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A team’s pitching rotation is the backbone of its success. Nearly all of the most successful teams in MLB history have been buoyed by a shutdown pitching staff. Fans have seen some legendary hurlers over the years. The lucky ones perhaps got to see multiple all-time greats pitch for their favorite squad. As fans reminisce about old favorites, one can’t help but wonder: what if these legends could come together to form the ultimate pitching rotation for each MLB team? Which team would be able to build the best five-man group? Let’s take a look at all 30 teams, starting with one of the most historic franchises in the league:
Boston Red Sox
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Ace: Pedro Martinez
Starting Pitcher 2: Roger Clemens
Starting Pitcher 3: Lefty Grove
Starting Pitcher 4: Josh Beckett
Back of the Rotation: Cy Young
You’ve got a pretty stellar rotation when Cy Young — the man who the best pitching award annually is named after — sits at the very end of your rotation. From the ground up, the back of the rotation is fortified greatly with Young and his winning ways, and Beckett’s electric stuff. Lefty Grove is a legend — as was Roger Clemens. Sitting atop the group is the diminutive ace Pedro Martinez. We all remember his postseason exploits. We also remember him throwing Don Zimmer to the ground in rather spectacular fashion.
Chicago White Sox
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Ace: Chris Sale
Starting Pitcher 2: Mark Buehrle
Starting Pitcher 3: Billy Pierce
Starting Pitcher 4: Jack McDowell
Back of the Rotation: Wilbur Wood
Before moving over to Boston, Sale was an elite pitcher for the White Sox. American League hitters were terrorized by his unorthodox arm slot — which featured a wipeout slider and a fastball humming close to 100 MPH. Buehrle didn’t possess the same natural talent. However, he was a durable pitcher for the franchise — racking up 161 wins in 12 years with the White Sox. His career on the South Side also included four All-Star appearances, three Gold Gloves, a perfect game, and one World Series title.
Cleveland Guardians
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Ace: Bob Feller
Starting Pitcher 2: Bob Lemon
Starting Pitcher 3: Early Wynn
Starting Pitcher 4: Corey Kluber
Back of the Rotation: Addie Joss
This assortment of elite arms primarily existed in an earlier generation. Bob Feller was a masterful thrower of the baseball. The 8-time All-Star was essentially akin to an older version of Tim Lincecum or Pedro Martinez. Despite having a small frame, he was noted for possessing a rocket of a right arm. He threw three no-hitters in his career, and led the American League in ERA on six separate occasions. As for more of a contemporary arm, look no further than Kluber. With the now-Guardians, Kluber won at least 18 games on four separate occasions. This included two Cy Young Award wins in the process.
Detroit Tigers
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Ace: Justin Verlander
Starting Pitcher 2: Hal Newhouser
Starting Pitcher 3: Mickey Lolich
Starting Pitcher 4: Dizzy Trout
Back of the Rotation: Jack Morris
Verlander is the unquestioned ace of this team. His prolific nature as a durable strike-thrower with plus-stuff is legendary. The future Hall of Famer has succeeded in Houston for quite some time, but his time as a Tiger shouldn’t be forgotten. For the Tigers alone, Verlander has six All-Star appearances and an MVP Award on his resume. Hal Newhouser — a Detroit native with 200 career wins for the franchise — is a very solid No. 2 guy.
Kansas City Royals
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Ace: Bret Saberhagen
Starting Pitcher 2: Kevin Appier
Starting Pitcher 3: Dennis Leonard
Starting Pitcher 4: Zack Greinke
Back of the Rotation: Paul Splittorff
The Royals don’t have an exceptionally strong group of arms to pull from compared to some of the other franchises historically speaking. Greinke flashed some real talent in Kansas City — but enjoyed more success elsewhere. Saberhagen was highly productive, though. He won two Cy Young Awards with the Royals, and that included a 23-win year in 1989 (he also helped win the team a World Series and was the WS MVP in the process). Appier had really good stuff — yet only made one All-Star appearance.
Minnesota Twins
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Ace: Walter Johnson
Starting Pitcher 2: Johan Santana
Starting Pitcher 3: Jim Kaat
Starting Pitcher 4: Camilo Pascual
Back of the Rotation: Brad Radke
You can make a case the Twins have as good a one-two as any on this list. Walter Johnson was a premier pitcher during his day. The velocity with which he pitched was a major problem for hitters of the era. Santana was a bit craftier with his approach — utilizing deception, an above-average fastball, and one of the best changeups we’ve seen over the last half century. This sort of combination would be very tough to gameplan against in a hypothetical five-game series.
New York Yankees
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Ace: Whitey Ford
Starting Pitcher 2: Andy Pettitte
Starting Pitcher 3: Roger Clemens
Starting Pitcher 4: Gerrit Cole
Back of the Rotation: Lefty Gomez
Based upon the winning culture of the Bronx Bombers, rest assured they were going to trot out a very deep and talented pitching staff. When Gerrit Cole and Lefty Gomez are your end of the rotation guys, you know you’re talented. Roger Clemens and Whitey Ford were both elite arms. Sandwiched in-between is lefty Andy Pettitte. A master at painting corners and picking off runners at first, he seems like the ideal transition arm from Ford to the rocket arm of Clemens.
Baltimore Orioles
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Ace: Jim Palmer
Starting Pitcher 2: Mike Mussina
Starting Pitcher 3: Dave McNally
Starting Pitcher 4: Mike Flanagan
Back of the Rotation: Scott McGregor
The O’s have somewhat of a top-heavy rotation. In this case, the two headliners without a doubt are Jim Palmer and Mike Mussina. Both were excellent postseason pitchers. Palmer in particular was a star. He helped Baltimore win three World Series throughout his career. In terms of personal accolades, he accrued three Cy Young Awards, four Gold Gloves, and was a six-time All-Star. Mussina was known for plenty of things — perhaps most notably for his wicked knuckle-curve.
Toronto Blue Jays
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Ace: Roy Halladay
Starting Pitcher 2: Roger Clemens
Starting Pitcher 3: Dave Stieb
Starting Pitcher 4: Jimmy Key
Back of the Rotation: Pat Hentgen
You can’t mention the Blue Jays franchise without first speaking about Roy Halladay. A true ace in every sense of the world, the Hall of Fame pitcher was a phenomenal thrower of the baseball. He had pinpoint control with a plethora of absolutely lethal pitches. Not only that, but Halladay’s presence on the mound made him highly intimidating. Duly, other teams could only dream of having a two-three in their rotation as good as Roger Clemens and Dave Stieb.
Tampa Bay Rays
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Ace: David Price
Starting Pitcher 2: James Shields
Starting Pitcher 3: Blake Snell
Starting Pitcher 4: Scott Kazmir
Back of the Rotation: Chris Archer
The Rays don’t have a lengthy history with top-shelf arms. Being an expansion franchise in the mid-1990’s, there’s only so much we can pull from the team’s history. Having said that, David Price is easily the most prolific pitcher to ever represent the franchise. James Shields and Blake Snell — both West Coast natives — also had very good careers in Tampa. As for Kazmir and Archer, both were blessed with elite talent. However, we only saw infrequent flashes of greatness.
Houston Astros
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Ace: Nolan Ryan
Starting Pitcher 2: Justin Verlander
Starting Pitcher 3: Roy Oswalt
Starting Pitcher 4: Larry Dierker
Back of the Rotation: J.R. Richard
Oh boy. Imagine facing this trio in a five-game series. Nolan Ryan and his flamethrower of a right arm is then followed by a future Hall of Famer in Justin Verlander. Just for fun, it’s then topped off by Roy Oswalt. This would not be a fun matchup for even the most prolific lineups. Verlander’s ability to pitch to all quadrants of the strike zone is legendary. Oswalt’s ability to change speeds was phenomenal, and as a power pitcher…please come up with someone more lethal than Ryan.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
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Ace: Nolan Ryan
Starting Pitcher 2: Chuck Finley
Starting Pitcher 3: Shohei Ohtani
Starting Pitcher 4: Jered Weaver
Back of the Rotation: Frank Tanana
The depth within the group is actually quite good. Once you get past Ryan, prospective lineups are left having to figure out three distinctly different types of arms. Finley was a lefty with good stuff across the board. While Ohtani’s resume isn’t very extensive, you’re still looking at a generational talent with the ability to pump the ball in more than 100 MPH. Weaver was a long, lengthy pitcher more so reliant upon movement and deception. For years, he was arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball. Having that as your No. 4 starter is quite the luxury.
Seattle Mariners
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Ace: Randy Johnson
Starting Pitcher 2: Felix Hernandez
Starting Pitcher 3: Jamie Moyer
Starting Pitcher 4: Freddy Garcia
Back of the Rotation: Mark Langston
What a nasty duo atop the Seattle dream rotation. Randy Johnson is arguably the most unique pitcher to ever take the mound. At 6-foot-10, the California native terrorized hitters with a 100 MPH fastball and a sweeping back-foot slider that virtually no one could hit. To this day, we’d be hard-pressed to find a more intimidating guy on the mound. “King” Felix Hernandez was also excellent in his own right. His entire career was spent with the Mariners. He accumulated six All-Star appearances, one Cy Young award, and led the league in ERA on two separate occasions.
Texas Rangers
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Ace: Nolan Ryan
Starting Pitcher 2: Ferguson Jenkins
Starting Pitcher 3: Kenny Rogers
Starting Pitcher 4: Yu Darvish
Back of the Rotation: Charlie Hough
It’s never fun facing the possibility in having to see Ryan and Ferguson Jenkins in back-to-back games. From there, getting the competitive lefty Kenny Rogers, the eclectic Yu Darvish, and the knuckleball master Charlie Hough really would present any lineup with virtually every possible pitching style available. Darvish, in particular, is tough based upon the fact he throws more than six different pitches with an array of corresponding velocities and arm angles.
Oakland Athletics
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Ace: Catfish Hunter
Starting Pitcher 2: Vida Blue
Starting Pitcher 3: Dave Stewart
Starting Pitcher 4: Tim Hudson
Back of the Rotation: Barry Zito
If one were to comb through all of these MLB franchises, Oakland could make a real case that it boasts the most talented 1-through-5 of any team. Heck, you could even flip the order of these five pitchers, and no one would really think twice about it. From Barry Zito and his curveball to the competitive nature of Dave Stewart and Tim Hudson, you’re looking at some exceptional arms. That’s not even taking into account the high-end ability of six-time All-Star Vida Blue and five-time World Series winner Catfish Hunter.
San Francisco Giants
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Ace: Christy Mathewson
Starting Pitcher 2: Madison Bumgarner
Starting Pitcher 3: Juan Marichal
Starting Pitcher 4: Tim Lincecum
Back of the Rotation: Gaylord Perry
This is another heavyweight rotation collectively speaking. When canvassing the entire league, we’d easily slot this group of five within the top-five across all of baseball. Christy Mathewson was a dominant pitcher during his day. Bumgarner was not only an excellent regular season pitcher, but he also conclusively affirmed himself as an all-time great clutch performer. From there, pivoting to Juan Marichal, Tim ‘The Freak’ Lincecum, and Gaylord Perry is pretty outrageous.
Arizona Diamondbacks
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Ace: Randy Johnson
Starting Pitcher 2: Curt Schilling
Starting Pitcher 3: Brandon Webb
Starting Pitcher 4: Zack Greinke
Back of the Rotation: Zac Gallen
Despite being one of the newer franchises in MLB, the Diamondbacks do have a history of winning at the highest level. Of course, the duo that helped get them a World Series title included Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. Both were already established elsewhere before coming to the Valley of the Sun. Brandon Webb is arguably the best homegrown pitcher the team has churned out. Throughout his six-year career, Webb made three All-Star teams. Greinke and Gallen are guys who possess above-average talent.
Colorado Rockies
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Ace: Ubaldo Jimenez
Starting Pitcher 2: Aaron Cook
Starting Pitcher 3: Jorge De La Rosa
Starting Pitcher 4: Kyle Freeland
Back of Rotation: Jeff Francis
With all due respect to the Rockies, this has to be the worst rotation of any team. We will give them a break — as the altitude in Denver isn’t exactly conducive to low ERA totals. It is quite fascinating to see how that facet has impacted the pitching so adversely. Ubaldo Jimenez is the best of the bunch. He made one All-Star team after going 19-8 in 2006. Other than that, the group is essentially made up of average, journeymen types.
San Diego Padres
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Ace: Jake Peavy
Starting Pitcher 2: Randy Jones
Starting Pitcher 3: Kevin Brown
Starting Pitcher 4: Yu Darvish
Back of the Rotation: Blake Snell
You’ve got some pretty decent power arms within this group. Kevin Brown was sort of a mercenary for many teams — staying for a few years before moving on. But no one can question the ability he had. The same goes for Darvish as he continues in San Diego during the latter stages of his career. Randy Jones had a phenomenal career, and Blake Snell won a Cy Young in 2023. With that said, Peavy was a bulldog on the mound. His competitive streak was supremely apparently whenever he took the mound — glaring into the batter’s box with veins bulging out of his neck.
Chicago Cubs
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Ace: Ferguson Jenkins
Starting Pitcher 2: Greg Maddux
Starting Pitcher 3: Mark Prior
Starting Pitcher 4: Kerry Wood
Back of the Rotation: Mordecai Brown
Fergie Jenkins is arguably the best pitcher to ever hail from Canada. He also notched 167 wins in only 10 seasons with the Cubs. When you average nearly 17 wins a season over such a long spell, you’re certainly doing something right. Aside from the Hall of Famer, you’ve also got two live arms in Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. While injuries derailed their respective careers, both of the guys — at the heights of their careers — were elite pitchers. While Maddux wasn’t the Maddux he became in Atlanta, he’s still plenty good (Maddux won his first of four Cy Young Awards in his final season with the Cubs).
Pittsburgh Pirates
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Ace: Wilbur Cooper
Starting Pitcher 2: Bert Blyleven
Starting Pitcher 3: Babe Adams
Starting Pitcher 4: Bob Friend
Back of the Rotation: John Candelaria
Other than Bert Blyleven, you’ve probably not heard too much about this group. You’d have to go back to 1912 to see the debut of Cooper — who many consider to be the best Pirates pitcher of all-time (202 wins in 13 seasons). This list, more than anything, really speaks to the lack of talent the franchise has been able to cultivate. Some of the position players (Roberto Clemente, Barry Bonds, Andrew McCutcheon, Jason Kendall) have been great. However, it’s the pitching that’s been — shall we say — below par.
Cincinnati Reds
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Ace: Eppa Rixley
Starting Pitcher 2: Johnny Cueto
Starting Pitcher 3: Jose Rijo
Starting Pitcher 4: Bucky Walters
Back of the Rotation: Dolf Luque
The Reds are similar to the Pirates in that their grouping of position players over the years (Johnny Bench, Joey Votto, Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Pete Rose) is far stronger than the pitchers. Part of it probably involves playing in hitter-friendly parks. Among the better pitchers to represent the Reds include Eppa Rixley, the unorthodox righty Johnny Cueto, and the flamethrowing Jose Rijo.
St. Louis Cardinals
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Ace: Bob Gibson
Starting Pitcher 2: Adam Wainwright
Starting Pitcher 3: Dizzy Dean
Starting Pitcher 4: Chris Carpenter
Back of the Rotation: Jesse Haines
Gibson’s entire 17-year career was spent with the Cardinals. He racked up a whopping 251 wins, a career 2.91 ERA, nine All-Star appearances, nine Golden Gloves, two Cy Young Awards, two World Series titles, and two World Series MVP awards. Not too shabby, right? Wainwright was a steadying force for the franchise for nearly two decades. While the velocity wasn’t where it once was towards the end of his career, he still buckled the knees of hitters with his iconic 12-to-6 curveball.
Milwaukee Brewers
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Ace: Corbin Burnes
Starting Pitcher 2: Ben Sheets
Starting Pitcher 3: Brandon Woodruff
Starting Pitcher 4: Teddy Higuera
Back of the Rotation: Yovani Gallardo
Higuera and Gallardo are very good pitchers in their own right. As fourth and fifth starters, teams could do a whole lot worse. The top three for Milwaukee might not be household names. However, the Sheets-Woodruff-Burnes trio are more than capable of shutting down any potent lineup. All throw exceptionally hard, and each possess wipeout secondary stuff to truly keep hitters off-balance.
Atlanta Braves
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Ace: John Smoltz
Starting Pitcher 2: Greg Maddux
Starting Pitcher 3: Warren Spahn
Starting Pitcher 4: Tom Glavine
Back of the Rotation: Phil Niekro
While Niekro had a solid career, the top four here take the proverbial cake. We remember those dominant Atlanta teams where the three-headed monster of Smoltz-Glavine-Maddux would destroy teams. Smoltz had the electric stuff, Glavine’s left-handed delivery painted any and all corners, and Maddux’s movement on his patented two-seam fastball was unparalleled. When you thrown in Spahn and his talent, this team is simply loaded with frontline starters.
Washington Nationals
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Ace: Max Scherzer
Starting Pitcher 2: Pedro Martinez
Starting Pitcher 3: Dennis Martinez
Starting Pitcher 4: Javier Vasquez
Back of Rotation: Stephen Strasburg
We’re combining the Washington Nationals with its former franchise the Montreal Expos. Scherzer is the obvious headliner here from both a talent and workhorse standpoint. Martinez is still brilliant, though really emerged with the Red Sox. Dennis Martinez was arguably the best pitcher in the history of the Expos franchise. Javier Vasquez was also very good for the team when it was north of the border. While perpetually injured, the ‘highs’ of Strasburg’s career allows for him to sneak into the five spot.
Miami Marlins
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Ace: Jose Fernandez
Starting Pitcher 2: Sandy Alcantara
Starting Pitcher 3: Kevin Brown
Starting Pitcher 4: Josh Beckett
Back of the Rotation: Josh Johnson
Power, power, power. All five of these guys throw heavy fastballs — where it creeps up on hitters exceptionally quick before they really have time to adjust. Then, among the group, you’ve got scintillating breaking stuff — whether it be curve balls, sliders, splitters, or sinkers. The late Jose Fernandez was on course to potentially become an all-time great. Alcantara is a dominant arm in the modern era. Johnson was a terrific player in his own right, and Brown/Beckett were both imperative in helping the Marlins win the World Series.
Los Angeles Dodgers
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Ace: Sandy Koufax
Starting Pitcher 2: Clayton Kershaw
Starting Pitcher 3: Fernando Valenzuela
Starting Pitcher 4: Don Drysdale
Starting Pitcher 5: Don Sutton
The other rotation that would rival Oakland is the one from Los Angeles. Atop the rotation sits three of the most prolific left-handed pitchers of all-time. Koufax blew people away with a 100 MPH fastball and a balloon-esque sweeping curve. Kershaw routinely sat in the mid-to-upper 90s (at his peak) with an elite slider and a deceptively tough windup to pick up. “Fernandomania” took LA by storm in the 80s. Valenzuela attacked hitters with poise, control, and the ability to change speeds. On most rotations within the list, Sutton and Drysdale would be top-shelf starters. It really does speak to the depth LA possesses.
New York Mets
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Ace: Doc Gooden
Starting Pitcher 2: Jacob deGrom
Starting Pitcher 3: Tom Seaver
Starting Pitcher 4: Al Leiter
Back of the Rotation: Jerry Koosman
Oof. Mets fans would argue that their top three would rival anyone’s from a talent standpoint. Truthfully, they’d have an argument to make. Gooden had his off-the-field issues, and deGrom has a lengthy injury history. Still, on ability alone, those two are sublime talents. Seaver racked up 198 wins in 12 years with the Mets. Leiter was a reliable lefty who could go deep into games. His breaking ball-heavy repertoire would pair well with the others who threw much, much harder.
Philadelphia Phillies
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Ace: Steve Carlton
Starting Pitcher 2: Curt Schilling
Starting Pitcher 3: Roy Halladay
Starting Pitcher 4: Jim Bunning
Back of the Rotation: Cole Hamels
The Phillies boast a very good starting five top to bottom. Hamels was a dynamic lefty for years — and was the ace of the team during some of its glory years. Bunning won a ton of games for the franchise. While Halladay wasn’t in Philadelphia for a long time, he was exceptional — particularly for two years where he combined to win 40 games and a Cy Young award. We all know how prolific Carlton was for the Phills, and Schilling was one of the game’s best power arms throughout the ’90s in Philadelphia.
