MLB Power Rankings: Which pitching rotation is the best in baseball?
By Phil Akre
22. San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants came into the season with a handful of questions, but pitching wasn’t one of them.
Now, it’s arguably their biggest liability.
Teams can usually withstand the loss of one arm from a rotation, but not their top three. The Giants are no different. The trio of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are all on the disabled list.
Bumgarner has yet to see action in 2018, but luckily for the team, he’s expected back soon. Cueto looked like a Cy Young front runner before he went down, crafting a 0.84 ERA through five outings. The earliest he could be back is June 29.
Samardzija has been the opposite. In eight starts, he’s pitched to a -0.7 WAR, 6.56 ERA and 5.8 BB/9 rate. He hit the DL again after exiting his last outing with tightness in his right shoulder.
We’re giving the Giants a higher spot in the rankings due to the sheer fact that each of its top three are formidable when at their peaks.
Their replacements have done just enough to keep the team afloat.
Chris Stratton is the teams No. 1 for now, where he has a 6-3 record and a 4.97 ERA. He’s walked a lot of batters, though (27 in 58 innings).
Behind him, Ty Blach averages just about four innings per start. Derek Holland and Andrew Suarez have combined for some stats that aren’t so pretty.
- 5.29 ERA
- 4-10 record
- 1.342 WHIP
Expect this group to vastly improve once its mainstays return.