Silverman: NL Pitchers Set To Challenge Golden Greats Of The Past
By Steve Silverman
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There was a time when the National League seemingly had all the best pitchers in the game.
During the 1960s and '70s, hurlers like Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Juan Marichal, Steve Carlton, Don Drysdale and Ferguson Jenkins were capable of throwing complete games and shutouts nearly every time they took the mound.
If you had a chance to see any one of those greats pitch, you knew you were watching royalty.
The American League was tame by comparison. Jim Palmer and Vida Blue could bring it and Denny McLain won 31 games for the Detroit Tigers, while Mel Stottlemyre was Mr. Consistency for the longest part of his career. But they were overwhelmed by the greats in the NL.
However, as wondrous as those pitchers were, they are being challenged by the tremendous arms that are active in the Senior Circuit right now.
The New York Mets should be able to get back to the postseason again this year after making it all the way to the World Series in 2015. Like their 1969 counterparts, this version of the Mets is led by its magnificent pitching staff. The two names at the top of the rotation are Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard, and that appears to be the best 1-2 punch in the league.
Syndergaard was at the top of his game Tuesday in Kansas City against the "rub it in your face" Royals. After watching the Royals congratulate each other for the World Series title they won last October, Syndergaard tormented the gold-plated champs by striking out nine and walking one, while allowing three hits, in six innings.
Those numbers were impressive, but the overall performance was even better. Syndergaard gave up a lead-off triple in the opening inning to Alcides Escobar but then stranded him at third base. "Thor" also gave up a double to Kendrys Morales in the fifth, but the thick-legged slugger stayed put the rest of the inning.
Syndergaard's slider was simply unhittable, and while he may not have his A-game every time out this season, he should be able to win 15-18 games and torment hitters mercilessly.
Harvey may be just as dominant as Syndergaard even though he wasn't as successful in the opener against Kansas City.
And let's not forget the Mets' Jacob deGrom, who has yet to pitch this season, but could be better than both of his teammates.
The Mets are not the only NL team with world-class pitchers. Stephen Strasburg, the ace for Washington, is capable of leading the Nationals to a playoff spot, provided he can stay healthy.
The NL Central is home to Jake Arietta of the Chicago Cubs and Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals. Arietta had been a good pitcher with the potential to do more prior to last season, but he transformed himself into a beast as the Cubs grew in stature. Many think Arietta will have a hard time matching his Cy Young performance from 2015, but he came out throwing in spectacular fashion as he shut down the Los Angeles Angels on two hits in his first start.
Wainwright simply knows how to make the decisive pitches at key moments. He may be forgotten by a lot of fans because he was injured last year, but he is dominant when healthy as he has twice won 20 games and 19 games and has a career 1.16 WHIP.
The NL West is loaded, sporting Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants and Zack Greinke of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kershaw is a monster who has already accumulated three Cy Young Awards. He has struggled in the postseason to this point in his career, but he has a chance to be a modern-day Koufax.
Bumgarner has been one of the most dominant postseason pitchers in the history of the game. He has been a key part of the Giants' three World Series victories and his Fall Classic numbers include a 4-0 record and a ridiculous 0.25 ERA.
Greinke is like a surgeon every time he takes the mound. He understands what each of his opponents are capable of doing, and he operates with precision by putting the ball in unhittable places. After dominating for the Dodgers, he signed with the Diamondbacks, who now have a chance to contend for a playoff spot.
There are some fine pitchers in the AL, most notably David Price of the Boston Red Sox, Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners and Marcus Stroman of the Toronto Blue Jays. But just like in the 1960s and '70's, the best NL hurlers are stronger and the league has more depth.
Nearly 20 years ago, the big-muscled guys took over and artificial home run totals were the big story in baseball, but the game has changed dramatically. Pitchers have taken over and the NL's top hurlers may just set a new standard.
Follow Steve on Twitter at @ProFootballBoy
