Curveballs and Sliders 03.12.08: Top MLB Rotations

Posted by Jared Marcus on 03.12.2008

This week we continue to preview the 2008 Major League Baseball season with the very last of our team ranking columns. This week we rank all 30 teams on the strength of their rotation, as well as rank the best rotation tops and bottoms. In addition, this week in “The Greatest” we unveil the all-time lineups and rotations for all five NL West teams!!

LEADING OFF

Hello one and all, welcome to another edition of Curveballs and Sliders as we continue on the road to Opening Day 2008!!! Last week we took a look at team defenses as I wanted to wait one more week to let the rotations shake out. Well this week we are finally going to get to the rotations. I was considering doing a fantasy preview this week, and holding off on the rotations for one more week, but with the 411mania fantasy draft scheduled for this Thursday, I just couldn't justify giving my competitors a playbook on my strategy days before we draft. So, onto the rotations this week and next week we will break down the 411 fantasy draft and I will unveil the championship team, aka, my team.

Before we get to the rotations, I wanted to address a quick comment from a reader last week.

Reader Bryz wrote…………………..

I wouldn't exactly say Rick Ankiel is below-average defensively. I don't have
his fielding stats in front of me, so that may say something else, but he
looked great playing in RF last season. He also has an absolute cannon for an
arm (which isn't surprising). Then again, I don't know how he'll fare if he
gets the starting nod in CF, I don't believe he played more than a handful of
games there last season.


Hey Bryz, thanks a lot for checking out the column and thanks for writing in. As I mentioned last week, I appreciate any and all feedback from fans on defense as there is only so much one can discern from statistics. The people that watch the player play defense every day are the ones with the best opinion of their defensive skills. If you say Ankiel was a very good defender, I will take your word on. Statistically as a right fielder he did in fact rank as an above average defender. However, in his 22 games in center field he ranked towards toe bottom. I based my analysis on his playing center field all season and the fact that he is not likely to be as good as most other center fielders defensively. However, that is a very small sample size and taking his right field numbers and you analysis into account I am inclined to believe that he very well could be an average or even above average center fielder this season. Though it remains to be seen. Thanks again for writing in, keep coming back.


So let's not waste any more time, let's get to the rotation rankings………….




THE TWO HOLE


We have covered the lineups, we have ranked the benches and the bullpens, we have listed the Managers and General Managers, all that's left is the starting rotations. Well, that is exactly what we are here to do today. All 30 rotations from top to bottom will be ranked below, but first, as always, some quick ground rules. As I have mentioned the past few weeks, there is still some time left in Spring Training and not all of the starting players have been solidified yet. It wasn't a big problem with the lineups and bullpens because any of the position battles that were still up in the air weren't big enough a deal to make much of an impact on the rankings. With the starting rotations it is a little different since they only go five deep rather than seven (bullpen) or nine (lineup). A few spots at the back end of a rotation could actually have an impact on how good a rotation looks heading into the season and therefore an impact on where said rotation would rank on a list such as this one. However, most of the rotations that have yet to sort themselves out are probably not that good to begin with and will find themselves towards the bottom of the list regardless of who wins the final few spots. In other words, you can expect these rankings to change slightly between now and Opening Day due to changes at the back or injuries, but no teams will be making gigantic leaps up or down the list in the next few weeks. As I have done with the lineups, benches and bullpens, in the case of unsettled position battles, I have based this list on the current favorites to land spots in the rotation. Unlike the other lists though, I have also acknowledged any other pitchers that could also factor in the mix come the beginning of the season. Alright, as usual I have rambled on enough, let's get to the rankings……..


RANKING THE ROTATIONS

1) New York Mets – Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey (Others: El Duque)
Some may not rank the Mets quite this high mostly due to the supposed "question mark" that is Pedro Martinez. I however look at Pedro as more of a sure thing, and quite frankly, one of the very best number two starters in all of baseball. The addition of Johan Santana obviously did wonders for this rotation as it not only gave them the number one pitcher in all of baseball, but also enabled them to filter all of their other starters down one spot making them much more of a premium at each slot. Instead of being a shaky ace, Pedro is a top tier number two. And the same goes for John Maine and Oliver Perez, who now become just about the best third and fourth starters in the Major Leagues. Mike Pelfrey is questionable as the fifth starter, but he looks good so far this Spring and when he is healthy, El Duque will be one of the better fifth starters in the game.

2) Arizona Diamondbacks – Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Randy Johnson, Doug Davis, Micah Owings
Another club that greatly improved their overall profile by adding one arm. But that arm was a big one in Dan Haren. Brandon Webb has already been one of the league's best pitchers for three years running, now Haren will join him at the top of this rotation to form one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. Randy Johnson seems healthy so far this Spring and is a nice comeback candidate. Meanwhile Doug Davis and Micah Owings are a solid twosome to round out the staff.

3) Los Angeles Angels – John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Jered Weaver, Jon Garland, Joe Saunders (Others: Ervin Santana)
Kelvim Escobar is injured right now and will probably miss the first month of the season, but this team still earns a top three ranking. John Lackey has been one of the best pitchers in the AL for the past three years, but he just finally began to get noticed as a true ace last season. Jered Weaver may be the best third starter in the league and there is the depth at the end of the staff with Ervin Santana not even guaranteed a spot in the rotation when Escobar returns.

4) Los Angeles Dodgers – Brad Penny, Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda, Esteban Loaiza (Others: Jason Schmidt (mid-may), Chan Ho Park, Jason Johnson, Clayton Kershaw)
The big thing the Dodgers lack, despite how good Brad Penny was last season, is a true bona-fide ace, though they may very well find one this year in Chad Billingsley. Derek Lowe is a great number three and Hiroki Kuroda could surprise. The only thing that keeps this team from being ranked number one or number two is the filth that is Esteban Loaiza at the back of the rotation. If the Dodgers come to their senses and use Clayton Kershaw as their number five or if Jason Schmidt returns sooner than expected, bump the Dodgers up at least two spots.

5) Boston Red Sox – Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester, Bartolo Colon (Others: Clay Buchholz, Curt Schilling (possibly mid-season))
The Red Sox probably would have been number three had Curt Schilling not gone down with an injury. It also doesn't help that Clay Buchholz has been disappointing so far this Spring and is in severe danger of not winning a rotation spot. It does speak volumes though about the Sox depth that they were still able to garner a number five ranking in spite of those problems. Beckett is unquestionably one of the top five starters in baseball and right now, he is probably the number one big-game pitcher around. Expect improvement from Daisuke and Jon Lester and all indications are that Bartolo Colon could surprise.

6) Seattle Mariners – Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista (Others: Brandon Morrow, Horacio Ramirez)
What a difference an off-season makes. Last year this team was my sleeper based largely on the strength of their lineup, their rotation looked weak on paper and really didn't turn out to be all that good. However, the addition of Erik Bedard has had the same kind of impact on the M's staff as the addition of Johan and Dan Haren had for the Mets and D-Backs respectively. It not only gave them a true ace pitcher, but also bumped everyone down a spot making them all stand out more. They also threw a pile of cash at Carlos Silva, they probably overpaid, but he will be a solid number three starter nonetheless. If any of their bottom three starters go down or disappoint early, Brandon Morrow will be there to step in and will probably give them improved production over the guy he replaces.

7) Toronto Blue Jays – Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum, Jesse Litsch (Others: Casey Janssen, Gustavo Chacin)
Roy Halladay is the only sure bet in this rotation, but it has the potential to be very, very good. We know Burnett is good if healthy, but that's rarely the case. And Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum are largely unproven. Both are coming off breakout seasons and should be even better in '08, but you can never be sure. Regardless of those things, I am banking on big seasons from each of the Jays top four and that's how they earn the number seven ranking.

8) San Diego Padres – Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Greg Maddux, Randy Wolf, Justin Germano (Others: Mark Prior (June), Shawn Estes)
We know the Padres probably have the best 1-2 combo in baseball with Jake Peavy and Chris Young. We also know that Greg Maddux is still a solid pitcher after all these years, though at this point he is really more of a number four than a number three. Randy Wolf can be tremendous at number four, but his healthy is always a concern. And when Mark Prior returns, this team could feature a special pitcher every night of the week. I guess my point is, if all breaks right, the Padres could have the best rotation in the game, however, right now there are too many question marks to rank them any higher than eight. But they earn this ranking on the strength of their top two, regardless of who the other starters are.

9) Atlanta Braves – John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, Chuck James, Jair Jurrjens (Others: Mike Hampton, Jo-Jo Reyes)
I have come around an awful lot on the Braves rotation over the last few months. It didn't scare me at all for much of the off-season, but now I think it has a chance to be very talented. We know what Smoltz and Hudson will give you, and despite his collapse at the end of '07, Tom Glavine is still good for 200 innings and a pretty decent win total. Chuck James is a question mark because he has a partially torn rotator cuff and could go down at any moment, but he will be effective as long as he keeps taking the hill. The biggest factor in this ranking is top prospect Jair Jurrjens who may or may not make this rotation. If he does, look out for him, however if Mike Hampton wins the job, bump the Braves down a few spots on this list. Of course, even if he does, it will still only be a matter of time before he gets hurt and Jurrjens takes his spot anyway.

10) Detroit Tigers – Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rogers, Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson
The Tigers have one of the deepest rotations in baseball in terms of knowing what you are going to get and eating innings. And it's a good thing too, because as we discussed two weeks ago, their bullpen is a problem area. There is no reason to think that each of these guys won't pitch 180 innings, which would be fantastic. The only real problem with this staff is that they have no true number two behind ace Verlander, just three guys who are really number three pitchers. That of course is unless Bonderman can finally harness his talent and become the top tier starter he is capable of being.

11) Cleveland Indians – C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Paul Byrd, Jake Westbrook, Aaron Laffey (Others: Jeremy Sowers, Cliff Lee, Adam Miller) A lot of people love this rotation and I just don't see it. Don't get me wrong, it's very good, but it's not great. It's just two questionable in the middle. Sure C.C. and Fausto are a great 1-2 combo and they have depth at the back end with Laffey, Sowers and Lee, but Byrd and Westbrook have to prove to me they are really back before I rank them any higher. Byrd was great in the playoffs and Westbrook still has very good stuff, but they have been far too inconsistent the last few years to warrant my faith in them. With that being said, just on the top two alone this is one of the better rotations in the league.

12) New York Yankees – Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina, Ian Kennedy (Others: Joba Chamberlain)
As I said with the bullpen a few weeks ago, the lack of exact knowledge of Joba Chamberlain's role really hurts the Yankees on both fronts. Just like with the pens, if Joba does end up being a starter for much of the season, the Yanks definitely deserve to move up a few slots. Even with Joba in the bullpen this is a solid rotation as they will throw a credible starter every single night (yes, even Mussina who I expect to bounce back somewhat). The one concern could be the lack of a lights out dominant number one starter, but you never know, it could be Hughes or Joba before the season's done.

13) Chicago Cubs – Carlos Zambrano, Rich Hill, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Jon Lieber (Others: Sean Marshall, Jason Marquis, Sean Gallagher)
The front three is one of the best in the league with Zambrano, Hill and Lilly as you don't get much better power pitching combos than that. However, the back of the rotation leaves a lot to be desired. No one can know for sure how Dempster will respond to a move back to the rotation as it's been four years since his last start. And quite frankly, Jason Marquis and Jon Lieber just aren't very good. But if Sean Marshall cracks the rotation in one of those last two spots, the Cubs jump up a couple of slots in the rankings.

14) San Francisco Giants – Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Kevin Correia, Noah Lowry (Others: Jonathan Sanchez, Patrick Misch)
Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are two of the better young, up and coming starters in the game and Barry Zito will be better than he was last year if for no other reason than he almost has to be, doesn't he? Kevin Correia could be a nice surprise at the back of the rotation and the injury to Noah Lowry may be the best thing for this team. He was clearly their weakest starter entering the season and now that he is out until May it will give them a chance to audition Sanchez or Misch for the rotation, either of whom will likely be an upgrade over Lowry. The strike against this team is their youth and the complete lack of offense they will have behind them.

15) Tampa Bay Rays – Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine (Others: J.P. Howell, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann, David Price)
The Rays have had some good lineups before, though this year may be their best, but they have never in their history had any semblance of a pitching staff. Well this year that changes as this is unquestionably the best staff they have ever entered a season with. Kazmir, even with his injury, is a true number one starter. James Shields is an excellent pitcher as well and Matt Garza should have a very fine season. The back end of the rotation is a bit suspect, but Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson may both very well be on the verge of breaking out. In addition the Rays have three of the top fifteen pitching prospects in all of baseball.

16) Milwaukee Brewers – Ben Sheets, Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Suppan, Carlos Villanueva, Dave Bush (Others: Chris Capuano, Manny Parra, Claudio Vargas)
The Brewers would probably rank a bit higher if Yovani Gallardo was healthy, but as it stands now he still projects to return sometime in April, so they Brew Crew doesn't fall that far. Ben Sheets is a great pitcher, his problem is his love affair with the Disabled List. But still, even for 20 starts he is great. Suppan is a sold middle of the rotation guy and Villanueva could be a star. The fifth starter is questionable, but at least there is no shortage of candidates. If Bush fails, Capuano gets a go, if he fails, it's Vargas' turn, and then eventually, when the Brewers finally acknowledge that none of the three are the answer, top prospect Manny Parra will get the call. And once he does, he probably won't give up the spot for a long, long time.

17) Philadelphia Phillies – Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer, Kris Benson (Others: Adam Eaton, J.D. Durbin, Chad Durbin)
I am sure I will take some heat for this from Phillies fans, calling me a biased hater, but I just am not impressed with this staff AT ALL. I don't dispute that Hamels is a true star and one of the top ten, if not five, starters in baseball. I also expect Myers to be pretty good in his return to the rotation, but the rest of the staff leaves me under whelmed at best. I know Kendrick was pretty good last year, but I am not sold on him at all yet. His ERA was good and his WHIP was nice, but that sub 4.00 K/9IP has me concerned that this guy can be a legitimate pitcher for an extended period of time. More to the point, the back of the rotation is atrocious. Jamie Moyer is finished Kris Benson and Adam Eaton aren't that good when healthy, so you can expect very little when they are both coming off injury.

18) Minnesota Twins – Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Boof Bonser, Livan Hernandez, Kevin Slowey (Others: Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins, Phil Humber)
This rotation could actually be very good, or very bad. It's a very young group with an awful lot of potential, but also a lot of question marks. Livan Hernandez is the only one whom you can firmly write in what kind of stats to expect from him. And they aren't very good ones other than his guaranteed 200 innings. We all know Liriano's potential, but we also know he hasn't pitched in over a year. He could be one of the game's best pitchers or no more than a number three starter. Baker had a good season in '07 but is struggling this Spring and Bonser was supposed to break out last year but struggled for pretty much the whole season. Kevin Slowey has perhaps the highest ceiling of the group but has fared so poorly this Spring that his rotation spot is in jeopardy. I am still betting that more of these guys pan out than not, but it's hard to rank them any higher since it would be on speculation alone.

19) Cincinnati Reds – Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Matt Belisle, Homer Bailey, Josh Fogg (Others: Edinson Volquez, Jeremy Affeldt, Johnny Cueto)
Let me just say that I really like the potential of this rotation. I am a huge fan of Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo is an a very underrated starter in my opinion. I also feel that Homer Bailey will be a lot better in '08 and that Josh Fogg may even put together a nice season. However, much like the Twins, I can't justify ranking the Reds higher on my "hunches" alone, especially since we know how my "hunches" usually turn out. No, I am going to need the Reds to prove it, though even if Fogg and Belisle stink up the joint, Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez will be waiting to replace them. The Reds continue to be my sleeper team for 2008. (Yes, that's right, I said it again, get used to it).

20) Colorado Rockies – Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, Franklin Morales, Jason Hirsh (Others: Kip Wells, Mark Redman, Josh Towers)
Here is another staff that I kind of like, though there is really no earthly reason for me to feel that way. Yes, Francis is a very good starter and if he was pitching in a lot of other places he would probably be thought of as a top 15 pitcher. The rest of the rotation is completely unproven though. However, like the Reds, I just have a feeling that a few of these guys are going to break out. Look for big seasons from Aaron Cook and at least one of the Jimenez/Morales tandem. Of course this is all relative and by big seasons, I mean big seasons for those guys, they still wont be seasons big enough to match many other teams second and third starters, so the Rockies land here at number twenty.

21) Oakland A's – Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Chad Gaudin, Justin Duchscherer, Lenny DiNardo (Others: Gio Gonzalez, Dan Meyer, Dana Eveland)
While the A's will definitely have one of their worst rotations of the last decade, it won't be nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be a month or two ago. Blanton is a solid starter though I am not convinced he is or will ever be an ace. The only ace on this team is Rich Harden, but getting 30 starts from him is like getting good betting advice from me, it's just not likely to happen. Gaudin is okay, but he is hurt right now and DiNardo is just passable. Duchscherer could be a big time starter if he can stay healthy. If Gio Gonzalez wins the last spot from DiNardo, the A's move up a couple of slots.

22) Chicago White Sox – Mark Buehrle, Javier Vazquez, Jose Contreras, John Danks, Gavin Floyd
This rotation is probably not actually going to be this bad, but I think it may be the most boring in all of baseball. Honestly, if you are a White Sox fan, can you really say you are excited for watching these each of these guys every five days. The lone exception to that may be Javier Vazquez, but I don't think he is likely to be as good in '08 as he was in '07. Danks and Floyd could surprise, but a surprise from either them would be a sub-5.00 ERA.

23) Pittsburgh Pirates – Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Matt Morris
I love the combo of Snell and Gorzelanny at the top of this rotation, I really do and I still believe Paul Maholm can turn into a decent middle of the rotation starter. However, the ship has just about sailed on Zach Duke and Matt Morris' ship sunk long ago.

24) Washington Nationals – John Patterson, Shawn Hill, Jason Bergmann, Matt Chico, John Lannan (Others: Tyler Clippard, Odalis Perez, Joel Hanrahan)
After calling this rotation one of the worst in the history of the game last March, I surprisingly had very high hopes for them entering this season. Shawn Hill and Jason Bergmann both showed signs last year that they were legitimate middle of the rotation starters and John Patterson has always been good when healthy. But now, Patterson is still fighting injures and getting roughed up and Hill is hurt and may not be ready to start the season. This does not bode well for the Nats. They have some depth and John Lannan is a sleeper, but their lack of ready, top of the rotation type arms is cause for concern at this point.

25) Kansas City Royals – Gil Meche, Zach Greinke, Brian Bannister, Brett Tomko, Jorge De La Rosa (Others: Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, Hideo Nomo, John Bale)
I loved Gil Meche last year and drafted him on all my fantasy teams and he sure didn't disappoint. I also had Greinke though and he certainly did. This season I expect both of them to be good as well as Brian Bannister, the former Met who had a breakout season. The problem with the Royals is that their last two are awful. I just can't understand why a young team like this decided to pay Brett Tomko $5Milllion to be their fourth starter rather than just using top prospect Luke Hochevar. Not only would Hochevar have cost one-fifteenth of the amount of money, he would have easily outperformed Tomko. There is still time for KC to come to their senses and place Hochevar in the rotation, and if they do they immediately move up a few spots, but until then, here they sit at twenty-five.

26) Houston Astros – Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Brandon Backe, Woody Williams, Shawn Chacon (Others: Felipe Paulino, Chris Sampson)
It's tough to imagine a team with Roy Oswalt ranking this low on the rotation chart, especially the Astros who have had strong starting pitching for many years now. But here they are and I really have no way of placing them any higher. Wandy Rodriguez has potential, but after two years of a starter he is still very raw and gives little evidence that he is ready to fulfill his promise. Brandon Backe is decent but hasn't pitched regularly in two years and Woody Williams and Shawn Chacon are more spot starters at this point rather than rotation mainstays.

27) St. Louis Cardinals – Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro, Braden Looper, Anthony Reyes, Matt Clement (Other: Todd Wellemeyer, Brad Thompson, Mark Mulder (mid-may), Chris Carpenter (all-star break))
This is another team with potential, but just too many question marks. The only sure bet coming into the season was Wainwright who now looks so lost in camp that he has become a question mark as well. Matt Clement won't be ready until May and who knows what to expect from Pineiro and Reyes. As good as a rotation of a Wainwright, a performing Reyes, and a healthy Clement, Carpenter and Mulder looks, it's much more likely that by June the rotation will feature Looper, Thompson and Wellemeyer, a recipe for a last place finish in the NL Central.

28) Texas Rangers – Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Jason Jennings, Kason Gabbard, Brandon McCarthy
This may seem a bit harsh since the Rangers definitely have more name and talent value than some of the teams above them, the fact is their actual recent performances don't justify ranking them any higher. Based on statistics, Millwood and Padilla are probably just about the worst top two starters in baseball the last two years. Sure some of that is attributed to their ballpark, but regardless, they have not been good. Jennings is coming off a career worst season and surgery and Brandon McCarthy is already battling injuries. Gabbard could be the one bright spot, but overall there isn't much to like here.

29) Baltimore Orioles – Jeremy Guthrie, Daniel Cabrera, Adam Loewen, Steve Trachsel, Garrett Olson (Others: Matt Albers, Brian Burres, Radhames Liz)
The Orioles have amassed a lot of good young arms over the past year, and someday many of them will become quality Major League pitchers, the problem is that it just won't be this season for most of them. It will be a rocky go of things in Baltimore in '08 as the team develops and monitors these young guys, they will be fun to watch at times, but the end result will be a lot more bad days than good ones.

30) Florida Marlins – Scott Olsen, Sergio Mitre, Andrew Miller, Mark Hendrickson, Rick VandenHurk (Others: Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez (may)
If Anibal Sanchez comes back early and is healthy, this team rotation may not be that bad, especially if Andrew Miller and Rick VandenHurk deliver on their promise, but Scott Olsen and Sergio Mitre are about as bad of a top two in all of baseball and Mark Hendrickson shouldn't be starting anywhere, not in Florida, not in Baltimore, not even in Tokyo.

That will do it for the rotations. As always, that was a very fun list to do as it is much more subjective than the lineup or defensive rankings. In other words, it's based much more on my own personal opinion meaning there is even more room for all of you to take issue with me. So don't hesitate, get that hate mail in ASAP. Now let's move on…….



BATTING THIRD……………………….


No intro here, just more lists, HOORAY!!!!


Top Five 1-2 Pitching Combos
1) San Diego Padres – Jake Peavy/Chris Young
2) Arizona Diamondbacks – Brandon Webb/Dan Haren
3) Seattle Mariners – Erik Bedard/Felix Hernandez
4) Cleveland Indians – C.C. Sabathia/Fausto Carmona
5) New York Mets – Johan Santana/Pedro Martinez

Bottom Five 1-2 Pitching Combos
1) Florida Marlins – Scott Olsen/Sergio Mitre
2) Texas Rangers – Kevin Millwood/Vicente Padilla
3) Baltimore Orioles – Jeremy Guthrie/Daniel Cabrera
4) Washington Nationals – John Patterson/Shawn Hill
5) Kansas City Royals – Gil Meche/Zach Greinke

Top Five 1-2-3 Pitching Combos
1) Arizona Diamondbacks – Brandon Webb/Dan Haren/Randy Johnson
2) New York Mets – Johan Santana/Pedro Martinez/John Maine
3) San Diego Padres – Jake Peavy/Chris Young/Greg Maddux
4) Los Angeles Angels – John Lackey/Kelvim Escobar/Jered Weaver
5) Los Angeles Dodgers – Brad Penny/Chad Billingsley/Derek Lowe

Bottom Five 1-2-3 Pitching Combos
1) Baltimore Orioles – Jeremy Guthrie/Daniel Cabrera/Adam Loewen
2) Texas Rangers – Kevin Millwood/Vicente Padilla/Jason Jennings
3) Florida Marlins – Scott Olsen/Sergio Mitre/Andrew Miller
4) St. Louis Cardinals – Adam Wainwright/Joel Pineiro/Braden Looper
5) Washington Nationals – John Patterson/Shawn Hill/Jason Bergmann

Top Five 4-5 Pitching Combos
1) New York Yankees – Mike Mussina/Ian Kennedy
2) Boston Red Sox – Jon Lester/Bartolo Colon
3) Texas Rangers – Dontrelle Willis/Nate Robertson
4) Atlanta Braves – Chuck James/Jair Jurrjens
5) Los Angeles Angels – Jon Garland/Joe Saunders

Bottom Five 4-5 Pitching Combos
1) Florida Marlins – Mark Hendrickson/Rick VandenHurk
2) Kansas City Royals – Brett Tomko/Jorge De La Rosa
3) Baltimore Orioles – Steve Trachsel/Garrett Olson
4) Pittsburgh Pirates – Zach Duke/Matt Morris
5) Houston Astros – Woody Williams/Shawn Chacon

Top Five Strikeout Staffs
1) New York Mets (Johan, Pedro, Maine, O. Perez)
2) Tampa Bay Rays (Kazmir, Shields, Garza, Sonnanstine, E. Jackson)
3) Arizona Diamondbacks – (Webb, Haren, Big Unit, D. Davis)
4) Milwaukee Brewers (Sheets, Gallardo, Villanueva, Bush)
5) Chicago Cubs (Zambrano, Hill, Lilly, Dempster)

Bottom Five Strikeout Staffs
1) Pittsburgh Pirates (Gorzelanny, Maholm, Duke, Morris)
2) Houston Astros (Backe, W. Williams, Chacon)
3) Minnesota Twins (Livan, Baker, Slowey)
4) Cleveland Indians (Byrd, Westbrook, Laffey)
5) Kansas City Royals (Bannister, Tomko, De La Rosa)


That will do it for the rotation lists and it will wrap up the preseason rankings altogether, well at least until the season preview when we rank all 30 teams as a whole.


CLEANING UP

Last week in "The Greatest" we began to take a look at the all-time best rotations and lineups for all 30 MLB clubs with the AL Central. I wanted to begin the Central since it is collectively the oldest league in baseball considering that four of the five teams trace back to the 1800's. Going in the complete opposite direction this week, we will tackle the NL West, of which one of the teams is less than 40 years old and two others have only come into existence within the last 15 years.

I really figured it was going to be easier to fill out the lists for the new teams as their aren't as many players to choose from, but this was surprisingly not exactly the case. I mean, of course it is true for the D-Backs as there was basically only one choice for each position, but the Rockies and especially the Padres were much more difficult. What happens with teams that aren't around that long, but long enough that they have had many players, is that a ton of guys all blend together and other than the top players of all-time for the franchise (the Tony Gwynn's and Trevor Hoffman's), its hard to distinguish between everyone else. The Padres pitching for example could have gone any number of ways as there was basically no discernable difference between Andy Ashby, Andy Benes and Ed Whitson for example. By contrast, the Giants who had been around for over 100 years, were not very difficult at all. I figured that they would be since they are an old team, but what happens with the older teams is they have had enough truly great players, that they can fill out an all-time lineup without even having to really consider any other tier of players. Their outfield of Ott, Mays and Bonds was obviously a no-brainer and after 30 seconds of research I had no need to even look at any other Giants outfielders. Those are three of the top 10 outfielders of all-time and probably three of the all-time top twenty players, in fact probably making it the greatest all-time team outfield we will see in these lists.

Anyway, I have bored you long enough and certainly don't want to bore you any further by mentioning the rules of these lists again. If you have any questions or need clarification, check last week's column for an explanation of how I arrived at these lineups and rotations. Now onto the lists…………..


"The Greatest" All-Time Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-present) Lineup/Rotation….

MGR – Bob Brenly
C – Damian Miller
1B – Chad Tracy
2B – Jay Bell
SS – Tony Womack
3B – Matt Williams
RF – Danny Bautista
CF – Steve Finley
LF – Luis Gonzalez
SP – Randy Johnson
SP – Curt Schilling
SP – Brandon Webb
SP – Brian Anderson
SP – Miguel Batista
CL – Jose Valverde


"The Greatest" All-Time Colorado Rockies (1993-present) Lineup/Rotation….

MGR – Clint Hurdle
C – Charles Johnson
1B – Todd Helton
2B – Eric Young
SS – Neifi Perez
3B – Vinny Castilla
RF – Dante Bichette
CF – Larry Walker
LF – Matt Holliday
SP – Pedro Astacio
SP – Jason Jennings
SP – Jeff Francis
SP – Aaron Cook
SP – Kevin Ritz
CL – Brian Fuentes


"The Greatest" All-Time Brooklyn Dodgers/other names (1884-1957)/Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-present) Lineup/Rotation……

MGR – Walter Alston
C – Roy Campanella
1B – Gil Hodges
2B – Jackie Robinson
SS – Pee Wee Reese
3B – Ron Cey
RF – Zack Wheat
CF – Duke Snider
LF – Carl Furillo
SP – Sandy Koufax
SP – Don Drysdale
SP – Don Sutton
SP – Dazzy Vance
SP – Orel Hershiser
CL – Eric Gagne


"The Greatest" All-Time New York Giants (1883-1957/ San Francisco Giants (1958-present) Lineup/Rotation….

MGR – John McGraw
C – Wes Westrum
1B – Willie McCovey
2B – Jeff Kent
SS – Travis Jackson
3B – Matt Williams
RF – Mel Ott
CF – Willie Mays
LF – Barry Bonds
SP – Christy Mathewson
SP – Carl Hubbell
SP – Juan Marichal
SP – Tim Keefe
SP – Mickey Welch
CL – Robb Nen


"The Greatest" All-Time San Diego Padres (1969-present) Lineup/Rotation….

MGR – Bruce Bochy
C – Benito Santiago
1B – Nate Colbert
2B – Bip Roberts
SS – Garry Templeton
3B – Ken Caminiti
RF – Dave Winfield
CF – Tony Gwynn
LF – Ryan Klesko
SP – Jake Peavy
SP – Randy Jones
SP – Eric Show
SP – Ed Whitson
SP – Andy Benes
CL – Trevor Hoffman



So that will do it for this week's column. I hope you all enjoyed it. See you all next week as we take our annual one week hiatus from baseball to preview the NCAA Tournament, the greatest sporting event of the year. We will return in two weeks with the full 2008 Curveballs and Sliders MLB Preview. Plus we will continue to look at the all-time lineups and rotations for another MLB division. Don't miss it!!!! Until then………………………..

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