I can remember when I heard about R.A Dickey being called up to the Mets. When I heard the news, it felt like an ordinary call-up. Nobody knew who this guy was and I felt that he was going to be a short-term option in the rotation.
Little did I know, Dickey would go on to become one of the league’s best starting pitchers two years after his call-up to the team.
R.A currently leads the Majors in wins (11), and WHIP (0.99). Dickey is also tied for the major-league lead in ERA (2.00).
As we near the end of the first-half, there has been talk of R.A starting the All-Star Game for the National League. He has also been part of the Cy Young discussion. Thats how surprising this guy has been.
The main reason why R.A Dickey is at the top of the baseball world is because of his control of the knuckleball and how he uses speed and movement on the ball to fool hitters. After watching his last start against the Orioles, Dickey’s knuckleball had great movement and control. He mixed up the speeds on his pitches. At times he threw knucklers in the range of 60 to 80+ MPH.
Even though his knuckleball is the main part of his success you also have to factor in the Met offense. I say this because even though Dickey was very consistent throughout the 2011 season, he did not have the offense behind him to earn wins. Thats how he ended 2011 with an 8-13 record. This year has been totally different in that area offensively.
At this pace, R.A Dickey could win 20+ games and have more than 200+ K’s. That would be pretty darn impressive for a knuckleball pitcher. I don’t think we’ve a dominant performance like this since Phil Niekro. If R.A keeps it up, he will get that and then some. Only time will tell.
Could R.A Dickey reach the 20 win plateau? Will he be the National League’s starting pitcher at the 2012 MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City?
