Black Sox Bulletin
Hot on the heels of selecting their Hitter of the Year, the Chicago Black Sox (well, Huntsville Phantoms until the off-season) have named their Pitcher of the Year:
Juan Nicto.
Juan Nicto
His 3.25 ERA was his all-time best by a wide margin (previous best: 4.02 in 2036), his 6.4 K/9 was a personal best, as was his 2.29 K/BB. His 1.20 WHIP also was a career best.
Add to that his first-ever All-Star Game selection and a 15-7 record on a truly bad team and you have as clear-cut a case for team pitcher of the year as you could probably find.
If you were to go looking for a runner-up in the contest (and we’d advise against it, unless you enjoy migraines), Manuel Peña would get the nod. And while the erstwhile knuckleballer had a solid season (13-11, 3.79 ERA, 3.5 WAR), it wasn’t quite in the same ZIP code as Nicto. After Peña, the path through Huntsville’s pitching staff is dark and more than a little terrifying …
So, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it:
Your Huntsville/Chicago Pitcher of the Year, Juan Nicto.
Next season, let’s see if we can find the man a little more help!
