Pitching is the ultimate power for a baseball team to harness. Having the ability to stifle and shutdown bats is an “X factor” – many teams have great batters, and have several guys who can hit HRs and chip away. But to have a one man who can win the game, if your team is off, or if your team hasn’t been particularly strong on the batting end. That’s the power.

These are VTD’s top 5 pitching rotations in the MLB, as of 6.17.2021.

5- Los Angeles Dodgers / Record; 41-27
* Clayton Kershaw / Lefty / 6-4
W/L; 8-5
INNINGS PITCHED; 82.1
ERA; 3.39
K’s;  95
Kershaw can throw it, and throw it really well – he has been putting up great numbers on a Dodgers team for many years, and his ability to sit batters is still awesome.

* Julio Urias / Lefty / 6-0
W/L; 9-2
INNINGS PITCHED; 84.0
ERA; 3.54
K’s;  90
If you’re looking for a budding rockstar – look no further than Julio Urias. With their starting staff – Los Angeles have been able to keep their pitchers well rested on a consistent basis, because they have several guys they feel confident with putting on the bump, the Dodgers have great confidence, and they should, especially Urias who has been putting up some really good winning numbers.

4- Milwaukee Brewers / Record; 38-30
* Freddy Peralta / Righty / 6-4
W/L; 6-1
INNINGS PITCHED; 68.0
ERA; 2.25
K’s;  98
Strong armed 21 year old Peralta and their pitching squad gives manager Craig Counsell a lot of looks to work with.
I continue to be amazed by his awareness when pitching, his potential is unparalleled.

* Brandon Woodruff / Righty / 6-4
W/L; 5-2
INNINGS PITCHED; 83.0
ERA; 1.52
K’s;  97
These 2 keep batters confused and a steady dish of K’s on a consistent basis for Milwaukee. These are factors supporting Milwaukee as having one of the best pitching rotations in baseball today. Woodruff’s arm is an elite cannon without question with his fastball, and his sinker is nasty. Freddy Peralta, and Brandon Woodruff round out an impressive group for Milwaukee.

3- New York Yankees / Record; 35-32
* Gerrit Cole / Righty / 6-4
W/L; 8-3
INNINGS PITCHED; 81.2
ERA; 2.31
K’s;  113
Cole has been devastating on the mound, especially the past 3 seasons, posting over 70% win pct over those seasons. Since 2018 he has been a lockdown pitcher who can solely win games on his arm – that’s nothing to forget.

* Jonathan Loaisiga / Righty / 5-11
W/L; 6-2
INNINGS PITCHED; 35.1
ERA; 1.78
K’s;  27
Jonathan Loaisiga has shown that he can pull a low scoring, 3-1 win out, and he knows when to pitch aggressively and when to make batters swing. The Yanks lack of bats gets a lot of the blame for their struggles, and at some point a team’s offense has to win close games. 

2- Chicago White Sox / Record; 43-25
* Carlos Rodon / Lefty / 6-3
W/L; 6-2
INNINGS PITCHED; 66.2
ERA; 1.89
K’s;  97
Whatever problems that Rodon was having last season, definitely appear to have been worked out – as his pitching game has been stellar.

* Lance Lynn / Righty / 6-5
W/L; 7-2
INNINGS PITCHED; 71.2
ERA; 1.51
K’s;  80
Chicago had a pretty strong pitching staff even before they signed Lynn – now with the 6-5 righty, the White Sox have a group that can dominate teams, as shown by their 3.16 team runs against average.

1- New York Mets / Record; 35-25
* Jacob deGrom  / Righty / 6-4
W/L; 6-2
INNINGS PITCHED; 64.0
ERA; 0.56
K’s;  103
deGrom has a 1.91 ERA in 556.0 innings over the last 4 years – along with 739 K’s. He had a 1.70 ERA and a lethal 0.912 WHIP in 2018 – he appears to be coming back stronger than ever showing off his experience and great pitching ability on the bump.

* Taijuan Walker / Righty / 6-4
W/L; 6-2
INNINGS PITCHED; 68.0
ERA; 2.12
K’s;  72
New York have been very reliable with their pitching unit, especially in the late innings. The Mets, without question, have one of the best ERAs in baseball, at 3.12 as a team, currently putting them at the top spot in the majors. Walker has been an ace in the hole. They have several legitimate options on this team, including Walker and deGrom in particular. Personally, I would not want anyone over the Mets staff, as they are the ultimate assurance.