MLB: Pitchers Ready to Throw Their First No-Hitter in 2017
Which MLB pitchers without a no-hitter on their resume have the best chance to toss one in 2017?
There have been 295 no-hitters thrown in the history of Major League Baseball. The last to go nine innings without allowing a hit was Jake Arrieta back in April of 2016. Arrieta was all alone in tossing a no-hitter last season as no one else managed to replicate his dominant day at the ballpark.
One year earlier, seven no-hitters were thrown. It’s not uncommon in modern baseball with everyone swinging too hard with the hopes of hitting a home run.
Surely, the 2017 season will have a no-hitter thrown in it as well. The last time a season came and went minus a no-hitter was 2005. We had to wait between Randy Johnson’s perfect game of 2004 and Anibal Sanchez’s no-hitter in September 2006 to see a pitcher accomplish this feat.
While we have many possible repeat candidates in 2017, there are several very talented arms who could pitch their first.
San Francisco Giants’ ace Madison Bumgarner has a World Series MVP on his resume. What he doesn’t have is a no-hitter. It’s somewhat surprising considering Bumgarner has been one of the game’s best pitchers during the present decade. Also aided by AT&T Park, he should have had at least one by now.
Last season Bumgarner almost tasted sweet no-hit victory when he threw a one-hit shutout against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the fourth time in his career he ended a game with one miscue.
The amazing thing about Bumgarner is that he continues to get better. The 2016 season was his best in terms of ERA+ and strikeouts per 9. These may not translate into increased odds to pitch a no-hitter, but it certainly warns us that it’s very possible.
Another member of the San Francisco Giants with a great chance to throw a no-hitter in 2017 is Johnny Cueto. Now that he’s away from Great American Ballpark, and pitching half of his games somewhere pitchers actually live to talk about, Cueto looks like a sure thing to join the list of pitchers with a no-hitter. At least, this is what the Giants are hoping for.
The closest Cueto came to earning his no-hitter was in the 2015 World Series as a member of the Kansas CIty Royals. If not for two hits from Lucas Duda in Game 2, Cueto would have become the third pitcher in MLB history to earn one in the postseason. Fate intervened leaving him a no-hitter virgin for now. This accomplishment remains a two-man party with Don Larsen and Roy Halladay.
Cueto’s funky delivery may be his best attribute in throwing a no-hitter. Often deceptive, he can fool many opponents. His league leading 5 complete games in 2016 let us know he can go the distance. Now it’s just a matter of silencing the bats completely.
In some ways it’s shocking that Yu Darvish has yet to throw a no-hitter. However, given his wildness and regularly high pitch counts, it’s understandable. For as great as his stuff is, Darvish often walks too many batters to have the chance to go deep in a game. This is the greatest weakness when it comes to Darvish joining the list of pitchers with a no-hitter.
Nevertheless, he remains a candidate to throw his first no-hitter in 2017. Darvish has had his share of close calls with no-hit bids. In fact, he has twice carried a no-hitter to the 27th out. Coming this close and failing should motivate Darvish to get the job done.
There’s no real advantage Darvish has other than his own talent. Perhaps an outing against the Oakland Athletics or on a day when the Houston Astros swing a little too hard will finally get him what he deserves.
We can safely assume Zack Greinke has a much better year in 2017 than he did in 2016. His inaugural year with the Arizona Diamondbacks went terribly. It looked especially bad as Greinke was coming off a year with the Los Angeles Dodgers which saw him lead the league with an astonishing 1.66 ERA. Can he redeem himself by pitching a no-hitter for the Diamondbacks?
Logging a no-hitter won’t come easy for Greinke. He has not pitched more than one complete game in a single season since 2010. He has thrown one-hitters before, but the hitless game remains an elusive accomplishment for him.
Pitching regularly in Arizona won’t help much either. Greinke will probably need to earn his no-hitter on the road. Thankfully, the National League has its share of inept offenses. If Homer Bailey can throw two no-hitters then Greinke has no excuse to remain absent of one for another year.
Appearing in last year’s World Series has helped make Corey Kluber a more recognizable name across the MLB landscape. His popularity will only grow once he adds a no-hitter to the list of achievements.
Kluber may be the most obvious choice to pop his no-hitter cherry in 2017. Over the past three seasons he has logged 10 complete games and 3 shutouts. He is an absolute workhorse with great strikeout numbers to get him through even the toughest of lineups.
Kluber’s best chance at a no-hitter came in May 2015 when he allowed one hit against the St. Louis Cardinals while striking out 18. It was an amazing game tainted by one bad pitch. We should expect more incredible outings out of the Cleveland Indians’ ace in 2017 with the possibility of adding a no-hitter to the back of his baseball card.
Can you believe the Boston Red Sox paid all that money for David Price and he has never pitched a no-hitter? Somewhat hard to believe, Price is sans no-no. If you wish, blame it on spending a few years in the tough American League East.
In 2014 Price did throw a one-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays during his stint with the Detroit Tigers. Unfortunately, Price lost the game and his chance to join the list of men who put a goose egg up in the hits column all by themselves.
No clear advantages are there for Price in 2017. He’ll, again, pitch at the hitter’s ballpark at Fenway. If there’s any reason to believe he tosses a no-hitter it’s because Price is due overdue for one after years of dominating.
Several New York Mets pitchers are candidates to throw their first no-hitter in 2017. The man with the best chance is Noah Syndergaard. His intimidating presence on the mound coupled with talent makes him a perfect candidate to join the ranks of men who own a no-hitter.
The biggest deterrent for Syndergaard is that he has yet to even pitch a complete game in his big league career. The Mets will also remain cautious with him to avoid yet another one of their stud young pitchers from requiring Tommy John Surgery. If the worst happens, at least Jacob deGrom is right there to become the next pitcher to lose his no-hitter v-card.
Syndergaard will get to pitch at CitiField regularly, a place where pitchers tend to thrive. The National League East may not be as much of a cake walk for pitchers this year. However, Syndergaard should still rule over opposing teams on a regular basis.
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