Hot pitchers from the last 2 weeks

July 15th

Shane McClanahan

3 Games, 3 QS, 2-0 record, 24 K, 3 BB, 1.40 ERA, 0.62 WHIP

The American League Cy Young favorite continued his dominance in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday night. His 4 pitch mix, led by a dominant 97 mph 4-seam fastball has proved that the hype we saw at the end of 2021 is real. McClanahan record now sits at 10-3 for the season with a 1.71 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. He deserves to be the American League starting pitcher at this years All-Star game.

Spencer Strider

3 Games, 2 QS, 1-0 record, 31 K, 6 BB, 1.08 ERA, 0.84 WHIP

Strider's breakout campaign this season has been led by 2 dominate pitches, his 4-seam fastball which averages at 98 mph, and his slider. Strider's K rate sits at 38.9 for the season, making him one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball. If Strider can lower his BB rate in the second half of the season, we could be looking at the National League rookie of the year. At just 23 years old, getting his first shot as a starting pitcher in the big leagues, Strider has a 2.74 ERA and a 73/17 K to walk ratio.

Max Scherzer

2 Games, 2 QS, 1-0 record, 20 K, 0 BB, 0.69 ERA, 0.38 WHIP

Since returning from the IL with an oblique strain that he suffered on May 18th, Scherzer has shown no rust at all. The 37 year old veteran arm has proven time and again that he deserves to be in the conversation for top 5 pitchers in the league every season he's active. As the Mets rotation waits to get back to full strength, Scherzer will lead the charge for the 1st place Mets as they try to hold off the scorching hot Braves in the division race. Scherzer's season line now sits at 10 games, 2.15 ERA, and 0.83 WHIP. He will continue to showcase his elite K rate, BB rate, and his knack to limit hard contact the season half of the season.

Brad Keller

3 Games, 3 QS, 3-0 record, 16 K, 6 BB, 2.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP

Keller improved his record to 5-9 over the past 3 starts with 2 of them coming against the Tigers and 1 against the Astros. He now has a 3.96 ERA for the season and a 1.27 WHIP. Even with this productive week, the season long numbers are not very pretty. Keller is a solid ground-ball pitcher with good control but not much K upside. Keller will look to improve his BB rate and continue to limit hard contact the season half of the season. His upside is limited by the lack of Ks and starting for the Royals.

Sandy Alcantara

2 Games, 2 QS, 1-0 record, 14 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP

Alcantara has been simply unbelievable this season. He has a surprising 9-3 record (ties career high), 1.73 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. He leads Major League Baseball in innings pitched by a large margin and has pitched 7+ innings in 12 straight starts dating back to May 11th. His even 4 pitch mix prevents hitters from getting comfortable in the box. Alcantara is an elite ground pitcher and has a knack to limit hard contact, allowing him to continue to go deep into games. As we approach the all-star break, Sandy looks like the favorite to win the National League Cy Young award and start the all-star game for the N.L.

Triston McKenzie

3 Games, 3 QS, 3-0 record, 23 K, 6 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.71 WHIP

"Dr. Sticks" McKenzie capped off an amazing run into the all-star break Thursday night against the Tigers. He went 8 innings, 0 ER, 0 BB, and matched a career high with 12 strikeouts. McKenzie has been on a tear lately, dropping his season long ERA to 3.20 with a 0.98 WHIP. His xERA sits at 4.19 for the season to go along with a massive fly ball rate at 34%. McKenzie's ERA will likely regress back to his career average of 4.03 ERA but flashes of elite talent like this stretch is what the Guardians saw when they invested in him as a starter.