Hidden Aces: Power Ranking the 20 Best No. 2 Pitchers in MLB
It's almost that time of the year again.
Soon we'll be serenaded with the sounds of lawnmowers cutting green grass, the pop of the ball hitting a glove, the crack of the bat and the meshing of cleats to freshly-patterned dirt.
Yes, it's almost baseball season.
Sorry to go all Ken Burns on everyone, but pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. And from there it won't be long until the pomp and circumstance and general hope that springs eternal on Opening Day.
So, with that in mind, it's time to start looking ahead to 2011 and at the guys no one can win without, the stars that create a dangerous combination and the ocassionally unsung heroes.
Here are the top 20 No. 2 starters in baseball.*
*Unless otherwise noted, the listed pitchers were designated the No. 2 starter on each team's depth chart as of this posting.
20. Daniel Hudson, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Hudson had limited exposure for the Diamondbacks last season but was impressive, going 8-3 with a 2.45 ERA. He's a young starter with potential. Despite Zach Duke's presence on the roster, he will have the ability to get a lot of starts with the big club.
19. Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
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Volquez is struggling to put up the gaudy numbers he did when he first arrived in Cincinnati back in 2008 (17 wins), but his health has been a big part of that. If he can stay healthy, he has the stuff to get back there and he has time on his side.
18. Brett Myers, Houston Astros
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Myers has always been up and down during his career, struggling to live up to high expectations. But he had one of his best seasons as a pro last season and he still has that sneaky fast fastball. The Astros will need him to pitch well again this season to have a chance.
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17. Carl Pavano, Minnesota Twins
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As of this posting, the Twins' website had Scott Baker listed as their No. 2 starter on the depth chart. However, with his signing probable, Pavano jumps into this spot. He was very good for the Twins and, while not a stud, he's serviceable and the Twins always seem to make do.
16. Gavin Floyd, Chicago White Sox
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There are a couple of teams where another pitcher could easily fit here (i.e. John Danks), but Floyd was listed in this spot and he's a good choice. The pitcher the White Sox received from Philadelphia for one start from Freddy Garcia has become a pretty good player in Chicago. So good, in fact, that he may be the eventual replacement for Mark Buehrle.
15. Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves
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Lowe is getting older and won't be around much longer. But he's still an effective pitcher in that deceptively good Atlanta rotation. When his signature sinker drops off the table like it did in his prime, he is still pretty close to unhittable.
14. Colby Lewis, Texas Rangers
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Lewis returned from Japan to have one of his finest seasons as a pro, posting career highs in wins and starts while having an ERA (3.72) that was almost two runs lower than his career ERA (5.27). He had a fine season and a great playoff run but, like a couple of other pitchers on this list, will have to prove himself before he moves up higher.
13. Brandon Morrow, Toronto Blue Jays
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Morrow is another pitcher who didn't have a great year, although he did have a career high in wins. As a Blue Jay, he seemed to find himself more as a starter than he had as a top prospect in Seattle alternating between a starter and a reliever. He had some nice moments last year and will have to have more consistency with Shaun Marcum gone.
12. Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers
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Scherzer was a great find for the Tigers, posting 12 wins, a 3.50 ERA and a career high in innings while fellow young pitcher Rick Porcello struggled in his sophomore year. Scherzer will have more pressure on him this year, but I don't see him struggling the way Porcello did in 2010 because Scherzer is older and more refined.
11. Brett Anderson, Oakland Athletics
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You know, it's absolutely amazing how Billy Beane and Oakland can develop young pitchers like few others in the game. It really is remarkable and Anderson looks like yet another stud out of the Athletics' system. He only had 19 starts for the Athletics, but a 2.80 ERA and a 7-6 record is nothing to sneeze at.
10. Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers
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The Dodgers had somewhat of a down year, but very quietly Billingsley put up another 12-win season with a 3.57 ERA. He almost goes unnoticed many times, but the Dodgers have a nice little one-two punch set up for the future with Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw.
9. Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets
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Pelfrey has been saddled with the expectations of being one of the Mets' best prospects. Although he had struggled in his time with the big club in his first couple of years, the right hander finally started to reach his potential last season, with 15 wins and a 3.66 ERA. He would be the Mets' No. 2 starter, but with Johan Santana injured, he's already been named the Opening Day starter.
8. Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers
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Gallardo is a young pitcher who's put up decent numbers as a top-of-the-rotation guy the last couple of seasons. Look for him to now fit better into the No. 2 spot with a true ace at No. 1 (Zach Greinke) and a solid No. 3 behind him (Shaun Marcum). Although, I wouldn't be surprised to see Marcum slide into the second spot either.
7. Dan Haren, Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim
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Haren struggled with a bad Arizona team for most of 2010 but rebounded well with the Angels, going 5-4 with a sub-three ERA. The Angels will need Haren to be that good—getting back to his career averages of 14 wins and 219 innings a year—if they are going to be successful.
6. Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs
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Garza had an up-and-down year, but showed glimpses of the pitcher who was a big part of a very good Rays rotation. Of course, he did that in a relatively low-pressure situation in terms of expectations (despite being part of the best three-year stretch in the history of the franchise). Let's see how he does in the spotlight and sunshine of Wrigley Field.
5. James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays
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The man they call "Big Game" James will now have to carry the Rays' rotation along with young stud David Price. The right hander's ERA has gone up each of the last two years, but he'll need to get back to 2008 form to be a help for Tampa Bay. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jeff Niemann or Wade Davis take this spot either.
4. Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox
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Lester had arguably the best season of his young career last year, and he seems to be getting better and better every year. He's listed as the No. 2 starter behind fireballer Josh Beckett, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Lester named the Opening Day starter.
3. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
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Wainwright has gone from emergency closer for a World Series Champion to the No. 2 starter on a very good Cardinals team. He could very well replace Chris Carpenter as the No. 1 starter soon. Wainwright has electric stuff and a good fastball, and he quietly put up a fantastic season last year.
2. Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants
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Cain has always seemed to go unnoticed in San Francisco, whether it be because of a lack of run support or the emergence of Tim Lincecum. Nonetheless, Cain has quietly put up strong seasons for the Giants and perhaps the baseball world started to realize his worth to the Giants in 2010. His performance in Game 3 of the NLCS was a thing of beauty.
1. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies
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Who else would it be?
The man that made the baseball world stand still this offseason and had teams falling over themselves to sign him. The pitcher who's proven to be Yankee kryptonite and one of the more dominant pitchers of the last two or three seasons. He could've gone to New York or Texas and been the star. He instead went back to Philly and became another ace in a quartet of them.
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