Breaking Down Shane McClanahan's Historic 1st Half

Tampa Bay Rays breakout star and first time All-Star Shane McClanahan has been the story of the season for the club. McClanahan has not only been the best pitcher on their staff, but appears to be a Cy Young level talent for years to come.

Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) has broken down three key stat lines for the 25 year old, as his first half performance historic in many ways.

As Harvey points out, that McClanahan is the first pitcher since at least 1901 to have a stat line of 1.71 ERA, 147 SO, and 0.795 WHIP, which is incredible to think considering some of the other top arms in recent years, let along league history.

The Tampa Bay Rays have pumped out many special arms in the last decade, but McClanahan appears to be in a class of his own. He has set another record and joined Pedro Martinez in elite company as well according to Harvey.

Seven straight starts with 6+ IP, 6+ K, 1 ER or less, and 4 H or fewer means that Sugar Shane is shutting down offenses and giving the Rays an incredible chance to win every single outing, which is such an advantage for any club to have. It is one thing to have elite starts, it is a whole other thing to do it start after start.

Joining Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as only the 2nd player ever to have 1.75 ERA, 140+ K, and 0.80 WHIP or less. If you go back and watch prime Pedro Martinez, you will know just how electrifying of a comparison that is.

If Shane McClanahan keeps up his performance in the 2nd half of 2022, he will not only be the AL Cy Young, but he may end up having one of the best pitching seasons we have ever seen. Even if there is some regression in the second half, the club should be ecstatic about their young ace.