Is Ubaldo Jimenez the best pitcher in Major League Baseball?
Ubaldo Jimenez, the Colorado Rockies flame-throwing ace, is off to a legendary start to the 2010 season. He's proving critics wrong from around the country and is showing that pitching well in Colorado is not impossible. Not only is he pitching well, he's being compared to one of the best pitchers of all time, Bob Gibson . So far this season, Jimenez has a record of 10 wins and 1 loss. His ERA (earned run avg) is amazingly low .78, he has 2 shutouts, 1 no-hitter and is 4th in innings pitched, 9th in strikeouts with 70 and basically has been unhittable.
Just 3 seasons ago, Ubaldo Jimenez was the young stud that joined the Rockies in their playoff push at the end of the 2007 season. Jimenez was a hard throwing pitcher with control problems and didn't have great secondary pitches (curve, change, slider). Well things have changed in a big way for Jimenez. Since the 2nd half of last season, he's become a dominant pitcher and one that batters don't like to face. Jimenez now has great control of his fastball (which hits 100 MPH almost every game). He has an awesome change up and his curve ball will buckle the knees of opposing batters.
I previously stated that Ubaldo Jimenez has been compared to Bob Gibson. This comparison stems from Gibson's legendary season in 1968. For baseball history buffs, this season is a very important one and became known as "The Year of the Pitcher". Due in large part to Gibson's dominant season, MLB lowered the pitching mound from 15 inches to 10 in an attempt to help hitters. Gibson ended the 1968 season with a record of 22-9 and had an ERA of 1.12. Gibson threw 13 shutouts and won the National League MVP Award. While it's early on in the 2010 season, Ubaldo Jimenez is having a year similar to the one Gibson had in 1968.
It's pretty early in the season to be projecting MVP winners, Cy Young winners, etc., but Ubaldo Jimenez should be considered for both. He's made 11 starts and has only lost 1 game (a 2-0 loss to the Giants). He has a no-hitter under his belt and has simply made hitters look silly. If you watch Jimenez pitch a game you will see more broken bats than one would think possible. Ubaldo Jimenez has become a top flight pitcher and is making a case for the best pitching season in history. It's pretty exciting to think what Ubaldo's statistics will look like at the end of the season. I think it's safe to say that Ubaldo Jimenez has become the best pitcher in all of Major League Baseball.
Just 3 seasons ago, Ubaldo Jimenez was the young stud that joined the Rockies in their playoff push at the end of the 2007 season. Jimenez was a hard throwing pitcher with control problems and didn't have great secondary pitches (curve, change, slider). Well things have changed in a big way for Jimenez. Since the 2nd half of last season, he's become a dominant pitcher and one that batters don't like to face. Jimenez now has great control of his fastball (which hits 100 MPH almost every game). He has an awesome change up and his curve ball will buckle the knees of opposing batters.
I previously stated that Ubaldo Jimenez has been compared to Bob Gibson. This comparison stems from Gibson's legendary season in 1968. For baseball history buffs, this season is a very important one and became known as "The Year of the Pitcher". Due in large part to Gibson's dominant season, MLB lowered the pitching mound from 15 inches to 10 in an attempt to help hitters. Gibson ended the 1968 season with a record of 22-9 and had an ERA of 1.12. Gibson threw 13 shutouts and won the National League MVP Award. While it's early on in the 2010 season, Ubaldo Jimenez is having a year similar to the one Gibson had in 1968.
It's pretty early in the season to be projecting MVP winners, Cy Young winners, etc., but Ubaldo Jimenez should be considered for both. He's made 11 starts and has only lost 1 game (a 2-0 loss to the Giants). He has a no-hitter under his belt and has simply made hitters look silly. If you watch Jimenez pitch a game you will see more broken bats than one would think possible. Ubaldo Jimenez has become a top flight pitcher and is making a case for the best pitching season in history. It's pretty exciting to think what Ubaldo's statistics will look like at the end of the season. I think it's safe to say that Ubaldo Jimenez has become the best pitcher in all of Major League Baseball.
Posted by Jeremy Fleming at Friday, June 04, 2010 9:53 AM 
Categories: Colorado Rockies
Tags: Bob Gibson MLB best pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez Cy Young
Categories: Colorado Rockies
Tags: Bob Gibson MLB best pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez Cy Young
A lot of times young guys start off real hot, and then fade in the second half of the season. Usually teams make adjustments, ans start preying on a pitcher's mistakes. However I have seen very few pitchers with his type of stuff in the 20 or so years I have watched baseball. I think he will cool off a tad in the second half, but when you have a .78 ERA through 11 games it is hard not to cool off a bit. As long as he does not get hurt this guy should be up there with Lincecum and oter elite NL pitchers in the Cy Young race. His ability to pitch a lot of innings should give him a leg up as well as it allows him to get more wins.
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