New Generation Poll #1 (Read Message First)

[The Dude]

So I was thinking about great young pitchers. With Clemens basically gone, Johnson, Glavine, Smoltz, and Maddux realistically gone this year or next, and Mussina staring down the barrel in a few years, it's time to identify the best of the young guns.

So here's the setup. The pitcher must be under the age of 32, and have at least 75 MLB starts. Poll is open 4 days

Vote for your top choice ...

Player            GS      IP    W    L    CG   SHO     K's    ERA+    WHIP   BI    GI
Bedard, Erik      115     682   42   35    1   1       659    120     1.33    2    19
Buehrle, Mark     240   1,665  108   78   23   7       966    122     1.26    7    78
Beckett, Josh     171   1,048   80   54    4   2       993    116     1.22    4    41
Haren, Danny      128     824   53   45    5   0       642    114     1.23    3    44
Hernandez, Felix   80     516   32   27    4   2       462    112     1.30    0    21
Halladay, Roy     229   1,618  114   59   35   9     1,119    129     1.22   23   106
Grienke, Zack      77     499   24   36    3   0       353    105     1.33    0    14
Kazmir, Scott      98     574   35   30    1   1       622    122     1.39    5    16
Peavy, Jake       179   1,136   80   52    6   3     1,136    120     1.18   23    80
Oswalt, Roy       216   1,455  115   57   12   4     1,203    139     1.21   14    94
Sheets, Ben       196   1,269   77   74   14   2     1,080    114     1.19    6    52
Sabathia, C.C.    226   1,444  101   68   16   5     1,179    113     1.28    9    78
Santana, Johan    182   1,255   96   46    6   4     1,428    141     1.09   42   105
Webb, Brandon     170   1,136   72   55   12   7       917    145     1.23   20    77
Zambrano, Carlos  187   1,240   85   56    7   2     1,077    132     1.28    5    91

Bedard, Erik:
2002-2007: Balitmore Orioles
2008-: Seattle Mariners

Buehrle, Mark:
2000-: Chicago White Sox
-No-Hitter in 2006
-3 All-Star Appearances
-2 Playoff Appearances
-1 WS Ring

Beckett, Josh:
2001-2005: Florida Marlins
2006-: Boston Red Sox
-1 All-Star Appearance
-2 Playoff Appearances
-2 WS Rings
-1 Cy Young Award

Haren, Danny:
2002-2003: St. Louis Cardinals
2004-2007: Oakland Athletics
2008-: Arizona Diamondbacks
-1 All-Star Appearance
-2 Playoff Appearances
-1 WS Ring

Hernandez, Felix:
2005-:Seattle Mariners

Halladay, Roy:
1998-:Toronto Blue Jays
-4 All-Star Appearances
-1 Cy Young Award

Grienke, Zack:
2004-: Kansas City Royals

Kazmir, Scott:
2004-: Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
-1 All-Star Appearance

Peavy, Jake:
2002-: San Diego Padres
-2 All-Star Appearances
-2 Playoff Appearances
-1 Cy Young Award

Oswalt, Roy:
2001-: Houston Astros
-1 Inning of No-Hitter in 2003
-3 All-Star Appearances
-2 Playoff Appearances

Sheets, Ben:
2000-: Milwaukee Brewers
-3 All-Star Appearances

Sabathia, C.C.:
2001-: Cleveland Indians
-3 All-Star Appearances
-2 Playoff Appearances

Santana, Johan:
2000-2007: Minnesota Twins
2008-: New York Mets
-3 All-Star Appearances
-4 Playoff Appearances
-2 Cy Young Awards

Webb, Brandon:
2002-: Arizona Diamondbacks
-2 All-Star Appearances
-1 Playoff Appearance
-ROY Award
-1 Cy Young Award

Zambrano, Carlos:
2001-: Chicago Cubs
-2 All-Star Appearances
-2 Playoff Appearances

[Cubsfan97]

I choose Webb. IMO hes the best in the league, and really the only competition hes gonna have is Jake Peavy and maybe Zambrano. Santana I think is gonna flop...not completely, but he wont be the same force in the NL as he was in the AL. Santana may end up being Mike Mussina or Andy Pettitte good. Not Greg Maddux or Roger Clemens good. Peavy and Webb are gonna be this generations Maddux and Clemens. I am looking forward to it. I think both could have a shot at 300. I dont know their ages, but I imagine maybe mid 20s and Im sure if they pitch like they can they can get to 300.

[dgarza]

Career-wise, Santana is pretty clearly #1. He also had a higher peak.
Oswalt is #2.
Santana and Oswalt have about 2 extra seasons on Brandon Webb, so I don't have Webb ranked as high as those two, but he is clearly on pace with them and could end up having a better career of the three. Santana and Oswalt had the advantage of starting younger as well.

[insanefishpossay]

Santana I think is gonna flop...not completely, but he wont be the same force in the NL as he was in the AL. Santana may end up being Mike Mussina or Andy Pettitte good. Not Greg Maddux or Roger Clemens good.

Do you have any specific reasoning behind this? I'll be surprised if Santana "flops" after his transition to an offensively inferior league.

[The Dude]

I don't know if Santana will flop ... but I think in the long run, he might not be regarded as high as Webb or Halladay. Don't get me wrong, I think Santana has shown the most dominating stuff, whereas Webb and Halladay seem to me, control-oriented pitchers, which we known tend to last longer.

[steve rogers]

To me Johan Santana is still the best pitcher in baseball until proven otherwise. Josh Beckett and Brandon Webb are tied for second in my opinion. Beckett would be 3rd but he has been extraordinary in the post season. Webb might be that good too in the postseason if given the opportunity.

Scott

[Cubsfan97]

Hmm maybe flop wasnt the right word, I just dont see him being as good as he was with the Twins. He'll still be great, and prolly a HOFer, but not as good as Webb and Peavy will be when all is said and done.

[Erik Bedard]

Santana for now, with Peavy and Webb closing fast.

[wardawg]

I voted for Santana, even though I think Zambrano, when he wants to, has better stuff.

[Bothrops Atrox]

I voted for Santana, even though I think Zambrano, when he wants to, has better stuff.

He doesn't always want to have better stuff?

[wardawg]

Zambrano doesn't appear to me to always give 100%, but I could be wrong.

[The Dude]

Zambrano doesn't appear to me to always give 100%, but I could be wrong.

Agreed. And I would also say he sometimes let's his emotions gets the best of him. Granted, I also think this helps him sometimes too.

[Erik Bedard]

If it's just peak stuff, I go with Santana #1, Bedard #2, and Webb #3. Zambrano and Peavy are up there too, and Felix Hernandez, Greinke, and Kazmir could be in a couple years.