Post by Captain America on Oct 9, 2014 16:59:26 GMT -5
Rankings like these should probably happen more often. Let's see how all the AL starting rotations look right now.
14. Texas Rangers: Dan Otero, B.J. Ryan, Joaquin Benoit, Erik Bedard, Kevin Correia (5.77 combined ERA, 1.618 combined WHIP)
Not surprisingly, the Rangers are at the bottom of the list in what is currently a rebuilding process for the team. There isn't much to really acknowledge with this group. Bedard and Ryan are aging shells of themselves from the past. Otero fell apart through PD's and Benoit is fortunate to even be in a starting rotation. Correia recently got a nice PD, but he's already 30 going on 31, so don't expect all his current ratings to last a long time.
Charlie Bishop is still developing in the minors and should be ready to get called up in a season or two, but until then, the Rangers' starting rotation probably won't get much higher on this list. Max has a lot of work to do, but with time, he should be able to make some serious progress with the Rangers.
13. Minnesota Twins: Bud Norris, Jamison Rowen, Juan Echeandia, James Omara, Alex Cobb (5.73 combined ERA, 1.548 combined WHIP)
Welcome to Minnesota, where pitchers get hurt and fall apart. Hopefully, for Styro's sake, that won't continue for too much longer. Norris is a stud that just needs to fully develop his home runs ratings in particular. The same can be said for Omara as well. With a fair home runs rating, Rowen is going to give up quite a few long balls, but if he can keep the ball in the park, he could be more effective. Cobb has struggled mightily all season and he and Rowen both have been win-less all season. Echeandia has been by far the Twins' best pitcher so far and he should be able to stick around for a while at a very cheap cost.
On the farm, Tory Tewksbury looks ready to come up either later this season or in 2012. Depending on who ends up pitching better, Rowen and Cobb's spots in the starting rotation could very well be in jeopardy. Styro's young studs certainly have the potential, but with the actual results appear soon enough? Time will tell.
12. Seattle Mariners: Michael Bacsik, Aaron Myette, Mike Gonzalez, John Van Benschoten (5.33 combined ERA, 1.480 WHIP)
In Chris' first season back here, the Mariners got off to a decent start, but have struggled recently. Gonzalez has a lot of success over the years, but has struggled since May. Bacsik has been a decent addition to the Mariners' rotation, but hasn't been particularly great either. Myette recently got a PD increase in walks, but is still a shell of his old self. JVB has been pretty bad and has reached 6+ innings in just two of his seven starts so far.
Chris is continuing the rebuild Nanz began in Seattle. Among the Mariners' top pitching prospects are Paul Ryan, Danny Hultzen, Tyler Glasnow, Robbie Erlin and Jimmy Nelson. All 5 of them will take at least 2-3 seasons to become fully developed, if not more. But Chris seems to be patient with the rebuilding process, so hopefully for his sake, his prospects will turn into some really good pitchers in a few seasons.
Few pitchers, if any had a more anticipated debut into BBSBL than Stephen Strasburg, the A's ace of the future.
11. Oakland Athletics: Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Zach Duke, Gil Meche, Andrew Albers (4.63 combined ERA, 1.386 combined WHIP)
Broph's rotation is a mix of veterans and a couple of rookies. Halladay has continued to be a very effective pitcher, even at the age of 34. His 2.73 ERA currently ranks 6th in the AL. Meche is another veteran that has had a lot of success in his career, but his stats have been declining for a few seasons now. Nonetheless, he was still a very good late free agent pickup for the A's. Duke has bounced around quite a few teams already in his career and with the way he's pitching right now, this probably won't be his last stop. As for the rookies, Strasburg still has some developing to do in his home runs and walks, while Albers still needs some home runs and walks development himself. The potential is definitely there for those two though.
Broph's farm system is loaded with pitching as well. Willie Derrico, Taijuan Walker, Gerrit Cole and Billy Glasscock could all be big parts towards the A's future, although all four of the team will need at least a couple more seasons of development.
The Angels need another great pitcher besides Wood to get further in the postseason if they successfully defend their AL West title.
10. Anaheim Angels: Kerry Wood, Corey Luebke, Robert Mina, Ross Detwiler, Samuel Salinas (4.33 combined ERA, 1.358 combined WHIP)
The AL West just does not have much good pitching right now altogether. The living legend Kerry Wood though is a very notable exception. Wood has continued his Hall of Fame career and in his first season with the Angels (his first AL team), he has a 3.03 ERA. Mina has been a decent middle rotation starter so far, Detwiler has shown some promise, despite an inconsistent season. Luebke and Salinas though have struggled quite a bit. If Greg wants to make a deeper postseason run, he will need trade for at least one more stud starting pitcher to make it happen.
Greg doesn't have many good pitching prospects at all to look forward to bringing up. James Rudnick unfortunately is a bit underdeveloped for his age, but no other SP prospects are worth mentioning. Greg needs all kinds of pitching for now and the future.
9. Toronto Blue Jays: Yovani Gallardo, Nick Neugebauer, Josh Johnson, Scott Diamond, Lenny Moldenhauer (4.32 combined ERA, 1.298 combined WHIP)
Neugebauer's season is off to a very good start with a 2.90 ERA, which is currently 10th in the AL. The other four have been decent generally speaking, as in not amazing, but not horrendous either. Diamond's home runs have a little more developing to do, Johnson has turned into an interesting reclamation project over time, and despite the E duration, Gallardo should become a very good pitcher soon with time. Moldenhauer has only made a few starts so far, but like Gallardo, was a big part of the Pujols trade, so Game will need him to do well sooner than later. However, Game is also trying to rebuild and probably wishes this group of pitchers was not doing as well.
In the minors, Tommy Milone should be up by 2012, while other top spects Dylan Bundy, Yordano Ventura and C.J. Edwards will all need more time to develop. Before we know it, the Jays will have another good rotation by the Game tries to get back into the postseason.
8. Detroit Tigers: Tim Lincecum, Paul Maholm, Jimmy Gobble, Jeff Niemann (4.06 combined ERA, 1.313 combined WHIP)
The Tigers' rotation isn't too bad generally speaking. Lincy has not exactly been an ace by any means, but he has been decent. Maholm has been solid overall. He was inconsistent at the start of the season, but has been pitching a lot better over the past month. Gobble has been terrible, mostly because he has already given up 23 home runs, which leads the AL by a big margin. Niemann has been very inconsistent all season, but with A duration, he has been eating some innings to keep the bullpen more rested, which is always good.
On the farm, Dave could certainly bring up Andrew Cashner, Rick Porcello and John Keeler all next season. It will be interesting to see which of them will go into the rotation, and who will end up in the bullpen. Dave at least has options and depth to work with going forward.
7. Tampa Bay Rays: Doug Fister, Ricky Fishburn, Jeff Weaver, Ricky Nolasco (3.71 combined ERA, 1.233 combined WHIP)
Greeme left behind a team that has underachieved so far this season, but the starting rotation is the biggest reason why. Fister has been somewhat inconsistent, but the other three pitchers have done better. Fishburn began the year in the bullpen, but has done well after being moved to the rotation. Weaver has done reasonably well and Nolasco has been a victim of a lack of run support in a few recent starts. All in all, this group is solid, but Weaver is starting to age and is guaranteed lock to return in 2012.
The Rays right now don't really have any good SP prospects to speak of. The one guy worth mentioning, James Fulk is underdeveloped for his age and won't really be able to contribute for another season or two, if not more.
6. Baltimore Orioles: Manny Suazo, Ryan Anderson, Rodrick Chisholm, Ryan Madson (3.28 combined ERA, 1.15 combined WHIP)
Jah is currently fielding one of the best teams he has ever had here and his rotation is a big reason why the Orioles currently lead the AL Wild Card. Suazo has been somewhat inconsistent, while Anderson and Madson have been the team's best pitchers for sure. Anderson's 2.67 ERA is 5th in the AL right now. Chisholm has been a decent back-end starter for the most part. For the Orioles to win the Wild Card or even challenge the Red Sox for the AL East, Anderson and Madson will need to have exceptional seasons and Suazo and Chisholm will have to hold their own as well.
Kyle Drabek and Zack Wheeler are promising pitching prospects for the Orioles, but both will need at least a couple more seasons before being major league ready.
Grant Balfour is one of the main reasons why the Indians have been so dominant for the past few seasons.
5. Cleveland Indians: Todd Noel, Grant Balfour, Jeremy Blevins, Damian Moss (3.21 combined ERA, 1.238 combined WHIP)
If Travis Harper was still around, the Indians would almost certainly be at the [HASH]2 spot right now. But it didn't work out. As a result, the Tribe's rotation has taken a step back overall, but still has the 3-headed monster of Noel, Balfour and Blevins, which is a huge reason why the team is still on top of the AL Central. Noel (2.75 ERA; 7th in AL), Balfour (2.79; 8th in AL) and Blevins (3.07) have all continued to be among the very best AL pitchers. They have carried the Tribe to three consecutive AL Central titles and two trips to the World Series in 2008 and 2010, and they should be expected to do the same once again this season. However, Damian Moss and his 4.22 ERA are the reason why the Indians are not as high on the list as they would have been at this time last season.
DRowe all of a sudden now has two very good pitching prospects to work with in Erik Rutledge and Dee Whittier. Both will need a couple more seasons of development before being major league ready, but the Indians now have a couple pitchers to build around down the road. DRowe could also use one of them to trade for a better 4th SP before the deadline this season. It will be interesting to see which direction he goes in regarding this. Noel, Balfour and Blevins are not getting any younger, so at some point, the Tribe will need to put together some reinforcements for the future.
4. Chicago White Sox: David Price, Matt Morris, Cliff Lee, Brian Lawrence (3.19 combined ERA, 1.198 combined WHIP)
The White Sox have continued to improve under Crazy Mike. The team's rotation has been pretty good so far. Price is having another very good season so far, but it's been the veteran southpaw Cliff Lee that has led this rotation to this point. Lee's 2.64 ERA is currently ranked 3rd in the AL. That 5-year FA contract through 2014 doesn't look so bad anymore. Morris has done relatively well in what will likely be his final season on the South Side. Lawrence is the weaker link of the group though and was inconsistent throughout May, which was when he got put into the rotation. The White Sox already have a stellar bullpen, but could certainly use another big time starting pitcher to make a big run towards a postseason berth. Will Crazy Mike rise up and get something done? We'll have to wait and see.
On the farm, Tanner Roark looks major league ready right now, but with the E duration, he's probably better suited to be a reliever. Damon Hamilton probably could get called up right now as well, but if Crazy Mike simply decided he didn't want to do so, that's understandable. Sammy Solis, Alex Meyer and Matt Barnes all could have some potential, but they will need a few seasons if not more to develop into their ratings.
3. New York Yankees: Ben Sheets, Marco Estrada, Glen Perkins, Reed Mcentee, Alex Colome (3.21 combined ERA, 1.150 combined WHIP)
The Yankees are starting to come together again. Sheets has been very effective since being put into the rotation in May. Estrada has been solid so far this year. Perkins, Mcentee and Colome have all improved noticeably with time. Colome in fact has a 2.49 ERA that right now is 2nd in the AL, while Perkins' 2.84 ERA is 9th. This group could become one of the very elite rotations in all of BBSBL by 1-2 seasons from now. There is a ton of potential and the results will continue to show more and more.
Erbes also has Shelby Miller, Tyler Anderson and Jake Odorizzi in the minors, but with his rotation pretty much set for years to come, those guys are more likely to be future bullpen pieces if they stick around.
2. Milwaukee Brewers: Kyle Kendrick, Jeff D'Amico, Cristian Moreno, Edgar Gonzalez (3.19 combined ERA, 1.170 combined WHIP)
I really went back and forth between putting the Yankees and Brewers 2nd or 3rd. I ultimately went with the slightly better ERA over the slightly better WHIP. Steve has continued to move the Brewers in the right direction, and it starts with a very good pitching staff. The defending AL Cy Young Award winner Kyle Kendrick is an absolute stud and is off to another stellar season. But it has been the veteran Brewers lifer Jeff D'Amico, who could be on pace to have his best season since 2003. D'Amico's 2.65 ERA currently ranks 4th in the AL and at 35, he is showing no signs of slowing down. Moreno is a recent addition to the Brewers' rotation, replacing Deshawn Hayes, who got off to a poor start this season. Gonzalez got off to a slow start in April, but has pitched a lot better since May. Will this be the year the Brewers finally get into the playoffs for the first time since losing the 1982 World Series? This unit will need to continue to do well for that to happen.
Top pitching prospects Taylor Guerrieri, Julio Teheran and Justin Nicolino could all be big parts of the Brewers' future. Luke French is underdeveloped for his age and probably won't be a relevant factor later on.
Mark Buehrle is arguably the best pitcher in the league.
1. Boston Red Sox: Mark Buehrle, Chris Gissell, Jeremy Affeldt, Junichi Tazawa (2.87 combined ERA, 1.020 combined WHIP)
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The Red Sox have the best record in the AL right now and the biggest reason by far has been the addition of Mark Buehrle , who is clearly the best pitcher in BBSBL right now. Buehrle's 1.49 ERA leads all of BBSBL and that doesn't even fully explain his dominance. In 17 starts, Buehrle already have 6 shutouts and it's not even the All-Star break yet. That is simply amazing. Buehrle should be the runaway AL Cy Young favorite without a doubt.
Gissell, Affeldt and Tazawa all have very respectable numbers themselves and Gissell leads the AL in wins with 14 already, but Buehrle has simply put the Red Sox on his back in what hopes to be a deep postseason run. Maybe this is finally the time when the 1918 curse goes away? They're getting close to a full century championship drought already.
Break's farm system doesn't really have anyone worth mentioning right now, but with all the moves he has made to put together such a powerhouse team, it certainly looks like it was worth it to drain the farm system in an effort to make a big championship run.
NL ranks coming soon!
14. Texas Rangers: Dan Otero, B.J. Ryan, Joaquin Benoit, Erik Bedard, Kevin Correia (5.77 combined ERA, 1.618 combined WHIP)
Not surprisingly, the Rangers are at the bottom of the list in what is currently a rebuilding process for the team. There isn't much to really acknowledge with this group. Bedard and Ryan are aging shells of themselves from the past. Otero fell apart through PD's and Benoit is fortunate to even be in a starting rotation. Correia recently got a nice PD, but he's already 30 going on 31, so don't expect all his current ratings to last a long time.
Charlie Bishop is still developing in the minors and should be ready to get called up in a season or two, but until then, the Rangers' starting rotation probably won't get much higher on this list. Max has a lot of work to do, but with time, he should be able to make some serious progress with the Rangers.
13. Minnesota Twins: Bud Norris, Jamison Rowen, Juan Echeandia, James Omara, Alex Cobb (5.73 combined ERA, 1.548 combined WHIP)
Welcome to Minnesota, where pitchers get hurt and fall apart. Hopefully, for Styro's sake, that won't continue for too much longer. Norris is a stud that just needs to fully develop his home runs ratings in particular. The same can be said for Omara as well. With a fair home runs rating, Rowen is going to give up quite a few long balls, but if he can keep the ball in the park, he could be more effective. Cobb has struggled mightily all season and he and Rowen both have been win-less all season. Echeandia has been by far the Twins' best pitcher so far and he should be able to stick around for a while at a very cheap cost.
On the farm, Tory Tewksbury looks ready to come up either later this season or in 2012. Depending on who ends up pitching better, Rowen and Cobb's spots in the starting rotation could very well be in jeopardy. Styro's young studs certainly have the potential, but with the actual results appear soon enough? Time will tell.
12. Seattle Mariners: Michael Bacsik, Aaron Myette, Mike Gonzalez, John Van Benschoten (5.33 combined ERA, 1.480 WHIP)
In Chris' first season back here, the Mariners got off to a decent start, but have struggled recently. Gonzalez has a lot of success over the years, but has struggled since May. Bacsik has been a decent addition to the Mariners' rotation, but hasn't been particularly great either. Myette recently got a PD increase in walks, but is still a shell of his old self. JVB has been pretty bad and has reached 6+ innings in just two of his seven starts so far.
Chris is continuing the rebuild Nanz began in Seattle. Among the Mariners' top pitching prospects are Paul Ryan, Danny Hultzen, Tyler Glasnow, Robbie Erlin and Jimmy Nelson. All 5 of them will take at least 2-3 seasons to become fully developed, if not more. But Chris seems to be patient with the rebuilding process, so hopefully for his sake, his prospects will turn into some really good pitchers in a few seasons.
Few pitchers, if any had a more anticipated debut into BBSBL than Stephen Strasburg, the A's ace of the future.
11. Oakland Athletics: Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Zach Duke, Gil Meche, Andrew Albers (4.63 combined ERA, 1.386 combined WHIP)
Broph's rotation is a mix of veterans and a couple of rookies. Halladay has continued to be a very effective pitcher, even at the age of 34. His 2.73 ERA currently ranks 6th in the AL. Meche is another veteran that has had a lot of success in his career, but his stats have been declining for a few seasons now. Nonetheless, he was still a very good late free agent pickup for the A's. Duke has bounced around quite a few teams already in his career and with the way he's pitching right now, this probably won't be his last stop. As for the rookies, Strasburg still has some developing to do in his home runs and walks, while Albers still needs some home runs and walks development himself. The potential is definitely there for those two though.
Broph's farm system is loaded with pitching as well. Willie Derrico, Taijuan Walker, Gerrit Cole and Billy Glasscock could all be big parts towards the A's future, although all four of the team will need at least a couple more seasons of development.
The Angels need another great pitcher besides Wood to get further in the postseason if they successfully defend their AL West title.
10. Anaheim Angels: Kerry Wood, Corey Luebke, Robert Mina, Ross Detwiler, Samuel Salinas (4.33 combined ERA, 1.358 combined WHIP)
The AL West just does not have much good pitching right now altogether. The living legend Kerry Wood though is a very notable exception. Wood has continued his Hall of Fame career and in his first season with the Angels (his first AL team), he has a 3.03 ERA. Mina has been a decent middle rotation starter so far, Detwiler has shown some promise, despite an inconsistent season. Luebke and Salinas though have struggled quite a bit. If Greg wants to make a deeper postseason run, he will need trade for at least one more stud starting pitcher to make it happen.
Greg doesn't have many good pitching prospects at all to look forward to bringing up. James Rudnick unfortunately is a bit underdeveloped for his age, but no other SP prospects are worth mentioning. Greg needs all kinds of pitching for now and the future.
9. Toronto Blue Jays: Yovani Gallardo, Nick Neugebauer, Josh Johnson, Scott Diamond, Lenny Moldenhauer (4.32 combined ERA, 1.298 combined WHIP)
Neugebauer's season is off to a very good start with a 2.90 ERA, which is currently 10th in the AL. The other four have been decent generally speaking, as in not amazing, but not horrendous either. Diamond's home runs have a little more developing to do, Johnson has turned into an interesting reclamation project over time, and despite the E duration, Gallardo should become a very good pitcher soon with time. Moldenhauer has only made a few starts so far, but like Gallardo, was a big part of the Pujols trade, so Game will need him to do well sooner than later. However, Game is also trying to rebuild and probably wishes this group of pitchers was not doing as well.
In the minors, Tommy Milone should be up by 2012, while other top spects Dylan Bundy, Yordano Ventura and C.J. Edwards will all need more time to develop. Before we know it, the Jays will have another good rotation by the Game tries to get back into the postseason.
8. Detroit Tigers: Tim Lincecum, Paul Maholm, Jimmy Gobble, Jeff Niemann (4.06 combined ERA, 1.313 combined WHIP)
The Tigers' rotation isn't too bad generally speaking. Lincy has not exactly been an ace by any means, but he has been decent. Maholm has been solid overall. He was inconsistent at the start of the season, but has been pitching a lot better over the past month. Gobble has been terrible, mostly because he has already given up 23 home runs, which leads the AL by a big margin. Niemann has been very inconsistent all season, but with A duration, he has been eating some innings to keep the bullpen more rested, which is always good.
On the farm, Dave could certainly bring up Andrew Cashner, Rick Porcello and John Keeler all next season. It will be interesting to see which of them will go into the rotation, and who will end up in the bullpen. Dave at least has options and depth to work with going forward.
7. Tampa Bay Rays: Doug Fister, Ricky Fishburn, Jeff Weaver, Ricky Nolasco (3.71 combined ERA, 1.233 combined WHIP)
Greeme left behind a team that has underachieved so far this season, but the starting rotation is the biggest reason why. Fister has been somewhat inconsistent, but the other three pitchers have done better. Fishburn began the year in the bullpen, but has done well after being moved to the rotation. Weaver has done reasonably well and Nolasco has been a victim of a lack of run support in a few recent starts. All in all, this group is solid, but Weaver is starting to age and is guaranteed lock to return in 2012.
The Rays right now don't really have any good SP prospects to speak of. The one guy worth mentioning, James Fulk is underdeveloped for his age and won't really be able to contribute for another season or two, if not more.
6. Baltimore Orioles: Manny Suazo, Ryan Anderson, Rodrick Chisholm, Ryan Madson (3.28 combined ERA, 1.15 combined WHIP)
Jah is currently fielding one of the best teams he has ever had here and his rotation is a big reason why the Orioles currently lead the AL Wild Card. Suazo has been somewhat inconsistent, while Anderson and Madson have been the team's best pitchers for sure. Anderson's 2.67 ERA is 5th in the AL right now. Chisholm has been a decent back-end starter for the most part. For the Orioles to win the Wild Card or even challenge the Red Sox for the AL East, Anderson and Madson will need to have exceptional seasons and Suazo and Chisholm will have to hold their own as well.
Kyle Drabek and Zack Wheeler are promising pitching prospects for the Orioles, but both will need at least a couple more seasons before being major league ready.
Grant Balfour is one of the main reasons why the Indians have been so dominant for the past few seasons.
5. Cleveland Indians: Todd Noel, Grant Balfour, Jeremy Blevins, Damian Moss (3.21 combined ERA, 1.238 combined WHIP)
If Travis Harper was still around, the Indians would almost certainly be at the [HASH]2 spot right now. But it didn't work out. As a result, the Tribe's rotation has taken a step back overall, but still has the 3-headed monster of Noel, Balfour and Blevins, which is a huge reason why the team is still on top of the AL Central. Noel (2.75 ERA; 7th in AL), Balfour (2.79; 8th in AL) and Blevins (3.07) have all continued to be among the very best AL pitchers. They have carried the Tribe to three consecutive AL Central titles and two trips to the World Series in 2008 and 2010, and they should be expected to do the same once again this season. However, Damian Moss and his 4.22 ERA are the reason why the Indians are not as high on the list as they would have been at this time last season.
DRowe all of a sudden now has two very good pitching prospects to work with in Erik Rutledge and Dee Whittier. Both will need a couple more seasons of development before being major league ready, but the Indians now have a couple pitchers to build around down the road. DRowe could also use one of them to trade for a better 4th SP before the deadline this season. It will be interesting to see which direction he goes in regarding this. Noel, Balfour and Blevins are not getting any younger, so at some point, the Tribe will need to put together some reinforcements for the future.
4. Chicago White Sox: David Price, Matt Morris, Cliff Lee, Brian Lawrence (3.19 combined ERA, 1.198 combined WHIP)
The White Sox have continued to improve under Crazy Mike. The team's rotation has been pretty good so far. Price is having another very good season so far, but it's been the veteran southpaw Cliff Lee that has led this rotation to this point. Lee's 2.64 ERA is currently ranked 3rd in the AL. That 5-year FA contract through 2014 doesn't look so bad anymore. Morris has done relatively well in what will likely be his final season on the South Side. Lawrence is the weaker link of the group though and was inconsistent throughout May, which was when he got put into the rotation. The White Sox already have a stellar bullpen, but could certainly use another big time starting pitcher to make a big run towards a postseason berth. Will Crazy Mike rise up and get something done? We'll have to wait and see.
On the farm, Tanner Roark looks major league ready right now, but with the E duration, he's probably better suited to be a reliever. Damon Hamilton probably could get called up right now as well, but if Crazy Mike simply decided he didn't want to do so, that's understandable. Sammy Solis, Alex Meyer and Matt Barnes all could have some potential, but they will need a few seasons if not more to develop into their ratings.
3. New York Yankees: Ben Sheets, Marco Estrada, Glen Perkins, Reed Mcentee, Alex Colome (3.21 combined ERA, 1.150 combined WHIP)
The Yankees are starting to come together again. Sheets has been very effective since being put into the rotation in May. Estrada has been solid so far this year. Perkins, Mcentee and Colome have all improved noticeably with time. Colome in fact has a 2.49 ERA that right now is 2nd in the AL, while Perkins' 2.84 ERA is 9th. This group could become one of the very elite rotations in all of BBSBL by 1-2 seasons from now. There is a ton of potential and the results will continue to show more and more.
Erbes also has Shelby Miller, Tyler Anderson and Jake Odorizzi in the minors, but with his rotation pretty much set for years to come, those guys are more likely to be future bullpen pieces if they stick around.
2. Milwaukee Brewers: Kyle Kendrick, Jeff D'Amico, Cristian Moreno, Edgar Gonzalez (3.19 combined ERA, 1.170 combined WHIP)
I really went back and forth between putting the Yankees and Brewers 2nd or 3rd. I ultimately went with the slightly better ERA over the slightly better WHIP. Steve has continued to move the Brewers in the right direction, and it starts with a very good pitching staff. The defending AL Cy Young Award winner Kyle Kendrick is an absolute stud and is off to another stellar season. But it has been the veteran Brewers lifer Jeff D'Amico, who could be on pace to have his best season since 2003. D'Amico's 2.65 ERA currently ranks 4th in the AL and at 35, he is showing no signs of slowing down. Moreno is a recent addition to the Brewers' rotation, replacing Deshawn Hayes, who got off to a poor start this season. Gonzalez got off to a slow start in April, but has pitched a lot better since May. Will this be the year the Brewers finally get into the playoffs for the first time since losing the 1982 World Series? This unit will need to continue to do well for that to happen.
Top pitching prospects Taylor Guerrieri, Julio Teheran and Justin Nicolino could all be big parts of the Brewers' future. Luke French is underdeveloped for his age and probably won't be a relevant factor later on.
Mark Buehrle is arguably the best pitcher in the league.
1. Boston Red Sox: Mark Buehrle, Chris Gissell, Jeremy Affeldt, Junichi Tazawa (2.87 combined ERA, 1.020 combined WHIP)
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. The Red Sox have the best record in the AL right now and the biggest reason by far has been the addition of Mark Buehrle , who is clearly the best pitcher in BBSBL right now. Buehrle's 1.49 ERA leads all of BBSBL and that doesn't even fully explain his dominance. In 17 starts, Buehrle already have 6 shutouts and it's not even the All-Star break yet. That is simply amazing. Buehrle should be the runaway AL Cy Young favorite without a doubt.
Gissell, Affeldt and Tazawa all have very respectable numbers themselves and Gissell leads the AL in wins with 14 already, but Buehrle has simply put the Red Sox on his back in what hopes to be a deep postseason run. Maybe this is finally the time when the 1918 curse goes away? They're getting close to a full century championship drought already.
Break's farm system doesn't really have anyone worth mentioning right now, but with all the moves he has made to put together such a powerhouse team, it certainly looks like it was worth it to drain the farm system in an effort to make a big championship run.
NL ranks coming soon!
