MLB Starting Pitching: “Full-Timers” Thru 100 Games

Hats off to the 55 MLB pitchers who’ve notched 20 or more starts in their teams’ first 100 games of the 2015 season. (All 30 teams had reached the century mark by July 30.) This achievement constitutes Perfect Attendance (assuming a standard five-man rotation).

There are 26 guys who have qualified as “Full-Timers” since Opening Day 2014, eleven of whom have recorded no absences on a “work” day since the start of the 2013 campaign. Toronto’s Mark Buehrle, KC’s Jeremy Guthrie, Boston’s Wade Miley, Baltimore’s Chris Tillman, and Jose Quintana & Jeff Samardzija of the White Sox own streaks originating in 2013. The Cubs’ Jon Lester and Nats’ Jordan Zimmerman date a season longer, R. A. Dickey of the Jays and Washington’s Max Scherzer since 2011.

But Gold medal for long-term steady work goes to James Shields, currently toiling in San Diego, who last recorded fewer than 32 starts back in the 2007 season – and he missed the cut by one lousy start in that rookie year.

Five of the Elite Eleven – Buehrle, Lester, Samardzija, Scherzer and Zimmerman – are among the 19 members of this season’s Gang of 55 who have worked through the seventh inning in at least half their games.

All but one team has a representative on this list.

Seven teams – representing six cities, all of which lie east of the Mississippi – have enjoyed the services of three full-timers. One of them has acquired a fourth at the trade deadline; two of these pitchers were traded away at the same time.

MLB 2015: Full-time Starting Pitchers

55 players with 20+ starts (and 21 others with a “worthy” 19)

AL

Balt: Tillman, Jimenez (Chen)

Bos:  Miley (Porcello)

NY: Eovaldi (Sabathia, Pineda)

TB: Archer (Karns)

Tor: Hutchison , Dickey, Buehrle

Chi: Samardzija, Quintana, Sale (Danks)

Cleve: Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer

Det:, Price, Sanchez (Simon)

KC: Volquez, Guthrie

Minn: Hughes, Gibson (Pelfrey)

Hou:  Keuchel, McHugh

LA: Wilson (Santiago, Richards)

Oak: Gray

Sea: Hernandez, Walker (Happ)

Tex: Gallardo, Lewis

NL

Atl: Teheran, Wood, Miller

Mia: Haren

NY: (Colon, deGrom, Harvey, Niese)

Phil: Hamels

Wash: Scherzer, Zimmerman

Chi: Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks (Hammel)

Cin: Leake, DeSclafani (Cueto)

Mil: Lohse, Fiers, Nelson

Pitt:  Liriano, Cole, Burnett (Locke)

StL: Lackey

Ariz: DeLaRosa (Hellickson)

Col: Kendrick

LA: Greinke, Kershaw (Anderson)

SD: Shields, Ross (Cashner)

SF: Bumgarner, Heston

A listing of 2014’s “Full-Timers” is available here.