Ranking the 2012 Starting Rotations


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A great offense will help you win a lot of games in the regular season, but pitching is what wins you World Series. Teams that can’t keep their opponents from scoring don’t tend to last long in the postseason. Even the high-powered offense of the Texas Rangers, who have made back-to-back World Series appearances, was backed by a strong starting five.

Here is a look at where I rank all 30 starting rotations heading into the 2012 season.

1. Philadelphia Phillies – While you could argue these rankings, there is no denying the Phillies have the best starting five of any team in baseball. Some teams don’t even have one true ace at the top of their rotation. Philadelphia has three of them in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels. Those three alone can carry a team to a division title, but there is some punch in the back of the rotation. In 2011, rookie Vance Worley gave the Phillies yet another starter who opposing teams dread to face. Worley went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in just 21 starts. Add in either Joe Blanton or Kyle Kendrick and you have the most complete starting staff in the majors.

2. Los Angeles Angels – The Angels had one of the top rotations in baseball last year behind the trio of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana. That didn’t stop Los Angeles from going out and adding in C.J. Wilson, who was widely considered the top free agent starter on the market. Wilson was the ace of the Rangers staff in 2011, and now becomes a dominant No. 3 in the Angels rotation. It’s also worth noting that the starters should receive a boost in run-support with the addition of Albert Pujols and the return of Kendrys Morales.

3. San Francisco Giants – The Giants starters pitched well enough to make the playoffs in 2011, but offensively they just didn’t have enough to win games. A lot of people think Tim Lincecum is the Giants only elite starter, but that simply isn’t the case. Matt Cain is one of the most underrated starters and Madison Bumgarner is loaded with potential. Ryan Vogelsong returned from the dead and gave the Giants a reliable No. 4, but it’s hard to imagine he will be as good in 2012. Barry Zito hasn’t pitched up to his contract in San Francisco, but he isn’t a bad option to have at the back of the rotation.

4. Tampa Bay Rays – I had a hard time picking the Rays staff this low in my rankings, but a few question marks has them slightly behind the top three. There is no doubting David Price at the top of the rotation, but I have my concerns with James Shields in the No. 2 spot. Shields was incredible last year, going 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA, but it’s hard to ignore his 5.18 ERA and 1.46 WHIP from 2010. I like youngster Jeremy Hellickson, but he still has a lot to prove. The guy everyone is excited about is Matt Moore, who looked like a future Cy Young winner in his two starts at the end of last season. If Shields doesn’t take a step back and Moore lives up to expectations, this starting staff will be as good as any in 2012.

5. Atlanta Braves – This was probably the toughest decision I had to make regarding my top 5. I could have easily went with the Yankees or Diamondbacks in this spot. The Braves will be without their ace, Tim Hudson, early in the year, but when he is healthy the Braves starting staff is as good as any. I really like their two young starters Tommy Hanson and Brandon Beachy. I think both of those guys will end up being aces down the road. Jair Jurrjens was terrific in the first half before knee troubles slowed him down and Mike Minor is another young guy who has a lot of promise going forward. Atlanta also has another stud on the way in Julio Teheran, which is a big reason why I put the Braves in my top 5.

Ranking the Rest
6. New York Yankees
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
8. Detroit Tigers
9. St Louis Cardinals
10. Washington Nationals
11. Texas Rangers
12. Miami Marlins
13. Milwaukee Brewers
14. Boston Red Sox
15. Cincinnati Reds
16. Los Angeles Dodgers
17. Cleveland Indians
18. San Diego Padres
19. New York Mets
20. Chicago White Sox
21. Chicago Cubs
22. Toronto Blue Jays
23. Seattle Mariners
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
25. Minnesota Twins
26. Colorado Rockies
27. Oakland Athletics
28. Kansas City Royals
29. Houston Astros
30. Baltimore Orioles

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Comments

2 Responses to “Ranking the 2012 Starting Rotations”

  1. John Hannan on April 4th, 2012 7:37 PM

    this from Boston red sox Change for Pitchers from Josh Beckett and Felix Doubront than Daniel Bard and Clay Buchholz than Jon Lester and Matt Albers than Alfedo Aceves and Rich Hill than Chris Carpenter

  2. christian on May 4th, 2012 11:49 PM

    orioles 30th really? this is a pretty bad list

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