bdj610's 2009 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams...The Starting Pitchers

Yesterday, I named the bullpens for each of my End of the Year All-Star Teams. Now it's time to name the starters.

To recap, here is my National League relief corps:

• Jeremy Affeldt, Giants
• Heath Bell, Padres
• Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers
• Francisco Cordero, Reds
• Ryan Franklin, Cardinals

And the American Leauge bullpen:

• Matt Guerrier, Twins
• Brian Fuentes, Angels
• Joe Nathan, Twins
• Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox
• Mariano Rivera, Yankees

So, who would they be relieving???

Starting with the National League six-man rotation, we have (in alphabetical order):

• Chris Carpenter, Cardinals (17-4. 2.24 ERA, 144 K's)
• Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies (15-12, 3.47 ERA, 198 K's)
• Josh Johnson, Marlins (15-5. 3.23 ERA, 191 K's)
• Tim Lincecum, Giants (15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261 K's)
• Javier Vasquez, Braves, (15-10, 2.87 ERA, 238 K's)
• Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 K's)

Honorable mentions go out to (meaning, if I had more space, I'd would have added) Matt Cain (14-8, 2.89, 171 K's), Dan Haren (14-10, 3.14, 223 K's), Jair Jurrjens (14-10, 2.60, 152 K's), Jorge De La Rosa (16-9, 4.38, 193 K's), and Ted Lilly (12-9, 3.10, 151 K's). While this rotation doesn't necessarily scream dominating, we have a balance of power pitchers and guys who ate up a lot of innings in 2009.

In the American League, my All-Star six man rotation includes:

• Josh Beckett, Red Sox (17-6, 3.86 ERA, 199 K's)
• Zack Greinke, Royals (16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 K's, 6 complete games)
• Roy Halladay, Blue Jays (17-10, 2.79 ERA, 208 K's, 9 complete games)
• Felix Hernandez, Mariners (19-5, 2.49 ERA, 217 K's)
• CC Sabathia, Yankees (19-8, 3.37 ERA, 197 K's)
• Justin Verlander, Tigers (19-9, 3.45 ERA, 269 K's)

Honorable mentions go out to Scott Feldman (17-8, 113 K's, but 4.08 ERA stands out), Jeff Weaver (16-8, 3.75, 174), Scott Baker (15-9, 4.36, 160 K's), Mark Buehrle (13-10, 3.84, 105, one perfect game), and Edwin Jackson (13-9, 3.61, 162 K's). Imagine how powerful a team could be if they had all of these guys in one rotation. Unstoppable comes to mind.

So the pitching staffs are done. Next, we'll get to the position players. The first step is to ensure that every team has a representative, regardless of what position he plays. At this point, six AL teams and eight teams from the NL need to have a player. I have a few people in mind. Who will they be? Tune in some time tomorrow and find out.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama