The Diamondbacks Starting Pitching Situation

Last week i previewed the 2009 Dbacks in two segments, one for the outfield, and the infield. Today i'll get to my last preview for the season, the starting pitching.

Unlike anything behind the mound, the Dbacks starting pitching for 2009 seems pretty well set. They made one major acquisition (Jon Garland), and had one major loss (Randy Johnson). They have one guy who will be stepping up into a starter's role (Max Scherzer), and three guys who were all here last year (Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Doug Davis). Without further adu, let's get into it.

#1
Just as it's been the last 5 years, Brandon Webb is the anchor of the Dbacks pitching staff. A ground ball machine, Webb is about as reliable a #1 starter as you could ask for. With a 22-7 record last year and his penchant for going deep into ballgames, Webb is the perfect pitcher to head a rotation.

#2
At 16-8 with a 3.33 ERA, Dan Haren has good enough stuff to be a #1 on a lot of staff's in MLB. The fact that the Dbacks only need him to be a #2 is fantastic. The Dbacks acquired Haren before the 2008 season, with the clear intention being that they were building on pitching on defense. Unfortunately for the Dbacks (and Haren), the defense wasn't always there. The pitching was, and Haren was a big part of that in 2008. He will be counted on again this season if the Dbacks look to win the NL West.

#3
There seems to be a bit of a debate on which pitcher to put in this slot and which pitcher to put in the #4 hole, but for now it seems like Doug Davis will be here. Davis is a lefty who won't overpower anyone with his stuff, but is a crafty pitcher. When his curve is working it's absolutely filthy. Most games he can be counted to get through 6 innings; anything more than that is a bonus. Davis went 6-8 last year with a 4.32 ERA, though to be fair he missed a good chunk of the season after undergoing surgery to remove some cancerous cells. Davis has a tendency to start the season a little slow but finish very strong. Something like a 12-8 record from him would be great.

#4
Diamondbacks newcomer Jon Garland will fit nicely into this spot for the club. A record of 14-8, which Garland posted last season with the Angels, would be a pretty good record from your #4 spot. Garland has been an 18-game winner twice, and has posted double digit win totals in each of the last 7 seasons. If he can continue to do that, the Dbacks are in good shape.

#5
Which brings us to the back-end of the rotation, the one 'weak' link if you will. How weak it actually is depends on how well you think a rookie will do. Ok, so maybe Scherzer isn't a rookie, as he got playing time last year, but this is the first time he goes into a season as a starter. He was just 0-4 last year, but posted a fantastic 3.05 ERA. It's hard to predict how he will react to being 'the man', but seeing as he's only the #5, and the Dbacks have four really solid pitchers in front of him, there shouldn't be a ton of pressure on him. All you really look from a #5 is something close to a .500 record.

So there you have it. I will not delve into the bullpen situation, mostly because it was such an abject disaster last year and i have no idea how it will play out this year. But with a very strong starting rotation, a little bit of defense, and a little more maturity from our young players, the Dbacks could be on the cusp of a great year. Let's hope it plays out that way...