Top Seasons by a Diamondback Starter: Nos. 1-5

I think a lot of people forget just how great a season Ian Kennedy had in 2011, leading the pitching staff to a division title.  I wrestled quite a bit with whether to put Zac Gallen and Zack Greinke's seasons ahead of him. They had slightly better WAR and better ERA+.  But 21-4 in the middle of a pennant race is meaningful.  He was 11-1 with a 2.08 ERA down the stretch.   

It was no fluke either. The only pitchers in franchise history ever to put up a higher  WPA  (Win Probability Added) than Kennedy's 4.3  were Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. This means that Kennedy wasn't lucky to go 21-4. He was nails when it mattered most and made his own fortune. Check out some of these more traditional stats.

• RISP: 217 PA, .141 BA against and just 1 HR

• 2 out RISP:  94 PA,  .136 BA against

• Late & Close: 72 PA, .127 BA against, .280 OPS

• High Leverage: 183 PA, .171 BA against, .490 OPS

Number 4:  Dan Haren 2009

In 2009 Dan Haren had to shoulder the load and lead the rotation when his co-ace Brandon Webb went down with injury.  He had an incredible first half, going 9-5 with a 1.89 ERA and a stunning 8 to 1 Strikeout to Walk ratio. He made the all star team and arguably should have been the starter. 

Haren fell off somewhat over the second half, as the team around him, and especially the bullpen, was just too weak to pick him up and give him any support.  Durability over the second half of  seasons during his career was the only thing that kept Haren from winning a Cy Young or two.  Still there are only three pitchers in franchise history to post a higher aWAR than his total of 6.3.  His 5.9 SO/BB ratio led the league that year and there are only two pitchers to post a higher number than that for the D-backs. 

Number 3:  Brandon Webb 2006

I could have just as easily chosen 2007 for Brandon Webb. These two seasons were carbon copies of each other statistically. I went with 2006 for the simple reason that Webb won the Cy Young award that year.  No other starting pitcher was within one WAR of Webbs total. He was 2nd in innings, first in wins, and first in ERA+.  Riding his sinker to an incredible 66.3% ground ball rate he induced 29 double plays, and had a DP rate of 19% per opportunity, nearly double the league average. 

Webb finished 2nd in the Cy Young race in 2007 to Jake Peavy, because voters could not distinguish between the pitcher's paradise of San Diego and the pre humidor hitters park of Chase field. So they gave the nod to the guy with the lower ERA. But each of them had a park adjusted 158 ERA+ in 2007 and  Webb was just as deserving of the award.

Number 2:  Curt Schilling 2001

Curt Schilling's 20001 season may not even have been his best regular season, statistically. 2002 was actually a little better  by WAR and SO/BB ratio. But were it not for a certain teammate, Schilling would have won back to back Cy Young Awards.  He had the most wins, most innings pitched, and the best SO/BB ratio. (293/37).

More importantly, he also threw 48.1 post season innings, giving up just 6 runs for a 1.12 ERA while going 4-0. He was the Co-MVP of the 2001 World Series and was as responsible as anyone for bringing the only major sport championship in Arizona history.  

Number 1:  Randy Johnson 2001

There will be no surprises here. The greatest player in franchise history and arguably the greatest left hander in baseball history had his best overall season in 2001 when you take the 2001 post season into account. Johnson won the 3rd of his four straight Cy Awards. But much like Schilling his 2002 regular season was even better, with slightly more innings, better ERA+ and more WAR. 

Adding on 41.1 post season innings with a 5-1 record and 1.52 ERA, with all the heroics however make it is easy to pick 2001 as the greatest single season by any pitcher in Diamondbacks history.  If you are old enough to remember the electricity and symbolic importance when Johnson marched in from the bullpen like a gunslinger in the 8th inning of Game 7 of the series you are lucky.  He had just pitched 7 innings and thrown 104 pitches the night before. You just don't see that.  That doesn't happen.  I'm getting goosebumps again just typing it out. 

That wraps up this series. While there should be no surprises for the top three spots on this list of top 10 starting pitcher seasons by a Diamondback, I had to put a lot of thought in how I ranked numbers 4 through 7, and I'm sure many people would view those seasons somewhat differently.