A couple of weeks ago I started a new series in preparation for the upcoming MLB season ranking the pitching rotations in each of the six divisions. The goal from the beginning was to ultimately establish a top-5 list of the best pitching rotations in baseball. Every pitching rotation within each division has been ranked and you can click on the links below to view them. Now it’s time to take the final step and determine which pitching rotations are among the top five in baseball.

Pitching Rotations by Division

Alright, let’s begin with the 5th best pitching rotation in baseball…

5. Cleveland Indians

Projected Rotation

Mike Clevinger

Shane Bieber

Carlos Carrasco

Zach Plesac

Aaron Civale

Original Explanation: It’s pretty crazy when you give away Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer and still have the best rotation in the division. But that’s what the Indians have. Clevinger is a name that more people should be familiar with and probably will be this year since he’ll garner more of the spotlight in that rotation. The last three years his ERA has been 3.11, 3.02, and 2.71. Great numbers. And everyone in Cleveland has Bieber Fever, though not for Justin. Their guy Shane at only 24 already looks like an ace for years to come. Last season he kept his ERA to 3.28 while striking out an astonishing 259 batters. Then you have another sensation pitcher, this one a veteran, in Carrasco. Everyone will be interested in seeing him bounce back this year from leukemia. Plesac had a very good year last year as well, and guess what? He’s just 25 years old as well. Civale has only started 10 games in his career, last season, but his numbers in those games are impressive. He’s 24. The Indians look to be set for a while as far as their rotation goes.

Final Explanation: The Indians have a great rotation and they’re young. That’s a good combo. Ranking as the 5th best rotation in baseball, they just beat out the Reds and the Rays. But because of the inexperience of the back end of their rotation, I didn’t want to put them any higher. And even as good of a pitcher as Carlos Carrasco is, there is the question of how he will bounce back after extremely unfortunate circumstances last year.

4. Houston Astros

Projected Rotation

Justin Verlander

Zack Greinke

Lance McCullers Jr.

Jose Urquidy

Austin Pruitt

Original Explanation: And number one, your 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros. While losing Gerrit Cole was huge, they still roll out two legitimate number one guys in Verlander and Greinke. Lance McCullers will have to take on a bigger role this year, but he’s ready for it after a good year last year. Where it gets questionable is the last two guys, with only a combined 17 games started between the two. But having the 1-2 punch they do, along with McCullers, is enough to give them the number one spot on this list. Other teams will continue to struggle scoring runs against the Astros unless they can figure out some sort of never-seen-before, intricate technological sign-stealing scheme to implement against them.

Final Explanation: Losing Gerrit Cole bumps them down this list, but with Verlander and Greinke still manning the top two spots, they don’t fall out of the top five. And McCullers is a reason they don’t fall out also, as he really had a nice year last year figuring some things out. Like the Indians, the back end of their rotation is very inexperienced. But what puts them a spot ahead of the Indians are Verlander and Greinke and their proved continued dominance year after year. It’s tough to beat a Verlander-Greinke 1-2, so when you think of last year’s Verlander-Cole-Greinke 1-2-3 that was just unfair.

3. New York Mets

Projected Rotation

Jacob deGrom

Noah Syndergaard

Marcus Stroman

Michael Wacha

Rick Porcello

Original Explanation: Now it’s time for the two heavyweights when it comes to pitching rotations in the NL East. It’s hard to rank either team 2nd, but someone has to be there. So it will be the Mets. They have arguably the best pitcher in baseball in deGrom, who has done nothing but dominate and win Cy Youngs in each of the last two seasons. Syndergaard is electric, but let his ERA inflate last season. Most likely it will be an outlier and he’ll be right back on track this year. Stroman is a wildcard. You could get a great season out of him or a below-average one, but there’s no denying he’s got great stuff. Now Wacha and Porcello is where it drops off for the Mets. Both are looking for bounce back years for their new team. And both are capable, especially being slotted in the less-pressured 4-5 rotation spots.

Final Explanation: Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard at the front end of your rotation is scary to opponents. deGrom is a walking Cy Young with unhittable stuff and Noah Syndergaard is one of the great power pitchers in the game today. The team added Marcus Stroman last year, who is a great guy to have in the middle rotation because when he’s on, he’s a top-of-the-rotation type of guy. The first three guys in this rotation you can compare very evenly with the Astros’ top three, but what gives the Mets the advantage is the experience at the back end. While Wacha and Porcello are looking to have bounce back years, they have been there, done that, and know what it takes to be successful at this level.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Projected Rotation

Walker Buehler

Clayton Kershaw

David Price

Julio Urias

Alex Wood

Original Explanation: And of course #1 is the Dodgers. How can it not be? Walker Buehler has Cy Young talent and there’s a decent chance he wins the award this year. Clayton Kershaw could be 50 years old and he will still be the man. So, that’s a great 1-2 punch right there. I’m really interested to see what David Price does this year. We all know his capabilities, but he’s coming off a less-than-stellar year with the Red Sox. Does a change of scenery help him get back on track? The young gun Urias has star potential and Alex Wood is coming back to the team he wants to be on and where he had some very good years after having a year to forget in Cincy last season. The Dodgers roll out the best lineup and rotation in the NL West, which is why they’ll win the division yet again.

Final Explanation: Here’s another dominant 1-2 punch with Buehler and Kershaw. We all know about Kershaw by now and how unhittable he is. Buehler has emerged as one of the better pitchers in the game already at his young age and I really think he’ll win a Cy Young within the next three years. There’s a decent chance he wins one this year. David Price is a seasoned veteran who knows how to get it done, and has on the biggest of stages. After a rough year last year, he has a great opportunity to get back to himself in a new setting. And the back end of this rotation is better than the Mets’, with Wood (who is deceptively effective and really comfortable in LA) and Urias (a young arm with great stuff). This rotation is almost as good as it gets for the upcoming season…almost.

1. Washington Nationals

Projected Rotation

Max Scherzer

Stephen Strasburg

Patrick Corbin

Anibal Sanchez

Joe Ross

Original Explanation: And how do you not rank the Nats as #1? Just like the Mets, they have arguably the best pitcher in baseball. You know what you’re going to get from Scherzer and that is an ERA of under 3.00, opponent average of under .200, and season strikeouts equaling the amount of three starting pitchers combined. Strasburg would be a number one on most rotations. And then you get to Corbin, who would be a #1 on a lot of rotations. Their 1-2-3 combination is awesome. Sanchez has resurrected his career since coming to the NL a few years ago and will quietly get the job done most every time he goes out there. Joe Ross is the weakest spot in the rotation, but is only 26 and has time to progress. We will just have to wait and see on that one. But this is the strongest rotation in the division and anybody who says otherwise is kidding themselves.

Final Explanation: So, I’ve been discussing the very dominant 1-2 combos with the previous rotations, but let’s talk about the dominant 1-2-3 the Nationals have. Like deGrom, Scherzer is a walking Cy Young and perhaps the best pitcher in the game. Strasburg has settled in and is great. And then you have Corbin, who has dominant stuff. Any team who draws the front end of this rotation for a series against the Nats will have their work cut out. But the back end isn’t bad either. Sanchez quietly gets the job done seemingly every time he’s out there now and Ross, while nothing special, is quickly learning and just getting better. For these reasons, the Washington Nationals have the best pitching rotation in baseball.

Garett

Ranking the Top 5 Pitching Rotations in MLB