Most likely to thow no-hitter?

by royaldaddy on May 20, 2008 2:59 AM EDT

So, Jon Lester no-hit the Royals. It's a good story and he's been through a lot. It would really have upset me had this been Steve Trachsel or Kenny Rogers or (insert your favorite junkballer here). I'm not that upset because Lester is no slouch. The kid can pitch and seemed to have a little something extra for this game of his career. It just got me to thinking; Who's the Royal pitcher most likely to throw a no-hitter? Brian Bannister just doesn't seem to strike out that many batters. I think he'd have trouble tossing the no-no when he pitches to contact almost exclusively. Meche is a great pitcher, but I couldn't see him tossing one. Greinke certainly has the stuff and I could see him throwing one before his career is over. But, the guy that I'd have to choose would be Joakim Soria. He has been damn near untouchable this year and (as I never let anyone forget) he did throw a perfect game in winter ball two offseasons ago. Watching him last Spring in a few starts just making batters look stupid got me excited about his potential. And those guys weren't even the scrubs. I think this kid could become one hell of a starting pitcher and I think the Royals may be thinking so too due to the clauses in his new contract. So, what do you think? Am I wrong? Who could you see throwing the no-no for the boys in blue (if anyone)?

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I'd go Bannister

he sometimes posts those randomly low hit totals that if absolutely everything went right, maybe a soggy windy day he could do it.

Accidentally not thedude925 anymore. I do hate this new name.

by wildthang on May 20, 2008 3:14 AM EDT 0 recs

Hey RoyalDaddy

I know this is way off topic, but how in the hell is your favorite MMA fighter Kimbo? I train all the time and that guy is a complete joke. He dominates box car willy, but how will he do against some premiere heavyweights? I can’t wait to see somebody take him to the ground and make him tap. Sorry for that I just can’t stand him being in the same conversation with MMA.

I think that Greinke will throw a NO NO in the next year or 2.

by JasonM on May 20, 2008 3:22 AM EDT 0 recs

Mine is KIMBO too.. the guy is a complete bad ass just wait..

By the way my name is Jason M too :)

Yasuhiko Yabuta is to Major League Baseball as Drew Carey is to The Price is Right

by focs on May 20, 2008 11:39 AM EDT up 0 recs

I like the old-school MMA

Now that it has gotten so commercial, I’ve lost a lot of interest. But, Kimbo is from that old school and he just destroys people. I think he will hold his own as he rises through the ranks.

by royaldaddy on May 20, 2008 11:51 AM EDT up 0 recs

Rumor is he will fight Mike Tyson

He does destroy people, but he is fighting guys that I could go toe to toe with. All I’m saying is that to gain my respect in MMA, he needs to fight a legit, multidimensional fighter. If he were to beat Frank Mir(or any other legit heavyweight with ground skills) then I would give it up to him.

by JasonM on May 20, 2008 12:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

Chuck Lidell has been talking all types of shit on him.. i hope they square off and kimbo dominates him

Yasuhiko Yabuta is to Major League Baseball as Drew Carey is to The Price is Right

by focs on May 20, 2008 12:46 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'd go with Greinke

Soria is way too speculative. Have we even seen him go two times through a major league lineup yet? I think he’d make a good starting pitcher, and I think the Royals are considering it. But to say he’s the most likely guy to throw a no-hitter isn’t really supported by much up to this point.

I probably disagree with you.

by NYRoyal on May 20, 2008 3:31 AM EDT 0 recs

you mean...

...not supported by much other than the perfect game he threw on the moon in Mexico?

um, Greinke. although he seems to lose focus a couple times a game.

by billexgordler on May 20, 2008 9:46 AM EDT up 0 recs

I don't think throwing a perfect game in a Mexican League is much support

That one can throw a perfect game in what amounts to A-ball isn’t even good support for the contention that a guy will be a decent major league starter. Rowdy Hardy was a dominant starter at that level. Enough said.

Again, I’m not saying that Soria wouldn’t be a good MLB starter. But to say that he’d not only be good, but that he has the best likelihood of any Royals pitcher to throw a no-hitter is just really, really stretching considering that we’ve never seen him start in the majors, or even go twice through a major league lineup.

I probably disagree with you.

by NYRoyal on May 20, 2008 1:49 PM EDT up 0 recs

on its own it's not...

But when you combine the fact that he’s pitched a perfect game in Mexico City (which, FYI, Davenport Translations actually show that for pitchers is more like AA/AAA) with the fact that he’s dominated major leaguers for seven months, there’s a pretty strong case for him being a very strong candidate for this hypothetical situation. That said: Greinke.

by billexgordler on May 20, 2008 3:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

It would be a strong case if...

...he had been “dominating major leaguers for seven months” as a starter. We still don’t really know if he’d pitch well as a starting pitcher yet. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that he would. But for Soria, in order to conclude that he has the highest likelihood to throw a no-no, you have to first make the jump that he’d be a good SP, and then make the big jump that he’d be so good that he’d be more likely to throw a no-no that successful, established major league SP’s like Greinke, Meche and Bannister.

I probably disagree with you.

by NYRoyal on May 20, 2008 4:46 PM EDT up 0 recs

+235 on Soria

cuz if he thru a no-hitter that would mean he was in the rotation insted of pitching the most important innings of teh game

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on May 20, 2008 11:16 AM EDT up 0 recs

Chuckle it up

Did you see Brett’s quote in the KC Star. There is a guy who ACTUALLY played the game. Talking about the game. Not a bean counter counting up the Stats. No one in this rotation could throw a no hitter but Greinke. I don’t think he has the stuff either unless he decides one day to toss it up there at 96-97 all game long. Royals potential no hitters would have to come from Rosa or Cortes if they would develop.

Won’t see a no no for quite some time.

sign Greinke a Evan Longoria type deal now.

by kcscoliny on May 20, 2008 11:29 AM EDT up 0 recs

There's another Hall of Famer who ACTUALLY played the game

who never knows what the hell he’s talking about. I hear he’s on ESPN at least a couple of nights a week.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on May 20, 2008 1:39 PM EDT up 0 recs

+100

If Brett states an opinion on hitting or playing third base, then I’ll value that opinion very highly. But just because he’s a HOFer, that doesn’t mean that all of his baseball opinions are sacrosanct. Being a great third baseman doesn’t mean he knows pitching, nor does he necessarily know the relative value to a team of starting pitching vs. a closer.

I probably disagree with you.

by NYRoyal on May 20, 2008 1:51 PM EDT up 0 recs

Bannister definitely, he induces so much weak contact...

He has already had that 8 inning 2 hit or w/e performance this year where the two hits were dunkers. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if he threw a no hitter one day, right line up, good command and a few breaks and I think he could do it. Greinke obviously has better stuff, but throwing a no hitter isn’t necessarily about racking up massive K totals.

winning records follow good bullpens

by slayor on May 20, 2008 4:05 AM EDT 0 recs

Greinke

I wouldn’t count Meche out either. He’s been inconsistent this year, but on his good days, he’s VERY good.

Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!

by cmkeller on May 20, 2008 4:25 AM EDT 0 recs

Steve Busby

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on May 20, 2008 10:05 AM EDT 0 recs

Greinke

Not just because he’s the Royals best starter at the moment. I think it’s pretty apparent that no matter how good your peripherals are, that throwing a no-hitter depends on so many other factors out of the pitcher’s control that it isn’t, in itself the best indicator of anything. It’s like a cycle (but more overrated)—it’s neat, but, really, is a no-hitter that much better than a one hitter? Heck, is a Nolan Ryan no hitter where he walks 5 guys better than a 2 hitter with no walks?

I like Meche, and despite how this season has gone so far, he’s outpitched my expectations. Chalk one up for Dayton Moore over me as a talent evaluator (I know, I know, upset of the century). Having said that, and with all due respect, he’s got a long way to go before I’m willing to agree that he’s a “great” pitcher. He’s definitely above average, at this point, but this season has got to be worrying people other than me. No I wouldn’t bet on a no-hitter from him.

Bannister—no, for the obvious reasons pointed out above.

Soria is actually a pretty good bet, but for some reason I have a hard time envisioning it (and I assume that no one takes this to be an objective thing).

Greinke, then, but not just because of his “stuff.” But because of the quirks that just make it seem like the perfect story. I can imagine him throwing a perfect game, celebrating briefly with his teammates (smile, mild fist pump), then leaping into his Dodge Dart and driving off in the sunset, never to be seen again.

OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG

by devil_fingers on May 20, 2008 11:24 AM EDT 0 recs

Greinke . . . with Jose Guillen as the DH that night

Greinke has the best mix of good strikeout rate (reducing the number of times he would have to rely on his defense to prevent a hit) and flyball tendencies (flyballs go for outs at a rate slightly better than groundballs and significantly more than line drives). While groundballs are normally better than flyballs because they rarely go for extra bases, whether a ball goes for a single or a home run does not matter for purposes of a no-hitter.

by Gopherballs on May 20, 2008 11:40 AM EDT 0 recs

I think Poz created a formula

That is supposed to predict likelihood of throwing a no-hitter. And I think he found was that it wasn’t very predictive at all.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on May 20, 2008 1:50 PM EDT 0 recs

hochevar

he has the raw stuff to do it and it takes a stars allign type of night to pull it off anyways. when his curve breaks like it can, its the best pitch in the organization.

by ZeppelinDZ on May 20, 2008 1:57 PM EDT 0 recs