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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8/2011 Team Scope: Seattle Mariners

August 16th 2011 14:15

The Mariners have the worst offense in baseball, and Dustin Ackley is the only player with at least 200 plate apperances who has an RC-plus of over 100. Franklin Gutierrez, Miguel Olivo, and Chone Figgins have been so bad that they might as well sign Carlton Lassiter (for you Psych fans out there). I mean really, this team just can't hit! Ackley has been outstanding, but nobody else has been around the league average in hitting (100 RC-plus ). Chone Figgins? He has an atrocious 35 RC , has a -0.8 WAR, and he only provides value on defense (marginal value really).

The funny thing is that offseason acquisition Brendan Ryan has the highest WAR on the team. His RC is only 90, but that's the fourth highest on the team. We all know Ryan can't hit, and the reason why he has value is because of his glove. He has been very good in the field, and Ryan has also been smart on the basepaths this year.

Dustin Ackley will overtake Ryan in WAR, and he has been on fire since his call-up. Ackley's RC of 141 will definitely cool down, but he has really produced for the M's. His ISO is .201, his wOBA is .374, and he has provided value defensively and on the bases as well. In short, Ackley is the team's best non-pitcher. I don't care about regression, because frankly, nobody else on this roster is really that good (again, non-pitchers only).

The Mariners don't really have a good pitching staff either; it's only OK. Even though Casper Wells has been great since the Doug Fister trade, I still don't think the M's should have traded Fister. That mindset might change if Francisco Martinez ends up being a solid major leaguer.

Anyway, Felix Hernandez is a beast so we don't need to talk about him. Now what about Michael Pineda? Nobody is talking about him much anymore, but he's still been very good. His fastball is still getting up there in a hurry (95 mph), and his slider has been nasty. The K's are high (9.13) but so are the walks (3.13). Pineda has had a great season, and he definitely deserves to be the AL Rookie of the Year.

Brandon League has surprisingly held up as a closer and is having a pretty good year. I can't say the same for the rest of the bullpen; especially Jamey Wright and Aaron Laffey. Those two are pitching much worse than what the raw stats would indicate.

In summary, the Mariners stink and will continue their losing ways until some influx of competence in the lineup is created. This offense doesn't nearly resemble a Major League offense, and they have no true power hitter or table setter. If you don't have either of those two, I don't see how you can hope to be at least an average team at this level. And heck, they don't really even have much of a bullpen either. They should be thankful that teams like the A's and Astros exist, because the Mariners would probably be the worst team in baseball, from a pure talent perspective, without them. Well, they might actually be worse than the A's, but that's a debate for another day.

M's best hitter

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Teams, Tigers, Doug Fister, Mariners, Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda, Brendan Ryan, Dustin Ackley, Brandon League, Franklin Gutierrez, Casper Wells , Francisco Martinez, Miguel Olivo, Chone Figgins, Aaron Laffey, Jamey Wright, Athletics, Astros, St. Louis Cardinals

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7/29 MLB Rumors: Heath Bell and Hunter Pence

July 29th 2011 12:37

Guys, I am finally back from a very lengthy vacation that did not produce a single blog post. A lot has transpired in my absence from this blog, and I am going to start things off with a rumor post that details potential trades in the MLB.

The Yankees are still searching for left-handed relief help with Rafael Soriano still on the DL, and Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte are out for the rest of the year. Boone Logan is their only lefty in the pen, and this is certainly a pressing need for the Bronx Bombers.

Heath Bell has always made it clear that he wants to stay with the Padres, and he may get his wish. Bell is certain that he will be traded- perhaps to the Rangers with more concerns about Neftali Feliz- but he will sign with the Padres after this season. He will give them a discount, and the team getting him will most likely only be getting a rental. This is great news for the Padres, of course, because they'll get a prospect for a rental and pretty much know that Bell will return.

The Phillies have always talked about getting a deal done with the Astros for Hunter Pence. I personally don't think the 'Stros should trade their best player, and he probably won't be dealt. The Phils have until Friday to make a trade- that will likely concern three or four prospects- otherwise the Braves, Reds, and Sox will have a chance to court Pence. Don't worry Phillies fans, Domonic Brown is no longer in trade talks. Just remember though, Wandy Rodriguez is on the trading block (as well as Clint Barmes).

There is a very good chance that Carlos Quentin will be traded, but it remains unclear to which team. The Phillies really want to get Quentin, and the Braves are also suitors. Both NL East teams were also suitors for Carlos Beltran, and Pence's high price has made the Astros' outfielder Philly's backup plan.

Ubaldo Jimenez and Hiroki Kuroda are the two biggest names available for trade right now, but I don't see Jimenez going anywhere. Seriously guys, King Felix is definitely not going to get traded. Kuroda, on the other hand, will almost certainly be packing his bags by the end of July. If neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees are able to get either of those two, the AL East powerhouses will go after oft-injured starter Rich Harden. The A's pitcher has nasty stuff and racks up K's, but he is rarely ever healthy and sometimes struggles with his command.

Best Closer Available

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Yankees, Boone Logan, Damaso Marte, Pedro Feliciano, Rafael Soriano, Red Sox, Carlos Quentin, Rangers, Neftali Feliz, Felix Hernandez, Athletics, Rich Harden, Astros, Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence HOU, Clint Barmes HOU, Phillies, Domonic Brown, Mets, Braves, Padres, Heath Bell, San Francisco Giants, Carlos Beltran, Hiroki Kuroda, Ubaldo Jimenez

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6/2 Game Preview: Rays and Mariners

June 2nd 2011 15:26

The Mariners are hanging around in the AL West race thanks to some great starting pitching that has overcome the league's worst offense. The M's simply can't hit. They bring out their ace to face James Shields. Yours truly predicted a huge bounce-back season for Shields after he had a poor 2010. So far, Shields has been lights out, and Felix Hernandez is also pretty good. He only won the Cy Young Award last season.

Among starting pitchers, Felix has the 5th best WAR and Shields the 7th best WAR mark in the Majors, but there are quite a bit of ties. Although Shields has an ERA of 2.15 and King Felix a 3.19 ERA, Hernandez's FIP is 2.78 and Shields' 2.96. This game is in Safeco, which is obviously one of the three best parks in the game for pitchers. This is a pitching matchup through and through. The numbers above show that Shields has been luckier than Hernandez, and Hernandez's numbers will rise while there will be a slight fall in Shields' overall production.

Hernandez does benefit from the ballpark though, because he has a very low home run rate with an average groundball rate. Both pitchers will reap Safeco's rewards today. Shields is better at limiting his walks and has been slightly better at striking out batters. Hernandez is better at getting hitters to chase out of the zone and is among the best in the league at doing so. However, Shields throw less "bad" pitches inside the zone. In other words, Shields is more consistent.

I am really only focusing on the pitching matchup, because we know the Rays are the better hitting team. Shields and Hernandez have two of the best curveballs in baseball, but Shields' curve has been more effective this year. I mean, it's been terrific. Hernandez's power curve is also dangerous. Shields' changeup has fooled hitters throughout the season. It has been nothing short of unhittable. The thing is, Hernandez has the best changeup in baseball. His change is incredible and is a wonder to behold.

This game is going to be all about pitching with two of the best aces in the game duking it out. My money's on the Rays because they have a much better offense.