Ranking the Rotations!

In preparation for the upcoming season, I have decided to rank the top two thirds of the rotations in Major League Baseball. The rankings are based on overall talent, potential and my own gut feeling. Obviously it is hard to tell how things will shape up this early on, but I am content with the rankings. Feel free to disagree in the comments section!

1. D-backs- Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is an elite 1-2 punch and Randy Johnson can still contribute IF he is healthy. Micah Owings had some moments last year, especially when swinging the bat.
2. Mets- Strong at the top with Johan Santana and better than solid in the middle with John Maine and Oliver Perez. The problem of fifth starter should figure itself out. Pedro Martinez staying healthy is the “x-factor.”
3. Padres- Jake Peavy and Chris Young is a 1-2 punch that rivals that of the D-backs. IF Mark Prior can stay healthy, this may be the best staff in baseball.
4. Red Sox- Josh Beckett was fantastic last year, but had an ERA of over 5 the year before. Dice-K was up and down and Curt Schilling’s availability is an enigma. Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester will play a major part.
5. Angels- John Lackey is an overlooked ace, but Kelvim Escobar is having trouble staying healthy and Ervin Santana needs to get his act together. Jon Garland is solid, but nothing more.
6. Indians- One of the best 1-2 punches in baseball (C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona). Too bad everyone is shaky behind them.
7. Mariners- See Indians (replace Sabathia and Carmona with Erik Bedard and Felix Hernandez).
8. Dodgers- Brad Penny is coming off his best season yet and Chad Billingsley could develop into a very good pitcher. There are also many questions in Hiroki Kuroda’s translation to MLB and Jason Schmidt’s health.
9. Braves- Tim Hudson had a great bounce-back year and John Smoltz just keeps on truckin’. Tom Glavine is average, however, and it is hard to take Mike Hampton seriously at this point.
10. Giants- Based on one year, Barry Zito may be one of the worst signings in MLB history. Talent-wise, Zito is probably the third best starter on his team at this point in his career, behind the fantastic Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.
11. Cubs- Carlos Zambrano gets the benefit of the doubt despite a down year. Rich Hill looks like he will be a good one, but don’t expect Ted Lilly to reproduce his ’07 numbers.
12. Tigers- Justin Verlander is great. Jeremy Bonderman and Dontrelle Willis are inconsistent. Kenny Rogers may be at the end of his career.
13. Yankees- After a great 2005, Andy Pettitte has followed it up with two 4+ ERA seasons. Chien Ming Wang is consistently very good, but Mike Mussina is a bad apple. If two of the three pitching prospects contribute positively this year, this staff could move up significantly.
14. Blue Jays- Roy Halladay is a regular at the all star game (maybe because the Blue Jays usually don’t have many other good players), and A.J. Burnett can be dominant when healthy. The back end of their rotation has shown some promise.
15. Phillies- Cole Hamels’ ERA (much like the power numbers of everyone in his lineup) is inflated due to the bam-box he plays in. If Brett Myers can put everything together this year, he can be a world-beater. Adam Eaton is an early candidate for the Brett Tomko pitcher of the year award.
16. Rays- Scott Kazmir can be dominant when healthy and James Shields was dominant for a good portion of last year. The addition of Matt Garza makes this a legitimate rotation, and if Edwin Jackson can turn around his 5-15 record from last season, this rotation can be one of the best.
17. White Sox- Mark Buehrle was solid last year but has flirted with disaster in recent years, including a near 5-ERA two years ago. Javier Vasquez had a good year but it was his first sub-4 ERA since 2003. Jose Contreras has been abominable.
18. Twins- This rotation all hinges on the health of Francisco Liriano. If he is healthy, he is as good as anyone. Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker give the rotation some promise.
19. Pirates- Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny are give the Pirates a top of the rotation that is similar to the Mets’ middle of the rotation with Maine and Perez. Zach Duke has been a disappointment thus far.
20. Reds- Aaron Harang is one of the most underrated pitchers in the game. Bronson Arroyo is probably closer to the pitcher he was last year than two years ago. Homer Bailey has worlds of potential, but struggled in limited play last year.

So there you have it. Stay tuned for the top 20 Lineup Rankings!