Washington Nationals’ rotation now the best in baseball
After making a big splash, the best rotation in MLB belongs to the Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals’ rotation is the best in baseball after signing Max Scherzer to a seven-year deal. Scherzer’s deal is worth $210 million according to ESPN.
Scherzer is a proven pitcher with dominant stuff. He is 91-50 with a 3.58 ERA throughout his career, but in his last two seasons with Detroit he went 39-8 with a 3.03 ERA. In his last four seasons with the Tigers, they have averaged 91.5 wins per season and have won the American League Central division all four seasons. Scherzer’s reasoning for leaving the Tigers for the Nationals was rather interesting given the success Detroit has had in year’s past.
“It’s pretty easy. It’s one (reason). Winning,” Scherzer said according to detroitnews.com. “This team is capable of winning, and winning a lot, when you look at the near-term and long-term. This is an organization that you want to be a part of.”
It is easy to question this comment from Scherzer when he was a part of a team that has the best hitter in the game and has made the playoffs four years in a row. Miguel Cabrera shared some nice comments towards Scherzer on social media. However, it is time for the Tigers and their fans to move on and focus on their 2015 Tigers. Scherzer is part of the Nationals’ rotation now, the best rotation in baseball.
congratulations you deserve that and more,tremendous teammates, love the way you compete ,had tremendous year here in Detroit @Max_Scherzer
— Miguel Cabrera (@MiguelCabrera) January 21, 2015
Washington’s rotation consists of five starters who could all be the ace of the pitching staff. A pitching staff that consists of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez, the National’s may have the deepest rotation in baseball and a rotation that will eat the most innings. Last season the Nationals led the MLB in rotation ERA allowing 3.05 runs per game. Adding Scherzer to the mix will only improve their league-leading rotation.
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With the signing of Scherzer, there have been reports that the Nationals would consider trading Stephen Strasburg or Jordan Zimmermann. Strasburg wants to remain with the Nationals according to The Washington Times. In the event of a trade, the Nationals do have Zimmermann and Fister as free agents after the 2015 season and Strasburg is coming off the books following the 2016 season. However, right now the Nationals still have all three of these pitchers and hold the best rotation in baseball.
The Nationals will have a rotation with several of the most consistent pitchers in the game in recent years. Perhaps the most consistent has been Zimmermann. In his last four seasons, Zimmermann has had an ERA of 3.25 or lower and in started 32 games in each of his last three seasons. He has had two shutouts in as many seasons and has seen his strikeout total increase each season.
Strasburg has improved each season by throwing more innings and staying healthy to earn more starts. He suffered injuries at the front-end of his career, but the durability is improving for the former first overall pick. Strasburg struck out a career high and league-leading 242 hitters in 2014. In his past three seasons, Strasburg has kept his ERA at or below 3.16.
In Fister’s first season pitching with the Nationals and in the National League, he had a career-best 2.41 ERA with a minimum of 20 starts in a season. He has also won 10 or more games in each of his last three seasons and has stayed healthy starting 25 or more games in the same time frame.
Gonzalez has started 91 games with the Nationals in three seasons. He has had his best success in Washington winning 42 of his starts and boasting a .618 winning percentage. Gonzalez has an ERA of 3.25 while pitching for the Nats. While Gonzalez has regressed slightly the past three seasons, he is only 29 years old and still has time to turn it around. He will have less pressure on him as the fifth starter in the rotation, which should help him in the long run.
Is it fair to hype the Nationals’ rotation as the best in baseball without seeing Scherzer in a Nationals’ uniform? Maybe it isn’t. The great Atlanta Braves’ teams with Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz came away with only one World Series championship. The Phillies’ power rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt couldn’t produce a championship either, although they made one appearance. It’s way too early to predict what the Nationals’ rotation is going to do next season, but on paper they clearly have the best starting rotation in baseball.
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