Ranking the Staff Ace

OK, I'll be the guinea pig and go first.
1. Oswalt

2. Harang

3. Zambrano

4. Sheets

5. Wainwright

6. Gorzelanny

I think Wainwright is a #3 behind Carpenter and Mulder and Sheets could move past Zambrano if he could only stay healthy. I want Zambrano to implode(Rob and Kyle better stop calling me a Cub Fan). Oswalt and Harng clearly the top of this list. Let the banter begin....

It's hard to measure up Aces.

1. Oswalt

2. Harang

3. Sheets

4. Zambrano

5. Gorzelanny

6. Wainwright

I like Sheets better than Zambrano because of his BB/K ratio. A healthy Ben Sheets may even creep up on Harang. I'm not convinced Wainwright is going to continue to have success, but his numbers are practically identical to Gorzo's.

My order is
1. Ben Sheets

2. Roy Oswalt

3. Aaron Hurang

4. Tom Gorzelanny

5. Adam Wainwright

6. Carlos Zambrano

Again, of the 6, I want Ben Sheets to pitch for my team. He is the only pitcher in my opinion that has no-hitter-type stuff. Oswalt throws two different speeds of curve-balls and both of them for strikes. There is a reason why Sheets pitched the gold-medal game against Cuba and Oswalt did not and that's not a knock on Oswalt. Aaron Hurang has the 2nd heavest sinker in the game next to Brandon Webb. Gorzelanny and Wainright are not power pitchers but they throw strikes. Zambrano wins on pure deception. Constantly pitches from behind because of his inability to throw strikes. Walked more than 100 for the 2nd straight season last year. I need to win a game, I could ask all 6 of them to do it but I'd feel most confident with Sheets, then Oswalt, and so on down the list...

1. Roy Oswalt
2. Ben Sheets

3. Aaron Harang

4. Carlos Zambrano

5. Tom Gorzelanny

6. Adam Wainwright

Oswalt and Harang are top three because they consistently win on terrible teams. Sheets comes in second for me because of not only his injury history, but because of his propensity for lately for not striking hitters out. His K/BB ratio is still fine, but he doesn't strikeout as many as he used to.

Zambrano is 4th because for all of his flaws he is a horse that will seemingly always throw 200 innings.

Gorzelanny threw right around 200 for the first time in his career last year (prior most was 160 something, I think 164) and he's already showing some control/fatigue problems this spring.

Wainwright as a setup man/closer? I'll take him. As a starter? I'm simply not sold.

Good topic,

1) Oswalt

2) Harrang

3) Sheets

4) Zambrano

5) Gorz

6) Wainwright

Oswalt has the best stuff out of all of these pitchers. Harrang is the toughest to hit arround with the sinker ball. Sheets has "potential" to be the best pitcher in the central, but potential ends after 8 seasons as a staff ace. I hope he can make 30-32 starts, for his sake in his contract year I think he will, but he hasn't proven he can. Zambrano has got good stuff, but is a true head case. He knows how to handle the bat however, which makes him tough on the mound and at the plate. But again that is every 5 games so who cares. Gorz is has nasty stuff, and is young. The thing he has going for him is he has nothing to lose when pitching for the pirates, I wouldn't mind him as the Brewers number 3. Wainwright is looking for a comeback year, just not sold on his stuff conistantly, clearly the odd man out in this group. What about Carpenter? I love aces with fastball, curveball, changeup stuff. Thats why I love Oswalt, deception in pitching is the key to success if you can control and change speeds you will be a very successful pitcher in the bigs. Dave I know you love the Cubs and its hard for you to say you want Zambrano to implode but you always have your boy Aramis Rameriz to root for this year