Ranking the Top 5 Starting Rotations in MLB for 2015
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
An unusually warm February on the West Coast (sorry, East Coasters) kick-started the baseball itch that lies within me and many others. A feeling that carries fond memories of going down to the park to play ball with my neighbors, flipping on the television for a King Felix matchup, or gathering the gang and cruising down to the ballpark for a matinee. With this itch comes a time to analyze every player, coach, manager, trade, or signing that will bolster your team into hopes of baseball in October, starting with the pitchers.
Starting pitchers. They are the frontmen of almost every baseball team out there. Headlining each game by being the first to the mound, a group of five starters rotate daily, playing a vital role in the outcome of that day’s game.
To be a successful team, a starting rotation needs not only a star leader, but a full cast of arms that day in and day out a manager can rely on to give their team a solid outing. Here is a ranking of how I see fit Major League Baseball’s top five projected starting rotations, graded in terms of balance, skill, history, and performance.
5. Cleveland Indians
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
2014 AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber (18-9, 2.44 ERA) headlines a young, promising staff that will take on the challenge of contending in a stacked AL Central division.
The first half of the season was sub-par for the Indians’ pitching staff (even Kluber got off to a slow start), but the second half carried hope in the arms of Kluber with a 1.73 post-All-Star break ERA. So too with Carlos Carrasco and T.J. House sporting a 1.72 ERA and a 2.53 ERA after the All-Star break, respectively.
If those three pitchers can carry momentum into the 2015 season, the only question marks Cleveland faces in their starting rotation are Trevor Bauer’s control and Danny Salazar’s consistency. Both are young arms that have shown at times they have the stuff to be efficient Major League starters. Gavin Floyd presents an intriguing option as well after coming off Tommy John surgery, as the Indians’ GM has come out to say that Floyd will be in the starting rotation.
Indians projected starting rotation:
- RHP Corey Kluber
- RHP Carlos Carrasco
- LHP T.J. House
- RHP Danny Salazar
- RHP Trevor Bauer
4. San Diego Padres
Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
After a bustling offseason, I am sure that this San Diego pitching staff is raring to hit the mound. Pitching and big signings weren’t the main goals by GM A.J. Preller at the start of the offseason, and it didn’t appear to be too necessary after last year’s San Diego starters posted a solid 3.55 combined ERA.
A slow market for James Shields however led the Friars to think otherwise. Signing a four-year, $70 million contract late in the offseason, Shields (14-8, 3.21 ERA in 2014) looks to lead a rotation to the postseason for a second year staright with his solidarity and veteran presence.
The one thing that kept the 2014 rotation from fame was a lack of run support the Padres experienced. With the acquisitions of Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, Derek Norris and Justin Upton, run support should no longer be a worry. A sure-fire ace still has to be found, but the amount of candidates San Diego has on its roster is promising. Andrew Cashner‘s 2.55 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 19 starts, Tyson Ross‘ 2.81 ERA in 31 starts and Ian Kennedy‘s 207 strikeouts in 201 IP should all be considered possibilities to emerge ahead of Shields as the star of this staff.
Padres starting rotation:
- RHP James Shields
- RHP Tyson Ross
- RHP Ian Kennedy
- RHP Andrew Cashner
- RHP Odrisamer Despaigne
3. Seattle Mariners
Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
The Mariners are the epitome of a “build your way up” approach to fielding a strong pitching staff. A rotation that has seen its fair share of changes in recent times, Seattle may have found the right combination to make their first playoff appearance since 2001.
GM Jack Zduriencik has built a young core of pitching and looks to have finally acquired the needed offense to surround 2010 Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez with. Coming close to winning one in 2014 as well, King Felix (15-6, 2.14 ERA in 2014) will headline a rotation that may represent the best 1-2 punch on the West Coast with the likes of Hisashi Iwakuma, who has posted an ERA of 3.07 and WHIP of 1.09 in his first three seasons in MLB.
Promising flame-throwing prospects Taijuan Walker and James Paxton — both with fastballs averaging 95 mph — should assume the third and fourth spots between Iwakuma and veteran lefty J.A. Happ. Roenis Elias could surprise as well after a 10-12 season in 2014 with a 3.85 ERA. The only thing that may hinder the success of the M’s rotation is the amount of opposing offense present in a stacked AL West division.
Mariners starting rotation:
- RHP Felix Hernandez
- RHP Hisashi Iwakuma
- LHP James Paxton
- RHP Taijuan Walker
- LHP J.A. Happ
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
The Dodgers’ starting rotation features the “Big Three” of MLB in my opinion, similar to the Lebron James-era Miami Heat. In the first slot rests the best pitcher in baseball, quite possibly the best player period in Clayton Kershaw. The 26-year old southpaw has owned and destroyed opposing lineups since becoming a constant in the league since 2009. He has led the National League in ERA for the past four seasons and has taken home the NL Cy Young three out of the past four seasons.
Zack Greinke slots in next as the powerhouse veteran and fellow slayer of National League offenses. Since coming to the NL, Greinke owns a .731 winning percentage and 3.11 ERA. In the third spot comes Korean-born star Hyun-jin Ryu, who has recorded 14 wins in each of his first two seasons and looks to continue his solid pitching ways in his third campaign.
Veteran presence will solidify a Dodgers team hoping they have found a new format that will prolong their postseason appearances, bringing in Brett Anderson who posted a 2.91 ERA in eight starts with Colorado last season. Also, Brandon McCarthy managed 200 IP spread out over parts of last season with the Diamondbacks and Yankees. Both were acquired in via free agency to bring together a well-rounded rotation that screams ‘consistency’.
Dodgers starting rotation:
- LHP Clayton Kershaw
- RHP Zack Greinke
- LHP Hyun-jin Ryu
- RHP Brandon McCarthy
- LHP Brett Anderson
1. Washington Nationals
Mandatory Credit:
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Was this even a surprise? The Nationals’ rotation can be described in one word — stacked!
GM Mike Rizzo decided to pull the trigger on Max Scherzer, signing him to one of baseball’s most lucrative contracts ever at seven-years and $210 million. This will help build on one of baseball’s most consistent starting rotations from 2014 that led baseball in team ERA at a 3.04 mark. The Nats have enough rotation depth to essentially send an ace out every game of the week.
Unless the Nationals are looking to move Stephen Strasburg, the odd man out of the starting five will most likely be Tanner Roark, who had numbers strong enough(15-10, 2.85) to headline a variety of other rotations in baseball last season. With firepower at the front of the rotation, the back-end features baseball’s most recent model of consistency. Doug Fister‘s 1.09 WHIP with only 24 walks in 2014 is an great example of a pitcher with command.
Impressive numbers across the board, the Nationals look to use their pitching to back a solid offense in hopes of a 2015 National League pennant.
Nationals starting rotation:
- RHP Max Scherzer
- RHP Jordan Zimmermann
- RHP Stephen Strasburg
- LHP Gio Gonzalez
- RHP Doug Fister