The FANalysts’ Top Baseball Stories of 2010

Return of the Pitcher  

The year 1968 changed baseball forever. That season will forever be known as the “Year of The Pitcher”. In the National League, St. Louis Cardinals fire-baller Bob Gibson had a stupidly low 1.12 ERA. Boston Red Sox slugger Carl Yastrzemski won the batting title with the lowest average ever, at .301. Shortly after, baseball changed the rules to benefit the batters. Mounds could no longer be higher than 10 inches. A great decrease for some pitchers who were throwing darts off of mounds as high as 20 inches above the plate. Imagine Yao Ming throwing 100 mile-per-hour golf balls in a downward direction to a 5-11 batter. Seems difficult even for the best hitter, huh ?!

That one change, erased a great advantage for pitchers, providing batters with better opportunities to get hits.

Fast forward 30 years and “The Steroid Era” was a successful culmination to baseball’s goal of  making  it all about the homeruns and extinguishing any significant advantage a pitcher might have. Homeruns, runs, ERA’s were all through the roof. The stolen base was insignificant and the three-run homer was as common as a “whip” mentioned in a hip-hop song these days.   

Then came the Senate hearings and a lot of player embarrassment. Names were leaked and careers were destroyed. Guys who only agreed to testing because MLB promised it would be anonymous, now had to admit to doing PED’s under threat of  indictment if they lied to Congress. This led to new testing put in place, former and current players being outed as steroid cheats and a noticeable but gradual decrease in offensive numbers. This is the first year in a long time that you can say all is well in the streets of baseball. The No. 1 baseball story this season is “The Return of The Pitcher”.   

Overall, offensive stats have deflated and pitching has returned.  According to FanGraphs, teams have averaged 4.94 per game this season, down 15% from 2000 and the lowest since 1992. Hits are lower than they’ve been in almost 20 years and homers are being smacked at the lowest rate since 1993.

There were also an astonishing six no-hitters thrown. The most since 1917.  Pitchers like Ubaldo Jimenez [19-8, 2.99], who carried a 0.93 ERA into June, Roy Halladay [21-10, 2.44] Felix Hernandez [2.27 ERA, 232 K’s], David Price [19 wins, 2.73], Adam Wainwright [20 wins] and CC Sabathia [21-7, 194K’s], just to name a few, turned in big boss seasons.  In 2007, Jake Peavy was the only pitcher in baseball to finish the season with an ERA under 3.00. As of Oct.1, this season, the number has jumped to 15.   
 
Cincinnati Makes Playoffs for first time in 15 years

The Cincinnati Reds won the NL Central and made the postseason for the first time since 1995. The Reds recipe for success: A winning coach and a nucleus of young studs like Joey Votto [38 HR’s], Aroldis Chapman and Jay Bruce, to compliment a core of solid vets like Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips and clutch playoff performer Orlando Cabrera.  

After 15 years of losing, manager Dusty Baker has returned the Reds franchise to the top. His forceful and tactical command helped Cincy’s offense blossom. After finishing next to last in hitting in 08’ and 09’, The Reds led the National League in batting average [.271]. That’s like going triple platinum after 2 straight album flops.  
 
Baseball underdogs have ridden the wave of perfect chemistry, and completed improbable missions in the past. The expansion Marlins in 97’and 03’ come to mind. So do The Diamondbacks of 01’ [They did have Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling though]. The city of Cincinnati is hoping history is on its side. The town hasn’t been this baseball crazy since the days of flamboyant and controversial owner Marge Schott, and the three-ring circus she ran. The war-tested touch of Baker [who is still rockin’ the armbands] and the rich history of The Reds – arguably baseball’s oldest franchise – make Cincy an underdog every baseball fan can root for. Another similarity shared by this Reds team and past underdogs is a flair for the dramatic. The way Cincy clinched the division, with Jay Bruce hitting a walk-off homerun, leads this Fanalyst to believe that The Reds may be a team of destiny.  
 
Strasberg Storms Baseball

Stephen Strasburg burst onto the scene like a lightening beam for the down-trodden Washington Nationals franchise. The 21-year-old rookie pitcher is supposed to be the first Hall of Fame talent in Nationals history, and reverse the team’s misfortunes. Some called him the most highly touted pitching prospect since Kerry Wood.  Others say he is the best pitching prospect ever. Strasburg came with big hype and a huge price tag. Scott Boras, The P.Diddy of agents set up a record-breaking  four-year $15.1 million deal for Strasburg, a No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft.

He stopped in Triple A for a hot minute  and torched the place, going 7-2 with a 1.30 ERA. Still, he didn’t solidify his mythical stature until he touched a major league mound. Again, he came out of the gate blazing, striking out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates in seven innings in his debut. He went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 K’s in 12 starts before a season-ending injury that required Tommy John surgery, which he underwent on Sept. 3. The good news for Washington is that pitchers in the past have had the same surgery and returned to full strength. The bad news is The Strasburg train is on hold before it ever really got started. Let’s hope he recovers quickly. You know Nationals ownership does. Strasburg’s arrival increased ticket sales, franchise value and visibility for the Nationals. He was treated like royalty by fans and media. The national spotlight was new and enjoyable for one of baseball’s cellar-dwellers. Strasburg  is probably the single most important player to any franchise in baseball.   

Baseball Royalty Passes

George Steinbrenner,  the most important owner in modern baseball history , passed away on July 13 at age 80 after a heart attack. Steinbrenner was the Big Dawg of owners, an intimidating figure who dominated the New York sports landscape for 35 years. The “Boss” as he was called won 11 pennants and seven World Series as Yankee owner.   

The Ohio-native brought the Yankees back from its worst era under CBS ownership (1964-1972) and with intimidation, enthusiasm and a controlling hand, turned the franchise back into baseball’s No 1 stunners. In his early years he survived two suspensions from baseball and feuds with coaches, players, journalists and other owners. He was a firecracker and never accepted losing. He was from Cleveland, but his win at all costs mentality is what endeared him most to NY Yankee fans. Unlike most other owners, Steinbrenner wasn’t cheap with his money. He put the fans and winning first. And in this age of greed, a man like Steinbrenner was refreshing to fans. He drove up player salaries and opened the flood gates for free agency. All in the name of  victory. Other greedy owners hated him. He made them look bad and exposed their greed and refusal to invest in their teams. But Steinbrenner was only playing by the rules. He just always played to win.  

The Yankee franchise which he purchased for just 9 million dollars in 1973, was worth major, major gwop at the time if Steinbrenner’s death.  Over a billion dollars to be exact ! Steinbrenner also was a pioneer off the field, brokering historic world-wide marketing deals for the Yankees and forming his own cable TV network [YES] to broadcast the team’s games and expand the Yankee brand.   
 
The Knuckleball Lives  

When R.A. Dickey was picked up by The Mets, former manager Jerry Manuel didn’t think much of it. Neither did anybody else. Dickey’s arrival was inauspiciously marked with a one line blurb in the paper. Dickey was a journeyman. He played for the Rangers, Mariners and Twins before finding a home with The Mets this season. Manuel certainly didn’t think Dickey would turn into The Mets best pitcher at times, in 2010.  But like most knuckleballers, effectiveness comes with age. Dickey, now in his mid 30’s, has mastered baseball’s most potentially lethal pitch. Dickey seems to be revolutionizing the pitch a bit as well, throwing it at speeds of up to 80 mph at times. Much faster than guys like Tim Wakefield — baseball’s only other current knuckleballer — throws his.   

Dickey is 11-9 with a low 2.86 ERA this season, and ranks among league leaders in sabermetric and traditional pitching stats. He could easily have 16-17 wins if the Mets were any good.   

The knuckle ball is the most bizarre pitch in baseball. It is also one of the hardest to hit. It is like throwing a dead duck up to the plate. It has no spin. Knuckleballers are a rarity in baseball. There is only a hand full of knuckle ball pitchers worth mentioning at all.    

Hoyt Wilhelm is the first knuckleballer of  to gain prominence. Wilhelm recorded 227 saves as a closer and added 143 wins over a long Hall of Fame career. Hall of Famer Phil Niekro knuckle-balled his way  to  318 wins .He was probably the most successful of all knuckleballers, pitching well into his late 40’s. He is a perfect example of  how throwing a knuckle ball leads to a long career because there is no wear and tear on your arm. You are throwing between 40-75 miles an hour consistently. Neikro is the Too Short of baseball. He wasn’t great, but his consistency and longevity made him a valued addition to baseball history. Another notable modern day knuckleballer is Charlie Hough. He pitched for a quarter century and threw over 3800 innings.  
 
Still The Greatest

An unprecedented run as Yankee closer hasn’t slowed Mariano Rivera. He is still a machine after five World Series chips, 558 saves, endless clutch moments, four-and-five out saves, and recognition as the hands down best to ever do it. No Pac, Biggie, Jay-Z debates when it comes to closers. Breaking 40 years in age hasn’t slowed Mariano down either. Mother Nature is usually the judge of how long a player stays on top. She seems to like Rivera a bit more than the average player. Never has a closer had a 16-year run of dominance.  

Each year the media and non-believers say age is gonna get em’. Well a 1.83 ERA and 32 saves in 37 opportunities doesn’t equate with the science. His cutter is still good money. The Yankees will need him if they are to win back-to-back World Series chips for the first time in a decade. Enjoy what you have witnessed because you will probably not see another closer of this caliber in your lifetime. In the words of  Janet Jackson, Joni Mitchell and Q-Tip, “You don’t know what u got till Its Gone”  
 
An A- Bomb for A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez proves that there is life after steroids for baseball’s truly great hitters. The future Hall of Famer [put him at shortstop, third whatever] is still breaking records while many of his contemporaries are retired or living in disgrace. Two years after admitting to using performance enhancing drugs and despite missing a month of the season due to injury, ARod has recorded his 14th season with 30 HR’s and 100 RBI, an all-time record. Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez are next with 12. ARod has the most consecutive seasons [13] with 30 HR’s and 100 RBI ever. He also passed another fellow roid- rager Sammy Sosa for 6th place on the all-time homerun list. His 613 dingers leave ARod 17 shy of  No. 5 Ken Griffey Jr and 47 shy of the incomparable Willie Mays.

ARod continues to slug criticism from media, opposing players and fans. He performs despite rumors of affairs with entertainment vixens like Madonna and Cameron Diaz, just to name a few. He didn’t let a hip injury or other ailments deter him from finishing among the game’s elite hitters again this season. Complex in nature, a few things are very evident with ARod. He lives for baseball, he is a student of the game and probably the greatest player of his generation. [Although, Ken Griffey Jr may have something to say about that].