Over at foxsports.com, there's a good article by Dayn Perry about baseball's best 1-2 punch. With the recent trade for Danny Haren, he ranks Haren and Brandon Webb as #1. Here's the rest of the list:
2. C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, Indians
3. Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, Twins
4. Jake Peavy and Chris Young, Padres
5. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, Giants
6. Brad Penny and Chad Billingsley, Dodgers
7. John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, Angels
8. Cole Hamels and Brett Myers, Phillies
9. Scott Kazmir and James Shields, Rays
10. John Smoltz and Tim Hudson, Braves
When discussing his choice of Billingsley over Derek Lowe, he stated, "Because Billingsley's the better pitcher, and the 23-year-old is going to get even better in the coming seasons. In fact, don't be surprised if Billingsley emerges as the true ace of the staff in 2008."
As I previously discussed on my Player Profile about Billingsley, I know that people will be looking at him this year to really break out. He has the capability of getting bunches of K's, and he's already had plenty of starting experience even at a young age. So, this could be his year to be one of the top 3 guys in the rotation.
As for the rest of the list, I really can't argue with it. I may have flip-flopped the first 2 seeing as how I think Sabathia and Carmona dominate in a better hitting league. Liriano is a wild card considering how good he once was before being shut down for the year with arm problems. Since this list is about a glimpse into the upcoming season, I can see why he's so high on Cain and Lincecum, seeing as how they're about the only reason to have hope in San Francisco.
Who could possibly make an argument for being on the list? Dontrelle Willis and Justin Verlander from the Tigers; Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling from the Red Sox; Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill from the Cubs; Aaron Harang and Homer Bailey from the Reds; and Ben Sheets and Yovani Gallardo from the Brewers all could be added. It's a toss up between most of these guys.
I'm just happy that someone acknowledged Penny as being an ace and Bill's as being a possible one for the future.
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