The Ben McDonald Award

The Ben McDonald Award is presented annually to the league's top pitcher. While the award has never gone to a reliever, they are eligible. However, they are up for their own award, the Dennis Eckersley Rolaids® Reliever of the Year Award, which is determined by relief points (wins times two plus saves times two, minus losses and blown saves).

Starting Pitchers

Most starters have about three more starts this season, and no one appears close enough that any single-season pitching awards are in jeopardy. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a great year for pitchers! An informal survey of DMBL beat writers revealed a number of favorites among the top 25 starting pitcher candidates for the award.

By The Numbers: Arkansas's Roger Clemens leads the league in a number of pitching categories, but the one that he's not among the top 5 in is one that could cost him the most votes. While the Rocket leads the league in ERA (2.61), R/9 (8.7), H/9 (6.3), quality start percentage (.733), quality starts (22), OPS (.550), RC/27 (2.4), component ERA (1.98), extra base hit rate (.056) and total bases + total walk rate (.346), the bottom line for most voters is wins -- and, with just 14, Rocket rates 8th. Plus, his 8 losses means he's not even in the top 10 in winning percentage (.636 W%). But he is tied for 4th in shutouts (2), is 5th in innings (200.0), tied for 5th in HR/9 (0.8), and is 9th in Ks (160). And he recorded his first career save this season! If Clemens can pick up a couple more wins before the season's over and crack the top 5 in wins, he might be a unanimous choice... At age 42, Clemens wouldn't be the oldest player to ever win the award -- Nolan Ryan was two years older when he won the Big Ben in '92 -- but he would become the first player to win the award in non-consecutive years... Clemens won the award in 1993, but since then has watched other Arkansas starters, particularly Pedro Martinez, hog up most of Arkansas's crowded trophy case... Speaking of Pedro, a strong finish could actually put him ahead of Clemens as the league's top pitcher: He's 3rd in ERA (3.33) and R/9 (9.9) and tied for 3rd in wins (16), and also tied for 2nd in quality starts (21) and quality start percentage (.700). He's also 4th in Ks (177) and OPS (.674), tied for 4th in RC/27 (3.6), tied for 5th in K/9 (8.3) and is 10th in W% (16-9. .640). This could be the year that everybody says "Vote for Pedro!"

Just Win, Baby: Voters who are most concerned with the bottom line -- wins -- need look no further than Newark's John Smoltz, Marietta's Jon Lieber and Vancouver's Jake Peavy. The trio ranks 1-2-3 in terms of wins and winning percentage, but none of them is in the top 10 when it comes to ERA. Smoltz, this year's first and at the moment only 20-game winner, is tied with Peavy for the league lead in winning percentage (20-5, .800). He also leads the league in run support, an astounding 7.6 runs per game. (Peavy is tied for 2nd, at 6.7; Lieber is 10th, at 6.0. There's a reason they won so many games!) He's also tied for 2nd in quality starts (21) and quality start percentage (.700). His 4.07 ERA and 12.2 R/9 might scare off some voters, but if he pitches well in his final three starts of the season he could easily crack the Top 10 in both categories... Lieber (3.99 ERA, 12.4 R/9) is 2nd in wins (19-5), 3rd in W% (.792), tied for 5th in quality starts (18) and is 8th in QS% (.600)... Peavy (4.39 ERA, 11.8 R/9) is 3rd in wins (16-4) and tied for 1st in W% (.800), and ranks 2nd in K/9 (9.2) and strikeouts (201), just 2 Ks behind the leader. His R/9 is tied for 8th... South Boston's Chris Carpenter, tied for 5th in wins, is having a fine season but probably not good enough to receive many votes (15-9, 4.69 ERA, 12.8 R/9).

Almost There: With three starts left, Carolina's Roy Halladay could emerge as the leading candidate with a strong finish. Halladay is 3rd in OPS (.667), 4th in winning percentage (14-5, .737 W%), 4th in R/9 (10.4), 5th in ERA (3.59) and slugging percentage (.381) and 10th in quality start percentage (.577). He also leads the league in K:BB ratio (5.5) and shutouts (4); in fact, he could really garner some attention if he can tie Kevin Brown's DMB Era record of 6, set in 1999, or Sid Fernandez's all-time record of 7, set in 1994... Other starters who could become candidates with strong finishes: Carolina's Barry Zito (13-8, 3.89 ERA, 12.2 R/9); Hillsborough's Bartolo Colon (13-7, 3.85 ERA, 11.9 R/9); Hoboken's Jon Garland (14-13, 3.99 ERA, 12.5 R/9); Honolulu's Jeff Suppan (13-8, 4.02 ERA, 12.3 R/9); Las Vegas's Rich Harden (13-6, 3.14 ERA, 10.7 R/9) and Derek Lowe (13-7, 4.33 ERA, 12.3 R/9); Marietta's A.J. Burnett (13-8, 3.69 ERA, 12.7 R/9); Philly's Doug Davis (15-6, 3.68 ERA, 12.1 R/9). All need strong finishes to stand out from the pack

Old School: Another pitcher who could get noticed if he can get to the Sweet 16 in wins is Hoboken's Carlos Silva (13-10), who is 4th in ERA (3.40) and 2nd in R/9 (9.8). Silva is this year's iron man, leading the league in complete games (10), innings pitched (220.0) and batters faced per game (29.72). If he can go the distance in his final three starts, he'll be second on the DMB Era list, behind only Carolina's Roger Clemens, who set the modern record with 15 in 1997. But he'd have to pitch deep into several extra-inning games to reach the DMB Era innings pitched record (268.0), also set by Clemens in 1997. Silva also leads the league in BB/7 (0.7), is 2nd in shutouts (3) and is tied for 5th in quality starts (18) and quality start percentage (.621)... Ranking behind only Silva in complete games, innings pitched and batters faced per game is Mark Buehrle (11-10, 3.98 ERA, 11.9 R/9). Buehrle was 5-9 with a mediocre 4.09 ERA and 12.4 R/9 in 21 starts with D.C., but is becoming a real McDonald candidate after stepping up his game after getting traded to division-leading Vancouver (6-1, 3.71 ERA, 10.7 R/9).

The Young Guns: Hillsborough rookie Felix Hernandez is one of the leading candidates for the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award, and also figures to get some attention for the Big Ben award. King Felix (15-11, 3.63 ERA, 12.0 R/9) is 6th in ERA and 7th in wins; he's also 3rd in Ks (199) and IP (203.1); 4th in quality starts (18), QS% (.633), SLG (.377) and K/9 (8.8); 5th in OPS (.691); and tied for 9th in H/9 (8.9)... Another rookie of note is Zach Duke, the first overall pick in this year's draft. Like Buehrle, Duke got out to a so-so start (8-8, 4.74 ERA, 13.8 R/9 in 23 starts) with Westwood, but has lived up to the hype since getting traded to Newark (6-1, 2.95 ERA, 14.0 R/9, 4 QS in 6 starts).  Overall, Duke is 12-9 with a 4.38 ERA and 13.8 R/9.

Not This Year: The reigning McDonald Award winner, Philly's Johan Santana, isn't likely to repeat: While he does lead the league with 203 Ks, he's also just 9-11 with a 4.30 ERA... Other pitchers having notable years but probably not good enough to get many votes: D.C.'s Kris Benson (10-12, 4.59 ERA, 12.1 R/9); Hoboken's Jae Seo (8-5, 4.27 ERA, 12.2 R/9); Philly's John Patterson (12-8, 4.18 ERA, 12.9 R/9); Phoenix's Gustavo Chacin (11-12, 4.28 ERA, 13.9 R/9); and South Boston's Dontrelle Willis (10-13, 4.26 ERA, 13.2 R/9).

Relief Pitchers

Want to vote for a reliever? Well, one's never won it -- not even John Smoltz, when he won The Eck in 2003 by setting all-time DMBL records for saves (45), relief points (94) and reliever's ERA (0.61). But that doesn't mean this won't be the year the voters make history! Here's a look at the favorites among DMBL beat writers; you can also see stats for the top 25 relief pitcher candidates for the award.

Close It Out: A half-dozen closers have a legitimate shot of winning The Eck this year. The current saves leader with 28, who also is tied for the lead in relief points with 54, is Philly's Francisco Rodriguez. K-Rod is living up to his nickname, with 91 strikeouts in 64.2 IP (12.7 K/9), but his good-but-not-great ERA (3.62), R/9 (11.7), SV% (.800) and IR% (.286) aren't going to sway many voters... A better choice might be Las Vegas's Arthur Rhodes, who has better peripheral numbers (2.54 ERA, 9.4 R/9, .839 SV%, .176 IR%) and is tied with Rodriguez in relief points and is just two saves behind him... The four other closers who still have a shot of winning The Eck: Hoboken's Jason Isringhausen (27 SV, 52 RP, 2.54 ERA, 10.6 R/9, .844 SV%, .321 IR%), who won it last year; Marietta's Mariano Rivera (24 SV, 51 RP, 2.27 ERA, 9.4 R/9, .800 SV%, .233 IR%); Vancouver's Billy Wagner (26 SV, 50 RP, 2.11 ERA, 10.1 R/9, .867 SV%, .162 IR%); and Hillsborough's Chad Cordero (26 SV, 47 RP, 4.22 ERA, 11.6 R/9, .813 SV%, .190 IR%). Honolulu's Derrick Turnbow has just 19 saves and 37 relief points, probably not enough to finish in the top 5 among Eck candidates, but he does have excellent numbers, with a 2.30 ERA, 8.1 R/9, .282 IR% and a league-best .905 SV%. The same goes for Westwood's B.J. Ryan (7 wins, 12 saves, 4 holds, 2.16 ERA, 12.0 R/9, .260 IR%, .857 SV%).

Strong Up The Middle: Voting for someone who isn't a starter or a closer is like voting for a third-party candidate on Election Day. He won't win, but you're making a statement! The worthiest candidate to waste a vote on might be Hoboken lefty Neal Cotts (2.66 ERA, 9.6 R/9). The 2nd round pick (#22 overall) leads the league with 10 relief wins; he also leads the league in what some would say is the most important stat for a middle reliever, percentage of inherited runners who scored. Cotts has entered games with 30 runners already on base, but just two of them have crossed the plate, an incredible .067 IR%. Second-place is .167... Any discussion of middle relievers would have to include Marietta's Trevor Hoffman (3.10 ERA, 10.9 R/9, .300 IR%), who leads the league with 20 holds. He also has 6 relief wins and 6 saves. Las Vegas's Justin Duchscherer (3.09 ERA, 10.8 R/9, .326 IR%) also knows when to hold 'em, ranking second with 17 holds, plus 4 wins and 9 saves.

Just Give Me The Damn Ball: This year's iron man is Arkansas's Aaron Heilman, who leads the league with 94 appearances this season, is 2nd in relief innings (127.2) and relief wins (9), and 3rd in holds (15). But his 4.58 ERA, 13.5 R/9 and .303 IR% aren't as impressive. Other relievers piling up the innings are Hoboken's Dustin Hermanson (5 wins, 1 save, 5 holds, 3.14 ERA, 11.0 R/9, .263 IR% in 100.1 IP); Marietta's Dan Wheeler (4 wins, 4 saves, 11 holds, 3.86 ERA, 11.6 R/9, .213 IR% in 100.1 IP); Newark's Matt Wise (7 wins, 10 saves, 11 holds, 2.84 ERA, 9.5 R/9, .418 IR% in 120.1 IP); Phoenix's Brad Thompson (8 wins, 5 saves, 9 holds, 3.52 ERA, 10.6 R/9, .356 IR% in 130.1 IP); and Marietta/Las Vegas's Aaron Fultz (3 wins, 1 save, 4 holds, 2.38 ERA, 9.5 R/9, .302 IR% in 94.2 IP).

Also having solid seasons in the anonymity of middle relief: Las Vegas's Bobby Howry (5 wins, 2 saves, 7 holds, 2.08 ERA, 8.2 R/9, .231 IR%) and Todd Jones (5 wins, 2 saves, 8 holds, 2.68 ERA, 9.9 R/9, .382 IR%); Philly's Cliff Politte (5 wins, 3 saves, 14 holds, 2.79 ERA, 10.1 R/9, .219 IR%) and Juan Rincon (5 wins, 4 saves, 8 holds, 3.48 ERA, 10.8 R/9, .267 IR%); Vancouver's David Riske (2 wins, 2 saves, 4 holds, 3.14 ERA, 9.4 R/9, .553 IR%); and D.C./Vancouver's Brendan Donnelly (4 wins, 2 saves, 5 holds, 2.86 ERA, 9.5 R/9, .310 IR%).