The Seattle Mariners are no strangers to rostering aces in their starting rotation. Felix Hernandez made the Pacific Northwest his home throughout his career, and the current rotation arguably has no less than four such starters.
One member of that group made it clear once again that he is the clear-cut leader of the unit, Bryan Woo.
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In another dominant performance from the young starter, Woo was able to navigate through the New York Yankees’ daunting lineup with ease. It was a performance that once again lends credence to the claim that he is the ace in the rotation.
“Best lineup in MLB” may be a bit of a stretch, but the Yankees are certainly no slouch. Having the performance that Woo did against it is something to behold.
In 6.1 innings, Woo held New York to only four hits and no walks while striking out six. He lowered his ERA on the year to 2.84 in the process, and continues his climb up the early Cy Young polls.
For the year, Woo carries his 2.84 ERA across 50.2 innings in eight starts with 50 strikeouts and a 127 ERA+. Woo will not strike guys out at an elite rate, but he will refrain from giving up much hard contact, while keeping his walk rate at an absurdly low level. he is the only starting pitcher this year to go at least six innings in each of his starts.
While many have looked to Logan Gilbert as the leader of the rotation and ace, his stake in that claim is quickly losing steam. Luckily enough for Seattle, Gilbert can slot right in as the 1B to Woo’s 1A.