Cory Luebke, the Padres 27 year old pitcher made news this spring signing a four year deal with the club. Luebke who didn't really show all that much promise in the minor leagues has impressed heavily in over 100 innings pitched as a starter in the big leagues. While it is a very small sample size (IP-116), Luebke's skill related numbers have been great. How great? Let's take a look at the closest comparables to Luebke using the pitching skilled related stats of K/9, BB/9 and GB/FB over the past two seasons. Like I mentioned above, keep in mind the small sample size and the high probability for some regression from Luebke. The comparables are interesting though.
| Cory Luebke | 9.75 | 2.55 | 0.96 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Pitcher | K/9 | BB/9 | GB/FB |
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw | 9.46 | 2.78 | 1.04 |
| 2 | Yovani Gallardo | 9.34 | 3.07 | 1.29 |
| 3 | Michael Pineda | 9.11 | 2.89 | 0.81 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | 8.88 | 2.42 | 0.98 |
| 5 | Mat Latos | 8.88 | 2.66 | 1.07 |
| 6 | Josh Johnson | 8.93 | 2.51 | 1.39 |
| 7 | Brandon Beachy | 10.57 | 3.04 | 0.77 |
| 8 | Tim Lincecum | 9.45 | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| 9 | Zack Greinke | 8.78 | 2.3 | 1.37 |
| 10 | Mike Minor | 8.7 | 2.95 | 0.92 |
| 11 | Cole Hamels | 8.62 | 2.24 | 1.37 |
| 12 | Tommy Hanson | 8.52 | 2.76 | 0.99 |
| 13 | Erik Bedard | 8.7 | 3.34 | 1.11 |
| 14 | Jon Lester | 9.17 | 3.56 | 1.65 |
| 15 | David Price | 8.44 | 2.96 | 1.16 |
| 16 | Jered Weaver | 8.43 | 2.15 | 0.71 |
| 17 | Brandon Morrow | 10.53 | 3.73 | 0.91 |
| 18 | Felix Hernandez | 8.45 | 2.55 | 1.72 |
| 19 | Max Scherzer | 8.25 | 2.9 | 1.02 |
| 20 | James Shields | 8.21 | 2.29 | 1.18 |
