Oh, What a Tangled Webb He Pitches

If I were to say the name Jack Chesbro, would you know who I'm talking about? How about some more popular names, such as Ed Walsh or Christy Matthewson? Well, if you know that Jack Chesbro was a member of the New York Highlanders in the early 1900s, you're in the minority. If you know that he holds the record for the most wins in a season in the Major League Baseball modern era, you're one of the few. In 1904, Chesbro tossed 41 wins to claim his record. Four years later, Walsh won 40 and Matthewson won 37 to earn second and third on the list.

Since then, the only people ever to actually come close to threatening those records were Hal Newhouser with 29 and Lefty Grove with 31. Since the 50s, it has been thought amazing for a pitcher to do what Randy Johnson did in 2002. He won 24 games.

If our generation is ever going to see someone set a new standard for wins in a season, it's now. The 28-year-old Brandon Webb (who will turn 29 on May 9th), currently has a record of 7-0. I know 41 is a bit too much to expect, but I believe that he could be the first pitcher since Danny McLain in 1968 to win 30 games.

Webb has everything a pitcher needs to earn that many wins. In Webb's 7 starts this year, the Diamondbacks have outscored their opponents 40-16. That means that Brandon Webb is currently getting 5.7 runs per game from his offense, which is the most in Major League Baseball. With Webb's ERA only being 2.49, the numbers are heavily in his favor.

Putting aside his outstanding rookie campaign in 2003, Webb's numbers have improved in Wins, Shutouts, and ERA every single year. His other stat categories have also been improving over the course of his career. Brandon Webb will keep getting better as his career progresses, and if there's anyone that will win an obscene amount of games in the near future, it's the 8th round draft choice from the 2000 draft, Mr. Brandon Webb.