA under three.

6. Jered Weaver

Stats: 18-8, 2.41 ERA, 198 K’s

Jered Weaver simply had a standout year for the Angels this year.  Up until about August, many debated whether or not the AL Cy Young should go to Justin Verlander or Jered Weaver.  However, Weaver was not able to repeat his first half of the season, and talk of the Cy Young quieted.  Despite this, Weaver still had an outstanding season for the Angels

5. Ian Kennedy

Stats: 21-4, ,198 K’s

Putting Ian Kennedy in front of Jared Weaver was a tough call, they have the same amount of strikeouts, while Kennedy has more wins, and Weaver has a better ERA.  What was the deciding factor here was their numbers after the All-Star break. 

Kennedy went 12-1 with a 2.11 ERA while leading his Arizona to the playoffs while Weaver went 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA (his ERA before the break was 1.86) and missed the playoffs.  Kennedy came through for the Diamondbacks down the stretch.

3. (Tie) Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee

Stats:  19-6, 2.35 ERA, 220 K’s.

Despite an unexpected early elimination from the playoffs, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee did exactly what Phillies fans thought they would this season.  They come in at a tie at No. 3, as you could argue they are equally valuable. 

In addition to the statistics above, these pitchers ate up innings for their teams, as Lee threw six shutouts, and Halladay threw eight complete games.

2. Clayton Kershaw

Stats:  21-5, 2.28 ERA, 238 K’s

With a season this good, it was extremely difficult to put Kershaw at No. 2.  Kershaw won the pitcher’s Triple Crown in the NL this year and exceeded expectations having a better statistical season than Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay.  Imagine if Kershaw threw for a contender, would he be receiving the same MVP consideration that Verlander is?

1. Justin Verlander

Stats:  24-5, 250 K’s, 2.40 ERA

Verlander was the most feared starter in the major leagues this year.  This season Verlander threw two no-hitters and was the only starting pitcher to be considered for an MVP by putting up the stats above.  It’s a push between him and Kershaw, but with the advantage in wins, K’s, and being an MVP candidate, the nod goes to Verlander.