Best Rotation Of All Time?

One of the major questions, leading up to the 2011 MLB season, that has everyone from casual fan to serious fan buzzing is the strength of the Phillie's rotation. Is it the best rotation of all-time? How will it stack up? The questions are endless and we'll never really know until next season when we can look back. However we can certainly look at the stats to get a pretty good indication and in baseball stats never lie, you can't fake baseball.


First off to say "all-time" in baseball is really unfair considering the game has evolved so much over the years. When I say "all-time" I mean modern era, which is endlessly debatable, yet lets say 1969 and on. 69 is a good year because that's when the MLB came to Canada. Now lets talk greatest rotations. 2002 Athletics...get over it Oakland fans it was never that good and it went downhill fast. The 2005 Yankees were supposed to be 'the greatest' they had just acquired Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano, who were to join Mussina and Kevin Brown to form a potent rotation. However we all know how that turned out, Pavano and Brown tanked and even though they finished first in the division, there old balls rotation was out of gas and they were eliminated in the first round by the Angels.

That brings me to the 93 Braves. Easily the most dominate rotation in the last 20 years. They had all the right pieces that fired on all cylinders night in and night out.

Maddux 20-10 / 2.36 era / 197k
Glavine 22-6 / 3.20 era / 120k
Avery 18-6 / 2.94 era / 125k
Smoltz 15-11 / 3.62 era / 208k

The best part is that it wasn't just the one season for these guys, except for Avery who quickly slipped into mediocrity and was soon forgotten, the rest of these guys continued to dominate throughout the 90's and into the 2000's. Glavine, Smoltz and Avery were all selected to the all star team in 93 - yes, you heard correctly Maddux was not, again proving that all star games are totally ridiculous. However, Maddux would go on to receive what would be his second of 4 straight cy young awards. Glavine also won 2 cy young awards in the 90's and Smoltz received 1. Not too bad for a team that would go to the dance 5 times throughout the 90's yet only win one World Series title.

So how does the Phillie's rotation stack up? Well there are certainly some similarities between the two staffs that can't be ignored. You have Halladay , an absolute horse, a true call back to the pitchers of the pre-modern era. This guy will give you 210+ innings, 20 wins and 200+ strikeouts, and lead the league in complete games and shutouts year in and year out. Quite similar to Maddux in a lot of respects, not a dominate power pitcher like a Lincecum but definitely a control/command freak who gets better as the game goes on. One of the major differences between the two is that Halladay can strike guys out and is usually finishing the year with 200+ strikeouts, something Maddux was only able to do once in his brilliant career. Halladay is the most dominant pitcher since 2000, the stats don't lie.

Then you have Cliff Lee, a superior lefty who like Glavine is not a strikeout artist, but rather a command pitcher. Lee has never reached 200k's but has come close, something Glavine was never able to do. Lee also has a far better WHIP than Glavine did, actually Lee has one of the best WHIP's in all of baseball, he just doesn't walk guys...ever. Cliff Lee is a guy that will get you 200+ innings and close to 20 wins every year if he can get some offensive support. Plus, you have to love how Lee's one of the few pitchers who hustles to and from the mound every inning.

Roy Oswalt. Oswalt is not the same caliber as say Halladay or Lee, yet can certainly hold his own on the mound. He'll give you 200+ innings and a chance to win every time he takes the mound. Oswalt is a battler on the hill and knows how to compete, in Houston when they were a stronger team and he received the run support he tallied back to back 20 win seasons. Oswalt won't get 200k's but will be close and, like Lee, doesn't walk a lot of hitters and has a very respectable ERA.

Last you have Cole Hamels, a potential ace on most staffs across the league and the 2008 World Series MVP. This is a kid who has all the right tools and people around him to succeed. Hamels has the potential to be a CY Young caliber pitcher and can most definitely steal a few games for your team. He's only 2 years removed from being the ace of this now very potent staff and still just 27 years of age. Hamels has 200k potential along with the ability to get you 200+ innings a season, which is incredible for a guy who's 4th in the rotation. With no pressure, I see him having a strong 2011 campaign for sure.

There you have it, how does it sound? Comparing the best rotation of the past 20 years to what has the potential to be the greatest since then. Only time will tell, yet I have a sneaky suspicion that barring any major injuries we will be hearing the 2011 Phillie's rotation in the same breath as the 93 Braves, 71 Orioles or even the 86 Mets (and they didn't even have a 18 game winner). Fasten your seat belts, this is going to be a great year in MLB and I for one can't wait.