Charles Klein
Much of the talk around baseball has been about the rise of Ubaldo Jimenez and the continued dominance of Tim Lincecum. And the only young pitcher on anyone's mind these days is David Price. But one pitcher continues to evade the limelight. His name is Doug Fister.
Sure, he probably is not the most sought after pitcher in your fantasy baseball league. And he certainly does not dazzle you with his strikeout numbers or his stuff. His last name even probably throws you off a little. But it suits him just fine.
Believe it or not, on May 25 Fister is third in Major League Baseball in ERA. His 2.03 earned run average is the best in the American League. And it is not due to a low number of innings-pitched. Fister is 24th in the Majors in IP, having tossed 62 innings thus far.
Doug Fister has proven this year that it is more than just whether or not a pitcher strikes out a ton of batters that determines his effectiveness. His game has been more about pounding the strike zone and forcing hitters to put the ball in play. Fister has only allowed ten walks in 62 innings-pitched and ranks second in major league baseball behind Ubaldo Jimenez in WHIP (walks hits per innings-pitched).
And if Fister pitched for a team with a better offense he could be leading the league in wins. Unfortunately for him, the Mariners have been more than aenemic offensively. He has only won three games on the year, but all of his other statistics present a strong argument in his favor that he has been one of the best pitchers in the league so far this season.
While I do not think that Fister is a legitimate Cy Young candidate at this point, he might just become one by the end of the year. What he lacks in style he certainly makes up for in substance. And the Mariners have assuredly enjoyed that.
So while everyone else focuses on David Price and Jaime Garcia, we Pacific Northwesterners will enjoy watching Doug Fister continue this amazing run of form.
Erik who?
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