From: roger@thoreau.nsc.com ( Roger Wakefield)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Sox staff best AL?
Date: 6 Apr 92 22:51:30 GMT
Reply-To: roger@thoreau.nsc.com ( Roger Wakefield)
Organization: National Semiconductor

In article <1992Apr03.060559.7073@CS.ORST.EDU>,
kruegek@atlantis.CS.ORST.EDU (Kirby Krueger) writes:

> In article <1992Apr3.003402.12977@news.cs.brandeis.edu>
st910977@pip.cc.brandeis.edu writes:
> >Over the spring training season I have become really impressed with the Red
> >Sox' rotation and staff.  The first three of the rotation could easily be 
> >the best 1,2,3 in the majors.  Clemens will win at least 20, Viola could win
> >20, probably 17-20 and Hesketh, who has been pitching incredibly could win
> >15-17.  I can't think of any other team with a 1,2, and 3 of this caliber.
> 
> I won't debate now your over-evaluation of Hesketh (A good spring training
> is a good sign, but doesn't make one a good pitcher.)
> As for other teams with a 1-2-3 punch like that, how about:
> Los Angeles - Ramon Martinez, Tom Candiotti, Orel Hershiser or Bob Ojeda 
> (The last two are, IMHO, equivilant to Hesketh, approximately.)
> Cincinatti - Rijo, Swindell, Belcher, Browning
> (All four better than Hesketh, the first three equal or better than Viola.)
> Pittsburgh - Drabek, Zane Smith, Tomlin
> Atlanta - Glavine, Smoltz, Avery
> (Even though I hate the Braves, I must admit that these three are good.)
> 

I'll agree with your assessment of the Dodger staff with a healthy
Hershisher (not Ojeda, who except for his career year of 1986 is nowhere
near as good as Joe Hesketh '91-'92).

I also agree with Atlanta, who might be the best threesome of all for
the next 3 or so years until salary pressures hit the boiling point.

Another great front 3 is Gooden (assuming he's healthy), Saberhagen, and
Cone (I still can't believe K.C. pretty much gave either of these last 2
away, much less both of them).

I disagree with Pittsburgh belonging in this list (now, if they still
had Smiley...).

I am not the world's biggest Greg Swindell fan.  Maybe getting out of
Cleveland will take his game to another level, but unless it does, he is
not the dominant pitcher everyone seems to think he is.  The other 3
(Rijo, Belcher, Browing) are good enough to deserve mention, however.

In the A.L., however, the only better 3 than the above would be Abbott,
Finley, Langston, although Finley is not 100% healthy, either.  And, the
staff is seriously lacking in depth.

Smiley, Erickson, and Tapani would also deserve mentioning.

> And this is just the NL.  I don't dispute the claim that the Red Sox have 
> three valuable starters.  But I do dispute the fact that they have the
> best first three starters in baseball, or even close to it.  They have 
> a better staff, however, than usual, and if the offense is Red Sox Standard,
> they should be a force in the AL East this year.

While as a threesome they may not definitively be the best, they are
very close to the best of these other teams.  This should be enough,
IMHO, for the Sox to finish ahead of the Blue Jays, then do serious
post-season damage.

==================
Roger Wakefield
National Semiconductor, South Portland, ME
roger@thoreau.nsc.com
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball