Clayton Kershaw: Legend
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a history of amazing pitchers. Don Drysdale, Don Newcombe, Sandy Koufax, Fernando Valenzuela, and Orel Hershiser are just a few. On November 17th, Clayton Kershaw won the NL Cy Young award, awarded to the most outstanding pitcher in the National League. Will Clayton Kershaw join this list of Dodger greats, and how much better can he get?
[caption id=”attachment_273" align=”alignright” width=”300" caption=”Clayton Kershaw is something special.”]
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At only 23 years old, Clayton Kershaw is the second-youngest Cy Young winner ever (Fernando was 21). Although there isn’t “Kershawmania” at Dodger Stadium like there was with Fernando Valenzuela, Kershaw has been just as impressive as, if not superior, to Fernando. This season, Kershaw had a 2.28 ERA, 21 wins, and 248 strikeouts. In Fernando’s 1981 Cy-Young winning season, Fernando had a 2.48 ERA, 13 wins, and 180 strikeouts.
Fernando was amazing for about five years, but he couldn’t keep playing at the same level later in his career. One Dodger who was always consistent was Orel Hershiser. In his career, Hershiser averaged a 3.48 ERA, a 1.261 WHIP, and a won 14 games. Clayton Kershaw demonstrated just how dominant he can be, but can he keep it up? I don’t see why not. Last season, Kershaw was spectacular, this year he was more so. In 2010, Kershaw had 2.91 ERA, a 1.149 WHIP, and batters had a .214 average against him. All of those stats improved this year. He has a 2.28 ERA, a .977 WHIP, and batters have a .207 batting average against him. Kershaw’s fastball is 96 mph and it used to be 89. His changeup is always improving and his curveball and slider are still in development. Can Kershaw continue to play at the level he is currently playing? Yes.
Another reason Kershaw could get better is his willingness to learn. During Spring Training, Kershaw sat down with possibly the greatest pitcher ever, Sandy Koufax. In his career, Koufax had a career 2.76 ERA, a 1.106 WHIP, 3 no-hitters, and one perfect game. Although his career stats are amazing, when Sandy Koufax was 23, he had a 4.05 ERA and a 1.487 WHIP. If Kershaw is willing to learn, listen, and use advice, he has a chance to be one of the all time greats.
When talking about legends, people always say, “Look, so-and-so played in more World Series than so-and-so.” If Kershaw is going to be considered an all-time great, he’ll need to play in a few World Series. One Dodger that did this is Don Drysdale. Drysdale played in four World Series, and pitched commendably. In 6 total starts, Drysdale had a 2.95 ERA and struck out 36. Although they were third in the NL West, the Dodgers have a team that could get Kershaw to some World Series. Matt Kemp earned every cent of his $180 million contract extension. Andre Eithier could make the jump from average to elite, the Dodgers have one of the better farm systems in the MLB, and there will not be as much distraction with the Dodgers being sold to a new (and hopefully more stable) owner.
[caption id=”attachment_274" align=”alignleft” width=”300" caption=”Clayton Kershaw will be the next great lefty for the Dodgers. The first? Sandy Koufax.”]
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In 1956, Don Newcombe had one of the most impressive baseball seasons ever. He became the first pitcher to win both the Cy-Young and MVP awards (which Justin Verlander also did on November 21st). Nowcombe won 27 games, had a .989 WHIP, and struck out 139 batters. This season, Kershaw won 21 games, had a .977 WHIP, and struck out 248. Kershaw is 23. In 1956, Newcombe was 30.
Many pitchers who pitch at a high level will throw their arms out because of bad throwing mechanics. Mark Prior is a great example of this. In Prior’s first two seasons as a Chicago Cub, he had a combined 2.74 ERA, won 24 games (he was on the Cubs, so winning ONE game would be an accomplishment), and struck out 392 batters. Pitching legend, Greg Maddux, repeatedly told Prior if he didn’t change his throwing mechanics he would never be able to pitch the at the same level again. Prior wasn’t willing to learn, and because of it, his career ended at 25. Kershaw isn’t in trouble of throwing his arm out. He has some of the best throwing mechanics in the game. He wouldn’t be able to throw his deadly arsenal of pitches if not for these mechanics.
The sky is the limit for Clayton Kershaw. He has the stats. He has the drive. He has the willingness. He has the team. He has nearly perfect mechanics, and he is dominating MLB batters. How phenomenal will Kershaw be? You will be amazed.
