Braves 1-2 Punch in Starting Rotation Ranked Among Best in MLB

This list serves as a reminder of who the Atlanta Braves have in their starting rotation when healthy

The Atlanta Braves, when healthy, have a pretty solid rotation | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The starting rotation induced nothing short of a throbbing headache for the Atlanta Braves last season. While health can't be considered the main culprit for the team's woes overall last season, rotation arms can certainly point fingers in that direction.

A recent ranking from MLB.com serves as a simple reminder of what the Braves have. Using projected FanGraphs WAR (depth chart projections) as a way to rank 1-2 punches in starting rotations across the league, the Braves found themselves ranked fifth.

Ahead of the Braves were the Tigers (Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez), the Red Sox (Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray), the Phillies (Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo) and the Pirates (Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller). The top two starting pitchers on these teams, by projected WAR, were added together and this is how the rankings were established. It removes any potential bias. This is how it is.

That 1-2 punch included an obvious inclusion of Chris Sale at the No. 1. Even after being missing for the latter half of the season, Spencer Schwellenbach prevailed as the No 2. Sale is projected to have a 4.0 WAR, and Schwellenbach is projected to have a 3.2 WAR, based on FGDC. This is as of when MLB.com published the story. These projections may tweak.

What happens next for the Atlanta Braves? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Braves news delivered to your inbox daily!

Sale's performance speaks for itself. He delivered another Cy Young-caliber season when healthy. MLB Networks' The Shedder ranked him as a top-five starting pitcher in baseball. He was an All-Star for the ninth time in his career, taking his comeback arc into his age-37 season. All that's left is for him to put the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career.

It sounds odd to rank this Spencer over the other notable one in the starting rotation. However, it is noted that Schwellenbach barely edged out Strider. The latter's WAR is projected to be 2.8.

Expectation based on name aside, Schwellenbach, when healthy, was having a better year than Strider. He finished with a 3.09 ERA compared to Strider's 4.45 ERA. His WHIP was 0.96 compared to Strider's 1.39. Schwellenbach was pitching deeper into games consistently and brought solid defense as well.

While Strider could potentially reestablish himself in the long run, Schwellenbach has him beat right now. It is fitting to say he is the No. 2 arm in the rotation behind Sale.