Ranking Chicago White Sox Starting Pitching Staffs over the Last 8 Seasons

Since Don Cooper was named the pitching coach of the Chicago White Sox in 2003, the White Sox have had some great starting pitching staffs and some not-so-great starting pitching staffs. Regardless of that fact, they led the majors with 704 quality starts between 2003 and 2010. They amassed a 721-638 record during that span and have had some really good individuals pitch some really great seasons.

Here is the ranking of every one of those starting pitching staffs, from the worst to the best.

Enjoy!

8. 2004

W/L/CG/IP- 62/58/8/1008.0

ERA/BAA/QS- 5.17/.279/69

BB/SO- 345/663

The 2004 White Sox starting pitching staff was full of turmoil!

Throughout the entire season, they continuously struggled to find a fifth starter, they made two key midseason additions to their staff and, quite frankly, they pitched really badly.

Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland were the only two starting pitchers to start over 21 games for the White Sox, starting 35 and 33 games respectively. Buehrle actually had a productive year for the South Siders, pitching 245.1 innings, winning 16 games while losing only 10, throwing 23 quality starts and posting a 3.89 ERA.

However, after him, everyone else really struggled. Garland, Esteban Loaiza and Scott Schoeneweis all actually started the season really well, but their production dropped off severely and fairly quick. Loaiza and Schoeneweis were both gone by midseason, replaced by Jose Contreras and Freddy Garcia, who recorded 5.30 and 4.46 ERAs respectively in 29 combined starts.

The White Sox's biggest problem that season was finding a fifth starting pitcher. Seven starters made 25 starts that year, not one of them starting more than eight games. To put into perspective just how bad the combination of these seven pitchers was, the lowest ERA posted by any one of these players in the starts that they made was an awful 6.23 by Jon Rauch.

That was the lowest ERA for seven pitchers who made starts that year! Enough said!

7. 2007

W/L/CG/IP- 53/65/9/1016.0

ERA/BAA/QS- 4.47/.274/88

BB/SO- 287/697

The 2007 White Sox starting pitching staff gave us another solid year from Mark Buehrle, an improved Javier Vazquez and Jon Garland coming off sluggish 2006 seasons, a first look at John Danks and Gavin Floyd and a severely declining Jose Contreras.

Buehrle led the team in ERA, posting a solid 3.63 in 30 starts for the year. Vazquez struck out 213 batters, nearly 100 more than any other pitcher on the team, and won 15 games, five more than than Buehrle, Garland and Contreras.

Danks and Floyd both struggled in their first year with the White Sox, posting 5.50 and 5.27 ERAs respectively with a combined record of 7-18.

Lance Broadway and Nick Masset also made one start each for the White Sox in 2007, both submitting solid outings.  

6. 2006

W/L/CG/IP- 72/52/5/1042.0 

ERA/BAA/QS-4.65/.276/81

BB/SO- 254/675

2006 saw five pitchers start at least 30 games for the White Sox. The four main pitchers (Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia) from the White Sox championship run in 2005 were joined by offseason addition Javier Vazquez to form a very consistent, yet mediocre, rotation.

The ERA for all five starters ranged between 4.27 (Contreras) and 4.99 (Buehrle). They did combine to win a lot of games, led by Garland's 18 and Garcia's 17, but a lot of those wins were thanks in large part to a very prolific offense.

Overall, the White Sox starting staff definitely underachieved, as expectations were high coming off a very dominant postseason run the year before.

Charlie Haeger made one start that year for the White Sox, while Brandon McCarthy made two starts. McCarthy produced two solid outings, allowing four earned runs in 9.1 innings, while Haeger didn't do so good, allowing five earned runs in 4.1 innings. 

5. 2009

W/L/CG/IP- 57/61/4/970.0

ERA/BAA/QS- 4.20/.258/86

BB/SO- 317/684

2009 saw John Danks and Gavin Floyd continue to grow as starting pitchers, Mark Buehrle continue to pitch very consistently, Bartolo Colon and Jose Contreras prove that their age is starting to eclipse their talent, the return of Freddy Garcia and the acquisition of Jake Peavy. Oh yeah, a few up and coming prospects started some games as well.

To say the least, it was a busy year for White Sox management in regards to finding a consistent fourth and fifth starter.

Danks, Floyd and Buehrle all had very solid seasons for the White Sox. Each of them started at least 30 games, won at least 11 of those games and their ERAs ranged between 3.77 and 4.06.

Contreras and Colon started the season as the fourth and fifth starters for this team. Colon lasted 12 starts, posting a satisfactory 4.19 ERA, before injuries and other personal matters ended his season with the White Sox. Contreras lasted 21 starts for the White Sox, but he was a shell of his former self, posting a 5.42 ERA and winning only five games while losing 13. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies midseason.

Garcia's return to the White Sox softened the blow of the losses of Contreras and Colon. He ended the season with the team, winning three games and posting a 4.34 ERA.

Clayton Richard was mediocre for the White Sox as a replacement for Bartolo Colon, and was traded midseason, along with three others, for Jake Peavy. Peavy's injuries limited him to only making three starts during the end of the season, but he did impress to say the least, winning all three games and posting a 1.35 ERA.

Other pitchers who made starts for the White Sox during the 2009 season were Daniel Hudson (two starts), who was very solid, DJ Carrasco (one start) and Carlos Torres (five starts), both who struggled in the starts that they made.

4. 2010

W/L/CG/IP- 64/54/6/1004.2

ERA/BAA/QS- 4.26/.268/94

BB/SO- 304/705

John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Mark Buehrle provided the 2010 White Sox with three more solid seasons as starters. They started at least 31 games each, won 15, 10 and 13 games respectively while posting 3.72, 4.08 and 4.28 ERAs respectively. 

Freddy Garcia was a pleasant surprise for the 2010 White Sox, just like he was in 2009. He made 28 starts, winning 12 of them compared to only six losses, and posted a 4.64 ERA, very effective for a fifth starter.

Jake Peavy struggled a bit to start the season, but was really starting to pick it up before getting injured after starting just 17 games. Although he had accumulated a  4.63 ERA by the time he got hurt throughout the entire season, in five starts in June, he pitched 36.0 innings in five starts and amassed a very impressive 1.75 ERA.

To replace Peavy, Kenny Williams acquired Edwin Jackson before the trade deadline. Jackson did his best to impress the White Sox organization and the fans, posting a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts and striking out 77 batters while only walking 18.

Other pitchers who made starts for the White Sox were Daniel Hudson, Tony Pena, Lucas Harrell and Carlos Torres. Hudson, Pena and Harrell made three starts each, while Torres started one game. None of them did a good job convincing the White Sox that they are solid starting pitchers, posting 6.32, 6.16, 6.28 and 7.50 ERAs respectively. 

3. 2003

W/L/CG/IP- 65/60/12/1013.0

ERA/BAA/QS- 4.18/.259/98

BB/SO- 333/681

Prior to the 2003 season, the White Sox acquired starting pitcher Bartolo Colon in a trade with the Montreal Expos. A few weeks later, they signed Esteban Loaiza to a minor league contract. Both moves would turn out to be great deals for the White Sox, as they were both very important to the success of the White Sox throughout that season.

Loaiza had himself probably the best season in his career. He started 34 games, 27 of them were quality starts, won 21 of the 34 games that he started and posted a 2.90 ERA while striking out 207 batters, in comparison to only 56 walks.

Although Colon didn't pitch as well as Loaiza, he had himself a good season as well. He won 15 of the 34 starts that he made, and posted a 3.87 ERA, good for second highest out of any of the White Sox starters during that season.

Buehrle and Garland continued their consistent play from the year before. They both started at least 32 games, Buehrle started 34 and Garland started 32, and won 14 and 12 games respectively. Buehrle finished the season with a 4.14 ERA while Garland's season ended with a 4.51 ERA. 

Dan Wright started 15 games for the White Sox, and did absolutely nothing to impress them. He didn't win one game but managed to lose seven. In 69.2 innings, he walked 41 batters, an awfully high amount. His ERA was just as bad, if not worse. It stood at 6.85 for Dan Wright as a starter when the White Sox season ended.

Other players to make starts were Josh Stewart (five games), Mike Porzio (three games) and Neal Cotts (four games). All of them wee pretty awful for the White Sox, posting 5.96, 6.43 and 8.10 ERAs respectively.

2. 2008

W/L/CG/IP- 66/56/4/998.1

ERA/BAA/QS- 4.09/.263/93

BB/SO- 291/745

2008 saw John Dank's breakout year for the White Sox, Gavin Floyd finish his first full season as a starter, Mark Buehrle pitch yet another consistent season for the White Sox, Jose Contreras struggle and eventually hurt himself and Javier Vazquez pitch his way out of the South Side of Chicago.

Danks, Buehrle and Floyd all posted ERAs under 4.00 in 2008. Danks probably had his best season as a White Sox pitcher in 2008, picking up 12 wins and posting a 3.32 ERA. Floyd and Buehrle tried their best to match Danks' season, even winning more games than he did. Floyd went 17-8 that season, while Buehrle won 15 games of his own. Their ERAs were nearly identical, as Buehrle posted a 3.79 ERA and Floyd posted a 3.84 ERA.

Contreras was having himself a mediocre season, winning seven games and losing six with an ERA of 4.54 in 20 starts, before his season abruptly ended due to an injury. He was replaced by Clayton Richard, who made eight starts. Those starts were less than impressive, as he posted a 6.35 ERA in just 39.2 innings.

Vazquez did make 33 starts in 2008, but his 12-16 record was less than stunning. He did strike out 200 batters, but his ERA of 4.67 was not as astounding as White Sox fans had hoped. This was Vazquez's last season for the White Sox.

Nick Masset and Lance Broadway both made a single start for the White Sox in 2008 too. Broadway had a solid outing, allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings, and picked up the win. Nick Masset's starts was a little less impressive, as he allowed three earned runs in just four innings. However, he did strike out five batters.

1. 2005

W/L/CG/IP- 75/44/9/1074.0

ERA/BAA/QS- 3.75/.255/95

BB/SO- 284/690

Did you really think it would be another rotation? The 2005 White Sox starting rotation was nothing short of impressive, especially the core of Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia.

The four of them started at least 32 games each and every one of them pitched at least 204.2 innings. Buehrle finished the season with a 16-8 record, posting a 3.12 ERA. Garland finished with an 18-10 record and held a 3.50 ERA by the end of the regular season. Jose Contreras was nearly as good, finishing the season with a 15-7 record and a 3.61 ERA. Finally, Freddy Garcia won 14 games, compared to eight losses, and posted a 3.87 ERA in 2005.

Orlando Hernandez started out the season really well, posting a 2.70 ERA in the month of April while winning three of his five starts, but cooled off as the season progressed. He did manage to win nine games in 22 starts before going down with an injury. His ERA did not impress anyone, as it stood at 5.24 when he got hurt. 

His replacement, Brandon McCarthy, did his best to fill the fifth starter void left behind by Orlando Hernandez. In 10 starts, he posted a 4.17 ERA and picked up three victories. Not too bad for a replacement, fifth starter.

Just to prove how great this rotation was, lets take a look at what the four core starters did in the postseason. In the combined 12 starts that they made, they combined to win nine games, while losing only one, and posted an extraordinary 2.84 ERA.

That's simply insane! 

Where Does the 2011 Starting Pitching Staff Rank?

W/L/CG/IP- 17/21/2/320.0

ERA/BAA/QS- 3.83/.257/28

BB/SO- 91/222

(Stats through MAY 23, 2011)

So far this season, the White Sox starting pitching staff has been very impressive. The core of Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Edwin Jackson has been very solid, all starting at least nine games, have pitched anywhere between 60.1 and 66.2 innings and hold ERAs anywhere between 3.88 and 4.34. None of them have stood out, but all four of them have been very solid.

The real surprise for the White Sox has been their fifth starter, Phil Humber. He has made eight starts for the White Sox so far, has pitched 50.1 innings and holds a very impressive ERA of 2.86.

Since Jake Peavy's return from injury, the White Sox have used a six-man rotation because they simply don't know who to send down to the bullpen. Peavy has done his best to make sure he stays a part of that rotation in the two starts that he has made, posting a 2.40 ERA in 15.0 innings pitched, including a complete game shutout.

So where would this rotation rank so far on this list? Let the debating begin?