Washington Nationals: How did the 2017 pitching trio rank among all-time pitching staffs?
2011 Philadelphia Phillies
The absolute gold standard of a pitching rotation in the last 50 years sadly just lost its ace when Roy Halladay tragically passed away. The 2011 Philadelphia Phillies were attempting to get back to the World Series after winning in 2008 and losing in a repeat appearance in 2009. Those teams didn’t have the rotation that 2011’s squad did, however.
The front three in the 2011 Phillies rotation is clear, but they went deeper than three with excellence, and that’s what set that team apart from many other rotations that could compare in the last half-century.
The front of the rotation had Halladay at the top of his game along with lefties Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. However, in 2010, the Phillies had acquired former Astros workhorse Roy Oswalt. Oswalt missed time due to injury issues in 2011, but when he was on the field, he was excellent, though it’d be his last productive year of his career. Oswalt made 23 starts, throwing 139 innings with a 3.69 ERA.
In the fifth spot in the rotation, the Phillies opened the season with veteran Joe Blanton holding down the spot. However, when he struggled, young righty Vance Worley took over the spot and had an excellent season in the 5th starter role, going 11-3 over 25 games, 21 starts, throwing 131 2/3 innings, allowing a 3.01 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 46/119 BB/K ratio.
Halladay led the “big three” of the rotation, making 32 starts, throwing 233 2/3 innings, with a 19-6 record, a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 35/220 BB/K ratio. He finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting.
After acquiring Lee for their stretch run in 2009, the Phillies signed Lee after he split his 2010 between Seattle and Texas. He enjoyed his first season in Philadelphia, making 32 starts, throwing 232 2/3 innings, allowing a 2.40 ERA with a 17-8 record. Lee led the league with 6 shutouts, and he had a 1.03 WHIP and a 42/238 BB/K ratio. He finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting.
After a tough 2009, Hamels bounced back in 2010 and was at an elite level in 2011, going 14-9 over 216 innings with a 2.79 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 44/194 BB/K ratio. He finished 5th in the CY voting, making the Phillies the only team to have 3 finishers in the top 6 other than the Nationals in the last 50 years.
The Phillies starting rotation on the season threw 1,064 2/3 innings with a 2.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, and 4.22 BB/K. The front three in the rotation, Halladay, Hamels, and Lee, threw 682 1/3 innings, with a 2.51 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, and 5.39 K/BB. The trio combined for 24.1 bWAR on the season, almost a half-win more than the next closest trio found in researching this article.
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