I have a man-crush on R.A. Dickey. A pretty big one actually. Okay fine, I have a gigantic man-crush on R.A. Dickey. Like huge man-crush on R.A. Dickey. Like, I don’t think you understand, it’s not normal and is probably even a little unhealthy. I have a running joke with my friends that R.A. Dickey is an immortal time-traveler who also happened to be Alexander the Great and Jesus. If I had a girlfriend, she’d be jealous of how much I love R.A. Dickey.

I’ve been a die-hard Mets fan since I started watching the game. R.A. Dickey first came to the Mets in January of 2010. I’ve been a Dickey fan since late April or maybe early May. I first heard of him when I saw a headline that said something along the lines of “Mets’ Knuckleballer Dickey Throws 1-Hitter for Buffalo”. The inner four-year-old in me giggled “Haha. We have a guy on our team named Dickey? And he’s a knuckleballer? That’s hilarious!” So, I googled his name and found out he actually had an amazing story.

He was a highly touted prospect coming out of college and went in the 1st Round of the 1996 Draft to the Texas Rangers. He was initially offered a signing bonus of $810,000 until the team’s Physician noticed something peculiar. Dickey was missing the ulnar collateral ligament (whatever that is) in his elbow. Because of this, the initial offer dropped to $75,000. Dickey was once quoted in saying, “Doctors look at me and say I shouldn’t be able to turn a doorknob without feeling pain.” In spite of this he managed to pitch in 76 Major League games by the end of 2005. Though it was remarkable he could pitch at all, his stats were not remarkable in the slightest; in 261.5 IP he gave up 162 ER, giving him an average ERA of 5.58 over those 76 games (4 seasons). This is pretty far above the league average (around 4.50).

Dickey realized he wasn’t cutting it and if he wanted to stay in the Majors, he needed to make some drastic changes. In 2005, he started learning how to throw the knuckleball. After a year of experimenting with the pitch the Rangers finally gave him a chance to debut it on April 6, 2006. Aaaannnddd… In his first start, on April 6, 2006, he ended up giving up 6 home runs, tying the modern era baseball record for most home runs in a game. Dickey was immediately sent back to the minors and didn’t pitch again that season.

But he did not give up. He kept working on his knuckleball and trying to perfect it. His next major league start came the next year with the Mariners. He pitched in 32 games and posted an ERA of 5.21. The next year he pitched for Minnesota. In 35 Games he posted a 4.62 ERA, his best ERA yet. The next year he came to my team, The New York Mets. That’s when everything seemed to change for him.

Fast-forward about 2 and a half years later, and where was R.A. Dickey today? In the All-Star game, pitching a scoreless inning. We’re only half way through the season and people are already saying he’s going to win the Cy Young.

What were his stats before joining the Mets?

In 7 seasons he pitched in 144 games with 440.8 IP total. In those 144 games he posted a record of 22 wins to 28 losses. In those 440.8 IP he gave up 420 hits and 177 walks, giving him a WHIP of 1.35. In those 440.8 IP he recorded 271 strikeouts, giving him a K/9 of 5.53. In those 440.8 IP, he gave up 267 ERs, posting a 5.45 ERA.

So, what are his stats since joining the Mets?

In 2 full seasons and the first half of this season, Dickey has pitched in 77 games. In those 77 games he has a W-L record of 31-23. In those 77 games, he has pitched in 502.3 innings. In those 502.3 IP, he has given up 453 hits and 122 walks, giving him a WHIP of 1.14. In those 502.3 IP he has given up 163 earned runs, giving him an ERA of 2.92. In those 502.3 IP he has recorded 361 Ks, giving him a K/9 of 6.47.

Let’s take a look at the difference.

Pre-Mets: With the Mets:

IP: 440.8 IP: 502.3

ERA: 5.45 ERA: 2.92

K/9: 5.54 K/9: 6.47

WHIP: 1.35 WHIP: 1.14

W/L%: 0.44 W/L%: 0.57

So it looks to me as if a sub-mediocre pitcher just magically transformed into an Ace right before our eyes.

And not only that, but it appears as though he’s only getting better.

Last year he was 13th in ERA and 22nd in WHIP in the league (min. 160 innings). Though, the entire time he was dealing with injuries. Still, those are pretty great numbers. There are 16 teams in the NL. According to these numbers, he could have been an Ace on at least 3 other teams.

The year before that he was 7th in ERA and 17th in WHIP. He had a 2.84 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, but only 11 wins. To put that in perspective, that same year C.C. Sabathia had 21 Wins, but with the same WHIP (1.19) and a worse ERA (3.18). If he had the same bats behind him and played the entire year, he could have put up 20 wins.

This year, however, Dickey is leading the league in Wins (12) and, amazingly, only has 1 loss. He’s also #2 in the league in K’s (123K’s in 120 IP) and is only 6 K’s away from leading the majors in this category as well. He’s 5th in the league in ERA (2.92) and is leading the league in WHIP (0.93). He, maybe, kind of, (arguably) threw a no-hitter this season; or at least back-to-back one-hitters. He also had the most consecutive quality starts record going for a while. What a freaking beast! These are most definitely Cy Young caliber stats.

Oh yeah, and just for fun, he can hit also. This year he has a better batting average (.194) than Jason Bay and is only .007 away from both Ike Davis and Andres Torres. The year before last, he was the Mets’ 11th best hitter in terms of average. He had a .255 average, .018 better than our starting RF (Jeff Francoeur) and .020 better than our starting 2B (Luis Castillo).

The dude is a monster. Originally I just liked him because he had a funny name and a cool story. Now, I like him because he’s putting up the numbers Johan should have put up had he stayed healthy. Although he’s already 37, he’s a knuckler and should be in this league for a lot longer. Remember, fellow knuckler, Phil Niekro pitched until he was 48.

Seriously though, Dickey just seems to be a very intelligent, kind, genuine guy who has really got a hold of his pitch. And his story is even more impressive than just to what I’ve alluded to here. Last year he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro even though he knew it would put his 2012 season salary ($4,250,000) in jeopardy. He also put out an autobiography in March entitled: Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball. In it he talks about dealing with sexual abuse as a child, suicidal thoughts as an adult, and a lot more. Although I haven’t read it, it is next on my reading list and should be tackled later next month when my scholastic demands have been met. From the reviews I’ve read, apparently Dickey can write just as well as he can pitch. And I think I’ve already established that he might just be one of the best pitchers in the game. So then, wow, yeah, this book must be pretty damn good. The first (more than 100-page) book I ever read was Willie Mays’ autobiography. I’ve also read and enjoyed “The Mick” (on Mickey Mantle) and Joe Dimaggio’s biography. If you’ve read it, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it or if it has any relevance to this blog post. If you disagree with my assertion that Dickey is one of the best pitchers in baseball or is currently Cy Young worthy, then drop a comment. In the meantime, I’ll be at a Met’s game with my friends (preferably one where Dickey is pitching) wearing my customized orange R.A. Dickey shirt I got two years ago and holding a sign that says “We ❤ Dickey”.

Until then…

– Scobar