FanNation - The Republic of Sport

The Bandit said 03/27, 10:41 PM
I will say the Mets.

FHernandez can be great, but has yet to prove that he can be consistent by compiling 2 solid seasons back to back. So far, it's been one or the other.
Bedard, a good K pitcher who can be dominant at times but wether he'll be able to recover from his injury is something to consider. So far, a lackluster spring training. Both have great ERA's as they streamline the Mariners staff, but after that, you will have mediocre pitching at best. The rest of their starters are abysmal:

Washburn: 10-15, 4.32 ERA, not that great of a pitcher
Batista: 16-14, 4.29 ERA above .500 record, but a high ERA
Silva: 13-14, 4.19 He is experimenting with a new cut fastball and thus far no success.

Now, how can you call the M's pitching staff the best when they have 3 mediocre starters with a high ERA of over 4. Other than FHernandez and Bedard there's really not a whole lot of talent or depth. Not a whole lot of stock thereafter. It is lopsided.

After Santana and Pedro, here's how the rest of the Met projected starters fared last year.

OPerez: 15-10, 3.56 ERA
Maine: 15-10 3.91 ERA
OHernandez: 9-5, 3.72 ERA

From that,Mets are more solid top to bottom. Lower ERA

The Bandit said 03/28, 11:44 PM
Forfeit huh.

Well, I am going to expatiate a bit more on the Mets staff. Just wanted to clarify one thing, I'm not implying that the Mets have the best pitching staff in baseball because there are a lot of solid rotations out there. But what I am arguing is that the Mets do have a better rotation than that of the M's. I am providing the stats and argument to support it in the process.

Mets have a solid 1-2 punch in Santana and Pedro.Their 3-4 starters in Maine and Perez can be effective as any 3rd or 4th starter. Each had 15 wins with a sub-4 ERA. For many pitchers in the majors, that's a heck of an accomplishment.
Overall, Mets' rotation exhibit more balance, consistency, and depth. Santana is one of the best,and Pedro although past his prime can still be effective. If El Duque makes the rotation, all 5 starters had winning records LY, and all have posted an ERA below 4. That's impressive.

Mariners: 2 starters w/below 4 ERA. Mets have 4 starters, 2 of whom are former 2 CY award winners.

LY, M's overall team ERA was 4.73. The Mets: 4.26. Significantly lower. Although Bedard might help bring that down this season, I can say the same for Santana who's a bigger impact.

The Bandit said 03/31, 12:10 AM
Forfeited Turn