Best power-hitting pitchers

Its time for Interleague Play and the inevitable debate over whether NL teams get an advantage because their pitchers actually touch a bat every few days instead of once a season. It’s a moot point because pitchers in either league rarely hit, so AL coaches should quit complaining. They are going to have to get used to it next year when interleague games are spread throughout the season instead of over a few weeks stretch.

Watching AL pitchers take pathetic whiffs in NL stadiums makes me wonder who the best power-hitting pitcher is. We love to see pitchers drive in runs, run the bases in their goofy warm-up jackets, and hit home runs. It doesn’t happen often, so we get some excitement when it does happen. Unfortunately in most NL games the pitcher is a rally killer when they come to the plate.

When it comes to hitting home runs as a pitcher, you can look no further than Miami Marlins pitcher Carlos Zambrano. He has 24 career home runs, but in only 682 at bats he has a higher career home run ratio (one home run every 28.4 AB) than some highly regarded sluggers as Jason Heyward, Micheal Cuddyer, Bobby Abreu, and Delmon Young. The Big Z can rake!

Zambrano is one of five pitchers who have hit at least one home run in 10 years in a row. The others, courtesy of Jayson Stark, are Warren Spahn (17 years), Red Ruffing (15), Bob Lemon (12) and Dizzy Trout (11). Wes Ferrell hit the most career home runs for a pitcher with 38 homers between 1927 and 1942 mostly for the Indians. Warren Spahn can be considered one of the greatest power-hitting pitcher in MLB history. He was 15.4 wins above average at the plate with 35 home runs over his 21 year career.

Zack Greinke is a really good athlete and one of the best hitting pitchers currently. He’s also very confident and one of the most interesting players in the game. There’s a story about when Alex Gordon was struggling a few years ago, and Greinke pulled him into the video room to watch a clip of Greinke hitting a home run. “This is what a home run looks like,” Greinke told Gordon. I think that story alone makes Greinke the best hitting pitcher today.

Basically, if you want to watch a good hitting pitcher, reach for the remote unless Zambrano or Greinke are up to the plate.