With baseball season quickly approaching, I decided to take a look at all the pitching rotations in the MLB and ultimately create a top-5 list. Before I get that far, I’m going to rank each rotation by their division. So far I’ve already ranked the NL West and the AL West. Here’s the ranking for the NL Central:

5. Pittsburgh Pirates

Projected Rotation

Joe Musgrove

Chris Archer

Trevor Williams

Mitch Keller

Steven Brault

The Pirates have to come in last here. Jameson Taillon missing this year due to Tommy John surgery hurts quite a bit, and leaves Musgrove to anchor the rotation. And he’s not bad, but you can’t make the argument that he’s real good. In his four years in the majors he’s never kept his opponents average under .250 and never had an ERA under 4.06. Chris Archer, as much as I want him to succeed (being from NC) does nothing but get shelled anymore. Trevor Williams can be solid, as seen in 2018, but took a step back last year. And Mitch Keller is still trying to prove he’s ready for the big leagues after getting rocked hard last year in 11 games.

4. Milwaukee Brewers

Projected Rotation

Brandon Woodruff

Adrian Houser

Brett Anderson

Josh Lindblom

Eric Lauer

I was looking at the Cubs and Brewers both in determining who should be in the fourth spot, and ultimately determined the Cubs are deeper and more experienced than the Brewers’ rotation. I like Woodruff a lot and he had a very good year last year. He, like a lot of Brewers players, fly under the radar. Houser has been solid, but has only started 18 career games. Brett Anderson provides the experience for this rotation and he will quietly get the job done. But then there’s a drop off when it comes to Lindblom (who hasn’t pitched since 2017) and Lauer. The Brewers rotation isn’t flashy, but they don’t need to be. They’ll throw 5-6 decent innings, hand it over to the pen, and the team will win a lot of games.

3. Chicago Cubs

Projected Rotation

Jon Lester

Yu Darvish

Kyle Hendricks

Jose Quintana

Tyler Chatwood

While their experience and depth separated them from the Brewers, the names of the Cubs rotation are bigger than their production. I don’t want to take anything away from Jon Lester because he’s had a great career, but he’s getting old and you could easily see that last year. Darvish is another big name, and while he can miss a lot of bats, he’s got a tendency to give up runs in bunches. Honestly, Hendricks is the guy I like best from this rotation. The guy is one of the most consistent pitchers in the game that flies under the radar. In six seasons he has a career ERA of 3.14. He just goes out time after time and gives his team a great chance to win. Quintana has been a big disappointment since coming from the South Side to Wrigleyville and Tyler Chatwood is, well, Tyler Chatwood. This rotation isn’t bad, but it’s certainly nothing special.

2. St. Louis Cardinals

Projected Rotation

Jack Flaherty

Dakota Hudson

Miles Mikolas

Adam Wainwright

Kwang-Hyun Kim/Carlos Martinez

When do the Cardinals not have a good rotation? They’ve got another one this year, led by 24 year old Jack Flaherty, who is the truth. The last two years he has kept his opponents’ average to below .200. He will be a frontline guy for a long time. Hudson is just a year older and is a very solid #2 guy. Mikolas is a wild card because you just don’t know what kind of year you’ll get from him. He’s very capable, though. We all know what Wainwright can do, even at the tender age of 38. The last spot in the rotation is currently up for grabs between newcomer (never pitched in the MLB) Kwang-Hyun Kim and Carlos Martinez, who spent last year in the pen. While there are some question marks with this rotation heading into the year, you have to remember it’s still the St. Louis Cardinals and they always find a way. But the top of the rotation is pretty rock solid.

1. Cincinnati Reds

Projected Rotation

Luis Castillo

Sonny Gray

Trevor Bauer

Anthony DeSclafani

Wade Miley

A lot of people may not have seen this one coming, but the Reds have put together a very good rotation. We knew Castillo had all the tools for several years now, but he finally put it all together and figured it out last season. So, they have a legitimate ace in him. Then, Sonny Gray comes in last year after getting rocked with the Yankees, and turns his career back to what it once was in Oakland, with a “legitimate ace” year. I expect him to follow it up nicely this year. Next you have Trevor Bauer, who would be an ace on a lot of teams. He didn’t have a very productive time in Cincy after being traded last year, but I really think he’ll bounce back this year. Things in Cleveland were pretty volatile for him last year, so I think by starting with the Reds this season he’ll come in with a fresh mind and be a big contributor this season. And the last two guys in the rotation are very solid 4-5 guys. They bring experience and will give the team a great chance to win on most days. The Reds are a team to watch out for this year.

Garett

Ranking the Pitching Rotations in the NL Central