With the steroids era in baseball seemingly coming to a close and stars like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens waving farewell to their playing days, Major League Baseball seems to be pushing their young stars more than ever, as if to say, "Please forgive us, baseball fans, here are a new crop of stars guaranteed not to be on steroids. Enjoy."
Some of the brightest stars are the ones toeing the rubber, and why wouldn't they be; with no more steroid use, the pitchers should return to dominance.
All kidding aside, here are some of the top young pitchers in the American League:
1. Jonathon Papelbon: I know he isn't a starter and I was reluctant to put him number one on my list, but when I think dominant, young, American League, Papelbon's face is first to pop into my head.
Papelbon is only 27 years old, but he has established himself as one of the best, if not the best closer in baseball. He became the Red Sox closer in 2006. He had 35 saves that year with an ERA of an unbelievable .92; his WHIP was just as mind boggling at .78; he struck out 75 batters in 68.1 innings and walked only 13 men.
In 2007, Papelbon picked it up right where he left off. He finished with 37 saves, a 1.85 ERA and a .77 WHIP. He was also very prominent in the Red Sox march to World Series Championship over the Colorado Rockies.
The statistics are mind blowing, but if you get a chance to see him pitch, the live performance may be even more impressive. He has a dramatic stare he gives the plate before each pitch he throws. He has a fastball that sizzles and a curve ball that snaps like a whip. You have to see it to believe it, so watch him any time you get a chance.
2. and 3. are James Shields and Scott Kazmir or the Tampa Bay (don't say Devil) Rays. Shields throws from the right and Kazmir throws from the left providing a nice one-two punch that the Rays hope to keep around for years to come.
Kazmir is 24 years old and probably is the better of the two pitchers. He has a great fastball and a wicked slider that one might say is reminiscent of Randy Johnson. He is proving to be nearly unhittable so far in 2008 with an ERA of 1.22 to back up his 5-1 record. No fluke wins in that handful. His career record is 40-30 with a 3.50 ERA, so perhaps he is showing signs of improvement as he develops.
Shields pitches with a bit more attitude than Kazmir. More fiery on the mound than the stoic Kazmir, the 26-year-old seems to lose his focus at times and give up some hard-hit balls, yet he seems to regain focus just enough to get the next batter out and avoid big innings.
4. Erik Bedard comes in next on my list, though many would probably put him at the top of the list. He pitched in Baltimore for a few seasons before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2008.
His is off to a slow start for this season, but holds a career ERA of 3.85, a 1.33 WHIP, and a 44-37 record over his first four plus seasons in the big leagues. He has never pitched over 200 innings in a season, so there may be some questions about his durability, but his steadily improving numbers each year show him to have potential to be one of the best around.
He already has one of the best curve balls in the game today and a fastball in the mid to low nineties. He is smart and focused when on the mound, possibly a product of being coached by Leo Mazzone the past few seasons. Mazzone is the same man who coached Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz in Atlanta during their prime years.
5. I include C.C. Sabathia on the list because he is only 27 years old. I put him fifth because he has already pitched seven full seasons in the big leagues, so I don't know for sure if he qualifies as young anymore.
A list of young, American League pitchers wouldn't be complete without Sabathia. He won the 2007 Cy Young award and that doesn't intimidate batters, his 6 foot 7 inch frame and 290 pounds probably will. He can approach 100 miles per hour with his fastball and has a variation of change-ups and breaking balls that will make a lot hitters feel nothing but air on their bats.
He has a career record of 103-70 and has yet to have a losing season in seven of them; very impressive for a man who has been said to lack focus and motivation at various times in his career.
In 2007, he really put it together and sustained excellence for nearly every game he pitched. With a career best in wins with 19, strikeouts with 209 and innings pitched at 241, he also had career lows in ERA (3.21) and WHIP (1.14).
It is hard to think of him as a young pitcher with so much experience under his belt, but his young age provides Sabathia an opportunity to become one of the best pitchers to ever play the game if he can get that mental focus under control.
The American League is full of great young pitchers, but if I had to give you just five to keep your eye on or set your DVR to record when they are on the tube, these are the five that come to mind first.
Some notables might include Felix Hernandez of the Mariners or Justin Verlander of the Tigers.