National League West: Ranking the 10 Best Starting Pitchers

We are heading into the third month of the Major League Baseball season, and it is time to begin ranking the best players at each position in the NL West.

There have been some surprises with some starting pitchers not performing as well as people projected, and some teams are riding the wave of surprise pitchers who have posted All-Star worthy lines.

Here are the 10 best starting pitchers this season from the NL West.

1. Clayton Kershaw

Clayton Kershaw had one of the best seasons a starting pitcher can have in 2011. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace, who brought home the Cy Young that year, has got off to a hot start in his 2012 season.

Kershaw has started 11 games, winning four of them. Although he has dropped three losses already (lost five all of last year), Kershaw is still the most dominate pitcher in the NL West.

With a 2.42 ERA and 64 strikeouts on the year already, don’t be surprised if you see Kershaw’s name in the Cy Young discussion come September.

2. Matt Cain

The San Francisco Giants broke the bank for Matt Cain recently, and he hasn’t disappointed. 

Cain has struck out 73 batters this year and has won six of his 11 starts. With only two losses, Cain is keeping the Giants in the NL West hunt behind Kershaw and the Dodgers. In Cain’s last start, he pitched eight innings allowing one earned run on just five hits and struck out seven.

The Giants hope they can ride this kind of performance every time Cain takes the mound.

3. Chris Capuano

One of the biggest surprises of the year is Dodger starter Chris Capuano. The lefty has posted an incredible stat line through the first three months of the season.

In 2005 Capuano won 18 games for the Brewers. Besides that, he has not had any exceptional years.

But this year he has a 2.50 ERA and a 7-2 record in the 11 games that he has started.  

With Kershaw, Capuano and Aaron Harang, the Dodgers have one of the strongest pitching staffs in baseball.

4. Madison Bumgarner

The San Francisco Giants get their second pitcher on this list at No. 4, and his name is not Tim. The starting pitcher who has 3.04 ERA and a 6-4 record is actually Madison Bumgarner.

Bumgarner has had a successful season so far and has picked up added pressure with Tim Lincecum not performing at his normal level. Bumgarner has struck out 58 batters this year, and while he does not have over powering stuff, he hits his spots and really makes batters work for hits.

5. Wade Miley

Wade Miley enters the list at No. 5 and is the first Diamondbacks pitcher to find himself as one of the best starting pitchers in the NL West.

Miley has had a very strong start to his 2012 season. He is leading the Diamondbacks with a 2.72 ERA and a 6-2 record. He has carried the Diamondback staff so far this year.

Miley is a young arm who is entering just his second full season in the big leagues. If the rest of the Diamondback staff can perform as well as hoped, their rotation would set up nicely.

6. Ryan Vogelsong

Ryan Vogelsong is the third Giants pitcher to make the list. He has had a great season for the second-place Giants and has done an excellent job aiding Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner as Tim Lincecum’s struggles continue.

Volgelsong has an impressive 2.36 ERA and a 3-2 record. 46 strikeouts and 1.23 WHIP have all put an exclamation point on his sensational start to 2012.

7. Joe Saunders

Joe Saunders makes an appearance at No. 7 and is the second Diamondback pitcher to be recognized as a top-10 NL West starter.

Saunders is second on the team in ERA (3.61) and holds a 3-3 record on the year. With Miley and Saunders having strong years and if the Diamondbacks can get Ian Kennedy to lower his ERA, the team will have a great rotation.

8. Edinson Volquez

The poor Padres. San Diego has been dealt with numerous injuries this year that have taken away two of their starting pitchers. Cory Luebke, who recently had Tommy John surgery, was a lock to make this list before his injury.

With all the injuries, Edinson Volquez is having a solid year for the Friars. He doesn’t have a lot of wins, but the Padres give him terrible run support. He has struck out 60 batters on the year and has a team-leading 3.42 ERA.

He has been the only strong pitcher in the Padres’ rotation to get off to a healthy and decent start in 2012.

9. Aaron Harang

Speaking of the Padres, former Padre and current Dodger Aaron Harang finds himself at No. 9.

Harang has had a solid year: he currently has a 4-3 record and a 3.90 ERA. He complements Kershaw and Capuano extremely well, and the performance of the three have been essential to the Dodgers success.

10. Trevor Cahill

Trevor Cahill rounds out the list at No. 10. The third member of the Diamondback staff to make the list has a current ERA of 3.45 and has a record of 3-5.

He has started a team-leading 11 games and has struck out 47 batters on the year. He boasts the lowest WHIP (1.28) of any member of the Diamondbacks rotation.

Cahill, who is new to the National League, should have a much better rest of the season once he begins to feel more comfortable in the NL.