As Opening Day fast approaches, we take a look at the five best starting pitchers in baseball.
This isn't just a list of excellent starters, but rather the five best going into the 2011 Major League Baseball season.
These pitchers combine great talent with the ability to throw a lot of innings over the course of a season.
Also, three of the pitchers who cracked this list have shown the ability to succeed in the post season.
Feel free to disagree with the choices.
With a basic delivery, Johnson overpowers hitters with a mid-90s fastball, and a 90-mph slider. The 6’7 right-hander is coming off two excellent seasons with the Marlins, and his upside remains high.ReutersBack with the Phillies after spending 2010 in the American League, Lee will be part of the most formidable rotation in baseball in 2011. The lefty has pitched over 200 innings in his last three seasons and each season he’s among the league leaders in earned-run average. Lee is also coming off two very strong post seasons. ReutersThe two-time Cy Young winner put up sub-par regular season numbers last seasons compared to his brilliant performances in 2008 and 2009. But Lincecum made up for it with an excellent post season, leading the Giants to their first World Series win since arriving in San Francisco. Expect Lincecum to rebound from last season’s 3.43 earned-run average in this upcoming season.ReutersIt’s hard to argue that Hernadez isn’t the best pitcher in baseball after what he’s done over the past two seasons. He’s still young, but 2011 will likely be another dominant season for the right-hander who has a high-90s fastball to go along with an excellent curve, slider, and changeup.ReutersMany consider durability as the most important criteria for a starting pitcher, and the 2010 NL Cy Young winner certainly has that. Halladay has pitched over 220 innings in each of the last five seasons. The 33-year-old right-hander is coming off his third-straight season with an earned-run average of below 2.80, and two of those seasons were in the hitting-dominated American League East. Halladay is dominant and consistent.Reuters
