The Elusive 20 Wins

J.A. Happ was, improbably, a 20-game winner last year (Canada Sports Net)

With all the bullpen specialization and attention to pitch counts that has gone on recently, one would think that only the game's elite pitchers would be capable of winning 20 games in a season anymore. In reality, though, the list of hurlers who've done it recently is kind of a mixed bag. None of them are bad, obviously, but there's a good number of mid-rotation arms mixed in there with the cream of the crop.

Over the last several years, there's been about one pitcher per year who comes out of nowhere to win 20 games. In 2011 it was Ian Kennedy, and the following year it was R.A. Dickey and Gio Gonzalez. In 2015 Dallas Keuchel and Jake Arrieta did it, while last year both J.A. Happ and Rick Porcello reached the milestone. They've rivaled, and in some cases surpassed, the victory totals studs such as Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander and David Price, not to mention this list of pitchers (Cy Young winners starred)who have yet to win 20 games:

• Jon Lester, who's won 19 twice despite pitching for World Series winners in Boston and Chicago
• Felix Hernandez*, who topped out at 19 and also won 18 once. With his career on the downswing, he probably never wins 20.
• Zack Greinke*, who just missed in 2015 with 19
• Corey Kluber*, winner of 18 twice
• Madison Bumgarner, also a two-time 18-game winner
• Chris Sale, who's never won more than 17 (that could change this year, though)
• Stephen Strasburg hasn't come close, never winning more than 15 despite pitching on some great Nationals teams
• Yu Darvish won 16 as a rookie and hasn't won more than 13 since. Injuries have held him back
• Cole Hamels has won more than 15 only once, and when he did he won 17
• James Shields soaked up innings, but hasn't topped 16 wins
• Masahiro Tanaka -- never more than 14
• The Mets' vaunted trio of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard -- nope

This year, Jason Vargas is atop the wins leaderboard, tied with Kershaw at 10 apiece. Rockies rookie Antonio Senzatela is just one behind them. I'm betting only Kershaw makes it, but then I would have said the same thing about Happ and Porcello last year.