MLR Ranked - S4 Pitching Staffs - #20 to 16
#20 - Los Angeles Dodgers
Season 3: #21
Season 2: #15
The Dodgers staff has been dazzling compared to its past incarnations. Artie Ziff has developed himself into a reliable mainstay in the rotation, and Rickey Tucker has done well finding pieces that can keep the train moving. It's not the most fantastic staff, but it compliments the team's hard-hitting offense well-- even if it hasn't entirely been around this season. No wonder the Dodgers have been doing so well this season.
Los Angeles' pitching issues mainly lie in its lack of a true ace. Ziff is good but not fantastic, and he doesn't have the innings to compare adequately to the game's main stars. Bobo Bones has a great ERA, but his WHIP and K/9 greatly hamper his pWAR.
They nestle in well in this part of the list, and truly begin the start of the "good-not-great" section of MLR teams.
Q Kimbrel / Artie Ziff / Geno Scaramucci / Bobo Bones
Innings Pitched: 21.0 / 15.1 / 12.1 / 17.0
Earned Runs Allowed: 15 / 10 / 7 / 9
ERA: 4.29 / 3.91 / 3.41 / 3.18
WHIP: 1.62 / 1.17 / 1.30 / 1.53
Strikeouts: 15 / 20 / 7 / 8
D/BF: 236.00 / 248.47 / 267.33 / 245.13
pWAR: -0.067 / 0.806 / 0.056 / 0.157
#19 - Los Angeles Angels
Season 3: #16
Season 2: #3
It's just a coincidence that both LA teams appear together. The reigning Paper Cup champions have always had a good pitching staff, and look superior to their crosstown rivals. Swing N. Miss is underrated, sporting a 2.28 ERA and an WHIP beneath 1 with a pretty substantial sample size. Randy Pole has been a pretty good #2, with a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings pitched, amounting to a WHIP of a respectable 1.20.
Things buckle past that. Chipper Dipper, who has been in the club since their first ever season, has been a shell of his former self, and hasn't posted the innings he used to. Xerxes Dalin has has a real bummer of a season, further hampering the club. The Angels could have a thing going for them, but certain pieces make them miss the top 15.
Chipper Dipper / Swing N. Miss / Xerxes Dalin / Randy Pole
Innings Pitched: 21.0 / 15.1 / 12.1 / 17.0
Earned Runs Allowed: 15 / 10 / 7 / 9
ERA: 4.09 / 2.28 / 8.57 / 3.60
WHIP: 2.05 / 0.91 / 2.14 / 1.20
Strikeouts: 1 / 14 / 6 / 28
D/BF: 236.00 / 248.47 / 267.33 / 245.13
pWAR: -0.178 / 1.063 / -0.083 / 0.469
#18 - Seattle Mariners
Season 3: N/A
Season 2: N/A
I hate 6-man pitching staffs. I hate when three of the six pitchers have less than 5 innings. The Mariners are running with the Devil Rays and Expos issue of having too many god damn pitchers, and the work is spread between a lopsided rotation of bad to great pitchers. The bad: Wade Wilson and Carson McSchellenturd, who haven't had a great time in their 5 combined innings. Pivot Geller is at the top end of the rotation's mediocre subcategory, sporting 16.1 innings but an ERA in the mid 3s and a less-than-impressive WHIP. He has almost given up as many walks as hits!
Cal Lidous is a top tier pitcher, however, which is why he was voted in as an All-Star for the season. Moe Lester has an ERA comfortably under 2 as well, though with a third of the former's innings pitched.
I wish I could take three of these pitchers and just... squeeze them together. You don't need that many pitchers. I'm glad I got through the Phillies before they added yet another.
Moe Lester / Cal Lidous / Carson McSchellenturd / Wade Wilson / Pivot Geller / Ferdinand C. Bull
Innings Pitched: 8.0 / 24.0 / 4.0 / 1.0 / 16.1 / 2.1
Earned Runs Allowed: 2 / 5 / 3 / 1 / 10 / 0
ERA: 1.50 / 1.25 / 4.50 / 6.00 / 3.67 / 0.00
WHIP: 1.75 / 0.96 / 2.25 / 2.00 / 1.59 / 0.86
Strikeouts: 15 / 20 / 7 / 8
D/BF: 230.80 / 262.47 / 202.35 / 238.50 / 250.29 / 263.22
pWAR: 0.497 / 1.715 / -0.174 / -0.157 / 0.427 / 0.317
#17 - New York Mets
Season 3: #24
Season 2: N/A
The Mets were at the bottom of the league in last season's list. This year, they look to have the makings of a potentially great rotation, minus a few pieces. The tandem of J.E. Wilkins and Ryan Tyburn has been as reliable as most in the league, each in different ways. Wilkins has the ERA, while Tyburn sports in the endurance; both equate to a pWAR of around 1. The newcomer, Jack Yakker, has been pretty poor, but maybe he can turn it around in 7 innings. Whether or not he shapes up, and whether or not they acquire another arm or two, will really decide the viability of this rotation. Ben Bramly has been a fantastic GM, and this could mean leagues for the club's future--or even immediate--chances.
J.E. Wilkins / Ryan Tyburn / Jack Yakker
Innings Pitched: 17.2 / 28.2 / 6.0
Earned Runs Allowed: 7 / 21 / 7
ERA: 2.38 / 4.40 / 7.00
WHIP: 0.91 / 1.50 / 1.67
Strikeouts: 14 / 22 / 7
D/BF: 263.61 / 252.02 / 227.74
pWAR: 1.157 / 1.104 / -0.100
#16 - St. Louis Cardinals
Season 3: #9
Season 2: #2
Perhaps I am influenced by G.H. Morello's 0-difference home run, which just happened as I am writing this article. Overall, the Cardinals have a case of one amazing pitcher and a few mediocre ones. Filib Al'anhar Jr. is a fantastic arm and a gem in the Cardinals lineup, sporting a 2.34 ERA in a whopping 51.1 innings pitched, but Morello has struggled and Dickshot hasn't been too good.
Thankfully, Al'anhar is still that good to carry this rotation a bit up the list. Hopefully the Cardinals can fix the rough edges of their bullpen, for the sake of their contention in a tough division. Go Reds.
G.H. Morello / Johnny Dickshot / Filib Al'anhar Jr.
Innings Pitched: 23.2 / 19.1 / 51.1
Earned Runs Allowed: 15 / 15 / 20
ERA: 3.80 / 4.66 / 2.34
WHIP: 1.35 / 1.50 / 1.32
Strikeouts: 24 / 9 / 51
D/BF: 249.38 / 233.42 / 240.06
pWAR: 0.779 / 0.125 / 1.874