Year of the pitcher or Cinderella story?

Is the 2011 MLB season another year of the pitcher succeeding 2010? One could argue yes and no, but for one player it is arguably the year of his pitching career and its only midseason. Oh yeah and its also his first season in the starting rotation. Alexi Ogando, once a relief pitcher in the 2010 season, was moved into the Texas Rangers starting rotation after an off season of chaotic unsuccessful courtings of Cliff Lee.

Ogando wasn't a sure fire thing, as he was supposed to be just a brief replacement for Tommy Hunter, who was placed on the DL due to a strained groin during spring training. But to mosts dismay, Ogando quickly became amongst the elite pitchers in, not only the AL, but, the whole MLB.

Boasting an ERA of 1.76, Alexi ranks second amongst all AL pitchers. He's 5-0 coming off his first career shut out game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday May 23. Ogando gave up just five hits, walked three and struck out six during his grand outing.

Sprouting into the Rangers organization off the rule 5 draft in 2005, Ogando was converted to pitching as an experiment. The Rangers saw something in Ogando, something in the way he could throw the ball away. It was a gamble with a very high risk/reward factor. As most can tell it has definitely paid off with Alexi posting 45 strikeouts thus far and a .85 walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP).

The biggest worry though, amongst his infamous blister condition, has been whether or not Alexi could throw more than just his fastball. Worries aside, its been nothing but a fresh breath of air when talking about his pitching. The most refreshing piece of his pitching repertoire is his changeup. His changeup instantly made his curveball and fastball a difficult target to hit in any batting lineup.

Could this truly be just a Cinderella story or is there more to this pitcher than meets the eye? The stats don't lie and neither does Ogando's performance so far. This could be the year of the pitcher again and could very well be the year for Ogando's breakout season as a genuine elite starter. If he continues this amazing pitching season Alexi Ogando's name very well could be and SHOULD be mentioned in the same sentence of AL Cy Young award nominees of 2011.