Warren Spahn Award 2023
Sandy Alcantara and Framber Valdez posted the year’s best durability records
Today’s definition of a durable pitcher is more lenient than the guidelines in place between 1942 and 1965, when Warren Spahn totaled 382 complete games for the Braves, Mets, and Giants.
Managers are happy these days if a starter can work six innings, maybe seven. Complete games are very rare, indeed. Just 35 CGs were registered in the American and National Leagues last season — and only 379 were posted over the past eight years combined.
That latter total, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, was three fewer than the number of complete games that Spahn recorded himself.
So it’s a bit strange that my annual awards for durability are named after Spahn, given that none of today’s pitchers come close to meeting his standards.
But the two generations do have one thing in common. Spahn frequently ranked at or near the top of the National League in innings pitched per appearance, and I used the same ratio to determine 2023’s honorees.
Miami’s Sandy Alcantara won the NL’s Spahn Award by working 184 and two-thirds innings in his 28 starts, translating to an average of 6.60 innings per game. Alcantara pitched three complete games — the highest figure in the league — and worked at least seven innings in eight other contests.
The Spahn honoree in the American League was Houston’s Framber Valdez at 6.39 IP/G. Valdez started 31 games. He completed two and worked at least seven innings in 14 others.
Look below to see the 15 pitchers with the highest durability ratios in each league. The rankings are confined to those who pitched at least 162 innings over the course of the season.
The following links will take you to previous announcements of 2023 awards named after these Hall of Famers: Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Nellie Fox, Rickey Henderson, Juan Marichal, and Randy Johnson.
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American League IP/G leaders
1. Framber Valdez, Astros, 6.39
2. Gerrit Cole, Yankees, 6.33
3. George Kirby, Mariners, 6.15
4. Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays, 6.06
4. Pablo Lopez, Twins, 6.06
6. Luis Castillo, Mariners, 5.97
6. Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays, 5.97
8. Logan Gilbert, Mariners, 5.96
9. Jose Berrios, Blue Jays, 5.93
10. Kyle Gibson, Orioles, 5.82
11. Sonny Gray, Twins, 5.75
12. Zach Eflin, Rays, 5.73
12. Jordan Lyles, Royals, 5.73
14. Kyle Bradish, Orioles, 5.62
15. Lucas Giolito, White Sox-Angels-Guardians, 5.59
National League IP/G leaders
1. Sandy Alcantara, Marlins, 6.60
2. Logan Webb, Giants, 6.55
3. Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks, 6.18
4. Mitch Keller, Pirates, 6.07
5. Corbin Burnes, Brewers, 6.05
5. Aaron Nola, Phillies, 6.05
7. Zack Wheeler, Phillies, 6.00
8. Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks, 5.92
9. Spencer Strider, Braves, 5.83
10. Justin Steele, Cubs, 5.78
11. Miles Mikolas, Cardinals, 5.75
12. Kodai Senga, Mets, 5.74
13. Patrick Corbin, Nationals, 5.63
13. Bryce Elder, Braves, 5.63
13. Blake Snell, Padres, 5.63