Post by Captain America on Oct 10, 2014 23:59:05 GMT -5
And now, the NL rankings!
14. New York Mets: Carlos Zambrano, Tim Hudson, Raymond Ledezma, Brandon Pray, Elmer Acosta (5.36 combined ERA, 1.504 combined WHIP)
The Mets' rotation consists mostly of veterans past their prime. Carlos Zambrano is the lone bright spot of the group with a respectable 3.14 ERA. Hudson is clearly declining, doesn't last too many innings and has arguably one of the worst contracts in the entire league. Ledezma is a decent pitcher, but his pitching this season has been inconsistent. Pray and Acosta though are both winless and have brought the rotation down that much more. Danchevy has a lot of work to do to get the Mets successful again.
The Mets' farm system doesn't have much to show for. Matt Harrison has not lived up to the hype after being a 1st round pick in 2003.
13. Philadelphia Phillies: Clayton Kershaw, Travis Harper, Madison Bumgarner, Lance Broadway (4.30 combined ERA, 1.348 combined WHIP)
The Phillies have had some young potential for a while, but the results just haven't shown yet. Could the numerous changes in GM's have had an effect over time? Possibly, but hopefully, Jordan will be the one to steer the Phillies back in the right direction. Kershaw hasn't been particularly consistent, but the Phillies also have one of the worst lineups in all of BBSBL, so the lack of run support has certainly been a contributing factor. Bumgarner has been the team's best pitcher so far and has pitched a lot better since May. Harper was the Phillies' big free agent signing and has been doing better recently, but the 35-year old veteran will likely start to decline very soon. Broadway is by far the least familiar face here, but after a disastrous April, he has been a lot better on the mound since May.
Paul Read and Chris Rusin are intriguing pitching prospects for the Phillies and Rusin will likely get called up next season.
12. Colorado Rockies: Kason Gabbard, John Lackey, Joel Piniero, Nate Bump (4.15 combined ERA, 1.403 combined WHIP)
Denver of course is the city where pitchers' numbers take a sharp decline. Nonetheless, this current Rockies' rotation certainly hasn't been the best one I've put together. Gabbard would be a stud pretty much anywhere else, but here, he has a 3.90 ERA. He has become the ace of the staff and with a cheap contract, I'm very happy to have him. Lackey's number ratings declined after his SEI late last season, but he has eaten innings and been somewhat effective. Piniero has been less consistent generally speaking, but has also eaten up quite a few innings himself. There is no guarantee he returns next season, but replacing him could be a bit of a challenge. Bump originally wasn't going to in my rotation, but after the Bacsik trade, he was the best option left. He hasn't been terrible, but certainly hasn't been good either.
There isn't too much pitching talent to look forward to here among prospects. Adam Conley could be solid with a hits TIA, as could Paul Clemens. Britton might have a bit of potential, but probably not. That's pretty much it.
11. Chicago Cubs: Johan Santana, Wade Miley, Chris Sale, Daniel Hudson (4.06 combined ERA, 1.145 combined WHIP)
The great Johan Santana could be on pace to win his second NL Cy Young Award this season.
Johan Santana has simply been one of the very best pitchers we have ever seen here. This season could be one of his best ever. He's already 11-2 with a 1.45 ERA. It will be very interesting to see if he can keep up this pace, but if anyone can, it's Johan. Fellow southpaws Miley and Sale both have tons of potential and are still developing, so with time, their numbers should improve dramatically. Hudson pitched poorly in April, but has been noticeably better since May.
With Play's top spects from before now being in the majors, the one other spect he still has in the minors is Duane Ford. Ford should be up within a season or two at the very most.
10. Cincinnati Reds: Chris George, Herbert Roache, Brett Jodie, Roy Oswalt, Dontrelle Willis (3.98 combined ERA, 1.298 combined WHIP)
Stutter's rotation took a colossal hit this past offseason with the trade of Josh Beckett to the Expos. Chris George is now the leader of this staff and has been pretty good so far. Roache was acquired in a recent trade with the Marlins and hasn't been particularly consistent. Jodie has been very streaky in his last 10 starts. Oswalt was also acquired in a recent trade with the Pirates and has had a good season so far. Willis has been inconsistent and Stutter decided to demote him after the last sim.
Down on the farm, Raymond Pollard could have some potential, or maybe more with a TIA to hits. Wilfredo Sanchez probably won't be the same after the CEI he suffered earlier in the season. Not much else to discuss besides them.
9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Mark Prior, Mike Kusiewicz, Heath Bell, Ian Snell (3.90 combined ERA, 1.183 combined WHIP)
Stevie B has apparently given up on his team and has already traded away some of his best players. He still has Prior though, at least for now. Prior is an absolute stud and has a nice 2.73 ERA thus far. Kusiewicz has been inconsistent this year, as has Snell. Bell has been a bit better, but still not as good as he was in the past three seasons.
Drew Smyly is the one notable pitching prospect the Pirates have right now. It will take him a few seasons of development before being ready for a major league call-up.
8. Los Angeles Dodgers: Ryan Mills, Barry Zito, Bruce Chen, Adam Eaton (3.79 combined ERA, 1.273 combined WHIP)
As Dale keeps trying to get the Dodgers moving in the right direction, this rotation he has is pretty good generally speaking. And this is with Mike Lincoln having been hurt since mid-April. Mills is overpaid and inconsistent and easily Dale's least favorite pitcher. Zito has been ok, but somewhat inconsistent since joining the rotation in mid-May. Chen has been the Dodgers' best pitcher this season with a solid 3.13 ERA so far. Eaton has been decent, despite being quite vulnerable to giving up home runs.
Henderson Alvarez is the one notable SP prospect the Dodgers have and he could possibly get called up next season. However, both of his PD reversals have already been used up.
7. Atlanta Braves: Gerik Baxter, Rocky Biddle, Joe Smith, Matt Harvey (3.71 combined ERA, 1.120 combined WHIP)
What we all thought was going to be one of the best rotations in the league simply hasn't lived up to the hype just yet. Baxter though has been the one pitcher that has pitched very well so far. His 2.18 ERA is currently 6th in the NL. Biddle has been somewhat consistent, but he's on his contract season, so this means HF will likely have a very expensive decision to make between keeping him around or letting him walk. Smith missed a few weeks due to injuries, but has struggled so far. Harvey has been inconsistent and currently leads the NL in most home runs allowed with 23 as his home run ratings still have not been fully developed just yet. Jake McGee should be included here as well, but is currently hurt. He should be back shortly and was doing well prior to the injury.
HF now has Patrick Corbin as a top pitching prospect that could be major league ready in a season. David Hale has some potential as well, especially if he gets a walks TIA and some duration work.
6. St. Louis Cardinals: Harry Samaniego, Kip Wells, Jim Raines, Nate Cornejo, Alex Torres (3.56 combined ERA, 1.140 combined WHIP)
How are the Cardinals this high up? They currently have the third worst record in the NL, but as the stats show, the blame can't really be put on the starting rotation. Samaniego has done well and has continued to be a strikeout machine and is 9th in the NL in strikeouts. He has also been the Cardinals' best pitcher by far with a 2.53 ERA that ranks 9th in the NL. Wells has pitched well himself, but has not always gotten enough run support. Raines struggled to get run support throughout May and his numbers look worse than they should as a result. Like Raines, Cornejo has also pitched well, but the lack of run support has hurt him. The rookie Torres has pitched better each month so far.
Michael Pineda and Sonny Gray could both become promising pitchers for the Cardinals in the future.
5. San Francisco Giants: Francisco Rodriguez, Pat Neshek, Joe Lampman, Brian West (3.12 combined ERA, 1.048 combined WHIP)
Despite trading Rich Harden to the division rival Diamondbacks, the Giants' rotation hasn't missed much of a beat so far this season. Rodriguez's 2.28 ERA currently ranks 7th in the NL. Neshek got off to a blistering start, but hasn't pitched well at all in June. Lampmann got off to a slow start with the Blue Jays, but has done better recently after being traded to the Giants. West has been somewhat consistent, but not particularly dependable from one start to another.
Spencer's farm system has quite a few very good relief spects, but no SP spects that stand out at all.
4. Florida Marlins: Josh Collmenter, Michael Wuertz, Jordan Zimmermann, Tanner Scheppers (3.00 combined ERA, 1.035 combined WHIP)
The team with the best record in all of BBSBL not surprisingly has a great starting rotation. Collmenter has been pretty good this season, but his ERA so far has gone up each month. Wuertz (2.01 ERA; 4th in NL) and Zimmermann (2.16 ERA; 5th in NL) have both been particularly dominant all season. Scheppers recently got inserted into the Marlins' starting rotation to replace Herbert Roache, who was traded to the Reds. He is still developing his home runs and has had an inconsistent start to his major league career thus far.
Ashes also has Jesse Biddle as his most notable SP prospect. Biddle will need a few seasons in the minors to develop more before his eventual major league call-up occurs.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks: Rich Harden, Jim Pittsley, Jake Peavy, Boof Bonser (2.95 combined ERA, 1.020 combined WHIP)
This is easily the best Diamondbacks rotation we have seen here. Harden has pitched very well so far and has a 2.40 ERA that ranks 8th in the NL. Peavy has been even better and his 1.95 ERA ranks 3rd in the NL. Pittsley has been solid, but is aging and declining at this point. Bonser was recently put back into the rotation and has been inconsistent.
Chad Bettis is the only notable SP prospect that Darell currently has. He will need at least a few more seasons to develop in the minors.
2. San Diego Padres: Joseph Jackson, Mike Nannini, Mark Mulder, Hiroki Kuroda (2.80 combined ERA, 1.040 combined WHIP)
Mark Mulder is the most recent BBSBL pitcher to throw a perfect game.
SyC inherited a financial disaster when taking over the Padres, but his starting pitching has been among the best in the NL so far. Jackson continues to be among the elite BBSBL aces with a 1.65 ERA that currently ranks 2nd in the NL. Nannini has been solid all season. Mulder hasn't been particularly consistent, but threw a perfect game in May against the Expos. Kuroda has done very well himself so far. His 2.63 ERA falls just shy of the top 10 in the NL.
There are no significant pitching spects in the Padres' system. Clayton Blackburn and Daniel Fusco will both need TIA's and PD help to ever become relevant.
1. Montreal Expos: Jonathan Papelbon, C.C. Sabathia, Josh Beckett, Leon Sabin (2.75 combined ERA, 1.030 combined WHIP)
The brand new Expos rotation has made quite a difference recently.
Papelbon, Beckett, Sabathia and Sabin all have had very good seasons so far and all their ERA's are under 2.90. Sabathia's 2.61 ERA currently ranks 10th in the NL. The Expos got off to a slow start this season but have pitched a lot better recently as they try to make a run for the NL Wild Card.
Edward Walczak and Joe Kelly have some potential among the Expos' spects, but there isn't much else to discuss beyond that.
14. New York Mets: Carlos Zambrano, Tim Hudson, Raymond Ledezma, Brandon Pray, Elmer Acosta (5.36 combined ERA, 1.504 combined WHIP)
The Mets' rotation consists mostly of veterans past their prime. Carlos Zambrano is the lone bright spot of the group with a respectable 3.14 ERA. Hudson is clearly declining, doesn't last too many innings and has arguably one of the worst contracts in the entire league. Ledezma is a decent pitcher, but his pitching this season has been inconsistent. Pray and Acosta though are both winless and have brought the rotation down that much more. Danchevy has a lot of work to do to get the Mets successful again.
The Mets' farm system doesn't have much to show for. Matt Harrison has not lived up to the hype after being a 1st round pick in 2003.
13. Philadelphia Phillies: Clayton Kershaw, Travis Harper, Madison Bumgarner, Lance Broadway (4.30 combined ERA, 1.348 combined WHIP)
The Phillies have had some young potential for a while, but the results just haven't shown yet. Could the numerous changes in GM's have had an effect over time? Possibly, but hopefully, Jordan will be the one to steer the Phillies back in the right direction. Kershaw hasn't been particularly consistent, but the Phillies also have one of the worst lineups in all of BBSBL, so the lack of run support has certainly been a contributing factor. Bumgarner has been the team's best pitcher so far and has pitched a lot better since May. Harper was the Phillies' big free agent signing and has been doing better recently, but the 35-year old veteran will likely start to decline very soon. Broadway is by far the least familiar face here, but after a disastrous April, he has been a lot better on the mound since May.
Paul Read and Chris Rusin are intriguing pitching prospects for the Phillies and Rusin will likely get called up next season.
12. Colorado Rockies: Kason Gabbard, John Lackey, Joel Piniero, Nate Bump (4.15 combined ERA, 1.403 combined WHIP)
Denver of course is the city where pitchers' numbers take a sharp decline. Nonetheless, this current Rockies' rotation certainly hasn't been the best one I've put together. Gabbard would be a stud pretty much anywhere else, but here, he has a 3.90 ERA. He has become the ace of the staff and with a cheap contract, I'm very happy to have him. Lackey's number ratings declined after his SEI late last season, but he has eaten innings and been somewhat effective. Piniero has been less consistent generally speaking, but has also eaten up quite a few innings himself. There is no guarantee he returns next season, but replacing him could be a bit of a challenge. Bump originally wasn't going to in my rotation, but after the Bacsik trade, he was the best option left. He hasn't been terrible, but certainly hasn't been good either.
There isn't too much pitching talent to look forward to here among prospects. Adam Conley could be solid with a hits TIA, as could Paul Clemens. Britton might have a bit of potential, but probably not. That's pretty much it.
11. Chicago Cubs: Johan Santana, Wade Miley, Chris Sale, Daniel Hudson (4.06 combined ERA, 1.145 combined WHIP)
The great Johan Santana could be on pace to win his second NL Cy Young Award this season.
Johan Santana has simply been one of the very best pitchers we have ever seen here. This season could be one of his best ever. He's already 11-2 with a 1.45 ERA. It will be very interesting to see if he can keep up this pace, but if anyone can, it's Johan. Fellow southpaws Miley and Sale both have tons of potential and are still developing, so with time, their numbers should improve dramatically. Hudson pitched poorly in April, but has been noticeably better since May.
With Play's top spects from before now being in the majors, the one other spect he still has in the minors is Duane Ford. Ford should be up within a season or two at the very most.
10. Cincinnati Reds: Chris George, Herbert Roache, Brett Jodie, Roy Oswalt, Dontrelle Willis (3.98 combined ERA, 1.298 combined WHIP)
Stutter's rotation took a colossal hit this past offseason with the trade of Josh Beckett to the Expos. Chris George is now the leader of this staff and has been pretty good so far. Roache was acquired in a recent trade with the Marlins and hasn't been particularly consistent. Jodie has been very streaky in his last 10 starts. Oswalt was also acquired in a recent trade with the Pirates and has had a good season so far. Willis has been inconsistent and Stutter decided to demote him after the last sim.
Down on the farm, Raymond Pollard could have some potential, or maybe more with a TIA to hits. Wilfredo Sanchez probably won't be the same after the CEI he suffered earlier in the season. Not much else to discuss besides them.
9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Mark Prior, Mike Kusiewicz, Heath Bell, Ian Snell (3.90 combined ERA, 1.183 combined WHIP)
Stevie B has apparently given up on his team and has already traded away some of his best players. He still has Prior though, at least for now. Prior is an absolute stud and has a nice 2.73 ERA thus far. Kusiewicz has been inconsistent this year, as has Snell. Bell has been a bit better, but still not as good as he was in the past three seasons.
Drew Smyly is the one notable pitching prospect the Pirates have right now. It will take him a few seasons of development before being ready for a major league call-up.
8. Los Angeles Dodgers: Ryan Mills, Barry Zito, Bruce Chen, Adam Eaton (3.79 combined ERA, 1.273 combined WHIP)
As Dale keeps trying to get the Dodgers moving in the right direction, this rotation he has is pretty good generally speaking. And this is with Mike Lincoln having been hurt since mid-April. Mills is overpaid and inconsistent and easily Dale's least favorite pitcher. Zito has been ok, but somewhat inconsistent since joining the rotation in mid-May. Chen has been the Dodgers' best pitcher this season with a solid 3.13 ERA so far. Eaton has been decent, despite being quite vulnerable to giving up home runs.
Henderson Alvarez is the one notable SP prospect the Dodgers have and he could possibly get called up next season. However, both of his PD reversals have already been used up.
7. Atlanta Braves: Gerik Baxter, Rocky Biddle, Joe Smith, Matt Harvey (3.71 combined ERA, 1.120 combined WHIP)
What we all thought was going to be one of the best rotations in the league simply hasn't lived up to the hype just yet. Baxter though has been the one pitcher that has pitched very well so far. His 2.18 ERA is currently 6th in the NL. Biddle has been somewhat consistent, but he's on his contract season, so this means HF will likely have a very expensive decision to make between keeping him around or letting him walk. Smith missed a few weeks due to injuries, but has struggled so far. Harvey has been inconsistent and currently leads the NL in most home runs allowed with 23 as his home run ratings still have not been fully developed just yet. Jake McGee should be included here as well, but is currently hurt. He should be back shortly and was doing well prior to the injury.
HF now has Patrick Corbin as a top pitching prospect that could be major league ready in a season. David Hale has some potential as well, especially if he gets a walks TIA and some duration work.
6. St. Louis Cardinals: Harry Samaniego, Kip Wells, Jim Raines, Nate Cornejo, Alex Torres (3.56 combined ERA, 1.140 combined WHIP)
How are the Cardinals this high up? They currently have the third worst record in the NL, but as the stats show, the blame can't really be put on the starting rotation. Samaniego has done well and has continued to be a strikeout machine and is 9th in the NL in strikeouts. He has also been the Cardinals' best pitcher by far with a 2.53 ERA that ranks 9th in the NL. Wells has pitched well himself, but has not always gotten enough run support. Raines struggled to get run support throughout May and his numbers look worse than they should as a result. Like Raines, Cornejo has also pitched well, but the lack of run support has hurt him. The rookie Torres has pitched better each month so far.
Michael Pineda and Sonny Gray could both become promising pitchers for the Cardinals in the future.
5. San Francisco Giants: Francisco Rodriguez, Pat Neshek, Joe Lampman, Brian West (3.12 combined ERA, 1.048 combined WHIP)
Despite trading Rich Harden to the division rival Diamondbacks, the Giants' rotation hasn't missed much of a beat so far this season. Rodriguez's 2.28 ERA currently ranks 7th in the NL. Neshek got off to a blistering start, but hasn't pitched well at all in June. Lampmann got off to a slow start with the Blue Jays, but has done better recently after being traded to the Giants. West has been somewhat consistent, but not particularly dependable from one start to another.
Spencer's farm system has quite a few very good relief spects, but no SP spects that stand out at all.
4. Florida Marlins: Josh Collmenter, Michael Wuertz, Jordan Zimmermann, Tanner Scheppers (3.00 combined ERA, 1.035 combined WHIP)
The team with the best record in all of BBSBL not surprisingly has a great starting rotation. Collmenter has been pretty good this season, but his ERA so far has gone up each month. Wuertz (2.01 ERA; 4th in NL) and Zimmermann (2.16 ERA; 5th in NL) have both been particularly dominant all season. Scheppers recently got inserted into the Marlins' starting rotation to replace Herbert Roache, who was traded to the Reds. He is still developing his home runs and has had an inconsistent start to his major league career thus far.
Ashes also has Jesse Biddle as his most notable SP prospect. Biddle will need a few seasons in the minors to develop more before his eventual major league call-up occurs.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks: Rich Harden, Jim Pittsley, Jake Peavy, Boof Bonser (2.95 combined ERA, 1.020 combined WHIP)
This is easily the best Diamondbacks rotation we have seen here. Harden has pitched very well so far and has a 2.40 ERA that ranks 8th in the NL. Peavy has been even better and his 1.95 ERA ranks 3rd in the NL. Pittsley has been solid, but is aging and declining at this point. Bonser was recently put back into the rotation and has been inconsistent.
Chad Bettis is the only notable SP prospect that Darell currently has. He will need at least a few more seasons to develop in the minors.
2. San Diego Padres: Joseph Jackson, Mike Nannini, Mark Mulder, Hiroki Kuroda (2.80 combined ERA, 1.040 combined WHIP)
Mark Mulder is the most recent BBSBL pitcher to throw a perfect game.
SyC inherited a financial disaster when taking over the Padres, but his starting pitching has been among the best in the NL so far. Jackson continues to be among the elite BBSBL aces with a 1.65 ERA that currently ranks 2nd in the NL. Nannini has been solid all season. Mulder hasn't been particularly consistent, but threw a perfect game in May against the Expos. Kuroda has done very well himself so far. His 2.63 ERA falls just shy of the top 10 in the NL.
There are no significant pitching spects in the Padres' system. Clayton Blackburn and Daniel Fusco will both need TIA's and PD help to ever become relevant.
1. Montreal Expos: Jonathan Papelbon, C.C. Sabathia, Josh Beckett, Leon Sabin (2.75 combined ERA, 1.030 combined WHIP)
The brand new Expos rotation has made quite a difference recently.
Papelbon, Beckett, Sabathia and Sabin all have had very good seasons so far and all their ERA's are under 2.90. Sabathia's 2.61 ERA currently ranks 10th in the NL. The Expos got off to a slow start this season but have pitched a lot better recently as they try to make a run for the NL Wild Card.
Edward Walczak and Joe Kelly have some potential among the Expos' spects, but there isn't much else to discuss beyond that.
