Haren makes pitch to start All-Star Game; does anyone notice?

Dan Haren has been the best pitcher in baseball this season.

Sorry Zack Greinke. Sorry Tim Lincecum. Sorry Felix Hernandez.

Haren reaffirmed that on Friday night in an 8-0 complete game shutout of the Florida Marlins at Chase Field. Haren had ten strikeouts in the game, and walked only one batter while throwing a season-high 117 pitches.

After starting the season 0-3 (through no fault of his own–it’s hard to win when your team doesn’t score for you), Haren is now 9-5, tied for third in the NL in wins, and leads the senior circuit with a 2.01 ERA.

Yet, in a current ESPN Sportsnation Poll that asks “who has been the best pitcher this season?” The choices? Haren, Toronto’s Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum of San Francisco, Kansas City’s Greinke and even knuckleballer Tim Wakefield of Boston.

At the time of this article being written, over 48,000 votes had been cast. And all four of the other pitchers had more votes than Dan Haren of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Halladay? Sure Toronto’s ace has one more win. But Haren’s got a better ERA, WHIP, more strikeouts, less walks, and opponents are hitting 64 points lower against Haren. Greinke? Kansas City’s 25-year old has more wins and complete games, but Haren trumps him in every other category (except strikeouts, they both have 129).

Lincecum is a freak, there’s no other way to put it. But even he has only more strikeouts and wins, and Haren takes him in every other major category.

Wakefield? Please. I won’t even dignify that with a response other than saying it’s nice he’s going to his first All-Star Game at the age of 42.

Cody Ross, the Marlins’ center fielder who went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Haren on Friday night, summed it up best. “Hands down the best I’ve faced this year,” said Ross. “He was just pinpoint. It was almost like he was playing Nintendo the way he was throwing.” Ross certainly isn’t the only player that’s felt that way during the 2009 season.

Greinke and Lincecum have had stretches this year where they’ve looked completely unhittable. But they’ve also had lulls. Haren’s been consistently dominant all season long. Regardless of how you feel about quality starts as a statistic, Haren’s registered a quality start in 17 of his 18 outings this year. And if consistency is any part of the equation, Dan Haren should be the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star Team in St. Louis on Tuesday night.

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