MLB Pitching Rotations: Putting the 2013 Detroit Tigers up against the best

When Mike Ilitch, the charismatic owner of the Tigers died in early 2017, the biggest regret was that his generosity was never rewarded with a World Series ring.

In 2017, Justin Verlander earned his one and only World Series ring with the Houston Astros. And, in 2018, Rick Porcello earned his with the Red Sox. Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez are still on the prowl for theirs, while Fister retired without winning one.

2013 Tigers Rotation World Series Rings Total: TWO

Let’s compare this to a few other rotations that rank high, but never won a World Series as a complete group:

The 1997 Atlanta Braves had a four-man rotation that included John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Denny Neagle, and Greg Maddux. Of those four men, all of them had World Series rings. Neagle earned his in 2000 with the Yankees. Smoltz, Glavine, and Maddux earned theirs in 1995 with the Braves.

1997 Braves Rotation World Series Rings Total: FOUR

The 2011 Philadelphia Phillies is another team that had a rotation that left teams in the dust. With 102 wins, the combination of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Vance Worley was practically unstoppable. Unfortunately, they were stopped in the NLDS by the Cardinals who just happened to have Albert Pujols in the prime of his career.

Of the 2011 Phillies, only Cole Hamels has a World Series ring from the 2008 Phillies win over the Rays.

2011 Phillies World Series Rings Total: ONE

As we look at other teams with lights-out rotations that did not win World Series rings, we must take a look at one Nolan Ryan team – the 1981 Astros. This team finished 61-49, placing third in the NL West. The rotation included Joe Niekro, Don Sutton, Bob Knepper, Nolan Ryan, and Vern Ruhle. The highest ERA belonged to Ruhle at 2.91. Ryan pitched 149 innings with an ERA of 1.69.

None of these men won World Series rings with the Astros – since we all know the ‘Stros only have one championship from 2017. Niekro went on to win a ring in 1987 with the Twins. Ryan won one ring in 1969 with the Mets. And, that’s it.

1981 Astros World Series Rings Total: TWO

Of course four of the five Tigers are still pitching. With Scherzer and Sanchez both pitching for the Nationals in 2019, there is a chance that those two could eventually become World Series champs. Porcello is still with the Red Sox and Verlander is still with the Astros. All three of these teams are considered contenders.

The 2013 Tigers rotation includes three Cy Young winners, but six trophies between them.

Of the group, Verlander won the first (and his only to date) in 2011 when he was also named the AL MVP and won an ERA title. He finished this season with 251 innings pitched with an ERA of 2.40 and a WHIP of 0.920. He had a league-high 24 wins and a league-high 250 strikeouts. Throughout his 14-year career, Verlander has finished second in the Cy Young race three times and in the top 10 eight times.

Rick Porcello won his in 2016 (Verlander finished a close and controversial second that season). Porcello pitched 223 innings, had 22 wins, and finished with an ERA of 3.15 and a WHIP of 1.009. That same season, Verlander led the AL with 254 strikeouts and WHIP of 1.001. His ERA was also lower than Porcello’s at 3.04.

Max Scherzer has had the most success with Cy Young Awards. He won his first in 2013 with an ERA of 2.90, 21 wins, and a WHIP of 0.970. His wins and WHIP led the league. His second and third wins came in 2016 and 2017 with the Nationals. In those two seasons, his combined stats include an ERA of 2.75, NL-leading 552 strikeouts, and an NL-leading WHIP of 0.937. Scherzer finished second in the race in 2018 despite leading the NL in strikeouts (300), innings pitched (220.2), and WHIP (0.911).

Both Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez have not won Cy Young Awards. However, in 2013 Sanchez won the ERA title, pitching 2.57 in 182 innings. He finished fourth in the Cy Young race that season, losing to his teammate Scherzer. Fister’s only Cy Young ranking came in 2014 when he finished eighth in the race. He pitched for the Nationals that season. Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber won that year.

2013 Tigers Rotation Cy Young Awards Total: SIX

How did they fare against the other top rotations?

Of the 1997 Braves, John Smoltz won a Cy Young in 1996. Tom Glavine won two of them in 1991 and 1998. And Greg Maddux has four: 1992-1995.

1997 Braves Rotation Cy Young Awards Total: SEVEN

Of the 2011 Phillies rotation, Roy Halladay has two Cy Young Awards in 2003 and 2010, Cliff Lee has one from 2008; he also the ERA title that year.

2011 Phillies Rotation Cy Young Awards Total: THREE

The 1981 Astros rotation did not win any Cy Young Awards. Despite both Ryan pitching for 27 years, he never won the coveted award. He came in second in 1973, behind Jim Palmer. He also finished third in ’74 and ’77. Interestingly, his future teammates, Niekro and Sutton finished 3rd and 4th respectively that same season. Ryan had a handful of other top-10 finishes. Ryan won an ERA title in 1981 and 1987 (2.76).

Sutton also won an ERA title. His was in1980 when he pitched for the Dodgers. He was also named an All-Star Game MVP in 1977. Only Sutton and Ryan are in the Hall of Fame.

1981 Astros Rotation Cy Young Awards Total: ZERO

Only Roger Clemens (7) and Randy Johnson (5) have more Cy Young wins than Maddux has. The 2013 Tigers stack up well when it comes to Cy Young wins. If Scherzer continues to pitch like he has, there is a good chance he could add to his totals. And, Verlander seems to perpetually be in the race for the award, too.

These four outstanding pitching rotations may not have been able to earn World Series rings for their teams, but as groups their accolades are piled high.

2013 Tigers

The 2013 Tigers rotation includes two of the most decorated active pitchers. Justin Verlander has won nearly every award a pitcher can win including the Rookie of the Year, ALCS MVP, and the Triple Crown. He has been to seven All-Star Games. He has not won a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger (and the odds are good that a Silver Slugger is NOT in his future).

It is still amazing to consider that Scherzer and Verlander were on the same team for five seasons. Scherzer has 11 years in the MLB, and he has only gotten better with age. His accolades began in 2013 and have continued annually as he has not missed an All-Star Game since then.

Fister, Sanchez, and Porcello have never played in All-Star Games.

Since four of the five 2013 Tigers pitchers are still active and Fister just announced his retirement, none of the pitchers are eligible for the Hall of Fame – yet. Of this rotation, Justin Verlander is a sure bet to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on his first ballot. If Scherzer continues on his path, he will most likely be voted in as well.

1997 Braves

This group of pitchers also has a plethora of awards. John Smoltz has eight All-Star appearances, a Silver Slugger award, and a Rolaids Relief Man Award for being the best reliever in the NL. He was named the NLCS MVP in 1992.

Tom Glavine won four Silver Sluggers awards. He went to 10 All-Star Games. He was the 1995 World Series MVP, too.

Denny Neagle went to two All-Star Games, one with the Pirates in 1995 and the other with the Braves in 1997.

Greg Maddux had eight All-Star appearances, 18 Gold Gloves, and four ERA titles.

Three of the pitchers, Smoltz, Glavine, and Maddux are enshrined in the BBWAA Hall of Fame. Even though all three did pitch for other teams, their time with the Braves was truly something magical. Surprisingly, they only won one World Series together, even though they spent nearly all of the 1990s and early 2000s in the playoffs. They were definitely the team of the 1990s.

2011 Phillies

This rotation does not have anywhere near the number of awards that the 1997 Braves pitching rotation has.

Roy Halladay did go to eight All-Star Games. Cliff Lee attended four of them, and so did Cole Hamels. He was also named the World Series and NLCS MVP, both in 2008. Roy Oswalt went to three All-Star Games and he was named the NLCS MVP in 2005 when he pitched for the Astros. Vance Worley never won any awards.

So far, Halladay is the only member of this rotation to be voted into the Hall of Fame. He was posthumously selected on the 2019 ballot along with Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, and Mariano Rivera.

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1981 Astros

This team includes one of the best pitchers ever to toe the rubber: Nolan Ryan. What is so fascinating about comparing this team to the ’13 Tigers is that Verlander is often compared to Ryan. In fact, Verlander has spoken about Ryan being his childhood idol.

Unfortunately for Ryan, he pitched during a time when the MLB was loaded with outstanding arms – otherwise he would have more awards on his shelves. Ryan did go to eight All-Star Games in his 27-year career. He does lead the MLB in total strikeouts with 5,714.

Don Sutton went to four All-Star Games and Bob Knepper went to two of them.

Of the five pitchers in the 1981 Astros rotation, Ryan and Sutton are in the Hall of Fame.

Plenty of time for the four active pitchers to continue being great

It is clear that the 2013 Tigers pitchers are one of the best ever to play together and NOT win a World Series ring. As the four remaining active pitchers continue to play, their accolades, stats, and playoff wins will only continue to grow.

Porcello turned 30 in December and will be a free agent at the end of 2019. Scherzer will be 35 in July and is signed through 2021. Sanchez will be 35 on February 27 and just signed a two-year contract with the Nationals. He will re-enter free agency along with Scherzer. Verlander will be 36 on February 20, and he, too, will be a free agent at the end of the 2019 season.