Who has the better staff?

[AussieYank]

Which staff would you rate more highly – the Phillies over the last few years or the Braves of the 90’s?

[B Jansen 23]

Man, the Phils have a great one but I'm not ready to put them ahead of those Braves. Not yet anyway.

[dominik]

I go with the braves. Although you have to give the Phillies credit for pitching great in that bandbox. It's much harder to pitch in such a park especially mentally.

[CandlestickBum]

I go with the braves. Although you have to give the Phillies credit for pitching great in that bandbox. It's much harder to pitch in such a park especially mentally.

Yeah, because the field where the Braves played was soooo spacious, nobody ever called it a bandbox.

Aussieyank, have you checked the 90's Braves out at all? Between 1991 and 2005 (15! years) they only missed going to the postseason one time. During that 15 years span, the team led their league in ERA 10 times. Philadelphia in it's 5 year run, once. Philadelphia has now gone to the post season 5 times in a row. Get back to us in a decade or so.

[tag0519]

Thats a tough one, but I'm gonna go with the Braves. But if H.L.H. are the strong 3 aces one more season, my choice may change.

[Imgran]

Braves. Tenure over peak.

[CandlestickBum]

Braves. Tenure over peak.

I dunno, leading the league in ERA 10 times, at one point for 6 straight seasons? They beat Phillie for peak too.

[Bothrops Atrox]

Braves. Tenure over peak.

I might take the "peak" years of 1996-1998 over the Phillies "peak" anyway.

Of course the Phillies could add more to their resume, but Lee and Halladay are too old to have anywhere near the length of domination that the trio of Brave's HOFers had.

Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz has 10 years together of HOF pitching. Halladay, Lee, and Hamels together have had 1.

[willshad]

Im not sure if the poster is asking which 'staff' is better, is which 'starting rotation' is better. Also, they have to specify if they mean which staff had the better career with the team, or if the Phillies staff now matches up with the Braves' staff at their best.

First off, it's obvious that the Phillies' starters will not have the same career with their team as the Braves' guys did. The Braves had the fortune of having three hall of fame pitchers all about the same age, all of whom played many years with the team starting at a young age. Lee and Halladay were already past 30 when they came to the Phillies. There is no way they will surpass Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, unless they have Warren Spahn/Phil Niekro/Nolan Ryan/Randy Johnson type of longevity.

That said, I think their rotation as of right now matches up well with the Braves' at their best. Certainly last season they were as good as any single season the Braves' starters had during their run... they had three legit Cy Young candidates in their rotation, plus another guy who had Cy Young numbers in half a seasons' worth of starts. They lost Oswalt, and that is a big blow. Though he wasnt great last year, he is a very talented pitcher who not long ago people were having legit HOF discussions about. His season was injury riddled and disappointing, but he still had a 3.69 ERA..not bad for a number 5 starter (he was actually their sixth most effective starter last season). .Plus, they have a some talented guys to replace him at the #4 and #5 slot. It remains to be seen how the next few years play out, or if Hamels, Worley, and Kendrick were fluky or not.

[Rich the Giants fan]

Is the Phillies staff even the best in the league right now?

Easy one, the Braves until the Phillies have done it for several years in a row. Of course, if the Giants, or some other team, show that they actually have the best rotation this year, that could make this argument moot.

[9RoyHobbsRF]

How many closers did the Phillies go through last year 4? 5?

this is funny

[willshad]

I think the argument is with regards to their starting rotation, correct?

[StanTheMan]

How many closers did the Phillies go through last year 4? 5?

this is funny

Why? Because it doesn't belong in this thread about ROTATION?


Braves for me.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Braves, no question. I don't even have to think about it. Yes, the Phillies have had a great run with their core three pitchers; I don't deny that one bit. However, I need to see them sustain a few more years of it before I'll consider them equal to what the Braves accomplished.

[SamtheBravesFan]

How many closers did the Phillies go through last year 4? 5?

this is funny

He was talking about starting rotations, Roy. Bullpens are fickle like crazy, espeically Atlanta's during that run. One year, they're unhittable, the next they can't get a lineup of Mario Mendozas out.