Biggest fluke pitcher of 2014?

[No coincidences]

Is it Matt Shoemaker? Guy's 27 years old and he's been a bad minor league pitcher. Career ERA of 4.52 in the minors. Completely lit up in the PCL league in both 2012 and '13. Yet here he is, 16-4 overall and dominating the league in a pennant race for the Angels. Go figure.

Is it Wade Davis? Career ERA right around 4. ERA of 5.32 last season, with 169 hits allowed in 135 innings. His numbers this year are almost fake. 31 hits allowed in 64 innings and 96 strikeouts with a .7 ERA and .8 WHIP isn't even possible.

Is it Collin McHugh? This guy gave up over a run per inning (58 ER in 52 IP) a year ago (equally hard to do). Cut by the Jays. Cut by the Mets. Cut by the Rockies for chrissakes. Now he somehow has a 2.7 ERA for the Astros, and he's suddenly untouchable. 3-0 with a .81 and .49 WHIP in September. 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA in August. WTF?

I know fluke stretches and even fluke runs are a part of baseball, but these three cats are completely defying the odds and not only having career years, but putting up Cy Young-esque numbers despite having zero track record of being anything better than journeymen pitchers.

Bizarro baseball at its finest. And watch, all three will be toiling away in mediocrity at this time next season. Jim Johnson, here they come.

[LT Profits]

Alfredo Simon

[Big Bear]

This is MLB. There are no flukes at this level.

[BennyBigNuts]

Rick Porcello, and it's not even close.
Career meatballer, weak arm, no whiffs, just an innings eater. His career ERa before this year is probly 4.50+ if I had to guess.
Great run support helps. He's ran very lucky his year. Fkn guy had back to back shutouts without striking a batter.

Wade Davis should never be on this list.
He's just found his calling and the Royals have utilized him properly.
Absolute beast now. Some guys just end up better in shorter outing situations.
Mcchugh is garbage just having a cpl decent months.
I'd say the biggest fluke that no one would ever agree with is Pimplebon. When I watch him pitch I don't see closer stuff anymore, but he's had a pretty good year for a shit phillies team.
He's a guy I can see getting rocked on his new team next year if he gets another closer role.
Alfredo Simon isn't a good one at all, he's a guy with good stuff who just tired out at the end.

[Ghenghis Kahn]

after richards went down, people thought it was over for them. guess what? they're the first team to make the playoffs and shoemaker is one of the reasons. he might not have the best stuff but he's solid.

[PAYTON20]

Chris Young

[Itsamazing777]

Phil Hughes

[No coincidences]

Rick Porcello, and it's not even close.
Career meatballer, weak arm, no whiffs, just an innings eater. His career ERa before this year is probly 4.50+ if I had to guess.
Great run support helps. He's ran very lucky his year. Fkn guy had back to back shutouts without striking a batter.

Wade Davis should never be on this list.
He's just found his calling and the Royals have utilized him properly.
Absolute beast now. Some guys just end up better in shorter outing situations.
Mcchugh is garbage just having a cpl decent months.
I'd say the biggest fluke that no one would ever agree with is Pimplebon. When I watch him pitch I don't see closer stuff anymore, but he's had a pretty good year for a shit phillies team.
He's a guy I can see getting rocked on his new team next year if he gets another closer role.
Alfredo Simon isn't a good one at all, he's a guy with good stuff who just tired out at the end.

Wow.

[Deuce]

Thought Porcello immediately as well. Always wish the kid well, though.

[crustyme]

u forgot the biggest one.

madison bumgarner: 18 wins 2.91 era.

[FlyinAir]

u forgot the biggest one.

madison bumgarner: 18 wins 2.91 era.

+1.

[Rich Boy]

Harang was getting pretty lucky early on

[daneblazer]

Wei-Yin Chen. 16-4 with mediocre numbers

[krk1030]

Corey Kluber?

[Pauulzcappin]

Corey Kluber?

[pacocn]

Bumgarner -1

[JassSovin]

Alfredo Simon. All or nothing with this cat.

[LT Profits]

Corey Kluber?

Highly doubtful, he is just coming into his own and should have a nice career.

[LT Profits]

And McHugh is still a kid (I think 24), so tough to say. Maybe he's a fluke, maybe he finally "gets it", we will know more next year.

[daneblazer]

When you have more K's than IP over a decent sample size, you are usually legit.

Add Jason Vargas to my list.

porcello one of the younger pitchers In the league, just seems like he's been around forever. You guys are mentioning some pretty good pitchers.

[2daBank]

This is MLB. There are no flukes at this level.

every time you pick a winner it a fluke, so they happen every once in a while..

[pacocn]

Harang 1st 10 games or so

[jjgold]

Colon?

[TheLock]

Cossart 2nd half?

[Rich Boy]

Vargas is not a fluke. He can definitely locate well and has good off-speed stuff. Hes legit

[Mase of Base]

Zach Britton I can't get my head around, I've mentioned it before here I expect a blown save every time he trots out but he just blows fast balls by guys. Sure he throws serious heat but he was getting hammered up until this year now he's a lights out closer.

[MickeyMan]

Rodney...I have know clue how has only blown 3 saves. Seems like it is never a clean inning and quite often can't find the plate. Will load em up and then barely keep the ball in the yard with a long fly ball and do his fukkin arrow thing.

[Mase of Base]

Like the Rodney call, If I remember correctly after a decent amount of games at the start of the season his WHIP was nearly 2 but had an ERA under 1 it was insane.

[rcene]

Lynn

[YouHave2outs]

I like Shoemaker strictly looking at the advanced numbers this year. Solid guy for me.

[YouHave2outs]

u forgot the biggest one.

madison bumgarner: 18 wins 2.91 era.

hilarious if serious.

[CarterTown]

Lincecum on your face

[No coincidences]

And McHugh is still a kid (I think 24), so tough to say. Maybe he's a fluke, maybe he finally "gets it", we will know more next year.

27.

If you watched him pitch, you'd know that it isn't "tough to say."

[You mad bro]

u forgot the biggest one.

madison bumgarner: 18 wins 2.91 era.

Retard....

[crustyme]

hilarious if serious.

if someone said a giants pitcher would win 18 games and have 2.91 era at the start of the season, you would have guessed bumgarner?

his name would've been 4th or 5th on his own staff.

lol