NL Focus: Ranking the rotations

Posted: January 8, 2008

1. Diamondbacks: RHP Brandon Webb, RHP Dan Haren, LHP Doug Davis, LHP Randy Johnson, RHP Micah Owings.

Haren joins Webb to form a potent 1-2 punch. Both get a lot of ground balls and are good for 215-plus innings. If Johnson, 44, returns strong after back surgery, the rotation should be dominant.

2. Padres: RHP Jake Peavy, RHP Chris Young, RHP Greg Maddux, LHP Randy Wolf, RHP Clay Hensley.

Young (.192 opponents' batting average) was the N.L.'s hardest starter to hit for a second straight season. Wolf has not pitched more than 140 innings since 2003.

3. Dodgers: RHP Brad Penny, RHP Derek Lowe, RHP Hiroki Kuroda, RHP Chad Billingsley, RHP Jason Schmidt.

Kuroda was a workhorse in Japan. Penny ranked third in the N.L. with a 3.03 ERA last season. Schmidt won once in six starts last season before undergoing shoulder surgery.

4. Cubs: RHP Carlos Zambrano, LHP Ted Lilly, LHP Rich Hill, RHP Jason Marquis, RHP Ryan Dempster.

Lilly, coming off his best season, and Hill give the team two tough lefties to follow Zambrano. Dempster goes from closing to starting, a role in which he has had modest success.

5 Giants: RHP Matt Cain, LHP Barry Zito, LHP Noah Lowry, RHP Tim Lincecum, RHP Kevin Correia.

Cain was just 7-16 last season but ranked 10th in the N.L. in ERA and fifth in opponents' batting average. N.L. hitters laid off Zito's curveball.

6. Rockies: LHP Jeff Francis, RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP Aaron Cook, RHP Jason Hirsh, RHP Kip Wells.

Francis went 16-5 after May 2. Jimenez's pitches range from a 99-mph fastball to a 72-mph changeup. Cook's superb sinker hasn't resulted in a lot of wins

7. Brewers: RHP Ben Sheets, RHP Jeff Suppan, RHP Yovani Gallardo, LHP Chris Capuano, RHP Carlos Villanueva.

Sheets made only five starts after July 15. Gallardo showed remarkable poise for a 21-yearold, going 4-1 with a 1.58 ERA in his last six starts.

8. Braves: RHP John Smoltz, RHP Tim Hudson, LHP Tom Glavine, LHP Chuck James, LHP Mike Hampton.

Smoltz is 44-24 since returning from the bullpen in 2005. Hudson is coming off his best season in the N.L. Glavine went 28-15 in his last two seasons with the Mets.

9. Mets: RHP Pedro Martinez, RHP John Maine, LHP Oliver Perez, RHP Orlando Hernandez, RHP Mike Pelfrey.

Martinez and Hernandez are nearing the end. Maine and Pelfrey are still learning. Perez can be very good or very bad. His frequent walks lull fielders to sleep

10. Phillies: LHP Cole Hamels, RHP Brett Myers, LHP Jamie Moyer, RHP Kyle Kendrick, RHP Adam Eaton.

Hamels, a changeup master, is close to becoming a true ace . Myers returns to the rotation after a short run at closer. As a rookie, Kendrick showed a knack for pitching out of trouble.

11. Pirates: LHP Tom Gorzelanny, RHP Ian Snell, LHP Paul Maholm, LHP Zach Duke, RHP Matt Morris.

New pitching coach Jeff Andrews worked with every starter except for Morris in the minors. Duke and Maholm need a consistent off-speed pitch to counter righthanded hitters.

12. Reds: RHP Aaron Harang, RHP Bronson Arroyo, RHP Matt Belisle, RHP Homer Bailey, RHP Edinson Volquez.

Arroyo had 22 quality starts but won just nine games because of poor run support. Bailey and Volquez have electric arms but must improve command of their fastballs.

13. Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright, RHP Braden Looper, RHP Joel Pineiro, RHP Matt Clement, RHP Todd Wellemeyer.

Wainwright is a nice starting point, and the team hopes to have LHP Mark Mulder early in the season and RHP Chris Carpenter for part of the second half. What does Clement, 33, have left after missing last season because of shoulder surgery?

14. Astros: RHP Roy Oswalt, RHP Brandon Backe, LHP Wandy Rodriguez, RHP Woody Williams, RHP Chris Sampson.

Oswalt gives the team a good chance every fifth day. Hold on after that. Rodriguez has potential if he improves command of his fastball.

15. Nationals: RHP Shawn Hill, LHP Matt Chico, RHP Jay Bergmann, RHP John Patterson, RHP Tim Redding.

Hill, whose sinker shatters the bats of righthanded hitters, has emerged as a potential frontend starter. The rotation likely will be churned all season as prospects such as LHP Ross Detwiler get auditions.

16. Marlins: LHP Scott Olsen, RHP Sergio Mitre, LHP Andrew Miller, RHP Anibal Sanchez, RHP Ricky Nolasco.

Olsen has had maturity issues, but he has a powerful fastball-slider combination. Mitre, who will turn 27 next month, is the old man of the group . Miller needs a better changeup to go with a mid-90s fastball.

Gerry Fraley, a free-lance baseball writer based in St. Louis, is a regular contributor to Sporting News.

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