MLB Power Rankings: Who Are the Top 10 Starting Pitchers in the NL East?

The National League East has become much more powerful and balanced over the past year due to acquisitions and the maturation of highly touted prospects.

With a few solid drafts and shrewd moves the Washington Nationals are no longer the laughingstock of the division.

The Miami Marlins will have possibly the most balanced staff with the acquisition of the durable and competitive Mark Buehrle, as well as the volatile but suddenly motivated Carlos Zambrano.

The Atlanta Braves will have the youngest rotation, but they are certainly not lacking on quality arms despite their deplorable September swoon.

The Philadelphia Phillies still have their embarrassment-of-riches staff topped with three arms that would be the aces on nearly every club.

The New York Mets feature the biggest question mark of a rotation, but the biggest upside pending full health from all of their arms.

The ranking will be based on past performance, age and future predictors of performance.

1. Roy Halladay

Since the 2002 season, Harry Leroy Halladay has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He has averaged 17 wins per season against only eight losses, while recording a 2.97 ERA.

The peripherals are phenomenal. A 4.5 K/BB ratio while limiting batters to 0.7 HR per nine innings. That is good for a 149 ERA+. It doesn't get much more dominating than that over a 10-year period.

If age was initially a concern, Halladay put that to rest by increasing his strikeout ratio and averaging 7.3 innings per start.

Halladay features a fastball which can top at 94 mph, but he is truly adept at using his full arsenal of pitches that cut, dip, sink, slide, drop, loop and pretty much any other movement you can think of.

Even at 34 years old, Doc Halladay is the class of the NL East.

2. Stephen Strasburg

He has only appeared in 18 games since his much-ballyhooed debut in the big leagues on June 8th, 2010. Strasburg may be a dominant force, but he still has room for improvement.

Strasburg has displayed incredible command to go along with his almost-mythical arsenal of devastating pitches.

In his young career, he has a WHIP just shy of 1.00 to go along with a 2.45 ERA, less than 7 H/9, 0.5 HR/9, and an other-worldly 6.05 K/BB ratio.

That is almost '99 Pedro levels. Keep in mind he began the season at 24 years old. This guy is about to become untouchable—if he's not already.

3. Cliff Lee

Cliff Lee may be overshadowed by his own teammate, but that does not take away from his masterful ability.

The unflappable lefty has maintained his workhorse inning totals (232.2 in 2011) while increasing his strikeout numbers each year since 2006. He has also refined his control which has enabled him to complete games with relatively low pitch counts.

Lee is also one of the most accomplished and feared postseason pitchers in history, winning his first seven decisions, second to Orlando Hernandez.

Lee may not be the No. 1 pitcher on the Phillies, but he would probably be the ace on nearly every other team.

4. Josh Johnson

This 6'7" native of Minnesota is the X-factor for the Miami Marlins season. They will be relying on their ace to provide quantity to go along with quality, which has been elusive in his career.

Johnson has only surpassed 200 innings once in his career, in 2009.

The big righty has been incredibly tough to hit, averaging 8.0 H/9 to go along with 8.3 K/9 in a career that has spanned 730 innings. His fastball/slider combination has been death on the National League considering his deception and command.

Johnson will need to accumulate more than 200 innings this season to go along with his usual statistics if the Marlins have a chance to compete.

5. Johan Santana

The two-time Cy Young winner can be a difference-maker in the division if he is at full strength. That's a big "if," however, considered he has has procedures performed on his elbow, shoulder and meniscus since he joined the Mets in 2008.

There are not many pitchers that bring the intensity and competitiveness that Santana has every time out. He is the type of pitcher that finds ways to win even when he does not have the vintage command or downward action on his off-speed pitches.

While his velocity has dropped from the 92-95 to 87-90 range following his various surgeries, Santana simply finds ways to get hitters out.

His changeup command is superb, and he mixes his slider in enough to give hitters a different look. He has gradually used the slider less over the years, while it previously was on par with the usage of his circle change.

6. Cole Hamels

While Hamels may be the third starter for the Philadelphia Phillies, he already has a World Series MVP to his name while he was the ace of the staff.

Hamels, a free agent to be, will be pitching with a large contract in mind. He is entering his age-28 season, so his best seasons still may be ahead of him.

He had arguably his finest season in 2011, finishing with a 14-9 record, 2.79 ERA, .98 WHIP and 4.41 K/BB ratio.

The lefty from San Diego features one of the league's premier fastball/changeup combination to go along with an occasional breaking ball.

He has just as solid  a chance at moving up this list next season as he does not cracking the list at all, since he may leave Philadelphia if a team makes a Santana-type offer to him.

7. Mark Buehrle

Mark Buehrle has been an underrated pitcher through out his entire 13-year career in the American League. He has averaged 14 wins, 11 losses, a 3.82 ERA and was named an All-Star four times.

He has gained much more attention since his two no-hitters (one a perfect game, and his massive free-agent deal with the Miami Marlins.

He will be the No. 2 starter, assuming that Johnson stays healthy for the whole season.

His biggest attributes are his remarkable durability (11 consecutive seasons of 200+ innings), and his big-game acumen.

Manager Ozzie Guillen has full faith that his lefty will transition his fantastic career into the National League and help win many games for the new-look Marlins.

8. Tim Hudson

Even at 36, Tim Hudson has not shown signs of slowing down. Despite beginning the season on the DL, he will come back after being activated and will immediately bolster the Braves rotation.

In 2011, he had another strong campaign with a 16-10 record and 3.22 ERA. His terrific sinker has enabled him to maintain his HR/9 below 1.0 in 12 of his 13 seasons.

Hudson, the most accomplished of Oakland's "Big Three," has maintained his effectiveness as he's aged. He is a free agent at the end of the season and Atlanta may move in another direction due to their minor league pitching depth.

9. Tommy Hanson

Hanson is coming off an injury-shortened 2011 season, but he is expected to return to full strength.

The big righty has dominated National League hitters since entering the league. He has allowed 7.7 H/9, 0.8 HR/9 and 8.4 K/9.

His arsenal of plus-fastball, developing curveball, changeup and hellacious slider make him one of the most feared pitchers in the league.

He is still only 25 years old, despite being the co-ace along with Hudson. This season he will most likely show even more improvement, and his peripherals suggest he is for real.

10. Carlos Zambrano

"Big Z" basically dug his own grave in Chicago through his bad behavior. Now, he is playing for his biggest fan, and he is more motivated than ever.

Zambrano gets the nod for the No. 10 spot over Gio Gonzalez and Jair Jurrjens due to his past performance and his advantage in ERA+.

Although his hits and home run rates are acceptable, his command must improve. He has never had a season with a K/BB ratio higher than 2.35.

Zambrano must overcome his dreadful 2011 season, but if he performs as good as he claims he feels, than that should not be a problem.