MLB Preview 2011: Does AL West Have the Strongest Starting Rotations?
Many pundits and experts dubbed the 2010 MLB season as The Year of the Pitcher (although, according to Evan Longoria’s recent TV commercial, he takes issue with that statement).
That argument certainly had credence, as many statistics bear out that very statement. The 2010 season was clearly an arms race.
For instance, teams on average hit the fewest home runs per game since 1993, pitchers averaged seven strikeouts per game, an all-time high, and teams on average scored the fewest runs per game since 1992. Each of these numbers is startling and pitching has clearly taken a step forward.
In the AL West, it has been even more magnified. Despite Felix Hernandez winning only 13 games, he was still selected as the American League Cy Young Award winner. For the second year in a row he led all starters in hits-per-nine-innings ratio. All this on a Seattle Mariners team that scored the fewest runs ever by an American League team during the designated hitter era (1973-present).
However, King Felix had some company in the AL West. Each staff saw tremendous performances from starting pitching, and as the 2011 season approaches, the AL West certainly makes a case for boasting the strongest starting pitching of any division in MLB.
While much has been written about the Philadelphia Phillies and their strong starting four (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels), the NL East as a whole doesn’t match up.
We will break down the starting rotation for each team in the AL West and let you make the determination as to whether or not the AL West does indeed have the strongest starting rotations of any division in Major League Baseball.
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1. Seattle Mariners: Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, Doug Fister, Erik Bedard
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Obviously, right-handed pitcher Felix Hernandez is the unquestioned ace of this staff, coming off his Cy Young Award-winning performance last year and a runner-up finish the year before.
While Jason Vargas posted a 9-12 record, it came with an impressive 3.78 earned run average while constantly working from behind in many of his starts. Vargas posted fewer hits (187) than innings (192.2) and featured a WHIP of 1.251, meaning he was able to limit the damage when in trouble.
Fister also posted a less-than-impressive record at 6-14 but a respectable 4.11 ERA. His WHIP was also an indication that he can work out of bad innings (1.281), and both Vargas and Fister will benefit from a valuable year of experience at the major league level.
The wild card in the Mariners rotation is Erik Bedard. Bedard has yet to throw for a full season since joining the Mariners, missing out on the entire 2010 season.
No one questions the potential of Bedard or his electric stuff. Bedard bedazzled hitters in 2007, leading the league in hits-per-nine-innings and finishing fifth in the Cy Young balloting.
Bedard was impressive in his spring debut for the Mariners, striking out two in a perfect inning of work on Sunday, and manager Eric Wedge was thrilled with what he saw.
"He was free and easy and threw the ball the way he wanted to throw it," Wedge told MLB.com. "I don't think you could ask for a better start for Erik. That was real nice."
This is a great sign for both Bedard and the Mariners, and while their offense may be suspect once again, with a healthy Bedard in the rotation, the Mariners will make life interesting in the AL West.
2. Oakland Athletics: Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez
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The Oakland Athletics featured the best earned run average in the American League last year, and their starting rotation had a lot to do with their success.
Trevor Cahill absolutely shined and emerged as an All-Star. In just his second full season at the age of 22, Cahill was 18-8 with a 2.97 earned run average, allowing just 155 hits over 196.2 innings, a ratio of 7.1, good for second in the AL.
Cahill also posted a WHIP of 1.108. While he is not a pure strikeout pitcher, Cahill has the ability to be a shutdown pitcher with a great array of offerings, using his signature knuckle-curve as his out pitch.
Brett Anderson is another young gun who showed vast improvement in 2010 with a 7-6 record and a 2.80 earned run average in 19 starts. With the ability to throw four pitches for strikes, Anderson can establish command early and keep hitters off balance.
While many remember Dallas Braden as becoming the 19th player in Major League Baseball to throw a perfect game on May 9 last year, Braden also threw five complete games along with two shutouts. Braden doesn’t possess an exciting array of pitches and won’t blow you away with an overpowering fastball. However, his heart and guts are clearly evident, and he has an innate ability to work out of jams.
Gio Gonzalez also had a breakout year in 2010 with a 15-9 record and 3.23 earned run average. Gonzalez struck out 171 batters in 200.2 innings, and the young left-hander possesses a mid-90s fastball along with a devastating 12-6 curveball. Gonzalez does have a propensity to walk hitters, but at 25 years of age he will only continue to develop sharper command.
The starting front four, along with closer Andrew Bailey and the additions of Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour, truly make the A’s pitching staff among the best in all of baseball.
3. Texas Rangers: C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Brandon Webb, Tommy Hunter
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While the Texas Rangers were unable to reacquire the services of Cliff Lee or acquire Zack Greinke, they still possess a starting rotation that has great potential along with depth.
C.J. Wilson emerged from the bullpen to become a force in the starting rotation last season for the Rangers. In his first full season as starter, Wilson put together very impressive numbers with a record of 15-8, an earned run average of 3.35 and a 1.245 WHIP.
Wilson tied for second in the AL with just 7.1 hits per nine innings and he was equally impressive during the postseason, throwing six innings against the San Francisco Giants in Game 2 of the World Series, allowing just three hits and two runs while being out-dueled by Giants pitcher Matt Cain.
Colby Lewis also put up nice numbers in 2010 with a 3.72 earned run average and 196 strikeouts in 201 innings. Lewis had the best WHIP on the staff other than anyone named Cliff Lee and he was a lockdown pitcher during the playoffs with a 3-0 record and 1.71 ERA.
Brandon Webb could be the key to the Rangers’ success in 2011. Webb, who has not pitched in the majors since April 2009, has been throwing free and easy in camp for the Rangers. After his most recent bullpen session, during which he threw 26 pitches, Webb said: “It was good...felt really good...didn’t want to stop, so that was good.”
A former Cy Young winner, Webb’s ability to come all the way back from the arm troubles of the last two years will be a major piece of the puzzle for the Texas Rangers in 2011.
Right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter showed clear promise in 2010 with a 13-4 record, a 3.73 earned run average and just 33 walks allowed in 128 innings. Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux has gone on record as saying that Hunter has a “bulldog mentality” when it comes to mound presence.
Last year’s closer, Neftali Feliz, is also being given the opportunity to stretch out this spring and become a starter, much like C.J. Wilson last season. Maddux said that Feliz has the stuff to be a dominant front-line starter but needs to develop the consistency.
While there may be no clear-cut ace on the staff, the Rangers have an array of arms that can be very formidable in their quest to repeat as American League champions.
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4. Los Angeles Angels: Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Joel Pineiro
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Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver continues to show efficiency and consistency. In 2010, despite a record of 13-12 behind an anemic Angels offense that produced 202 fewer runs than the previous season, Weaver posted an earned run average of 3.01, led the AL in strikeouts with 233 and posted a WHIP of 1.074.
Weaver’s strikeout-to-walk ratio was an incredible 4.31, by far the best of his career, and his 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings was also the best rate of his career.
Angels fans will be wondering what Dan Haren can do with a full season in a Los Angeles Angels uniform. Haren, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks before the trade deadline last year, was 5-4 for the Angels in 14 starts with an earned run average of 2.87, a vast improvement over his ERA of 4.60 with the D-Backs.
Haren was an All-Star for three consecutive seasons with the Diamondbacks and promises to be a more-than-reliable option behind Weaver.
Ervin Santana had his second best season in 2010 with a record of 17-10 and an ERA of 3.92. Entering the prime of his career at the age of 28, Santana is learning to be a pitcher rather than a thrower, and he is also working on a split-fingered fastball this spring to increase his groundball rate.
Joel Pineiro was a nice addition to the Angels pitching staff in 2010, posting a 10-7 record and an earned run average of 3.84. Pineiro won’t dazzle anyone with his stuff, but he consistently gives solid performances and keeps his team in games.
Scott Kazmir could very well be the key to the success of the Angels in 2011. After the worst season of his career during which he was 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA, Kazmir seemingly lost the ability to throw his slider and his fastball was a good four or five MPH slower than previous seasons.
During the offseason, the Angels implored Kazmir to change his offseason conditioning program in order to work on arm strength and increase flexibility. If Kazmir can work out the issues and get back to the pitcher he was in 2006-2008, when he was considered one of the top left-handed pitchers in the American League, then the Angels would arguably boast the best starting rotation in the AL.
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