Earned Run Average : 2008 National League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"Maybe I missed my routine and my game so much that I was trying to rationalize reasons for getting it back. I wanted those 162 games. I wanted all the suspense of the playoff and home run races. And I honestly didn't believe baseball would bend far enough to allow the possibility of games in November. I was wrong. And baseball was right." - Paul White in USA Today Baseball Weekly (September 14, 2001)
 

2008 Earned Run Average Leaders

Top 25 in the National League

Johan Santana 2.53 (2.5349) New York Mets 1
Tim Lincecum 2.62 (2.6167) San Francisco Giants 2
Jake Peavy 2.85 (2.8504) San Diego Padres 3
Ryan Dempster 2.96 (2.9614) Chicago Cubs 4
Ben Sheets 3.09 (3.0858) Milwaukee Brewers 5
Cole Hamels 3.09 (3.0880) Philadelphia Phillies 6
Chad Billingsley 3.14 (3.1396) Los Angeles Dodgers 7
Edinson Volquez 3.21 (3.2143) Cincinnati Reds 8
Derek Lowe 3.24 (3.2417) Los Angeles Dodgers 9
Brandon Webb 3.30 (3.2957) Arizona Diamondbacks 10
Dan Haren 3.33 (3.3333) Arizona Diamondbacks 11
Ricky Nolasco 3.52 (3.5181) Florida Marlins 12
Roy Oswalt 3.54 (3.5369) Houston Astros 13
Jair Jurrjens 3.68 (3.6797) Atlanta Braves 14
Paul Maholm 3.71 (3.7077) Pittsburgh Pirates 15
Todd Wellemeyer 3.71 (3.7097) St. Louis Cardinals 16
Jamie Moyer 3.71 (3.7131) Philadelphia Phillies 17
Mike Pelfrey 3.72 (3.7227) New York Mets 18
Hiroki Kuroda 3.73 (3.7310) Los Angeles Dodgers 19
Matt Cain 3.76 (3.7627) San Francisco Giants 20
Kyle Lohse 3.78 (3.7800) St. Louis Cardinals 21
John Lannan 3.91 (3.9066) Washington Nationals 22
Carlos Zambrano 3.91 (3.9118) Chicago Cubs 23
Randy Johnson 3.91 (3.9130) Arizona Diamondbacks 24
Aaron Cook 3.96 (3.9606) Colorado Rockies 25



Did you know that more than forty players have worn the number twenty-five for the Boston Red Sox — including Jack Clark, Denny Galehouse, Dizzy Trout and Tony Conigliaro.

Jim Thome wore number twenty-five since he first came up with the Cleveland Indians making him the franchise record holder for that particular number (Mike Garcia is second).

Future Hall of Famer Sammy Sosa is best known for wearing number twenty-one; however, when the young slugger played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) he only wore number twenty-five.