Written By: Trevor Filkins
Edited By: John Aidala
Depth is often overlooked on MLB rosters and it is essential when it comes to building a competitive roster. Injuries are inevitable and having the ability to account for them with suitable reserves is what allows teams to thrive in an arduous 162 game slate. Starting rotation depth therefore, is an invaluable characteristic for an organization. There are plenty of teams that are often overlooked as a result of the big names that take the top of the rotations. The ability of a starting pitcher to give six innings of three runs or less (otherwise known as quality start) is becoming a commodity in today's game. So let us look at the starting rotations that may be void of the namesake, but will bring their teams success based on their one through five's ability to gobble up innings.
Beginning with the Tampa Bay Rays, who admittedly faced a ton of injuries to their guys last season, have one of the most underrated rotations year in and year out. There is a strong chance the average baseball fan likely could not name their ace starting pitcher, let alone their abundance of arms. Shane McClanahan, the team's ace, who missed last season recovering from his second Tommy John Surgery, might be among the most underrated pitchers in baseball. Already a two-time all-star, he finished 6th in Cy Young voting in 2022 and was easily the best pitcher in baseball for the first half of 2022. He heads the staff ahead of another guy who is considerably an ace himself, Drew Rasmussen.
Rasmussen missed a significant portion of the 2024 season and most of the 2023 season with injuries. Despite this, he has garnered a 2.72 ERA in his time with the Rays, most as a starting pitcher. His 2.86 FIP highlights his ability to command the strike zone with a high strikeout rate and a low walk rate. He came back from injury in 2024 and in a short sample dominated with 1.35 FIP in 28 and 2⁄3 innings with a 5.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Below the two-headed monster at the top, we have Taj Bradley. Bradley had a period in 2024 where he looked unhittable. He was easily the best pitcher in the month of July last year and with his elite pitch arsenal he posted a 1.45 ERA in the month of July. His only month last season where he faltered was August where he lost himself but was able to rebound for a solid September. I expect that to carry over into 2025. Bradley is a guy who could break out even more if he is consistent and become the likes of a 3-headed monster at the top end of the Rays rotation.
Below Bradley, we have the collection of Shane Baz and Ryan Pepiot. Baz, posted a 3.06 ERA last season in 79 and 1⁄3 innings and if he can stay on the field he will be an amazing guy to have situated as your 4 or 5 in a rotation. He has an electric fastball and changeup alongside a good curveball with a slider that has shown promise. Pepiot is another Rays starter with elite stuff. He has one of the better fastballs in the league off the back of his solid changeup. He adds in his above average slider as well and was able to accrue a 3.60 ERA and 3.95 FIP last season in the Rays rotation. He has strikeout stuff and I only expect improvement going into his 27 year old season.
The last guy in the fold is old reliable, Zach Littell. Littell was the placeholder in the rotation last season and as a 6 option in your rotation going into 2025, I am sure any team would be ecstatic. Unlike the other guys that have the ability to be dominant with their stuff, Littell throws strikes. He commands that zone and does not let guys walk. He had a 3.63 ERA and 3.88 FIP in 2024 which was better than you might see out of your ace for some teams. This was from a guy who will likely see bullpen innings this year because there won't be room to put him into the rotation.
Another team that deserves to be mentioned for their uniform consistency in their pitching arsenal was the Detroit Tigers. Detroit made fellow organizations open their eyes last year as they made an unfathomable run at the playoffs. They achieved this off the back of their insane bullpen and its usage down the stretch. While they did have this year's Cy Young Award recipient in Tarik Skubal, it might be easy to write off that they are a bullpen dominant team. Their rotation may be overlooked now heading into the 2025 season.
Skubal is the best starting pitcher in baseball, no doubt in my mind and all that needs to be stated. With the aforementioned Skubal at the top, the Tigers re-signed their deadline tradeaway Jack Flaherty. Despite facing injury throughout last year, Reese Olson was able to finish with a 3.53 ERA and a 3.17 FIP. His elite slider-sinker combination was able to provide significant value last year and he should definitely increase their usage to get even better. He should be a reliable 3 this year for the Tigers.
Alex Cobb is going to be the 4 for the Tigers rotation next year. Cobb was injured for most of 2024 but his return in a limited sample last year looked very good. He utilized his sinker splitter combination to post a 2.76 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 16 and 1⁄3 innings and was already coming off of an all-star season for the Giants in 2023. He throws strikes and keeps the ball in the yard and should provide a reliable 4 for the Tigers this season.
The Tigers projected 5 starter is Casey Mize. Formerly a number one pick in the draft by the Tigers, Mize has yet to put it together for the most part. He has the pitches, including one of the nastier splitters you will see, and this year I anticipate being that long awaited breakout. His injuries of the past have kept him from consistently being on the field, but with the help of another fellow splitter guy in Alex Cobb, Mize should take the next step. He needs to drop his curveball and focus on his fastball, splitter to lefties and sinker, slider to righties. Dropping his arm slot back down would likely bolster his results so long as it does not give way to more shoulder injury. His elite extension and solid strike throwing ability should continue and if he can harness his stuff, he could easily become a dominant force in their rotation.
While Jackson Jobe did make his appearance last season as the top pitching prospect in baseball, he is not projected to make the opening day rotation. Jobe, upon any injuries, could see himself inserted into the rotation and with the best fastball-slider-changeup combination in the minors as well as a curveball that is above average. Jobe has an elite ability to spin the baseball and should be a fine replacement if needed. Part of the argument for the Tigers going into the year is going to be their cavernous ballpark in Comerica as well as their insane outfield coverage with elite defenders such as Riley Greene, Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling. They have a frame master in Jake Rogers as well who will ensure that their pitchers get calls and the Tigers should see more use out of their rotation this year as opposed to their opener strategy they deployed the latter half of 2024. They will still have this strategy to fall back in if they end up facing injury. Not to mention the likes of Keider Montero and the anticipated return of prospect Sawyer Gipson-Long. Montero provided valuable innings last season and Gipson-Long had a spectacular showing in his debut in 2023 before being injured.
The last team I'd like to shed some light on is the revamping of the Houston Astros. They have somehow done it again and are about to enter the 2025 season with a starting rotation that will likely dominate its opponents. Given the lack of name value, most won't bat an eye to the Astros pitching staff. From the top, Framber Valdez heads the rotation and is easily one of the most underrated starters in baseball. He gets ground balls in a highly difficult place to keep the ball in the park. He does very well at avoiding barrels and promoting weak contact. His sinker-curveball combination is something to behold and as a result consistently has given over 170 innings in each of the last three season. He achieved this all with FIP values of less than 3.50.
After Valdez, Hunter Brown is the number two in the rotation. Brown had arguably the worst start in MLB history last April against Kansas City and recomposed himself as a reliable man to follow Framber. He posted a 2.26 ERA in the second half of the 2024 season and brought his dominance for his lone appearance against Detroit in the postseason. His stuff is proven to be elite. After adding a sinker to his four-seamer, he derived most of his value from the two pitches combined with his cutter. This allowed him to achieve one of the lowest hard hit rates in all of baseball and avoid barrels at an exceptional rate. Houston has a gem in the rough with Brown and has the potential makings of leading the Astros' staff in the near future.
Following Brown in the rotation is Ronel Blanco. As the three for the Astros, he managed a 2.80 ERA alongside a league best, 6.1 hits per nine. He was the Astros ace last season as he was uniformally the most reliable from season start to end. His slider was a top pitch in baseball last year and his curveball and changeup were extremely valuable as well. He gets outs for his team and will continue to do so in 2025.
The number 4 for the Astros is their former top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti. Despite a mediocre full showing in 2024 he was dominant at times. In August he had a 1.95 ERA and overall had a 10.6 strikeouts per nine. Among qualified starters, that would have rated 7th in the league. He had a similar rate to Cy Young Winner Tarik Skubal. He was just a rookie and with the tremendous arsenal. Look for him to move away from his fastball and hone in on his off-speed this season for even better results.
Rounding out the rotation is newly acquired, Hayden Wesneski. Wesneski makes his way down south as one of the signature return pieces in the Kyle Tucker trade this offseason. Wesneski has demonstrated elite pitch movement and spin in his sweeper and sinker. He throws frisbees and with the right pitching development, he could potentially be as dominant as Padres Pitcher, Michael King. Wesneski has elite extension, which should allow him to get even more out of his pitches. I expect the Astros to alter the shape of his sinker and fastball to better combine with his sweeper and unlock his potential. I think Wesneski will begin in the rotation and eventually become a highly valuable bullpen arm for the Astros. He should be a solid 5 to begin the year for the Astros.
While this rotation thus far may not be too surprising from a depth perspective, consider the following. The Astros have Luis Garcia, Christian Javier, and Lance McCullers Jr. to eventually make their way back. Garcia provides a consistent FIP in the 3’s and his cutter-curveball combination should allow him to thrive at the back end of the rotation when he returns. Lance McCullers has not taken the mound since 2022, where he demonstrated his abilities with a 2.27 ERA and 3.49 FIP. Having a career 3.48 ERA and 3.35 FIP, his re entry into the middle of the Astros rotation will be welcomed. McCullers’ breaking ball combination with his slider and knuckle-curve demonstrates his elite ability to spin the ball and get ground balls. He has elite movement and misses the barrel of bats. McCullers, when healthy, could easily be the ace of a staff so his ability to be just the 3-4 when he returns showcases the depth of the Astros rotation.
The final of the re-additions to the rotation is Cristian Javier. No one can forget his 2022 no-hitter in the World Series, but he has always been one of those pitchers you forget about. Easily one of the most underrated pitchers of the past few years, Javier does not have velocity that wows, but he does have a fastball that can be seemingly untouchable with the rise it seems to create. That fastball, referred to as an “invisiball”, has been among the most valuable in baseball despite it sitting nearly 2 MPH slower than the MLB average. With injury riddled seasons for 2023 and 2024, I expect him to get back on track for 2025 and re enter the Astros rotation as a force yet again. Even if he cannot garner his elite numbers similar to the ones he had in 2022, he will be another valuable piece that the Astros can rely on if they need.
All three of these rotations might not be garnering any tremendous headlines like those of the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, or Phillies. The name value might be not nearly as heavy, but when reflecting back on 2025, do not be surprised if these enter among the conversation of the best. If the health of said rotations is able to hold up, they should be able to carry their respective rosters to the hopes of a playoff berth and maybe even a championship run.