5 Best Pitchers...

[Dexter]

lets create a scenario before you list your 5. lets say that the moneyline is -110/-110 on a neutral field. name the 5 pitchers you would feel most comfortable backing in a do or die wager for your whole role. Each pitcher has the following:

-the yankees offense
-the mets pen
-neutral field that plays average

1) Johan Santana
2) Roy Halladay
3) Tim Lincecum
4) Justin Verlander
5) Zack Greinke

*just missed - CC Sabbathia, Cole Hamels, Dan Haren

[Dexter]

this thread better get some hits - i realize i posted this early in the am, but there has to be (i hope) some true baseball fans and not just degenerate gamblers on this site

[VegasDave]

1) Johan Santana
2) Roy Halladay
3) Brandon Webb
4) Dan Haren (1st half of the season please)
5) Tim Lincecum

(Subs: Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia)

[Vincepcion]

1) Johan Santana
2) Roy Halladay
3) Tim Lincecum
4) CC Sabathia
5) Zack Greinke

Just missed: Jake Peavy, a healthy Chris Carpenter

[Dexter]

1) Johan Santana
2) Roy Halladay
3) Brandon Webb
4) Dan Haren (1st half of the season please)
5) Tim Lincecum

(Subs: Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia)

ha - very true.....though johan is usually second half, so perhaps this is the year haren goes from start to finish.

[VegasDave]

ha - very true.....though johan is usually second half, so perhaps this is the year haren goes from start to finish.

Nobody is immune from a bad start sadly, but most of these guys are pretty fvcking solid every time out.

I'm surprised you took Verlander! No doubt when he is on (like he is right now) he is flat out overpowering. But he isn't quite as refined as the others on your list.

Not that there is any problem with sending a guy with a 99-mph fastball to the mound with your bankroll on the line

[The_Kid]

Dex, you still trust that Mets pen? I know this is a theoretical thing but I don't have any confidence in K-Rod whatsoever and Putz hasn't looked all that great either this year. Are we making this wager in the regular season or the playoffs?

1. Johan Santana
2. Roy Halladay
3. Tim Lincecum
4. Zack Greinke
5. Dan Haren

[BCaldwell32]

1. Roy halladay
2. Johan Santana
3. Zack Greinke
4. C.C. Sabathia
5. Cliff Lee

honorable mention: Tim Lincecum, Mark Buerhle, Jake Peavy and Justin Verlander

[Regul8er]

1. Roy Halladay
2. Dan Haren
3. Johan Santana
4. Tim Lincecum
5. Cole Hamels

[jellobiafra]

1) Santana
2) Doc
3) Billingsley
4)Greinke
5)Carpenter

Hon mention: Smoltz - yes. still.


(this is assuming all are 100% healthy)

[djpremier36]

1. "Doc" Halladay

2. Don't mess with Johan

3. "Tiny Tim" Lincecum

4. Brandon "B-Webb" Webb

5. Chad "Bills" Billingsley

[Dexter]

Dex, you still trust that Mets pen? I know this is a theoretical thing but I don't have any confidence in K-Rod whatsoever and Putz hasn't looked all that great either this year. Are we making this wager in the regular season or the playoffs?

1. Johan Santana
2. Roy Halladay
3. Tim Lincecum
4. Zack Greinke
5. Dan Haren

yeah, but they still have the best bullpen era in the bigs.

lol - ummm...lets do regular season

[Dexter]

1. "Doc" Halladay

2. Don't mess with Johan

3. "Tiny Tim" Lincecum

4. Brandon "B-Webb" Webb

5. Chad "Bills" Billingsley

dont give him the fizzy babla before his start!

"disco disco"

[mathdotcom]

1. Chi_Archie
2. jjgold
3. SSLP
4. Shrink (excellent screwball)
5. Nicky

[unde0087]

right now:

1. Santana
2. Santana on an off day
3. Halladay
4. Greinke
5. Verlander

[tullamore]

Josh Beckett should be getting some love. He has been big time in the playoffs in the past, if you dont count last year when he was hurt.

[BouncedCheck]

I'm surprised none of these names have been mentioned yet:

Volquez
Zambrano
Oswalt
Saunders
Lowe
Suppan

These guys wouldn't necessarily be first on my list, but they're all worthy of being mentioned here. I'd probably go with Verlander, assuming he's healthy and had a respectable performance in his previous start. His stuff is as good as anybody's, but he's also prone to spontaneous combustion, and isn't nearly as good at stopping the bleeding when things don't go his way. When he's on, I'll take him over anybody.

[Deuce]

Verlander needs credit. Guy is solid.

[rjt721]

1. Halladay
2. Johan
3. Greinke
4. Billingsley
5. Josh Johnson

[reno cool]

lowe
volquez
marmol
burnett
pascual perez

[rjt721]

Why am I stuck with the Yanks offense and Mets pen? I want to win the game. Give me the Phils offense and BoSox pen, please. Thanks.

[The HG]

Santana, no question at all, the consistency is unparalleled, anyone who has closely bet MLB for the past few years I'm sure would agree, and has experienced it viscerally

If he gets back to truly peak form, Carpenter would be a close second

[MonkeyF0cker]

I don't see Carpenter getting back there, sadly. I think he's gonna be a Ben Sheets, Mark Prior, oft-injured type from here on out.

[VegasDave]

I'm surprised none of these names have been mentioned yet:

Volquez
Zambrano
Oswalt
Saunders
Lowe
Suppan

These guys wouldn't necessarily be first on my list, but they're all worthy of being mentioned here. I'd probably go with Verlander, assuming he's healthy and had a respectable performance in his previous start. His stuff is as good as anybody's, but he's also prone to spontaneous combustion, and isn't nearly as good at stopping the bleeding when things don't go his way. When he's on, I'll take him over anybody.

Have to disagree with some of those names, but Roy Oswalt is my absolute favorite player in the league. That said, he is definitely showing signs of coming down to earth; he will still at worst be a very good pitcher, but he is no longer a top 5 pitcher in the game in my opinion. Still love him though.

[jamesrg]

Santana
Doc
CC
Hammels
Lackey


Honourable Mention to Verlander Haren and Edwin Jackson who has sick stuff and is quietly somebody i've won a couple of bets on...

[ATB515]

Santana, Halladay, Lincecum, Peavy and Beckett. These are the guys that have the ability to shut down a team every time they take the mound. Jake Peavy is getting absolutely no love. He is a strike out machine. Even though my padres are playing great right now, they are still a crappy team. Put Peavy on a team like the Dodgers or the Phillies, and he is a god. The same goes for Lincecum.

[BouncedCheck]

Have to disagree with some of those names, but Roy Oswalt is my absolute favorite player in the league. That said, he is definitely showing signs of coming down to earth; he will still at worst be a very good pitcher, but he is no longer a top 5 pitcher in the game in my opinion. Still love him though.

I'm not necessarily saying all those guys would be on my list. I was just surprised that nobody had mentioned them yet. It's pretty clear that Santana, Halladay, Peavy, Verlander, and Zambrano are the most dominant when they're throwing bullets... the problem, especially with the last two, is inconsistency. Zambrano is a ****ing crazy psychopath, and Verlander is still somewhat immature, which can lead to him getting bombed for no good reason. With Peavy, he had the rib problems a few years ago and is a little more injury prone. So is Zambrano.

Another guy who doesn't get any respect is Peavy's teammate, Chris Young. He was hurt most of last year, but when he's throwing his best stuff, he also deserves honorable mention.

[Dexter]

lowe
volquez
marmol
burnett
pascual perez

marmol is a reliever and i dont know who pascual perez is.

burnett wouldnt even come close to my top 20

[Dexter]

Why am I stuck with the Yanks offense and Mets pen? I want to win the game. Give me the Phils offense and BoSox pen, please. Thanks.

go look up the numbers, and put your hatred for NY teams aside for a second

[Dexter]

I'm surprised none of these names have been mentioned yet:

Volquez
Zambrano
Oswalt
Saunders
Lowe
Suppan

.

why the suppan mention? im thinking he did have a big playoff performance once, but hes an avg major league pitcher who wouldnt have come close to my top 50

[jellobiafra]

marmol is a reliever and i dont know who pascual perez is.

burnett wouldnt even come close to my top 20

You don't remember Pascual Perez Dex? How old are you man?

Pitched for the Braves in the 80's. Major coke head with a jeri curl to die for. Pretty decent stuff though. He was the instigator in that big basebrawl game vs the Pardes in like '84. He hit somebody and the benches cleared. Perez straight RAN into the dugout where he was being chased by a Padre. At the time Bob Horner was out with a broken wrist, but as soon as the Padre got to the steps of the Braves dugout Horner pops out in street clothes and a cast on his arm and just stares into the guy's face nose to nose and shakes his head "nope". The Padre ended up just turning around and walking away. It was like something out of the WWF. One of my most vivid memories as a Braves growing up.

[jellobiafra]

Here's an old SI article about the incident. My memory was a little faulty it seems. (I was only 11 years old). Perez was actually the batter who got hit when the fireworks started. Then he ran to the dugout! And Horner had changed into a uniform by the time it went down because he must have seen it coming and was itching for some action I guess. LOL.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122454/index.htm

[darrell74]

Betting purposes, 5 best:

1. Zack Grienke
2. Wandy Rodriguez
3. Joey Cueto
4. Roy Halladay
5. Dan Haren

Can you guess why that this list is the best, but unusual?
(Hint: gambler's best tool)

[Dexter]

lol...i think i know who he is now.....

[solobass]

betting purposes, 5 best:

1. Zack grienke
2. Wandy rodriguez
3. Joey cueto
4. Roy halladay
5. Dan haren

can you guess why that this list is the best, but unusual?
(hint: Gambler's best tool)

whip?