MLB Rotation Rankings 2010

By Kreg Miller

When you think about March… you think brackets and the madness that comes with the territory. Green beer and beaded shamrock necklaces may come to mind as well. But March also signifies that baseball season is just around the corner folks.  And as we inch closer to opening day, your acclaimed pundits at 1410 ESPN Radio are here to break down everything there is to know for the upcoming Major League Baseball season.  From durable hurlers in the rotation to intimidating closers, we have it all covered for you. This week, we’re ranking the best starting rotations in terms of rotation depth:  

1. Angels – Weaver, Santana, Saunders, Kazmir, Pineiro

In most teams’ rotations, the No. 5 spot is manned by a veteran journeyman or an unproven kid that just got the call up. For the Angels, their No. 5 starter is Joel Pineiro, who won 15 games last season and was quite possibly the second best free agent signing all winter.

2. Red Sox - Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Matsuzaka, Buchholz

Rotation depth was the issue when the Bo Sox fell apart down the stretch in 2009. Solution: John Lackey. Lackey gives Boston a reason to believe that, when everyone’s healthy, this is unquestionably the best rotation in the big leagues.

3. Braves – Hanson, Jurrjens, Hudson, Lowe, Kawakami

2010 will mark the year of Bobby Cox’s farewell tour, and he has a starting rotation to really go out with a bang. Young guns Jair Jurrgens and Tommy Hanson have limitless potential and will be fun to see what kind of numbers they put up this year.

4. Yankees – Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Vazquez, Hughes

The ‘Joba Chamberlain to the bullpen’ talk signals the start of spring training. But contrary to previous  years, Chamberlain will be sent to the ‘pen and Phil Hughes will snag the fifth spot in the rotation.

5. White Sox – Peavy, Buehrle, Danks, Floyd, Garcia

Hands down, the White Sox have the best rotation in the AL Central. Even after Peavy and Buehrle, the Sox have two solid starters in Danks and Floyd that can put up 14 or 15 wins apiece.  

6. Giants - Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Sanchez, Bumgarner

Life is good if you’re a member of the Giants’ bullpen. Lincecum, Cain, and Zito have shown the ability to throw deep into games which minimizes the demands on their relievers.

7. Cardinals – Carpenter, Wainwright, Lohse, Penny, Garcia  

All of the Cardinals’ top four starters have missed significant time over the past two seasons, so staying off the disabled list will be the key. But when healthy, Carpenter and Wainwright are the best 1-2 punch in the game.

8. Phillies – Halladay, Hamels, Blanton, Happ, Moyer

Halladay is hardly the lone star in the Phillies’ rotation. Cole Hamels is primed to have a bounce-back year and youngster J.A. Happ looks to build off a solid rookie season.

9. Mariners - Hernandez, Lee, Rowland-Smith, Snell, Fister

King Felix and the newly-acquired Cliff Lee make up the best 1-2 combo in the American League. Hernandez will be a free agent and the end of next season, so the baseball world will be watching closely to see if Seattle is going to commit to him.

10. D-Backs - Webb, Haren, Jackson, Kennedy, Lopez

The big key for the Diamondbacks is whether or not Brandon Webb can return anywhere close to pre-injury form. The wild card amongst the starters is Edwin Jackson, who got off to a hot start in 2009 but struggled mightily in the second half.

11. Cubs - Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Wells, Gorzelanny/ Silva

Lou Piniella retains the entire core of the Cubs’ starting rotation, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t question marks with their pitching. Zambrano had a down year in 2009 and his win totals have declined over the last two seasons.

12. Dodgers - Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda, Padilla, McDonald

The Dodgers have perennially been a team built around a quality starting staff. 2010 looks to be the quite the opposite. The closest thing Los Angeles has to a sure thing is Clayton Kershaw, and he just turned 22 this month.

13. Rockies - Jimenez, Cook, De La Rosa, Hammel, Francis

The Rockies’ rotation features five pitchers who had at least 10 wins the previous active season. Ubaldo Jimenez has a hard sinker and a nasty slider, so Colorado is hoping he can become the dominating No. ace that they’ve anticipated.

14. Rays - Shields, Garza, Niemann, Price, Davis

Two major keys to the Rays’ rotation- stay healthy and develop some consistency. Time for guys like Niemann, Price, and Davis to take off the kid gloves and start maturing into true major league pitchers.  

15. Tigers - Verlander, Porcello, Scherzer, Bonderman, Willis

Verlander pitched incredibly well last season after an awful 2008, and Rick Porcello looks like he could be a future strikeout-machine. After that, however, the pitching starts looking a little thin. Maybe having half the games at Comerica will help. 

The Rest: