Brewers Starting Rotation: Deep

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 18, 2007 1:14 AM CDT in Milwaukee Brewers News

I've gone a little rankings crazy of late. For this morning's column at The Hardball Times, I put together a list of the five deepest rotations in baseball. I think it's more than just my Brewers fandom that makes Milwaukee #2 on my list:

While it isn't written in stone, the Brewers rotation is all but established: Claudio Vargas will grab the number five spot, making it likely that Carlos Villanueva will head back to Nashville. Villanueva leads a group of Nashville starters that includes Zach Jackson, Tim Dillard, and Yovani Gallardo, any one of whom could be a capable rotation fill-in at some point during the 2007 campaign.

While neither Villanueva nor Jackson (nor Dillard or Ben Hendrickson, for that matter) has a very high ceiling, either would probably be a capable MLB fifth starter right now. In six starts last year, Villanueva managed a 3.69 ERA with a nearly 4/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Jackson wasn't so successful, but performed above replacement level in his seven starts. Gallardo is the most exciting of the bunch: he probably won't be ready until the all-star break, but is one of the top pitching prospects in the game.

But which team could possibly outrank these guys? You'll have to read the article to find out.

Update [2007-3-18 2:14:7 by battlekow]: I just had to bump this: Dave Stewart--yes, that Dave Stewart--picks the top ten rotations in baseball. Granted, Jeff was ranking the deepest rather than the best, but the contrast, in both process and results, is still pretty awesome. I'm inordinately amused by "reasons" such as:

Toronto Blue Jays: They always have some hope if Doc Halladay stays healthy. Toronto relies heavily on the Doctor.

Switch in "Minnesota Twins" and "The Great Santana" and it makes just as much sense, right? And Santana is better than Halladay, right? And yet, the Twins are not on the list. My favorite, though, is this:

Chicago White Sox: They had some setbacks last year, but I still think they're a good staff. They'll be anchored by Buehrle. The rest of em are very competitive and will keep the Sox in games. Their sleeper... Vasquez.

In what universe is Javier Vazquez a sleeper? What the hell is he talking about?

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Vargas

It's interesting that Vargas and Doug Davis were seen as pretty much a wash at the time of the trade, and now Vargas is going to fight for the 5th spot in the rotation.

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Mar 16, 2007 8:32 AM CDT reply actions

If Davis weren't old and veteran-y

he'd be fighting for the 5th spot in the Ari rotation too. And he might lose.

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 16, 2007 8:39 AM CDT up reply actions

Phillies

They have six pretty fair starters:

F. Garcia
B. Myers
C. Hamels
A. Eaton
J. Moyer
J. Lieber

by battlekow on Mar 16, 2007 10:57 AM CDT reply actions

they do.

the problem is, they might need seven or eight.

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 16, 2007 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Stewart

I got an email from a guy at NBX asking me if I had any questions for Stewart. I definitely had a few, but none that he would take in the right spirit, I fear :).

by Jeff Sackmann on Mar 18, 2007 10:48 AM CDT reply actions

hat tip to musings/al

ben hendrickson cleared waivers and is off the 40 man roster but still in our organization.

Brewers in 07!

by Michael M on Mar 18, 2007 7:15 PM CDT reply actions

Peavy over the hill

"9) San Diego Padres: They too are counting on old guys. I like Chris Young, who doesn't? However, Peavy has seen better days. They may just make it through if Maddux can show some signs of the past."

To me, this reads like Jake Peavy is either bad or old... so, which one is it exactly?

by DaleCoop14 on Mar 19, 2007 9:31 AM CDT reply actions

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