Starting rotations are the great equalizer in baseball.
No matter how potent a team’s lineup, how its starting pitchers perform is the deciding factor in whether it will be successful over the course of the regular season.
A strong rotation not only keeps the score down, but it doesn’t force the manager to overuse the bullpen, keeping relievers fresh and rested down the stretch.
A weak one does the opposite. Not only are games out of reach, but they get out of reach early, forcing a manager to tax his bullpen, leaving everyone associated with the club with a bad taste in their mouths.
As we look toward pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training (it’s less than two months away, folks), what better time to see how each of the 30 starting rotations in baseball look as things stand on New Year’s Day.
Some staffs are already set while others, well, let’s just say that pitchers like Kyle Lohse and Shaun Marcum aren’t likely to remain on the open market for much longer.
Drawing on past production, projections for 2013 and how they all seem to fit—or not fit—as a cohesive unit, let’s take a look at how your favorite team’s starting staff stacks up against the competition.