The Top Five Control Artists in 2011

While being a "control artist" isn't as sexy as being a "strikeout artist," sometimes the former is more important.
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One of pitching coach's least favorite things in the world are walks. Walks lead to base runners, and base runners often lead to runs. While being a "control artist" isn't as sexy as being a "strikeout artist," sometimes the former is more important. Below are the top five "control artists" from 2011.

Josh Tomlin (1.14 BB/9): In Tomlin's first full-season, the right-hander provided the Cleveland Indians with a tremendous, cheap asset. The starter won 12 ballgames, while posting a 4.25 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 4.24 K/BB. His 1.14 BB/9 led the entire Major Leagues too. Tomlin exhibited better strikeout numbers in 2010 (from 5.30 K/9 to 4.84 K/9), but his xFIP improved mightily in 2011 (from 4.76 xFIP to 4.03 xFIP). The Indians should be very excited about the 26 year-old's future with the team.... click here to read the rest of this article.

The Beanball is a blog devoted to unearthing all-things baseball. For more "bench-clearing baseball analysis," follow @TheBeanball.

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