by Carl Coffee
10. Sam Hatt – Whiteford Wicked Aces
Hatt has had a very nice WSEM career, being both the Manchester Punchout and Westside Warrior ace. He is now comfortably in the #2 spot for the Aces, and it’s perfect for him. He has seen action in five games already, and has put up Sam Hatt numbers. When you have a 1.19 WHIP and a 3.41:1 K/BB ratio, and you are doing that as a #2 pitcher, your team will go far.
9. Travis Strojny – Wolfpack
Strojny deserves a better spot than #9, but those Week 1 stats really hurt him. If you take away those games, he has a 1.04 ERA and a 4:1 K/BB ratio. Strojny has been a workhorse for the 3-5 Wolfpack, and has put the team on his back early in the season. This #9 ranking should be the lowest we ever see him at.
8. Scott Kujawa – Red Cox
‘The White Asian’, ‘Kujo’, ‘Scott’, ‘The Red Assassin’ (just made that up), whatever you want to call him, this guy is quietly having an amazing rookie season on the hill. In a year where rookies haven’t done much, Kujawa is looking like a seasoned veteran. Although he only has one complete game, his 3-0 record still stands out. Combine that with his 0.75 ERA, and it’s safe to say Kujawa is the early ROY front runner.
7. David Castle – Holy Balls
Seeing David Castle at #7 should tell you how stellar our pitching is. This is a guy who has thrown the 2nd most innings so far (28), has a 1.00 WHIP, hasn’t lost yet, and six pitchers are ranked ahead of him?!? Castle has taken over as the Balls ace, and has saved the team this year. If his arm doesn’t fall off, and his offense keeps giving him run support, I can see Castle winning 10 games this year.
6. RJ Fisher – Islanders
Fisher no longer in the shadows of the Bischoff Brothers so far has not disappointed. He went toe-to-toe against Farkas and Chandler, but did lose against Little E. Fisher has allowed only two runs in 21 innings and his control hasn’t been an issue. The Islanders will hang around thanks to Fisher, but he needs run support.
5. Chandler Phillips – El Diablos
Chandler may be second in the league in walks allowed, and his 1.46 WHIP is high compared to other top pitchers, but few pitchers do a better job than Chandler at stranding runners on base. Chandler is the only true pitcher who plays full-time for the Fighting Chickens, and often has to get creative with when he throws. When he’s on, he’s just as good as anyone in the league.
4. Trey Jardine – Red Cox
The Red Cox spent a lot of money on the lefty All-Star, even though his availability was in question. He’s on pace for about 10 starts, and the numbers he has been putting up are #1 ace numbers. He so far has pretty much been the Left Handed version of Craig Skinner, as they both have nearly identical numbers.
3. Craig Skinner – Flying Squirrels
Skinner is just a tad better than Jardine early in the season. He has one more strike out, and his ERA (0.52) and WHIP (0.79) are .01 lower in both categories. Skinner has been, and will continue to be the ace for the talented Squirrels. With the pitching depth they have, he won’t ever be pulled in 8+ inning games, which will help his numbers this season.
2. Evan Bischoff – Whiteford Wicked Aces
We shouldn’t be surprised on how good Little E is, but yet, it seems like people are. With his bro in North Dakota, and Fisher on another team, it’s been the Evan Bischoff show for Whiteford. You can’t get any better than a 0.00 ERA, and his 8.3:1 K/BB ratio is stupid good. Evan will stay in the Clown Shu discussion all year, and will finally get the national attention he deserves.
1. Stephen Farkas – Ryan Alex See Yas
Farkas has given up a run and his 6.4:1 K/BB ratio is lower than Evan’s, but it’s really hard to not put Farkas anywhere but #1. He’s already at 90 strike outs this year, and could break his own record from last year. Like Fisher, he struggles to get run support. The reigning Clown Shu winner will have some competition this year if he wants to be the only 2-time winner, but he is still easily the frontrunner.
