Staggering Stats: 2011 Phillies Rotation Predictions

With the free-agent acquisition of left-hander Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies have certainly made an enormous splash in the sports-news world.

Now is the time for huge baseball geeks, such as myself, to start importing the new statistical data and create our predictions for what this starting rotation, assuming both good health and performing at career averages, will do in 2011.

If no further trades are made between now and the end of the 2011 MLB season including any of the current Philadelphia Phillies' starting pitchers, the quintet's combined career record is a staggering 553 wins versus 335 losses. That's a 60.5% winning percentage.

The group would have a 3.63 ERA and each pitcher would average approximately 202 innings pitched.

Also, all five pitchers career WHIP averaged out to 1.22.

6,139 career strikeout's between the five pitchers divided by their combined 7868 innings pitched averages out to 1.28 strikeout's per 9 innings.

With all five pitchers working concomitantly, one could certainly predict each pitcher—again assuming perfect health—will have better statistics than their average career numbers in 2011, especially if the offense regains its former output from 2008 and 2009.

Also take into consideration Blanton, and especially Lee and Halladay, spent varying periods of time pitching in the more hitter friendly American League and had to face the designated hitter on a daily basis.

It's certainly an exciting time for a Philadelphia Phillie fan.

Spring training can't come soon enough, because us number crunching baseball statistic geeks can't wait for our first samples of these four great pitchers working as a unit.