They're real and they're Spectacular
The Minor League regular season is down to its final days, finishing up on Sunday and Monday. While there are countless races to look at -- playoffs, home run titles (Mitch Jones has a slim one-homer lead in that one) -- but the one I want to talk about today is the overall ERA title.
That winner gets the Most Spectacular Pitcher Award, handed out officially at the Triple-A Championship Game (the game formerly known as the Bricktown Showdown). Here are the top three in ERA among full-season pitchers:
Bradley Meyers, Harrisburg (Nationals) 1.65
Travis Wood, Louisville (Reds) 1.77
Madison Bumgarner, Connecticut (Giants) 1.86
Each likely has one start left before the season comes to an end. Without knowing for certain, it seems like Meyers will pitch on Sept. 3 (Thursday). Wood will pitch on Thursday as well. Bumgarner pitched on Tuesday, allowing two runs on seven innings (which actually caused a rise in his ERA). Connecticut plays Sunday and Monday to finish things off and I'd bet he starts one of those two final games.
Bumgarner might seem like he's got too far to go to win it, but he's worth mentioning because if he can pull it off, he'd win the MSP award for the second straight year. I'd have to check, but I can't imagine that's happened too often, if at all, in Minor League history.
Here's what's working in Bumgarner's favor. Since Wood's promotion to Triple-A, his ERA has gone up, as he's "struggled" with a 3.30 ERA in seven starts for Louisville. He gave up four runs in his last start. One more outing like that and Bumgarner could be in second place before he pitches. If Wood has another 6 IP, 4 ER outing to finish off his season, that would bring his overall ERA to 1.92. That's not to guarantee that's what he'll do, but gives you a framework of how much his ERA can escalate.
Meyers has a 2.19 ERA in seven starts since his promotion to Double-A. His last start saw him give up two earned runs over six inning and his August ERA is 2.22. For the sake of argument, lets say he goes another six innings and gives up two runs. His overall ERA would bump up to 1.71. His previous two starts, he had allowed just one run over seven innings in both of them, which would make things tougher.
So what does Bumgarner need to do to take his second straight Most Spectacular Pitcher crown? Well, in this scenario, he can't get it done. A complete-game shutout would bring him down to 1.74. Since it's highly unlikely for him to go nine full, let's say he puts up seven shutout frames. That translates to a 1.77 ERA for the year. If Meyers gives up just one extra earned run -- if he goes 6 IP and yields three earned -- his ERA climbs to 1.78.
Several things have to fall into place. But it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Keep an eye on those box scores to see how it all plays out.
That winner gets the Most Spectacular Pitcher Award, handed out officially at the Triple-A Championship Game (the game formerly known as the Bricktown Showdown). Here are the top three in ERA among full-season pitchers:
Bradley Meyers, Harrisburg (Nationals) 1.65
Travis Wood, Louisville (Reds) 1.77
Madison Bumgarner, Connecticut (Giants) 1.86
Each likely has one start left before the season comes to an end. Without knowing for certain, it seems like Meyers will pitch on Sept. 3 (Thursday). Wood will pitch on Thursday as well. Bumgarner pitched on Tuesday, allowing two runs on seven innings (which actually caused a rise in his ERA). Connecticut plays Sunday and Monday to finish things off and I'd bet he starts one of those two final games.
Bumgarner might seem like he's got too far to go to win it, but he's worth mentioning because if he can pull it off, he'd win the MSP award for the second straight year. I'd have to check, but I can't imagine that's happened too often, if at all, in Minor League history.
Here's what's working in Bumgarner's favor. Since Wood's promotion to Triple-A, his ERA has gone up, as he's "struggled" with a 3.30 ERA in seven starts for Louisville. He gave up four runs in his last start. One more outing like that and Bumgarner could be in second place before he pitches. If Wood has another 6 IP, 4 ER outing to finish off his season, that would bring his overall ERA to 1.92. That's not to guarantee that's what he'll do, but gives you a framework of how much his ERA can escalate.
Meyers has a 2.19 ERA in seven starts since his promotion to Double-A. His last start saw him give up two earned runs over six inning and his August ERA is 2.22. For the sake of argument, lets say he goes another six innings and gives up two runs. His overall ERA would bump up to 1.71. His previous two starts, he had allowed just one run over seven innings in both of them, which would make things tougher.
So what does Bumgarner need to do to take his second straight Most Spectacular Pitcher crown? Well, in this scenario, he can't get it done. A complete-game shutout would bring him down to 1.74. Since it's highly unlikely for him to go nine full, let's say he puts up seven shutout frames. That translates to a 1.77 ERA for the year. If Meyers gives up just one extra earned run -- if he goes 6 IP and yields three earned -- his ERA climbs to 1.78.
Several things have to fall into place. But it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Keep an eye on those box scores to see how it all plays out.
What a turnaround for the Giants. They're a big bat away from having a chance to win it all—year after year.
Stagekid's Dissertation
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