Looking For Strikeouts?

K/9 is one of my favorite sabermetric statistics. It tells us the rate at which pitchers strike out batters.

While strikeouts is a counting category in most leagues, noting which pitchers are striking people out at the highest rate is most important.

A few weeks ago we looked at some of the top strikeout pitchers so far in 2008.

Which of them have kept it up? Which have slowed down? Are there any new guys creeping up into the top 20 in strikeout rate?

All this and more in this week's edition of Looking For Strikeouts.

Keeping it up...

Jonathan Sanchez - He was ranked 1st and has dropped down to 3rd. His 10.69/9 ratio is still top notch. He's even managed to leave his ERA at 3.48. He looks like he can maintain this pace folks.

Tim Lincecum - He was ranked second last time and now he's ranked 6th. At nearly 10K/9 he's still looking like #1 SP material. His ERA will go up a bit, but he's got talent. He should end the year with an ERA below 4.00 and 200 K if the Giants let him pitch in September.

Johan Santana - Nothing needs to be said. Ranked 12th.

Javier Vazquez - Ditto. Some guys always have good K rates and we expect that. Ranked 13th.

Randy Wolf - His 9 K/9 rate remains stellar. He's pitching really well and can be counted on for every home start. He can also be started on the road, but play the matchups carefully. He struck out 9 Phillies in Philadelphia last night over 6 innings so he's not scared of anybody right now. Health is always a concern.. but until then.. he can be started weekly.





Have slowed it down...

Todd Wellemeyer - He's slowed it down.. slightly. I wonder if he'll continue the slide enough to drop out of the top 20 next time. He dropped from 9.36 to 8.57, which still ranks him 11th. I expect it to decline further making him a good guy to get rid of, while promoting his 11th ranked K rate to someone.

Johnny Cueto - His rate has gone from 9.91/9 to 8.57/9. That is a decrease my friends. He's someone to sell high on because the hype surrounding him was absurd. The start he had was great but he's due to hit some bumps in the road... in fact, he has started to already.

Matt Cain - His rate dropped from 8.41 to 7.99. Not a huge drop, but if the trend continues, it will be a huge drop worth mentioning.

Cliff Lee - His rate wasn't awesome, but was a solid 8K/9 last time we spoke. It's down to 7.65 and I'm sure the trend will continue. He's never been a huge strikeout pitcher and overall, he's bound to decline. Will the Wladimir Balentien HR turn his season around?

Shaun Marcum - Clearly a fluke to start the year. He dropped from 8.71 to 7. He was never a strikeout guy anyway.

Ben Sheets - Another return to planet earth. It's not 2005 folks. Ben Sheets is what he is. He dropped a full K from 8 to 7, and I wouldn't be surprised if he dropped further towards 6.65, which he maintained last year and the year before.

Jair Jurrjens - He dropped from 7.5 to 6.5K/9. The strikeout pitch wasn't the only pitch he was using to get batters out. His component ERA is 1.86. He's looking like the real deal. Who needs Edgar Renteria anyway?


New additions...

Chad Billingsley - He had a series of games where he struck out 41 batters in 23 innings. That will do the trick. He's currently ranked #1 overall in K rate but isn't helping much in the ERA or WHIP department. Honestly, he's not pitching that well, but he's striking batters out. We tabbed him as someone to avoid because we thought his ERA would rise this year, which it has. His strikeouts however, are an awesome 13/9 for the time being.

Edinson Volquez - His K rate last year was close to 8/9. This year he's got a 1.23 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP to go along with the strikeouts. Edinson's 10/9 K ratio ranks 4th among starting pitchers. Pitchers coming from the AL to Cincinatti know something we don't (Harang, Arroyo). I think he's the real deal.

Josh Beckett - It was only a matter of time before he showed up here. He's the ace on many a fantasy team.

Randy Johnson - Yes, he's still here. His ERA and WHIP are garbage now but he still strikes people out. He'll be on the DL before we know it, but he's serviceable when pitching against weak division rivals like the Giants and Padres.

CC Sabathia - He had quite the two game span after bombing the first 5. He struck out 20 batters over two games to claim a spot on the K/9 list. He currently ranks 8th, but I'd expect a dropoff. He's never had a high K rate, but 250 innings with an above-average K rate will get you 200 K's.

Chris Young - My man. Ranked 15th with an 8.57 K/9 rate. He's starting to pitch better and I'd buy low if the opportunity is still there.

Felix Hernandez - Welcome, Felix. He's checking out in all facets of his game and his K ate is ranked 19th. It's not surprising to see him on this list. The bigger questions is how high on this list can he go?

Micah Owings - If only there was an offensive roster spot for pitchers. A 2-run pinch hit homer? Give me a break. I digress. His 3.48 ERA is for real and his K rate is slightly above 8, and he looks to be for real. What a staff they've got going on in Arizona.

Scott Baker - He's creeping up on 8K/9. He's not known to be a strikeout guy, so let's see where he takes us. His ERA should drop a bit and he makes a decent addition if he's on the wire.