Dream Hurlers: MLB’s Greatest 1-2-3 Right-Handed Pitching Combination

Last weekend, my friends and I were engaged in a friendly—but fierce—debate over a few cold ones.

The debate centered around the following question: Who is the most electrifying right-handed pitcher in the big leagues? 

For minutes, healthy conflict swirled about the backyard.

On and on we went, breaking down pitchers by electrimetrics (blends excitement a hurler brings with pitching statistics).

Eventually we narrowed the legend pool from 13 active hurlers to just three. Yet for the life of us, we could not agree on who was more electric: Detroit Tigers workhorse Justin Verlander; Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay; or Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg. 

So like all thorough, objective baseball pundits, we broke things down en route to coming to our final analysis.

 Justin Verlander

How fun is this guy to watch? It is like seeing a robot at work.

When not amped up to fire a bunker buster through concrete, Verlander’s fastball is devastation in its purest form. As is his curveball, which makes hitters roll their eyes in disbelief, as if some magician just brilliantly duped them with the old hidden ball trick.  

Step right up! Take your shot at Verlander—the freak of nature with a rubber arm!

Now you see it, now you don’t hitters dig in for more pain. They gear up to guess on either Verlander’s fastball or curveball, only to see a changeup—same arm motion as Verlander’s fastball.

Long night indeed for many teams trying to fight off this gunslinger; a durable hurler who has recorded 46 games in a row whereby he has pitched six innings or more.

The scary thing about Verlander (besides the fact he is just 29 years old), is that he has learned how to pinpoint locate his pitches. Rarely do you see Verlander lose control of the strike zone. Even creepier, Verlander’s pitch velocity increases as his pitch count rises.

It is the strangest thing—almost non-human.

Case in point: Verlander’s final pitch (pitch 130) in the bottom of the ninth inning versus the Kansas City Royals the other night—100 mph.

As legendary Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell used to say, all the hitter could do was “[stand] there like a house by the side of the road and [watch] it go by.”

 

Roy Halladay

 

Need a 6’6″, 230-pound bird of prey to deliver consistent victory?

Looking for a mild-mannered hurler who can take the baseball every day with potential to fire a no hitter or perfect game every time his cleats crunch the dirty hill?

Want a man with a hard-two seam sinking fastball that makes hitters clamor for justice after routinely grounding out once again?

Well, look no further than Roy Halladay, the grand epitome of consistency, accuracy and durability.

With one excellent season, Doc will begin his stroll down the hallway toward 300 wins and a first ballot hall of fame selection.

Currently, this 14 year veteran has 191 wins. With nine more, Halladay will have to average just 16 wins during the next six seasons to earn 300.

Halladay would be the 34th hurler in baseball history to achieve such a great feat. My guess is he will not only get 300 wins, but he will land in Nolan Ryan-territory at around 320-325 wins.

If I had to choose between Verlander and Halladay for pitching rights to Game 7 of the World Series, I would clone a hybrid and then just sit back in the dugout and enjoy the show.

 

 

Stephen Strasburg

Who can forget Strasburg’s meteoric rise to his major league debut versus the Pittsburgh Pirates in June 2010?

Before a buzzing crowd, Strasburg dazzled, striking out 14 Bucs in seven innings of victorious work. The crowd erupted with joy with each Strasburg strikeout. And collectors of Strasburg’s rookie cards and memorabilia could not stop drooling.

Plagued by injury, which required Tommy John surgery and a year or rehab, Strasburg has returned to electrifying the masses with his hissing fastball.

Still 23 years old, this Roy Halladay size hurler is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA. He has struck out 25 hitters in 25 innings of work. Strasburg’s WHIP is impressive—0.97.

More importantly, Strasburg is pitching for a team that is showing signs of being a real contender in the National League East.   

Even more motivation for Strasburg, who is poised to one day take the torch from the likes of Halladay and Verlander.

So in the end, which of these three hurlers did we select as the best?

Well, we could not for the life of us come to an agreement.

But that is the beauty of sports. It is filled with debates between friends over cold ones.

This is but one great part of what life is all about.

 

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