Best and worst pitchers in MLB for July 2016

One of the best pitchers of the modern era, Kershaw's domination cannot be overstated. He finished last season with a 2.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, numbers that were actually up from his Cy Young season of 2014 when he put up a 1.77/0.86 split. Overall, the lefty has posted a 2.39 ERA with over 160 more strikeouts than innings pitched throughout his career.

It wasn't that long ago that Norris was considered a decent bottom-of-the-rotation player. After all, the pitcher did put up a 15-8 record with a 3.65 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles in 2014. Though, last season was a completely different story. The Marin County native tallied a 3-11 record with a 6.72 ERA between the Orioles and San Diego Padres last season. And while he's performed better this season, it's hard to get past last year's disturbingly bad stat sheet.

The 2014 World Series MVP and hero followed up that absurd performance with simple domination last season. He posted an 18-9 record with a sub-3.00 ERA and a ridiculous 1.02 WHIP. Overall, opponents hit just .222 with a .263 on-base percentage against him last season. 

While Williams has yet to appear in an MLB game for the Cardinals this season, we have to include him in this article. How couldn't we? Here's a guy who continues to show up in the bigs despite a run of horrible performances since he jumped on to the scene with the San Francisco Giants back in 2003. Last year alone with Philadelphia, Williams posted a 4-12 record with a 5.80 ERA and a horrendous 1.61 WHIP in 33 games (21 starts). In fact, here's a pitcher who has not put up a sub-4.50 ERA since 2011. Why is he still relevant? 

The 30-year-old Hernandez was bound to slow down a bit after dominating the Junior Circuit for an entire decade. This regression took place last season and resulted in him posting an eight-year high 3.53 ERA. Even then, Hernandez's 1.18 WHIP and 191 strikeouts ranked him among the best in the league. This came on the heels of a 2014 campaign that saw King Felix post a 2.14 ERA and 0.92 WHIP en route to finishing second in the Cy Young voting for a second time. 

At his best, this 16-year veteran was a serviceable midtier rotation guy. Unfortunately, the 36-year-old Lohse isn't that guy anymore. He tallied a 5.85 ERA while yielding a .297 batting average and a .847 OPS for the Milwaukee Brewers a season ago. He also lost 13 of his 18 decisions in 37 games (22 starts). It might be time that he throw in the towel here, ladies and gentlemen.

As dominating of a pitcher as there was in the game last season, Arrieta's Cy Young performance will go down as one of the best in modern MLB history. He led the majors in wins with 22 while tallying a 1.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. Opponents hit just .185 against him while posting a paltry .271 slugging percentage. From the start of the 2015 campaign through April of this year, the Cubs starter posted a 26-6 record with a 1.66 ERA. Think about that for a second. 

It's hard to imagine that Capuano was once an All-Star performer. That seems like so long ago. The veteran was absolutely horrendous with the New York Yankees last season, posting a 7.97 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP in 22 games (four starts). Both his ERA and WHIP ranked among the bottom two in comparison to other pitchers with 40-plus innings pitched. Yeah, that's not too great right there. 

Despite some struggles in the desert this season, there's little doubt that Greinke remains one of the game's elite. He led all of baseball with a 1.66 ERA while posting an absurd 0.84 WHIP in his last season with the Dodgers in 2015. This came on the heels of him posting a 32-12 record with a 2.67 ERA in his first two seasons in Dodger blue. Now 32 years old, there's a decent chance Greinke will find a way to hit that 200-win plateau before he hangs his cleats up. If so, he'll be a surefire Hall of Famer. 

Detwiler was serviceable for the Washington Nationals earlier this decade, putting up consecutive seasons with a 3.40 or better ERA in 2011 and 2012. Since then, he's been an absolute disaster. The veteran yielded a .340 batting average between Texas and Atlanta last year. During that very same span, Detwiler tallied a 7.63 ERA and MLB-worst 2.02 WHIP. Yuck! 

The reigning American League Cy Young winner just continues to impress for a surprisingly good Astros team. While 2016 hasn't been incredibly kind to Keuchel, the performance he put up last season was beyond ridiculous. He led the AL in wins with 20 while posting a 2.48 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Oh, the lefty also earned his second consecutive Gold Glove. He simply does it all in Houston. 

Boyd might not have been the centerpiece in the deal that sent David Price to Toronto, but he's surely not living up to expectations in Detroit. The young pitcher put up a 6.57 ERA while losing four of his five decisions in 10 starts after joining the Tigers last July. This came after he tallied a 14.85 ERA and 2.40 WHIP in two starts for Toronto. 

Despite having a down season with a 13-11 record and a 3.41 ERA in 2015, Sale remains one of the top pitchers in the AL. Remember, here's a dude who yielded a .262 on-base percentage while posting a 2.17 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 1.3 strikeouts per inning in 2014. Now a firm Cy Young candidate in 2016, Sale is back to his elite form. 

You want to give a young pitcher the benefit of the doubt, but it really is hard with Sampson. He was legitimately horrible for an equally bad Reds team a season ago. The 25-year-old pitcher tallied a 2-6 record with a 6.54 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 13 games (12 starts) for Cincinnati. Unfortunately, it hasn't been much better for the former San Diego Padres fourth-round pick in 2016. 

Kluber's 2015 performance was nothing to write home about. He lost seven more games than he won while posting a 3.49 ERA. This came on the heels of a Cy Young performance in 2014. It also came with him tallying a low 1.04 WHIP and yielding a .231 batting average. Despite some issues with wins/losses and ERA, Kluber has more than proved himself to be an elite-level starter. 

O'Sullivan has posted a 6.01 ERA in 71 career games (56 starts). This has us wondering why he's still getting an opportunity to prove himself. Last year in Philadelphia, O'Sullivan gave up a .322 batting average, .373 on-base percentage and .943 OPS. He also posted a 6.08 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 13 starts. That's gross. 

In splitting time between Detroit and Toronto last season, Price stepped his game up big time, proving himself to be a true ace. The 30-year-old lefty finished the season with a 9-1 record and a 2.30 season up north after posting a 9-4 record and a 2.53 ERA with Detroit. Overall, he allowed a .230 batting average and .271 on-base percentage while putting up a dominant 1.07 WHIP. Despite some struggles in his first season in Boston, Price has proved himself to be among the game's best. 

Butler can't really blame Coors Field for his issues. The youngster won just three of 16 starts while posting a 5.90 ERA and 1.82 WHIP. On the road, he found himself putting up a 4.55 ERA with just three more strikeouts than walks. Sadly for Butler, 2016 hasn't been much better. 

Fernandez, 23, pitched just 19 games over the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery. In those 19 starts, the young hurler posted a 10-3 record with a 2.71 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while striking out more than 11.5 batters per nine innings. Those are some absurd numbers. Now fully healthy in 2016, Fernandez earned his second All-Star appearance. The ceiling has no limit here, ladies and gents.

Garza is a shell of his former self and has been for some time now. The veteran lost 14 of his 20 decisions a season ago, posting a 5.63 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in the process. He also allowed a .294 batting average and .832 OPS. That's just gross.

Chapman's domestic violence issue and ensuing suspension might have cost him in the court of public opinion, but on the diamond, he's still among the game's elite. The numbers here really don't lie. Last season, his final with the Cincinnati Reds, Chapman posted 30-plus saves for the fourth consecutive season while allowing an absurdly low .181 batting average and .235 slugging percentage. He also struck out 1.8 batters per inning. That's just mind-boggling. 

Notice that there are a few Brewers pitchers in this article? That's what happens when you lack talent on the bump. Cravy is a prime example of this. He posted a 0-8 record with a 5.70 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 14 games (seven starts) last year. Overall, the Brewers were 2-12 in the games he pitched in last season. Come on, Milwaukee, you can do batter than this. 

In his only season with the San Diego Padres last year, Kimbrel actually posted an ERA of 2.00-plus for the first time since his 2011 campaign. All said, Kimbrel posted a 2.58 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP while striking out 87 batters in 59.1 innings. Opponents hit at a .185 clip against a pitcher who struck out more than 13 batters per nine innings. Now in Boston, Kimbrel's career stats tell us a story of one of the most dominating pitchers in modern history. It's a story that includes a 1.79 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a 91 percent save success rate.

After putting up an 11.57 ERA in four games (two starts) during his debut season of 2014, Farmer was back to tallying absurdly bad numbers for Detroit last year. Opponents hit .323 against him with a .986 OPS in 14 games (five starts) in 2015. In fact, Farmer posted a 7.36 ERA and 1.74 WHIP. That's just not good.

Despite being a full-time closer for just one season and being replaced in that role this year, Miller remains one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. He posted nearly 15 strikeouts per nine innings while tallying a 0.86 WHIP en route to an All-Star appearance a season ago. It represented Miller's fourth consecutive season with an ERA of 2.34 or below. Think about that for a second. 

It was ugly for Greene a season ago. So ugly that he lost his spot in the Tigers' rotation. The former New York Yankees top prospect posted a 4-8 record with a 6.88 ERA while allowing a .308 opponent batting average in 18 games (16 starts). In fact, Greene yielded seven-plus earned runs in a quarter of his starts. Ouch!