It is, at least according to Ryan Fagan of sportingnews.com:
3. New York Yankees (CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain). At this point, it is apparent why the A.L. East will be so tough. The Yankees have the third-best rotation in baseball, and it’s only good enough for third-best in their own division. The Yankees have balance (two lefties, two righthanders) and different looks (three flamethrowers, two “crafty” types). They also have young guys waiting in the wings in Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves and Ian Kennedy.
Fagan puts Tampa first based on their pitching last season and the addition of David Price, while using playoff experience to justify putting Boston at #2. He also calls Lester the second best lefty in baseball, a ridiculous notion when you compare his numbers to Sabathia’s. I happen to think the Yankees have the best rotation in the division, as they have no significant weakness. All of their pitchers have had success at the Major League levels, and none of them have any sort of peripheral data that would suggest a regression in their performance this season. I really think that Chien-Ming Wang is incredibly underrated, as he is now being viewed as a good #3 starter, while his numbers suggest that he is a great #2. Regardless, the differences between the three rotations is minimal, and the quality of the pitching should make for some fierce competitions this season in the AL East.
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16 Responses to Yankees Rotation Third In AL East?
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TIQ IQ
whether they are first or third, Fagen makes a good point that the three best rotations in baseball are all in the AL East. Sucks to be the Orioles or Blue Jays. Too bad Kevin Millar signed with Toronto otherwise the Yankees would crush both teams every time.
Can you imagine next season, when Marcum and McGowan will be back for Toronto? The O’s will never win a game. And their starting to build nicely as well. The division is incredibly stacked.
Just had to do this: (tRA, ranked first to last)
1. Sabathia – 3.15, Beckett – 3.55, Price, 3.55 (Yankees)
2. Chamberlain – 3.38, Lester – 3.90, Sonnanstine – 3.84. (Yankees)
3. Burnett – 3.69, Dicek – 4.46, Shields – 3.84.(Yankees)
4. Pettitte – 4.50, Penny – 4.80, Garza – 4.32. (Rays)
5. Wang – 4.89, Wakefield – 4.87, Kazmir – 4.72. (Rays)
Now that’s just last year. We can assume that Kazmir will get better, and that Price will have a MLB adjustment period. Say Kazmir puts up the 3.55, and Price is in the 4 range. The Yankees still have a superior rotation. Add to that the risk attached to Sonnanstine and Garza (thanks to the Razzball article) and the Yankees rotation blows them out of the water. And the Red Sox don’t really come close.
Yeah, the numbers support the Yankees being #1. And as you noted, the Yankees dont have any higher level of injury risk than the others.
This all rests on A.J. Burnett’s shoulders (literally). If he can remain healthy then the Yankees will have the best rotation, not only in the division, but maybe in the AL.
Yeah. If Burnett can do what he did the last three years in Toronto and stay healthy our rotation is easily better than the rest of the AL east. I also like having Hughes, IPK, and Aceves waiting in the wings. We easily have more depth than we have the last few years.
That reporter has been hitting the huka pipe a little too hard. Sabathia, Hamels, Cliff Lee and Kazmir are all better than Lester. I am not trying to take away from what Lester accomplished last year, but come on.
Santana, Sabathia, Hamels and maybe Lee are better. Kazmir is one of the most overrated starters in baseball. Lester is definitely better than Kazmir.
But you’re right, calling Lester the second best lefty in baseball is a bit of a stretch.
John Danks will be a better lefty than Lester in 2009. I’m calling it.
Stupid Fagans. You just can’t trust them.
HA!
Lester had a nice 60 ip jump from 07, have fun with the elbow problems.
He also said that Boston’s top 3 are the best in the game. In your mind who has the better front of the rotation? Cubs (Zambrano, Dempster, Harden) the Yankees (CC, AJ and Wang), Rays (Kazmir, Shield, Garza) or Angels (Lackey, Santana, Saunders)
I think that Chamberlain is being severely underrated here. He was the best pitcher in the division after Halladay when he was in the rotation last year. While he won’t overwhelm us with innings, he should perform pretty damn well when he takes the mound.
Yeah he is. 10.2 k rate, 3 K/BB rate, 52% grounders is potentially the best skill set across the board in baseball. I think he’s a good bet to make the all start team.
I wouldn’t trade our rotation with anyone’s and I’m not even convinced Joba is the real deal as a starter.
A.J. Burnett always had some of the best stuff in Baseball and now has finally figured out to pitch and stay healthy.
I would not be surprised if he had a CY Young type season.