Friday,
December 21, 2007
#1 or
Ace?
(Note – I just
don’t know that there will be a lot of entries over the weekend or through
Christmas. Unless the Twins make a trade, which is possible, I may just take a
few days off! Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate
Christmas. Happy Holidays to everyone else!)
I have mentioned
previously that I love to listen to XM Radio’s Home Plate
Network. I love listening to Mark Patrick and Buck Martinez every morning
on my drive to work. Billy Ripken is on there fairly frequently. Michael Cuddyer has been a guest several times. USA Today’s Mel Antonen is a frequent guest host. In the last couple of
weeks they have had a discussion on the definition of “Ace” compared to the
definition of a #1 starter.
Antonen’s definition (stating that he had written
an article on the subject previously) was that every team has an “Ace”, but
that there are only a handful of #1s. Mark Patrick,
Buck Martinez and every one else that I have heard on the show when I’ve been
listening thought it was just the opposite. The general consensus is that every
team can have a #1, but there are only a handful of
Aces. The term True #1 is used to represent an Ace.
So the first
question here is Which side of this argument do you
agree with? What is an Ace and what is a #1 pitcher.
I am in agreement
with the majority, that there is a #1 on each team,
the opening day starter, or even just the best starter. However, there are only
a handful of aces in the big leagues. But that got me thinking… who are the
Aces in Major League baseball? What do you think? Here are my choices:
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Roy Halladay
(when healthy)
4. Brandon Webb
5. John Lackey
6. Roy Oswalt
7. John Smoltz
I would argue
that there are a couple of guys that are close. I think that if this group of guys have another good, dominant year, they
will be Aces as well.
1. CC Sabathia
2. Josh Beckett
3. Justin Verlander
4. Dan Haren
5. Scott Kazmir
These guys were
aces at one time…
1. Roger Clemens
2. Randy Johnson
3. Curt Schilling
4. Greg Maddux
5. Pedro Martinez
6. Chris Carpenter
It’s just a
matter of time:
1. Cole Hamels
2. Felix Hernandez
3. Erik Bedard ŕ if he can
stay healthy
4. Francisco Liriano
5. Phil Hughes
6. Clay Buchholz
7. Joba Chamberlain
8. Yovani Gallardo
9. Johnny Cueto
10. Tim Lincecum
11. Matt Garza
So, what do you
think of the definition for Ace or #1, and which pitchers would you consider
aces? What are your thoughts on my lists? What changes would you make? Leave
some Comments, or you can always e-mail
me.