While the days of the “Fab Four” are no more, the Philadelphia Phillies' current starting pitching staff has the potential to be solid.
Cole Hamels is currently (and rightly) listed as the staff ace on the team's depth chart. “Hollywood” is pitching in the prime of his career and only needs a full season of good health to make another Cy Young run.
Cliff Lee continues to fill the number 2 spot on this team, whereas on most staffs he would be the clear number 1. Lee remains one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game.
The low win total he was credited with last year was hardly indicative of the actual performance he gave. A close comparison between his 2012 statistics and that of Hamels reveals that the two colleagues weren't far apart in most categories.
Roy Halladay is a question mark again this season, which is similar to the pitching punctuation he embodied last year. As long as “Doc” has a relatively healthy right arm (and shoulder) and is handled in the right way, he should be able to start 30 games.
Kyle Kendrick has been a terrific swing man for most of his Phillies' seasons. Once again a full-fledged member of the starting staff, “KK” should eat innings and pitch somewhere above a .500 record.
John Lannan is a decent major league pitcher. As such, he should be a decent fifth starter on this team. Like his other four mound mates, Lannan should be able to take a regular turn and keep the Phillies in most games. Being left-handed also increases his end of the rotation appeal.
If there are any injuries, or ineffective efforts among this group of starting pitchers, promising options are also available at Triple-A.
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