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?
