4 Pitcher starting rotation

[OriolesFan]

There have been many really good pitcher's in the history of major league baseball. If you had to put together a four pitcher starting rotation, and the rotation had two righties and two lefties, who would make up your rotation?

I'll get this started. My choices would be ---

RIGHT HANDED STARTERS - WALTER "BIG TRAIN" JOHNSON & CHRISTY MATHEWSON

LEFT HANDED STARTERS - WARREN SPAHN & SANDY KOUFAX

Who would make up your 2 righties & 2 lefties rotation ???????

[key2win]

Here are my picks. I really dont know baseball as much as basketball, but here goes.

Righties
Nolan Ryan
Cy Young

Lefties
Randy Johnson
Sandy Koufax

[Daqda]

RHP
Nolan Ryan (1)
Cy Young (3)
LHP
Sandy Kofax (2)
Steve Carlton (4)

[OriolesFan]

Anyone else have a BEST 2 rightie & 2 leftie STARTING FOUR ROTATION of ALL TIME ?????

[OriolesFan]

One more time - anyone have a BETTER four pitcher rotation, with two lefties and two righties, than what has already been posted ???????

[OriolesFan]

This has had a 2 1/2 month sleep, time to wake it up. Anyone else have a GOOD 4 PITCHER STARTING ROTATION of two lefties and two righties ????

[ucffans]

I will pick guys I have seen in my generation:

RHP
Nolan Ryan
Roger Clemens

LHP
Randy Johnson
Steve Carlton

Another interesting one might be, who would the best starting 4 be in the year 2015?

If that were it, I'd go:
Justin Verlander
Stephen Strasburg
Tim Lincecum
Not sure of my fourth - need a lefty in here somewhere.

[B.I.G.Poppa]

I'll be the homer:


L
Hamels
Lee

R
Oswalt
Halladay

[OriolesFan]

Kenneth - that is a GOOD starting four of present day pitching staffs. However, personally, I don't think they could match up with the BEST from ALL of professional baseball's history. But they are sure a challenge when you compare them to the other present 29 MLB starting four.

If you went through baseball history, the BEST four man pitching rotation was probably that of the BALTIMORE ORIOLES 1969-1971. During those three years the "Birds" won 318 games (a record for wins in three consecutive seasons in MLB) -109,108, & 101. And in one of those years they had 4, yes 4, 20 game winners (the last MLB team to have 4 20 game winners the same year).

Anyone else want to post their BEST four pitcher rotation of 2 righties & 2 lefties ??????

[Dave Crum]

Kenneth - that is a GOOD starting four of present day pitching staffs. However, personally, I don't think they could match up with the BEST from ALL of professional baseball's history. But they are sure a challenge when you compare them to the other present 29 MLB starting four.

If you went through baseball history, the BEST four man pitching rotation was probably that of the BALTIMORE ORIOLES 1969-1971. During those three years the "Birds" won 318 games (a record for wins in three consecutive seasons in MLB) -109,108, & 101. And in one of those years they had 4, yes 4, 20 game winners (the last MLB team to have 4 20 game winners the same year).

Anyone else want to post their BEST four pitcher rotation of 2 righties & 2 lefties ??????

I believe that the old timers would get shelled in todays game. They were great against their own generation but I think Bautista, Pujols and the like would feast on them.

[Dave Crum]

My list for "Back in the day" guys


RIGHT HANDED STARTERS - WALTER "BIG TRAIN" JOHNSON & Bob Feller

LEFT HANDED STARTERS - WARREN SPAHN & SANDY KOUFAX

My list for the more modern guys

RHP- Verlander, Halladay
LHP- Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton

I think these guys have proven themselves against the much better offences of the modern game. I wish Cleveland would have had Verlander. Yes, I have Verlander envy.

[OriolesFan]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Good picks. However, I don't think the GREATS from the "old days" would have much of a problem with todays hitters. In my opinion, there are few players today that could have hit those GREAT PITCHERS of the past. Also, most stadiums back then weren't as hitter friendly as todays ball parks. To my knowledge there aren't any remaining that have centerfields as deep as 450+ feet. Also, most pitchers today can't pitch more than a little more than 100 pitches or a complete games. The pitchers were more durable, the fields bigger, but yet there were more GREAT HITTERS then. Since baseball expansion, originally 8 teams per league, things have been watered down. Again, thanks for your post and thoughts, good picks.

Have a good night.

[Dave Crum]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Good picks. However, I don't think the GREATS from the "old days" would have much of a problem with todays hitters. In my opinion, there are few players today that could have hit those GREAT PITCHERS of the past. Also, most stadiums back then weren't as hitter friendly as todays ball parks. To my knowledge there aren't any remaining that have centerfields as deep as 450+ feet. Also, most pitchers today can't pitch more than a little more than 100 pitches or a complete games. The pitchers were more durable, the fields bigger, but yet there were more GREAT HITTERS then. Since baseball expansion, originally 8 teams per league, things have been watered down. Again, thanks for your post and thoughts, good picks.

Have a good night.

I would disagree with the assumption that pitchers were more durable back then. They threw with much less velocity for the most part then todays pitchers. As proof I would offer you the fact that today more then a few pitchers hit triple digits with sick movement. As few as 10 years ago you rarely if ever heard of this. I realize that the radar gun is relatively new compared to the game itself but you can count on one hand the number of pitchers that were suspected to hit 100 before 1960. In fact, Bob Feller is the only one that I can honestly say Ive heard rumor of. I honestly think that its nearly impossible to compare the greats of yesteryear to the greats of today.

Just for fun:
A few interesting facts about 1860's baseball

Baseballs were slightly larger and softer in the 1860's
The hurler must deliver the ball where the striker requests it.
No bunting or sliding
No spitting or cursing .25 fine
Balls and strikes are only called at the Umps discretion.
Ball shall be delivered underhand at a shallow arc.
A ball caught on one bound (bounce) shall be an out.
Foul ticks are not considered strikes.

The game has changed alot from its beginning. In the early 1900's what we consider a ground rule double was actually a home run.

One final thought. As mankind progresses through time we are becoming bigger, Stronger, and faster. Men of today are taller, Bigger, and more physically developed then our predecessors. I suspect that 100 years from now people will be comparing Bryce Harper the 5th to Albert Pujols and the debate will rage.

I love the old timers but they have their time and place. Just as todays greats will someday be oldtimers.

[OriolesFan]

You're correct, it is hard to compare the "old" guys with todays. But if todays players are bigger and stronger than the "old" guys WHY do they make ballparks smaller? Because of that there are more HR's. I like baseball, my favorite sport. However, player for player, I think the "old" guys were BETTER than the players of today. Thanks for your posts, you have great info.

Have a good night.

[Dave Crum]

You're correct, it is hard to compare the "old" guys with todays. But if todays players are bigger and stronger than the "old" guys WHY do they make ballparks smaller? Because of that there are more HR's. I like baseball, my favorite sport. However, player for player, I think the "old" guys were BETTER than the players of today. Thanks for your posts, you have great info.

Have a good night.

There is a simple yet universal answer as to why they made ballbarks smaller. It is a two part answer.

1a. As the game lost popularity, the huge stadiums of days gone by were filled with empty seats. As stadiums were deemed needing replaced, they were done so with smaller (but fuller) looking stadiums.

1b. In an effort to increase attendance the owners wanted to give many fans what they wanted..... More offense. Remember the phrase "Chicks dig the long ball"?

Baseball has been losing fans to all sorts of other venues. Namely football and basketball. These sports are faster paced and easier for the average fan to follow. Heck, I cant give you a full defination of the double switch!!

As for the offense of days gone by, if you research it, Babe Ruth was THE hitter of his day. He routinely tripled the home run total of his rivals. One exception that I can think of was Foxx. In whole, most were slap hitters hitting the gaps in the enormous outfields of the old stadiums. Many of that eras home runs were balls that bounced over the fence.

Part of their problem was bat speed. They were using 40 oz. bats and few could swing hard enough to clear the fences on a regular basis. Babe Ruth being much larger then many of his peers had less trouble then most.

According to sports science, bat speed is more important than pitch speed. The faster the bat goes the further the ball travels.