Zimmermann leads Nats in quality starts
His name was not splashed across the newspapers after he was drafted. ESPN did not spend an entire summer breathlessly reporting every detail of his contract negotiations. His Major League Baseball debut did not come before a frenzied sell-out crowd.
Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is not Stephen Strasburg, the once-in-a-generation phenom whom Washington hopes can recover from Tommy John surgery to become one of the baseball’s top pitchers. But by the time that happens — if the first half of the 2011 season is to believed — Zimmermann might have beat Strasburg there.
The soft-spoken native of Auburndale, Wisc., still has some work to do. But for now, if you check the stat line in almost any pitching category, you’ll see him listed near names like Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Tim Lincecum and David Price, among others. For a 25-year-old less than two years removed from his own Tommy John surgery, it is a lofty position.
| THE ZIMMERMANN FILE |
| » Right-handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann was selected by the Nats in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft. He was a compensation pick granted to Washington after star outfielder Alfonso Soriano signed with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent. |
| » Zimmermann was a second-team All-American at Division II Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He pitched his senior season with his jaw wired shut after being hit by a line drive during a batting-practice session. He still pitched his college team to the Division II World Series. |
| » Zimmermann underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 19, 2009, after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. |
“[Zimmermann is] a complete pitcher,” Washington manager Davey Johnson said. “He’s a young pitcher. He’s getting to know the league. He’s really been phenomenal. He’s actually been our best pitcher — and we’ve got a lot of good pitchers.”
That’s true. The Nats’ starting rotation had a combined ERA of 3.75 entering this weekend’s series against the Atlanta Braves, which ranked 12th overall in Major League Baseball. But to get a true sense of how well Zimmermann is pitching, don’t bother looking at his record. Washington’s woeful offense has saddled him with a 6-7 record despite 14 quality starts — those defined as at least six innings pitched with at most three earned runs allowed. In 11 of Zimmermann’s 18 starts this season, the Nats have scored three runs or less. Nine times they’ve given him two runs to work with.
In the categories he can control, Zimmermann has excelled. He ranks 12th overall in ERA at 2.66. That’s even better than former Cy Young winners like Sabathia (2.72) and Lee (2.82). Zimmermann has walked just 21 batters in 115 innings and struck out 82.
And while this stat might not be sustainable, just 2.7 percent of all fly balls hit off Zimmermann have gone for home runs, tied for best in the majors with the Angels’ Jered Weaver. That number will almost surely rise in the second half since even the best pitchers allow around a 6-percent home run rate over time. But it’s still a positive indicator. Zimmermann gave up 10 homers in just 16 starts as a rookie in 2009. Following Tommy John surgery that summer, he returned in 2010 and allowed eight more in just seven starts. This season opponents have hit just four homers off him in 18 starts.
“You’re seeing a guy who is fully recovered from his arm injury,” Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “Before he had the surgery he showed this kind of dominance. He’s got a chance to be a really special player. He’s a good guy, works hard. He loves to go out there and pitch and we love playing behind him.”
There is one cause for concern, however. Zimmermann has already thrown 115 innings this season. The Nats don’t want him to go much over 160 innings given that he pitched just 70 2/3 on the road back from Tommy John surgery last season — and only 31 of those were stressful big-league innings. Zimmermann’s career high is 134 and that came entirely in the minors in 2008. Johnson insists he won’t treat Zimmermann like a fifth starter. He will continue to throw until hitting the organization’s self-imposed ceiling and then be shut down. Zimmermann is slated to start Tuesday’s game at Houston and with an average of 6 1/3 innings per start that gives him 10 more at most. He would be done Sept. 7.
“It’s not really frustrating,” Zimmermann said. “I only threw [70] last year … [and] I think that’s what they do with all the Tommy John guys. Once I hit the limit I guess I’m done. I just want to pitch as well as I can until I get there.”
