Pirates’ starting rotation strong as any in the National League

Mar 20, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws the ball during the fourth inning against the Oakland Athletics at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers

Clayton Kershaw

Hyun-Jin Ryu

Zach Greinke

Brandon McArthy

Brett Anderson

Kershaw is the best in the game.  He has had two consecutive sub-1.85 ERA seasons and a campaign in which he took home both the NL Cy Young and MVP awards.  He’s otherworldly and no other pitcher in the game is close less King Felix in Seattle.  Let’s move on.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is an excellent pitcher who has proved (when healthy) to be a solid compliment to the great one. The problem is he only threw 150 innings last year, experienced fatigue throughout the season and spent a nice amount of time on the disabled list. If he’s healthy though, no doubt he’s a certified number two.

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Zack Greinke’s resurgence in LA is impressive and he deserves all the credit in the world.  But remember, prior to the Dodgers, Greinke was a career mid-to-high 3.00 ERA guy with his previous three teams and there’s some slight concerns about his health coming in to the season.  He’s already received lubricating elbow injections in the spring and while he’s had those in the past, it makes you at least raise an eyebrow about the prospects of a repeat performance.

Brandon McCarthy has a career 4.09 ERA, a history of shoulder problems that has caused him to miss significant time, and since he was hit in the head with a line drive off of the bat with Eric Eybar in 2012, he hasn’t been the same pitcher.

His earned run average in two seasons with the Diamondbacks in ’13 and ’14 were 4.53 and 5.01, respectively.  He had a small stint with the Yankees that went extremely well, but who knows which McCarthy the Dodgers will see and more importantly, how long that McCarthy will be available.

Brett Anderson was a prized prospect for the Oakland A’s and showed tremendous promise.  However after Tommy John swallowed up his 2012 season, an oblique strain cancelled out his 2013 season and back surgery ended his 2014 campaign all I have to say is, good luck with that LA.