Edwin Jackson Quietly One of the Best Pitchers in Baseball

I think it’s pretty obvious the Tigers would not be where they are now if it weren’t for Edwin Jackson.  Detroit is 14-12 in games Edwin has started, which is not great, but is very good.  Detroit needed someone other than Verlander to give the Tigers a chance to win every time he takes the rubber; Jackson has been that guy through and through.

I feel like he’s far exceeded expectations, too.  When the Matt Joyce for Edwin Jackson trade went down, people scoffed at it or flat out ignored it.  It was irrelevant to most people at the time.  Since then, Jackson has become one of the best pitchers in the American League while Matt Joyce continues to shuffle between the bigs and the bus league.

And yes, I mean one of the best.

What I don’t understand is some of the biggest baseball gurus are not putting him up there.  The other day, Joe Posnanski wrote a great piece, as usual, breaking down why he thinks Greinke is the best pitcher in the game.  While I probably don’t refute that, he leaves out a worthy adversary when comparing him to the other greats in the American League, who he says are the Cy Young candidates:

Wins
King Felix (12) — 1.19 ERA
Greinke (12) — 1.20 ERA
Beckett (14) — 1.54 ERA
Justin Verlander (14) — 1.60 ERA
C.C. Sabathia (15) — 2.01 ERA.
Roy Halladay (13) — 2.10 ERA

Losses
Zack Greinke (8) — 4.62 ERA
Roy Halladay (7) — 5.25 ERA
Justin Verlander (7) — 6.86 ERA
C.C. Sabathia (7) — 6.95 ERA
Josh Beckett (5) — 7.99 ERA
King Felix (5) — 8.89 ERA

No Decisions
Felix Hernandez (9) — 2.25 ERA
Zack Greinke (6) — 2.45 ERA
Roy Halladay (5) — 2.73 ERA
Justin Verlander (6) — 4.30 ERA
C.C. Sabathia (5) — 4.55 ERA
Josh Beckett (6) — 5.40 ERA

When you think of the six best pitchers in the American League this season, you are probably inclined, naturally, to name the six pitchers Mr. Posnanski lists off.  And I admit, he probably chose them to make his point that much stronger, as comparing Greinke to those pitchers makes his season look that much better.  However, take a look at those same stats with Jackson added in:

Wins
King Felix (12) — 1.19 ERA
Greinke (12) — 1.20 ERA
Beckett (14) — 1.54 ERA
Edwin Jackson (10) — 1.59 ERA
Justin Verlander (14) — 1.60 ERA
C.C. Sabathia (15) — 2.01 ERA.
Roy Halladay (13) — 2.10 ERA

Losses
Zack Greinke (8) — 4.62 ERA
Edwin Jackson (6) — 4.66 ERA
Roy Halladay (7) — 5.25 ERA
Justin Verlander (7) — 6.86 ERA
C.C. Sabathia (7) — 6.95 ERA
Josh Beckett (5) — 7.99 ERA
King Felix (5) — 8.89 ERA

No Decisions
Felix Hernandez (9) — 2.25 ERA
Zack Greinke (6) — 2.45 ERA
Roy Halladay (5) — 2.73 ERA
Edwin Jackson (10) — 3.62 ERA
Justin Verlander (6) — 4.30 ERA
C.C. Sabathia (5) — 4.55 ERA
Josh Beckett (6) — 5.40 ERA

I think it’s safe to say that Jackson belongs among the top pitchers in the AL, if not all of baseball.  Maybe he’s not a Cy Young candidate because of his wins (a stat I don’t think should carry much weight in the voting anyway) and his strike outs don’t match up with the other six, but he’s definitely as effective, if not more.

He has a 3-2 record with a 4.10 ERA in the second half this season, so he has tapered off as I predicted he probably would, but his overall season ERA is still 2.96, which puts him among the top 11 in the Major Leagues.  Only Greinke and King Felix are better from the American League.

Now, I don’t think he should be a Cy Young winner, nor is he even the best pitcher on the Tigers, but he has quietly built himself a solid case to be at least mentioned with the elite pitchers in the game.   It might be time he starts getting put in the same sentence as others.