There are some really impressive pitchers in the American League: Kevin Gausman, Shane McClanahan, Justin Verlander, Alek Manoah, Nestor Cortes Jr., Dylan Cease, and Gerrit Cole, just to name a few.
Yet, the Tampa Bay Rays‘ Shane McClanahan may be deserving of the honor of being the All-Star Game starting hurler with his impressive performance.
During the absence of Tyler Glasnow because of injury, the young left-hander has ascended to the Rays’ ace during the 2022 first half.
For starters, the highest his ERA has been on the 2022 campaign is 3.05.
That was on May 5.
After that, he has been virtually unhittable, with a 1.07 ERA in 59 frames.
Since Shane McClanahan’s season ERA “peaked” at 3.06 after his May 5 start, here are his stats:
9 GS
59 IP
37 H
7 BB
7 ER
76 KsThat’s a 1.07 ERA, a 0.75 WHIP, an 11.6 K/9 and a 10.9 K-to-BB.
WOW.
— Jason Catania (@JayCat11) June 26, 2022
That’s some amazing pitching right there.
An Incredibly Dominant Young Pitcher
Perhaps the most impressive number of that recent stat line, however, is the fact he has only surrendered seven bases on balls and struck out 76 hitters.
There is a strong argument to be made that McClanahan has been the best pitcher in baseball since May 5.
The Rays have a really good one in the young left-hander.
Last year, when he made his MLB debut, he had already shown he had what it takes to be an above-average pitcher in the league, with a 3.43 ERA in 123.1 frames.
This year, however, he has taken things to the next level.
His ERA is currently down to 1.77 in 91.1 innings so far.
The Rays have certainly helped him reach his ceiling, but the talent in his left arm is the primary driving factor in his successful start of his career.
As long as McClanahan is leading the Rays rotation and taking the ball every five days, Tampa will have a good chance to make the playoffs and win a short series.
