Starting Rotation
1 – Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
12.83 K/9 (1st), 1.35 BB/9 (4th), 0.77 FIP (1st), 16.6 percent swinging strike (1st). Those numbers make it hard to argue that Syndergaard isn’t worthy of the top spot in the rotation.
2 – Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs
It’s not bad when you have a guy with a no-hitter in the month as the number two in the rotation. Arrieta’s walks are ultimately what may have held him out of the top spot, but despite those he still had the lowest WHIP (0.78) in the league.
3 – Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
On the other hand Kershaw hasn’t allowed barely any walks (0.73 BB/9), but has been slightly more hittable, although that number is still minute (0.81 WHIP).
4 – Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
Strasburg’s April had the third lowest FIP in the NL. All of his peripherals are outstanding including 10 K/9 and 2 BB/9.
5 – Vincent Velasquez, Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies need a representative from a pitching staff that’s been surprisingly outstanding in April. It was between him and teammate Aaron Nola but his complete game shutout 16 K performance against the Padres this season was a work of art. It is almost certainly his peak outing, maybe of his career, but his recognition is earned.
Set-up man – Hector Neris, Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies get a little more love as Neris has the highest swinging strike percentage in the NL (22.3 percent). He is striking out 14.44 per nine with a 1.8 FIP.
Closer – Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
No closer is really putting up a battle for this spot in the National League. This is not to take anything away from Jansen – he has a 1.09 FIP with a 0.84 BB/9 and a WHIP of 0.56.
That’s April’s Advanced Stat All-Stars. Which league would you choose if they went head to head?
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