Building the Los Angeles Dodgers 2010s all-decade pitching staff

The All-Decade Starting Rotation

Since starting rotations feature five starters, I wanted to select the top five starters from the decade, regardless of their position (1-5) within the rotation during their time in LA. I got through four, with the fifth starter position being too difficult to decide, so I list them as a group of honorable mentions so you can decide for yourself.

Clayton Kershaw– Known as the best pitcher in baseball for the entirety of his peak, Kershaw’s playoff struggles eclipse much of his recent success, but nothing takes away from his prime. He dominated the game as a flamethrowing left-handed starter, with a no-hitter, three Cy Youngs, an NL MVP, and a pitching triple crown. Over the course of the decade, which nearly spans Kershaw’s entire career, he threw nearly 2,000 innings with 156 wins and a 2.31 ERA. Truly the greatest pitcher I’ve ever gotten the chance to see.

Zach Greinke– He had the best ERA season for any Dodgers starter over the course of the decade with a minuscule 1.66 ERA. He pitched well for the team in the postseason, despite 2015’s NLDS losses to the New York Mets. He had the best strand rate of any Dodger starter over the course of the decade, and his departure hurt fans and teammates alike.

Walker Buehler– With a sub-3.00 ERA and 10+ K/9, Buehler is already one of the better Dodgers starters, and he seems poised to be the Kershaw of the 2020s, but his 2010s success, despite it being abridged in comparison to some of the other starters on this list, was dominant.

Hyun-Jin Ryu– Ryu came on as a rookie from Korea, and he dominated whenever he pitched, despite his soft-tossing style. He broke out this season, but really, his run from the middle of 2018 season to the middle of 2019 is one of the best of the decade (30 starts with a 1.62 ERA).

Honorable Mentions: Hiroki Kuroda, Chad Billingsley, Rich Hill