Mound Musings: The 2016 Season Pitching Awards

It's amazing how fast a season can pass. It seems like mere days ago I was chatting about the events of Spring Training. Equally amazing would have to be the ups and downs, and the surprises and predictable results compiled over the year. I would have to say that 2016 gave us a few more surprises than usual. In many cases, injuries opened doors that might have otherwise never materialized. And, I'm beginning to think this might be a big part of the future. Fantasy baseball in general, and the pitching aspects of the game specifically, are evolving and becoming more of a challenge. That said, let's get to my list of a few 2016 award winners:

Newcomer Award – Jameson Taillon: The Pirates have a flock of talented young arms including Tyler Glasnow, but Taillon turned a lot of heads. I've loved the guy forever and was dying to finally see him pitch. I'll be honest, I could never have predicted his command of the strike zone after missing so much time. If 2016 was shaking off the rust, what does the future hold? If he stays healthy he's going to get better, folks. Look for his strikeout rate to climb and his batting average against to decline steadily.

Biggest (Pleasant) Surprise – Rick Porcello: There were plenty of names receiving consideration for this award, but when he lost out (narrowly) in the Pitcher of the Year category, it became hard to deny him here. After years of disappointing his followers, he moved to Boston and paid huge dividends to those who didn't give up. All he did was go 21-4 (so far) with a 0.98 WHIP and a 3.08 ERA. Only his modest strikeout rate (174 in 210 innings) tarnished his season a tiny bit, but that's likely to improve, too. I do have to add that J.A. Happ and Tanner Roark made quite the cases for this spot as well.

Biggest Disappointment – Adam Wainwright: I am always hugely impressed by those pitchers who literally take control of a game whenever they step up on a mound. For years, that has defined by Wainwright. And, I thought he might soften the impact a bit when he eventually started to lose a little of his edge. After all, he was never a pure power pitcher, his calling card was pinpoint command of a top shelf repertoire. It was painful to watch him much of this season as he struggled horribly, except for a few weeks in July and August. I will say he dealt with a lot of nagging injuries, so I'm hoping for a bounce back in 2017.

Tommy John Award – Jose Fernandez: He missed most of both 2014 and 2015 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so the Marlins understandably took it easy on him this year. The opposition might disagree. All he did was strikeout a ridiculous 253 batters in just over 182 innings. Add in a nifty 1.12 WHIP and a 2.86 ERA while his velocity stayed where it was presurgery and his walk rate declined. They should be able to take the gloves off in 2017. Yikes! He might be one of those guys who improves after TJ surgery.

Not Tommy John Award – Masahiro Tanaka: This is a new category because, quite frankly, I am intrigued with the concept of avoiding what was up until recently considered unavoidable – Tommy John surgery following elbow ligament damage. Tanaka has a partial ligament tear that dates back to at least 2015. He decided to forego the traditional surgery, and baseball minds felt it was just postponing the inevitable. He made it through that year and was even better this year (now at just about 200 innings). Consider the potential impact on the game if the incidence of TJ surgery is significantly reduced.

The Stars Come Out Award – Kevin Gausman: C'mon, you Musings regulars knew he had to show up somewhere in the awards issue. Gausman gets the basic most likely to succeed (and become a star) hardware. His overall numbers are fairly pedestrian, but more recently, as he becomes more comfortable spotting his whole arsenal, the stars have begun to shine a bit brighter. He just went through a stretch where he allowed just three runs in 33 innings across five starts, and you can see the tumblers clicking into place for him. He could still be a couple of years away from his ceiling – he can still nibble a bit, resulting in higher pitch counts – but it will be fun watching him grow.

Kevin Gregg Award – Jeanmar Gomez: This award is the ultimate smoke and mirrors honor. Named after one of the most famous (infamous?) mock closers in the history of the game, every year some guy zigs and zags through the season, hanging on to the closer's gig by a thread. Gomez steals the award for 2016. No matter how you slice and dice his pitches, he doesn't have the stuff to consistently finish games. All that said, he is approaching 40 saves on a bad team. Eventually, look for Hector Neris to nab the job.

Closer of the Year – Zach Britton: I admit to being a huge Kenley Jansen fan, but there just wasn't any way to deny Britton this award. He's 45-for-45 in converting saves and he has – are you ready for this – a 0.85 WHIP and a jaw-dropping 0.59 ERA. His groundball to flyball ratio is over 10:1, and he's striking out over a batter per inning. Since he was converted from a starter in 2013, his fastball velocity has been on the rise, exceeding 96 mph this year. It's been a dream year, and he's not slowing down.

Pitcher of the Year – Max Scherzer: Here's the big one – the difference maker. I have never really been a big Scherzer fan. In fact, I generally felt that he was a bit overrated, but that may be a thing of the past. He tended to be a bit inconsistent earlier in his MLB career, and he would occasionally throw a real cinder, but since moving to Washington, he has been a picture of consistency. Now in his second season with the Nationals, he is 18-7, carries a 0.93 WHIP with a sparkling 2.82 ERA and he has rung up 267 strikeouts – virtually a carbon copy of 2015. Sometimes pitchers force me to alter my expectations, and Scherzer may be knocking on that door. He beat out some impressive competition.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• I don't think Seattle's Angel Miranda is quite as good as his numbers suggest, but he has a favorable matchup coming this weekend, and with so many starters being shut down there are bound to be teams looking for a flyer as the season comes to a close. When he keeps the ball in the yard he can be useful.

• The Nationals activated Joe Ross from the disabled list last Friday but he pitched just three innings in his first start since early July. If he can work later into games in his final couple of starts, he might be able to give fantasy teams a little boost. Washington will want to sharpen him up for the playoffs.

• For years (since his days at U of Kentucky) I have followed Alex Meyer. I love his stuff, and it's a challenge to try and predict from which release point the next overpowering pitch will come. Like many extremely tall pitchers command has not come easy, but maybe the Angels can lock him in. Keep monitoring.

• Speaking of "Alex," I'll take all the shares of Alex Reyes I can get my hands on. The Cardinals have to be enjoying the stuff he is showing, and he has the tools to be a fantasy asset right out of the gate next year.

• One pitcher who is enjoying another great year, but didn't make the awards list, is Chris Sale of the White Sox. He pitches in a very hitter-friendly park, yet he puts up solid numbers year after year. You just have to hope that violent delivery isn't becoming problematic with his precipitous dip in velocity and strikeout rate.

• Jacob deGrom of the Mets was shut down and underwent surgery to repair an ulnar nerve. It was evident that things weren't right, so getting the surgery out of the way so he can be ready next spring is a good plan. It's concerning that Mets' starters seem to deal with more than their share of injuries lately.
  

The Cardinals will welcome Trevor Rosenthal back, but even with Seung Hwan Oh dealing with a groin strain he may not see save chances. Kevin Siegrist has been filling in and has done a good job. The Giants have confirmed that we will see more of both Hunter Strickland and Derek Law in the end game for the rest of the season. I tend to give the edge to Strickland for saves, but both are quality arms. The A's Ryan Madson has gone through an up and down season. The good news is he has stayed relatively healthy, but Oakland could look for an upgrade next year. The Cubs' rotation has been a big part of the team's success, but acquiring Aroldis Chapman has also been a big part of that rotation's success. Boston's Craig Kimbrel appears to be warming up for the playoffs. Since coming back from a knee injury in early August, he has been nearly untouchable while whittling his ERA down to 2.61 on the year. Had he held the job all season, Atlanta's Jim Johnson might have given Gomez a run for the Kevin Gregg award, but Gomez has a firm grip on that trophy. Andrew Bailey picked up save No.4 earlier this week and appears to be solidifying his claim to the closer's gig with the Angels through the end of the season.