This is a ranking of the best starting pitchers of the 2011 season, and it's based on the performance of last season alone.

1. Roy Halladay- His 2.20 FIP was awesome, his efficiency gets overlooked because of the hype surrounding the guy directly below him.

2. Justin Verlander- Deserved the Cy Young, but his season was a little overrated (.236 BABIP). Still, accomplishing a 2.40 ERA with 8.96 fans per nine is no easy feat.

3. Clayton Kershaw- Although Halladay should have won the award, it's tough to argue with a guy who had the pitching Triple Crown. But of course, the Triple Crown doesn't trump advanced statistics; even if it's still an incredible feat.

4. CC Sabathia- Lost among a season of elite pitching was Sabathia's 2011 campaign.

5. Cliff Lee- Had a 2.60 FIP and was in the thick of the "race", well, for those who paid attention to him.

6. Dan Haren- If you dig deeper, it becomes apparent that Haren was truly the best starter on the Angels last year.

7. Jered Weaver- But hey, Weaver did have a 2.41 ERA regardless of the luck involved.

8. Ian Kennedy- How could I not reward the former Yankees prospect?

9. Madison Bumgarner- This sophomore was no bum, as he garnered a 2.67 FIP.

10. Zack Greinke- A 10.54 K/9 and 2.56 xFIP? I think so.

11. C.J. Wilson- There's a reason why he's easily the top free agent starter on the market.

12. James Shields- Would have been in the top ten in most seasons; just not this one.

13. Matt Cain- The guy who somehow defies sabermetrical logic year in and year out, but he did have a 2.88 ERA that was in line with his 2.91 FIP this season.

14. Cole Hamels- Yeah, the Phillies offense really dragged the team down.

15. Doug Fister- And we thought this trade was meaningless when it first went down.

16. David Price- Wasn't all that much worse than his teammate, but he was still worse.

17. Matt Garza- Well, at least the Cubs got what they wanted in the trade; an over-performing pitcher. He won't always be this good, but that season alone might make that trade at least a solid one for the Cubbies.

18. Felix Hernandez- Yeah, I probably put him a little too low, but it really wasn't the best of years for Felix. But just you wait for 2012 Mariners fans, you'll have the Astros to beat up on.

19. Tim Lincecum- No top 20 is complete without Timmy's presence, even in a "down" year (he still had a 2.74 ERA).

20. Daniel Hudson- He and Kennedy are two young starters to build a rotation around.

21. Brandon McCarthy- Now who saw that coming?

22. Josh Beckett- He really carried the Red Sox sagging rotation this year with a 2.89 ERA.

23. Matt Harrison- Scouts love him when he doesn't nibble, and he had a solid year that he should be able to build on.

24. Chris Carpenter- A boss year in and year out, and to think that the Cards won it all without Wainwright.

25. Jaime Garcia- What better way to end a top 25 starter list than a World Champion?

What a rebound year

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rankings, SPs, Yankees, CC Sabathia, Red Sox, Josh Beckett, David Price, James Shields, Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, CJ Wilson, Matt Harrison, Angels, Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, Mariners, Felix Hernandez, Brandon McCarthy, Astros, Phillies, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, St. Louis Cardinals, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Cubs, Matt Garza, Zack Greinke, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, Daniel Hudson, Ian Kennedy

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11/1 MLB Rumors and News: Lowe Traded and Cashman Re-Signs

November 1st 2011 18:33

We all know that TLR retired, Davey Johnson is getting ready for another season in Washington, the Sabathia deal, and the moves dealing with Dempster, Grady, and Carmona. I don't want to focus on those moves at the moment, but I will take a look at the Derek Lowe trade and the obvious Brian Cashman re-signing.

Derek Lowe was traded to the Indians for some random minor leaguer, and the Braves will pay ten of the 15 million that the righty is due in 2012. It's a good deal for both teams, as the Braves save some money and get a prospect while getting rid of a starter in a crowded rotation. Lowe has always oupitched his ERA, in that his predictive stats are always better than his actual earned runs allowed. I do expect him to have a better 2012 campaign, but he won't set the world on fire (it's Derek Lowe guys). Still, the Indians get an above-average pitcher who fits in nicely.

We all knew that Brian Cashman was going to get re-signed, and the best GM in baseball was given a three year deal a day after his contract ran out. Yeah, he's definitely with the Yanks for the long term. The problem is that Cashman sometimes gets overrided by guys like Oppenheimer, Hal, and Levine; but he rarely ever makes a wrong move and has mastered the ways of faking out a rival. How you likin' Crawford guys in Boston?

I am hearing that the big stars like James Shields, Aramis Ramirez, and Albert Pujols are going to stay put with their respective teams. I doubt the Cubs bring back A-Ram, but it wouldn't be the stupidest idea seeing that he is still a decent hitter at arguably the weakest offensive position in baseball. Shields is staying for sure, and I bet Pujols sticks with the team that he belongs with. I say this because I can't possibly visualize him playing for a team like the Cubs at all.

Indians

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Yankees, Brian Cashman, CC Sabathia, Damon Oppenheimer, Hal Steinbrenner, Randy Levine, Red Sox, Carl Crawford, James Shields, Indians, Grady Sizemore, Derek Lowe, Fausto Carmona, Braves, Nationals, Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa, Cubs, Ryan Dempster, Aramis Ramirez

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8/4 MLB News: A-Rod and poker

August 4th 2011 13:53

I thought Alex Rodriguez was just about done with his shenanigans, and then this came up. We've always known that A-Rod has had some gambling problems- namely poker- but this is the farthest it's ever gone. He was in trouble with the league for gambling in 2005, and then he held a charity poker game. The current allegations against Rodriguez are far more serious with this incident.

Bud Selig has definitely had enough of A-Rod's circus in the past few years, and this is just another major headache for the commissioner. It's a known fact that Rodriguez is going to be suspended, but the question really is the length of his suspension. Because he's done this before, I suggest that Rodriguez is suspended for the same length as players who take PEDs; 50 days.

The punishment stated above is fair for both parties. Selig needs to come up with a Stern- geddit- punishment here, not only because Rodriguez needs to be punished, but also because Selig has a reputation for being weak in his rulings for the most part. This is his chance to make a big statement, and this is, of course, if A-Rod really did take part in these celebrity poker games.

I realize that playing poker isn't a serious offense, but A-Rod ignored Stern warnings from Selig about his involvement in gambling in 2005. He was told not to play poker again, but Rodriguez did not listen. Maybe 50 games is a little harsh, but it would be sweet revenge for Selig. I mean, it's not like A-Rod doesn't deserve it for all he's done in the last ten years or so.

Jacoby Ellsbury's second straight walk-off hit- for a home run no less- has people buzzing about his MVP case. I think Ellsbury's been the third best player in the AL this season, but he hasn't been the best player on his team. No, that honor belongs to Dustin Pedroia. Not only has he hit well, but he's been incredible in the field. I can't even begin to describe how well he's been in the field though. My MVP has to be Jose Bautista just over Pedroia, because he was mashing at the beginning of the season. He's still going strong, and his numbers resemble Bonds's in the early 2000s. Nobody wants to pitch to him.

As for the NL, I still think Jose Reyes has been slightly better than Matt Kemp. CC Sabathia has been outstanding this season, and he and Roy Halladay are unquestionably the two Cy Young winners. Guys like Justin Verlander have had great seasons, but no pitcher can touch the dominance of Sabathia and Halladay this season.

Without a question deserves suspension

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Yankees, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Jose Bautista, Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Verlander, Roy Halladay, Jose Reyes, Matt Kemp

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6/20 Daily Rundown: Edwin Rodriguez Resigns

June 20th 2011 06:32

1. Edwin Rodriguez steps down

Marlins fans were shocked when Edwin Rodriguez unexpectedly resigned yesterday (not re-signed). He was frustrated with their current ten game losing streak and 1-18 slump. Rodriguez is the first Puerto-Rican manager in history, and the Marlins had no intention of firing him. He was doing a good job this season, and won the respect of his players. I guess this slump was too much for him, and it's a shame that he quit.

"This was an extremely frustrated, proud man,"president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. "This kind of caught us a little off guard. I know there's been a lot of speculation, everything, but this is not something I thought was going to happen today."

2. McKeon to Marlins?

"So we can move ahead with the business of playing baseball and trying to win games," Beinfest said. "When you have a change like this, with a popular person, I think it's tough on a lot of people. You just need to go play baseball, and that's first and foremost."

Jake McKeon is most likely going to be named as the new interim manager. That quote above from Beinfest was about how the Marlins are going to try to name a interim manager as quickly as possible. McKeon was the Marlins' manager in 2003 when he was Manager of the Year and guided the Fish to a World Series title. Cubs fans and Yankees fans (like me), block that year out.
McKeon retired after the 2005 season, and he is now 80.

3. Yankees (Read: Swisher) rally past Cubs

Speaking of the Yanks and Cubbies, here's a mini-recap of the final game in the three game series involving these two storied franchises. The Bronx Bombers came back to win this one 10-4. Chicago won the first game, but the Yankees charged back and won the last two games in this three game set.

Nick Swisher was up with nobody out and two runners on and took a 2-0 pitch for a ride into right field. The 407 foot shot broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Yanks a commanding lead they would never relinquish. The Early Wynn home run by Swisher was yet another hit in a recent hot streak for Swishalicious after two bad slumps earlier this season. The Yanks had a big ninth inning to make it 10-4.

A-Rod went 3-4 with 3 runs, a walk, an RBI, and a double. He's been playing with a strained left shoulder for weeks now. What a beast. Brett Gardner hit his first career homer that led off a game, and he finished with an impressive line. Gardner went 3-5 with two runs, one steak, and a dinger.

James Russell and Sean Marshall got clobbered by the Yanks' hitting, and CC Sabathia wasn't even good on this day when offenses ruled. A-Ram went 4-5 with a run, and Soriano had his own Early Wynn shot.

4. Pujols injured

Every Cardinals' fan will cringe when they read this headline. The best player in baseball sprained his left wrist and also injured his shoulder trying to tag out Wilson Betemit in the sixth inning. Both players collided, but it really wasn't anyone's fault. It was just a baseball play gone bad. Skip Schumaker hit a walk-off homer to beat the Royals 5-4 in a bittersweet game for the Cardinals.

5. Verlander does it again

Man is Justin Verlander a monster. He led the Tigers to a 9-1 trouncing of the Colorado Rockies after pitching his second straight complete game. He wasn't quite as dominating as James Shields was, but Justin Verlander was definitely good enough. The only run he gave up was a long solo shot by Ty Wigginton in the fifth inning. It was the .267 hitter's seventh dinger of the season, and it measured at about 424 feet. That was one of only four hits Verlander gave up. He has thrown at least 100 pitches in all of his starts this season. I wouldn't be worried though because this guy has endurance.

Brennan Boesch's hot streak continues as he hit 3-4 with 3 runs, one RBI, and a monster solo shot of his own that went 422 feet out. Miguel Cabrera was 2-4 with 3 runs, a double, an RBI, and a walk. Alex Avila was 2-4 with a run and two ribbies. Rex Brothers gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on two hits and walked one without getting an out in the seventh inning.