The 2009 Baseball Season at the All Star Break: Pitchers with a High Number of Quality Starts

Although most baseball teams have played more than 81 games (one half of a baseball season), at the All Star break, the All Star Game held on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, is considered the mid-year mark of the baseball season.

According to Wikipedia, "a quality start is awarded to a starting pitcher who completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs." The statistic is considered controversal in baseball, because , for one thing, a pitcher working six innings and allowing three earned runs results in a rather high earned run average of 4.50.

As I wrote in another article on quality starts, the quality start statistic is in a kind of a limbo as far as being considered an official statistic. I could not find leaders in quality starts on mlb.com. However, ESPN.com does feature quality start leaders.

Here are the top 10 leaders, according to ESPN.com, by league, with their teams, win-lose totals and quality save totals.

American League

Cliff Lee Indians 4-9 15
Zach Greinke Royals 10-5 15
Edwin Jackson Tigers 7-4 14
Felix Hernandez Mariners 9-3 14
Dallas Braden Athletics 7-7 14
Josh Beckett Red Sox 11-3 13
Jered Weaver Angels 10-3 13
Nick Blackburn Twins 8-4 13
Kevin Millwood Rangers 8-7 13
Jarrod Washburn Mariners 6-6 13

National League

Dan Haren D'backs 9-5 17
Josh Johnson Marlins 8-2 16
Chad Billingsley Dodgers 9-4 15
Tim Linceum Giants 10-2 15
Ted Lilly Cubs 9-6 14
Derek Lowe Braves 8-7 13
Johan Santana Mets 10-7 13
Jason Marquis Rockies 11-6 13
Zach Duke Pirates 8-8 13
Javier Vazquez Braves 6-7 12

There are some surprise leaders in the quality start category in the first half of 2009. Greinke, Jackson, Braden, Blackburn, Haren, Johnson, Billingsley, Lilly, and Marquis are not exactly household names in the baseball world. Four pitchers are stuck on terminally medicore to bad teams and/or unpopular teams (Royals, Pirates, Marlins, Athletics).

Obviously, Cliff Lee, who is tied for the American League lead in quality starts, is getting "the short end of the stick", i.e., lack of support, from his Indian teammates. (more here). Lee has converted only 27% of his quality starts into wins. The other American League pitcher who has won less than 50 percent of his quality starts is Washburn of the Mariners (46%). Jackson and Braden have been rewarded with wins in half of their quality starts.

The senior circuit seems much more supportive, with only Vazquez of the Braves the hard luck quality starter. He is the only quality start leader in the NL with a losing record, converting 50% of his quality starts into victories. Also, Johnson has also only converted half of his quality starts into victories. Zack Duke, or the woeful (as usual) Pirates and another Brave, Derek Lowe, don't deserve their respective records, based on their quality start numbers.

On the other side of the (lucky?) coin, Beckett and Marquis have converted 85% of his quality starts into wins.

Of course, the number or wins relative to quality starts is based largely on the pitcher's team performance during 2009. For example, as of July 15, Lee's Indians are last in the AL Central Division, with a 35-54 record and a .393 win percentage. The Royals (Greinke) are next to last in the division, with a 37-51 record and a 42 percent winning percentage. Duke's Pirates are in their usual position, last in the National League Central, with a 38-52 record and a .432 win percentage. Braden's Athletics are last in the pack in the AL West, with a 37-49 record, winning only 43% of their games. And where would the 42-45 (.483) Mets be without Santana? Where would all these teams be without these starters?

Then there are winning teams who, for one reason or another (most likely the bullpen) aren't supporting their quality start leaders. As an example, Jackson's Tigers are first in the AL Central. The Braves (Lowe and Vazquez) though slightly under the .500 mark, are third in the NL East.