#1: Scott Kazmir-Tampa Bay Rays-24Career Numbers: 35-29, 3.64 ERA, 1.39 WHIP
-Sent to the Rays from the Mets in one of the worst trades in recent memory, Kazmir has anchored the Rays rotation since the ripe of age of 21, despite having little experience above AA before that. Kazmir has improved every year and it culminated in him leading the AL in strikeouts in 2007 while throwing over 200 innings. His best pitch is a live mid-90's fastball which he compliments with a hard slider that dives in on right-handers. He's got a decent curveball and change-up but both are secondary pitches to his fastball-slider combo. He has struggled with control for most of his career, posting a 4.13 BB/9 rate, although he has moderately improved his command the past two years which suggests he should get closer to the career 3.67 BB/9 he posted in the minors. Kazmir dwells in relative obscurity in Tampa Bay, but his fantastic stuff and ability to miss bats should allow him to be an ace for many years.
#2: Felix Hernandez-Seattle Mariners, 21Career Numbers: 30-25, 3.94 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
-Earmarked for stardom since he was tearing through the minors as a 19 year old, King Felix has seen his share of ups and downs during his first 2 full big league seasons. He's battled nagging injuries and concerns have surfaced about his weight, but neither of those factors have stopped him from throwing 381+ innings over the past two seasons and amassing 26 wins. Felix is blessed with a filthy array of pitches and that stuff alone gives him the potential to be one of the most dominant pitches in baseball and also leaves him as the pitcher with the most upside on this list. His overpowering fastball sits in the mid to upper 90's, but that might not even be his best fastball. He also throws a sinking 2-seamer with late break that can handcuff batters. He adds a hard-breaking curveball, a change-up, and a slider that he has used limitedly due to concerns over the health of his arm. Thanks to a modicum of early success, it is easy to forget how young he is, as he turns only 22 in April and has plenty of good outings ahead of him. With his repertoire of pitches and his ability to induce ground balls, Hernandez could soon rival Jake Peavy for the title of league's best right-handed pitcher.
#3: Justin Verlander-Detroit Tigers-24 Career Numbers: 35-17, 3.74 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
-Armed with arguably the league's greatest goatee, Verlander has been a staple of the Tigers rotation since 2006 when they advanced to the World Series. That year he rewarded Detroit's faith in him by registering 17 wins and winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award. An imposing 6'5, Verlander's been known to get his fastball to triple digits on the radar gun and combines that with a knee-buckling 12 to 6 curveball. He also uses a change-up that can be devastating when it follows his blazing four-seamer. He flashed his best stuff against Milwaukee in 2007 when he recorded the Tigers first no-hitter in over 20 years. Justin has taken on a very heavy workload at a young age, throwing 186 innings in his rookie year and 201+ in his sophomore campaign. That could signify the beginning of a workhorse, but high inning counts at ages 23 and 24 could also portend to injury, although Verlander's smooth and consistent delivery should limit any problems. He may not have the raw stuff or command to rise among the truly elite, but he can certainly be an ace for Detroit and one of the league's better pitchers for many years.
#4: Cole Hamels-Philadelphia Phillies-24Career Numbers: 24-13, 3.68 ERA, 1.18 WHIP
-Hamels is an athletic left-hander who absolutely dominated the minor leagues before making it to Philadelphia in the middle of the 2006 season. He transitioned smoothly to the bigs by winning 9 games and sporting an ERA just a shade over 4. Hamels possesses a low 90's fastball that has good movement and has a fading change-up that is regarded as one the game's best. Also sprinkles in a solid curveball to give him an impressive 3 pitch arsenal that helps him dominate at times. His health has always been a big question mark, as he has two DL stints on his record in his first two seasons. A broken arm suffered his senior year of high school also scared many teams off and saw him drop to the 17th overall pick in 2002, where the Phillies gladly selected him. Hamels has the makings of an ace if he can improve his stamina and stay healthy throughout his career.
#5: Tim Lincecum-San Francisco Giants-23 Career Numbers: 7-5, 4.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
-With a slight frame and quirky delivery, Lincecum has often gotten overlooked when it comes to pitching prospects, but his solid rookie campaign served notice to his potential. Despite being only 5'11 and 170 pounds he can push his fastball into the upper 90's with good movement. A sharp curveball and change-up both do a great job of keeping hitters off-balance and are nearly untouchable when a batter is sitting on his explosive fastball. Lincecum was the center of trade rumors this offseason, with the Giants supposedly dangling him in hopes of acquiring an outfielder. The front office ultimately decided to hold onto the 23 year old flamethrower and that should prove to be a wise choice as Lincecum is a key to the Giants hopes of rebuilding.
#6: Joba Chamberlain-New York Yankees-22Career Numbers: 2-0, 0.38 ERA, 0.75 WHIP
-Chamberlain burst onto the scene as a dominant reliever at the end of the 2007 season. He started his career by going 15 1/3 innings without allowing a run and finished the year with a sparkling 0.38 ERA in just under 2 months of action. Joba was a cog in the Yankees bullpen in his rookie year but projects as a big league ace sometime during his career. He will likely start the 2008 campaign out of the bullpen again as an attempt to limit his innings, but his stuff and build make him a potential workhorse at the top of the rotation. Chamberlain can bring it as he approaches 100 on the gun on occasion out of relief with his fastball sitting in the upper 90's consistently. He will likely lose a couple MPH's off his fastball once he enters the rotation, but his fastball will still be a dominant pitch in his arsenal along with his nasty slider that serves as a strikeout pitch. The Yankees have handled Joba with care, but once he is let loose he has the potential to become a dominant starter and a superstar in New York.
#7: Matt Cain-San Francisco Giants-23 Career Numbers: 22-29, 3.73 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
-Cain's win/loss totals are deceiving as he received awful run support during a 16 loss campaign in 2007. Despite his team's struggles, Matt posted a solid ERA and worked exactly 200 innings all while showing improvement in his command and walk totals. With an ideal pitcher's build at 6'3, 235 pounds to go along with a bulldog mentality, Cain should be a linchpin in the Giants rotation for years. His size allows him to throw a mid-90's fastball with ease and a hard curve and slider go along with an improving change-up to give him an excellent set of pitches. As long as Cain continues to show steady improvement, the Giants should have a dominant pair of right-handers at the top of their rotation with he and Tim Lincecum.
#8: Francisco Liriano-Minnesota Twins-24Career Numbers: 13-5, 2.74 ERA, 1.02 WHIP
-Liriano is the most polarizing figure on this list, as he could easily surge up to #1 if he regains his pre-injury form. But a history of arm troubles highlighted by Tommy John surgery in 2006 temper expectation's for Liriano's career. During his 2006 rookie campaign Francisco was absolutely dominant and when healthy he was arguably better than that year's Cy Young Winner Johan Santana. Possessing a low to mid-90's fastball and a slider that is nearly impossible to get a bat on, Liriano has two excellent pitches that are the staples of his repertoire. He may be forced to use his slider less after elbow surgery, but if he can refine his curveball and take advantage of a promising change-up Francisco should have little trouble becoming a great pitcher once again. The Twins have put a lot of faith in him as he is the most talented pitcher amongst a young staff.
#9: Chad Billingsley-Los Angeles Dodgers-23Career Numbers: 19-9, 3.49 ERA, 1.46 WHIP
-Billingsley is a prototypical power pitcher with a live fastball and sharp curveball. He also owns a hard slider that serves as an out pitch. Despite a strong build his stamina has been mediocre during his early career although that should improve as he gets older and gains more experience. Chad may not project as a surefire ace, but he could easily settle in as a good #2 starter for a number of years. With a pitcher-friendly ballpark and a solid young team behind me, Billingsley could post some very good numbers over the next decade.
#10: Fausto Carmona-Cleveland Indians-24Career Numbers: 20-18, 3.67 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
-Carmona was a disaster as a closer in 2006 but found himself in 2007 as he became a fixture of the Indians rotation. Using his sinking fastball, Fausto was able to become a very good groundball pitcher and also offered a solid slider and change-up which enabled him to finish 2nd in the AL with a 3.06 ERA. 2007 could possibly stand as his best year when his career is done, but Carmona could settle into the middle of the Cleveland rotation and be a dependable starter.
Honorable Mention: Clay Buchholz (BOS), Phil Hughes (NYY), Yovani Gallardo (MIL), Jonathan Broxton (LAD), Matt Garza (TB)
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