Who Has Best Starting Rotation? (as conducted by ESPN)

[eftda]

CUBS

[Big Blue]

CUBS if Wood and Prior continue to improve

[mtarail]

I like Jivedude's list, but I'd flip the Yankees above the Stro's.

[Transmogrifier]

I'd take the A's first, followed by the Sox. The Yanks have too many question marks with Contreras and Lieber--and Vaz coming to the AL, pitching at the Stadium.

1 to 5 it is either the A's or the Yankees depending on the success or Leiber/Contreras and Harden/Redman. Boston with Wakefield and Kim ...come on.

Save for one pitch, Wakefield destroyed the Yanks in the playoffs. How can you dismiss him so easily yet pump up Contreras and Lieber? Contreras had trouble staying healthy, was sent to the minors (oops, to the Florida complex), and only got it going in relief, in the playoffs. And Lieber is good... but is he the same pitcher? That's a bit of a risk...

Let's have a little analytic ability, please.

[Trot Nixon]

I don't why you guys are dismissing Wakefield as not a good starter, obviously I'm a bit bias but the past 2 seasons he's been Boston's most consistant starter plus he would have been the ALCS MVP if it weren't for Grady damn Little ....grrrr.....still bitter about that, anyways I think the order goes like this

1)A's (the big 3 now 4 maybe with Harden)
2)Sox (Pedro and Schilling??? wow)
3)Cubs (have a big 3 of their own)
4)Stros (good offseason, but can Oswalt be healthy?)
5)Yanks (It's really tough to put them down here)

[denvermax]

i like the cubs the most
oakland comes in 2nd

[wrveres]

Brian Lawrance
David Wells
Jacob Peavy
Adam Eaton
Sterling Hitchcock

...
...
Osuka
Beck
Hoffy ... Over 600 plus saves combined ......


I'll take my chance against any of ya... Bring it on!!!!


Lets Go Pad' Res'

[TheYanks04]

I am no Kim believer...and Wakefield is an OK pitcher IMO, nothing more as you never know what shows up with knucklers. Contreras is unproven but has very good upside. Leiber is a former 20 game winner but is coming off severe injury. This is comparable to an unproven Harden and Redman who is very erratic (good first half, bad second half in 2003---now switching leagues also). The Astros and Cubs fifth start is not going to be very good in all liklihood (barring a Maddux signing) and we are measuring 1-5 complete rotations not who is better from the top 2 or 3 spots uppwards.

As for the Yanks and the ALCS, Radke and and Lohse and stiffs like that were giving the Yanks a hard time as we were not hitting much at all with Giambi lame, Soriano doing a stellar Captain K, Boone looking like a clown, ... It was our pitching that carried us.

[LBJackal]

1)A's (the big 3 now 4 maybe with Harden)
2)Sox (Pedro and Schilling??? wow)
3)Cubs (have a big 3 of their own)
4)Stros (good offseason, but can Oswalt be healthy?)
5)Yanks (It's really tough to put them down here)

Looks good to me. But it's so close between the top 3 that it's hard to determine. If The Cubs had a better #5 than Juan Cruz I might give it to them, but they don't.

I say Oakland #1 based on Harden's potential to be an ace.

(The following is based on real life value, not fantasy)

Best top 2 starters: Boston (Pedro, Curt)
Best top 3 starters: Chicago (Prior, Wood, Zambrano)
Best top 4 starters: Oakland (Hudson, Mulder, Zito, Harden)

[HOOTIE]

When Penny asnd Pavano are your 3-4 guys, your not close to a top staff. I think there are 4 big staffs, NYY, Oakland, and Chicago, and Boston. I probably like Oakland the most, although it's close.