With Tim Lincecum powerless in the dugout, as the Giants bullpen blew a ninth-inning lead this week, there’s only one pitcher in the National League to have gone a perfect five wins in five starts. And while wins may not be the best way to measure a pitcher, he has also posted a 0.79 ERA, and has yet to allow a home run in 34.1 innings despite playing his home games at Coors Field.
Ubaldo Jimenez: The Best Pitcher You Never Heard Of?
↵There’s no doubt that if Ubaldo Jimenez were playing in the Eastern time-zone, his starts would be an ESPN highlight, featuring a fastball that can touch 100 mph, and he has been striking out nearly a batter per inning this year. He only really came to national prominence when he no-hit the Braves on April 17th, but he’s been mowing down opposing hitters for quite some time, and won 15 games for the Rockies last season.
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Indeed, excluding the playoffs (where he somewhat flamed out), he has arguably been the best pitcher in the NL of late. In 17 regular-season starts since August 2009, he is 13-3 with a 2.24 ERA. Remarkably, his career ERA at Coors is actually better than at sea-level, helped by Ubaldo being a ground-ball pitcher - his GB/FB ratio is 1.18 over the past three years, compared to an average of 0.79.
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The Rockies have tried a variety of tactics to succeed since their formation, be it out-slugging the opponents or signing Mike Hampton to what was then the biggest contract given to a pitcher. But Jimenez might just be their best shot at lasting success. Given that thus far, the Rockies are 6-11 in games not started by their ace, they certainly need him to keep being the stud pitcher into which he has blossomed.
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