1. Felix Hernandez (24) – Coming off a 19 win season in 2009 where he finished second in the AL Cy Young voting. Already an elite pitcher with his best years to come. The clear cut No. 1 pitcher on this list.

2. Tommy Hanson (23) -The top pitching prospect in all of baseball failed to disappoint last season after receiving the call to the big leagues in June. He finished with 11 wins and a 2.89 ERA in 21 games and is off to a good start this year. An ace-in-the-making who should contend for the NL Cy Young in the near future.

3. Yovani Gallardo (24) – The ace of the Brewers staff posted the second best K/9 in the NL last year at 9.89 to go along with 13 wins and a sub-4.00 ERA. Off to a 3-2, 3.00 ERA, 10.00 K/9 start in 36 IP this season. Needs to cut down on his career 3.92 BB/9 ratio to become an elite pitcher.

4. Clayton Kershaw (22) – Despite winning only 8 games last season on a first-place team, Kershaw has all the makings of a future ace. He finished in the Top 5 in ERA (2.79) , K/9 (9.74), and H/9 (6.3) last season, while leading the league in opponents AVG (.200). While his control needs to improve as his career 4.82 BB/9 suggests, he has the ability to overpower hitters and dominant on any given night.

5. Jair Jurrjens (24) – Had the 5th-lowest ERA in baseball last year (2.60) and held hitters to a .274 AVG on balls hit in play. Knows how to change speeds and mix his pitches effectively to get batters out. In line to be a top of the rotation starter for many years despite his early ineffectiveness this season, mostly due to injury.

6. David Price (24) – The No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft took the league by storm with a great showing in the Rays’ 2008 postseason run to the World Series. Price possesses overpowering stuff with a mid-90s fastball and a hard breaking slider that can lead to plenty of strikeouts. Like many young pitchers, he has had command issues but also isn’t afraid to challenge hitters. Off to a great start this season and looks to be coming into his own as a pitcher.

7. Phil Hughes (23) – After struggling with injuries his first 2 seasons, Hughes pitched mostly out of the bullpen in 2009 and finished with a 1.40 ERA along with showing good command (5:1 K/BB ratio). After winning the 5th spot in the Yankees rotation this spring, he has proven to be one of the teams best starters as he has gone 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in 4 starts, including a near no-hitter. Hughes looks to be realizing his immense potential under the bright lights of New York.

8. Rick Porcello (21) – The youngest player in the big leagues last season had a successful rookie campaign for the Tigers. The former 1st round pick went 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA and finished 3rd in the AL Rookie of the Year voting last season. He has good control and a sinker that is conducive for plenty of groundball outs. While he may not be a big strikeout pitcher, his control and quality stuff will make him a tough pitcher to face every time he takes the mound.

9. Brian Matusz (23) – The 4th overall pick in 2008 impressed many in his brief stint in the majors last season with the Orioles by displaying a good command and presence on the mound. His strikeout and walk totals in his 13 career big league starts show his top-of-the-rotation potential. The future is bright for this southpaw and his outlook for 2010 and beyond is sure to catch the eye of plenty of baseball fans.

10. Brett Anderson (22) – Acquired in the trade that sent Dan Haren from Oakland to Arizona, the A’s are ecstatic from what they see in Anderson so far in his brief career. Baseball America’s No. 7 prospect entering the 2009 season posted solid numbers in his rookie season. He finished with a team-leading 11 wins and 150 strikeouts to go along with a respectable 4.06 ERA (3.48 ERA after the All-Star break). Anderson started 2010 on a good note by posting a 2.35 ERA in 4 starts before going on the DL with a forearm strain. Despite this injury, Anderson should be a good starter for many years with his command and ability to strike batters out.

11. Neftali Feliz (21) – Perhaps no one on this list possesses more overpowering stuff than Feliz. Currently serving as the Rangers closer, Feliz has shown the ability to dominant opposing hitters with his upper 90s fastball that has reached triple digits at times. He pitched out of the bullpen after his call-up to the big league club in August and finished with a 1.74 ERA in 31 IP along with 39 K and impressive 0.68 WHIP. The Rangers have bounced around the idea of moving Feliz to the rotation, but feel he is best serve as their closer right now. Whatever role he is in, Feliz is sure to make opposing hitters cringe at the sight of facing him.

12. Wade Davis (24) – Davis joined an impressive young Rays rotation at the end of 2009 and posted good numbers in 6 starts. In those starts, Davis went 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA to go along with 36 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP in 36.1 IP. He has picked up where he left off in ’09 to start 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 5 starts this season. Despite pitching in a tough AL East, Davis looks to be a good option to post a sub-4.00 ERA with good strikeout numbers this season.

13. Mat Latos (22) -Latos started his rookie campaign in 2009 by allowing no more than 2 earned runs in his first 5 starts. Despite struggling in his last 5 starts, Latos has shown good upside especially pitching in a pitcher friendly PETCO Park. The Padres thought enough of Latos to promote him straight from Double-A and bypass Triple-A altogether. Overall in his minor league career, Latos went 12-8, 2.49 ERA, with a 216:47 K/BB ratio in 185 IP, allowing only 149 hits. If he can translate those impressive numbers to the big leagues, the Padres have a future ace on their hands.

14. Johnny Cueto (24) – Cueto has been plagued my inconsistency since entering the big leagues in 2008. He has shown to be a very good pitcher in the first half of the season, as his 7-4 record with a 2.86 ERA through June in ’09 would suggest. However, Cueto has worn down in the second half and posted an 8.00 ERA in July and August of last season before a DL stint for shoulder inflammation. He possesses a live arm despite his small frame and still has too much upside to be deemed a failure at this point in his career. If Cueto can find some consistency he is arguably one of the best pitchers on this list.

15. Jaime Garcia (23) – After originally making his debut in relief during the 2008 season for the Cardinals, Garcia had to undergo Tommy John surgery in the offseason and miss most of the 2009 season. After winning the 5th spot in rotation this spring, Garcia has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals so far this season. In 4 starts, he has been dominating opposing hitters with a 1.04 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 26 IP. With a career 9.8 K/9 in the minors and the tutelage of pitching coach Dave Duncan, look for Garcia to maintain his success in the big leagues.

16. Joba Chamberlain (24) – After a great year in 2008 where he appeared in 42 games (12 starts) where he posted an impressive 2.60 ERA and 10.58 K/9, the future looked extremely promising for Joba. However, last year wasn’t as friendly as his first 2 years in the big leagues as his ERA and WHIP numbers increased as a full-time starter. This year, Joba was beat out by Phil Hughes for the 5th spot in the Yankees rotation and is back to the bullpen where his career as a starter is now in question again. Despite this role uncertainty, he is still a quality pitcher and should still provide good value in the bullpen.

17. Mike Leake (22) – The 8th pick in the 2009 draft is the first player since Xavier Nady in 2000 to go straight from the draft to the major leagues. Despite some control issues, Leake has been solid in his first 4 big league starts as he has gone 2-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 IP. While Leake is sure to run into some rookie struggles this year due to not pitching in the minor leagues, he has shown so far that his more than capable of being an effective big league pitcher.

18. Daniel Bard (24) – The man nicknamed “The Heat” consistently throws a fastball in the 98-99 range and even reached 101 MPH on the radar gun last July against the A’s. The 2006 1st round pick has all the makings of a dominant big league closer as his 11.5 K/9 and 3:1 K/BB ratio with the Red Sox last season would attest. Look for Bard to become a closer somewhere in the near future.

19. Chris Perez – Perez is another hard-throwing right hander who possesses an upper 90s fastball. Perez was acquired by the Indians last season in the trade of Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals and is currently serving as the teams’ closer for the injured Kerry Wood. He was originally selected in the 1st round by the Cardinals in 2006 and served as a closer throughout his minor league career. Look for Perez to stay the Indians closer in the coming years and produce high strikeout totals.

20. Jhoulys Chacin (22) – MLB.com’s No. 44 prospect for 2010 is a current hot topic in baseball discussion after his impressive first start of the 2010 season yesterday. In that start, Chacin only gave up one hit in 7 scoreless IP along with 7 K. While Chacin has moved from starting to the bullpen, his best value is seen in the rotation where he has the potential to be a very good starter. The Rockies are hoping for more outings like yesterday’s from Chacin.

21. Jenrry Mejia (20) – The youngest player on this list has been solid in his first 11 IP out of the Mets bullpen this season by posting a 1.64 ERA. The Mets top pitching prospect sports a fastball with good velocity and movement along with a slider that tends to sweep across the plate. The key for Mejia is find command of his pitches due to his great movement. The jury is out on how good he can be since he is so young, however, he has managed to adjust to the big leagues fairly well so far.

22. Chris Volstad (23) – After an impressive rookie campaign in 2008, Volstad followed it up with the dreaded sophomore slump last season. He finished his sophomore campaign with a 9-13 record and a 5.21 ERA in 159 IP. He also struggled with the long ball as he had an alarming 1.64 HR/9 ratio. The Marlins are hoping the former 1st rounder, who has drawn comparisons to Roy Halladay, recaptures the promise he showed in his rookie season to provide a solid 1-2 punch with Josh Johnson in the future.

23. Homer Bailey (23) – The former highly-touted pitching prospect has had his share of struggles in his big league career. Bailey hasn’t fooled too many hitters as they have hit .287 against him in his career. He has also been plagued by walks (4.43 BB/9) and home runs (1.09 HR/9) in his brief career which has been the main reason for his career 5.52 ERA. However, Bailey showed glimpses of his potential as he allowed 3 runs or less in his last 9 starts last season. The Reds are hoping Bailey can figure things out and live up to his success in the minors.

24. Ryan Perry (23) – Similar to Daniel Bard, Perry projects as a future closer, but currently serves as a middle reliever for the Tigers. While Perry struggled with his command last season, he did strike out 60 batters in 61.2 IP in his rookie season. The 2008 1st round pick should be a good closer in the future, but needs to harness his wildness before becoming a true option to close out games.

25. Franklin Morales (24) – The hard-throwing lefty made his debut with the Rockies back in 2007, where he made 8 starts. After a disappointing 2008 season between the majors and minors, Morales pitched 38 games in relief for the Rockies last season and showed some promise. He currently is filling in for injured closer Huston Street and is 3 for 5 in save chances. While Morales has had his share of struggles in the big leagues, he still possesses decent upside as a back-of-the-rotation starter or lefty specialist out of the bullpen.

Minnesota Twins: The Twinkees are always competitive. They have a very regimented process to move their minor leaguers up to the majors, requiring them to complete specific tasks and to do them consistently. Their owner, James Pohlad, is actually the second richest owner in the majors with a net worth of $3.6 billion. It will also be interesting to see how the staff deals with having to pitch outside in early spring and late fall now that they don’t have the comforts of the Metrodome. This new stadium could save them a lot of hits that use to skip through the infield on the AstroTurf.  The Twins rotation has a potential price tag of $12.6 dollars for 2010.

• Scott Baker: Baker doesn’t have overpowering stuff but is extremely accurate. At the beginning of the ’09 season he struggled but he turned things around to compile his best overall season yet. He is 28 years old and entering the prime of his career. He threw for a 4.37 ERA, 162 K’s, 200 IP and 48 walks. He will earn $3 million in 2010.
• Kevin Slowey: Slowey is another solid middle of the rotation guy that the Twins seem to put out on the field every year. He lost some time due to wrist surgery last season but is expected to be fully healthy to start the year. He posted a 4.86 ERA, 75 K’s, 90.2 IP and 15 walks last year. He will earn near near the minimum in 2010.
• Carl Pavano: Pavano has solid stuff and he made a killing at the Yankees expense in 2005. He then proceeded to rarely pitch the next three seasons while raking in the dough. His numbers have never been stellar but there is a ton of potential there. He threw for a 5.10 ERA, 147 K’s, 199.1 IP and 39 BB. He will make $7 million this season.
• Nick Blackburn: Blackburn is a solid back of the rotation starter. He will eat innings for you and will keep you in the game. He isn’t flashy and will never have good strikeout numbers. He pitched for a 4.03 ERA, 98 K’s, 205.2 IP and 41 walks. He will earn near the minimum.
• Brian Duensing: Duensing will be in competition for the 5th starter position this season in spring training. He posted good numbers over the 9 games he started last year. He threw for a 3.64 ERA, 53 K’s, 84 IP and 31 walks. He will earn the minimum this season.
• Francisco Liriano: Liriano has been a source of many headaches in the Twin Cities over the past few seasons. He burst on to the scene in 2006 with Cy Young numbers only to have injury issues and then control problems in subsequent seasons. He needs to prove to Ron Gardenhire that he can consistently throw strikes to earn the fifth starter position this year. He will make $1.6 million in 2010.

Detroit Tigers: I personally believe the Tigers are in a transition phase this season. They seem to be spending money this year to compete but a lot of other money and dead weight will be coming off the books this fall. The Tigers do have a lot of young talent going for them which is a definite plus. Injuries as always will be a key factor with Tigers and staying competitive in 2010. The Tigers have a potential rotation cost of anywhere between $20.75 million to $41.75 million depending on who earns spots at the back end of the rotation. I think they will end up being closer to the $20 million mark then $40 million.

• Justin Verlander: The Tigers just resigned Verlander to a 5-year $80 million deal. He is one of the best and brightest pitchers around. He will be the anchor of the Tigers staff for years to come. He threw for a 3.45 ERA, 269 K’s, 240 IP and 63 BB. He will earn $6.75 million in 2010.
• Rick Porcello: Porcello turn in a great year last season and made a very strong push for rookie of the year. He didn’t display much strike out potential but he has plenty of room to grow in the future. At the young age of 21 the Tigers need to make sure they don’t over work this promising arm. He threw for a 3.96 ERA, 89 K’s, 170.2 IP and 52 BB. He will earn near the minimum.
• Max Scherzer: Scherzer is another very talented young arm in the Tigers’ rotation. He came over in a trade this offseason so we will have to see how he adjusts to the American League. His pitching motion can make you nervous at the potential for injury but if he stays healthy he has the potential to be a star in the future. He threw for a 4.12 ERA, 174 K’s, 170.1 IP and 63 BB. He will earn near the minimum.
• Jeremy Bonderman: Bonderman has provided the Tigers’ faithful with a lot of disappointment. He has good stuff but it has never seemed to translate into really good major league success. He has battled a lot of injuries over this career and has yet to post an ERA under 4.08. He will need to prove himself worthy this year as his contract is expiring at the end of the season. He missed a majority of the 2009 season and threw for a 8.71 ERA, 5 K’s, 10.1 IP and 8 walks. He will make $12.5 million in 2010.
• Armando Galarraga: After a strong rookie season Galarraga had himself a sophomore slump last season. He deserves the benefit of the doubt and will most likely contend for a rotation spot after losing his spot at the end of the 2009 season. He threw for a 5.64 ERA, 95 K’s, 143.2 IP and 67 walks. He will earn near the minimum.
• Nate Robertson: Robertson is another contract that the Tigers will be glad to take off the books at the end of the season. He showed potential and was a great innings eater but has since been competing for the 5th spot in the rotation for the past 2 years. He posted a 5.44 ERA, 35 K’s, 49.2 IP, 28 walks and only started 6 games. He makes $10 million in 2010.
• Dontrelle Willis: Uh… yeah well most of you know the disaster Willis has been for the Tigers. He can not seem to throw a strike to save his life. I doubt he will earn the 5th starter spot but he will be in consideration during spring training. In 7 starts he threw for a 7.49 ERA, 17 K’s, 33.2 IP and 28 BB. He will make $12 million in 2010.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox made an effort to change organizational direction this season. They shifted from an offensive-based team to a more well rounded defense and speed-based team. While the majority of their starters are the same, the key addition of Jake Peavy has set the White Sox up with a bonafide ace which they seemed to be lacking. Kenny Williams has had great success in building their rotation threw trading away prospects and gaining quality players in return. On paper they seem to be the best and most well rounded rotation in the division. However are they being thrifty enough to win the best rotation in the AL Central? They are currently shelling out $37.2 million for their hurlers in 2010.

• Mark Buehrle: There are not many sure things when it comes to baseball but Buehrle is a close as it gets. He is a finesse pitcher through and through. He has thrown over 200 innings in each of his 9 seasons as a full time starter. Last season he threw for a 3.84 ERA, 105 K’s, 213.1 IP and 45 BB. He will earn $14 million in 2010.
• Jake Peavy: Peavy is top tier starter no matter what league he is pitching in. He has electric stuff and would be the ace on anyone’s staff. He does have an injury history but nothing too serious so far. Last season he threw for a 3.45 ERA, 110 K’s, 101.2 and 34 walks. He earns $15 million in 2010.
• Gavin Floyd: After struggling with control problems for a long time Floyd righted the ship in the 2008 season with the White Sox and seem to continue this trend last season. He isn’t the ace people originally thought he would be when first drafted but he is a strong starter and is a great option to have in the middle to back of your rotation. He threw for a 4.06 ERA, 163 K’s, 193 IP and 59 BB. He earns $2.75 million.
• John Danks: Danks is a solid middle of the rotation option. While he isn’t a flame thrower he gets his fair share of strike outs. He is young and looks to improve on his numbers from last season. He pitched for a 3.77 ERA, 149 K’s, 200.1 IP, 73 walks. He will earn $3.45 million in 2010.
• Freddy Garcia: Garcia is a big question mark. He performed well at the end of last season but has suffered from a shoulder injury for the past two years. He will be competing for the 5th spot in the rotation. He threw for a 4.34 ERA, 37 K’s, 56 IP and 12 walks. He will make up to $2 million next season if he hits all his performance bonuses.
• Daniel Hudson: Hudson rocketed up through the White Sox minor league system last season pitching at every single level within the organization. He also had success at every single level. He will give Freddy Garcia some stiff competition in spring training for the 5th starter spot. Hudson threw for a 3.38 ERA, 14 K’s, 18.2 IP and 9 walks. He will make the minimum.

Kansas City Royals: The Royals have been in the cellar of the AL Central for quite a while. However, there is a bright future ahead of them if all their stars play to their potential and if they can hold on to them for a decent amount of time before their contracts become too expensive for them to sustain. The rotation is very promising and is finally able to keep the Royals semi competitive with their more talented competitors. The two biggest questions they have are how effective will the back end of their rotation be and can Gil Meche return to form? They are spending $25.11 million for their starters in 2010.

• Zack Greinke: Greinke is arguably the best pitcher in the AL Central. He won the AL Cy Young award last season by posting a 2.16 ERA, 242 K’s, 229.1 IP and 51 walks. He will be the force to contend with in KC for years to come and the Royals fans are excited. He will earn $7.25 million in 2010.
• Gil Meche: Meche was a surprise signing a few years ago by the Royals coming over from the Mariners and he has anchored their rotation well. Last season his numbers slipped but he is still the solid number 2 in their rotation. He threw for a 5.09 ERA 95 K’s, 129 IP and 58 walks. He will earn $12 million in 2010.
• Luke Hochevar: Hochevar is the definition of diamond in the rough. He has great potential as the top pick in the 2008 draft and looks to improve upon his performance last season. It was feast or famine last season for Hochevar, who permitted at least six earned runs in nine starts and also held the opposition to two earned runs or fewer in eight outings. He threw for a 6.55 ERA, 106 K’s, 143 IP and 46 walks. He makes $1.76 million in 2010.
• Kyle Davies: Davies saved his best for last in 2009, going 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA over his final four starts of the campaign. The problem is he also enjoyed a strong finish to ’08 by going 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA after the start of September, and he hasn’t been able to capture that form in the other five months of the season. He threw for a 5.27 ERA, 86 K’s, 123 IP and 66 BB. He earns $1.8 million.
• Brian Bannister: Bannister is a decent option at the end of the Royals rotation. He doesn’t have great stuff but what he does have he makes good use of. He kept the Royals in games when he pitched and has a tendency to get on a roll. He posted a 4.73 ERA, 98 K’s, 154 IP and 50 walks. He earns $2.3 million in 2010.
• Robinson Tejeda: Tejeda worked the majority of last season out of the bullpen but was given the chance to start in September and never looked back going 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 9.09 K/9 ratio in six outings. He will probably be given a long look in spring training but we are not sure how the Royals plan on utilizing him. He threw for 3.54 ERA, 87 K’s, 73.2 IP and 50 BB. He earns $950 thousand in 2010.

Cleveland Indians: The Indians look to be in a rough spot coming into the 2010 season. There doesn’t seem to be any super strong pitchers in their rotation and there are a ton of question marks toward the back end. They traded away several of their aces in Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia over last few seasons and they will be looking to see if anyone can step up into that open role. Manny Acta will have his work cut out for him this spring training as he tries to piece together a lot of raw young pitchers into a working, viable rotation. They are paying $17.4 million for their starting pitchers in 2010.

• Jake Westbrook: Westbrook last pitched for the Indians in June of 2008 before having Tommy John surgery. He will be the defacto ace of the staff in 2009. In his last full season (2007) he posted a 4.32 ERA, 93 K’s, 152 IP and 55 walks. He will make $11 million in 2010.
• Fausto Carmona: Carmona is displayed his potential in 2007 winning 19 games but he imploded and has not been able to find that success again so far. He has struggled mightily with his control. He is young and still has time to right the ship but he can’t be counted on to be a steady contributor. He threw for a 6.32 ERA, 79 K’s, 125.1 IP and 70 walks. He will make $4.9 million.
• Justin Masterson: Masterson has spent the majority of his career in the bullpen. He is predominately a two pitch pitcher which could limit his effectiveness in the future but he has good velocity and good bite on his slider. He will look to solidify a position in the rotation this year. He threw for a 4.52 era, 119 K’s, 129.1 IP and 60 walks. He will earn near the minimum.
• David Huff: Huff struggled last season but left a positive impression at the end going 4-1 over his last 5 starts. He will look to improve on his rookie performance and has had a good track record at every level he has played. Huff threw for a 5.61 ERA, 65 K’s, 128.1 IP and 41 BB. He earns the minimum.
• Aaron Laffey: Laffey is a finesse pitcher who tops out around 87 mph on his fastball. He has proven that he can get guys out but needs to be very consistent. He is young like most of his fellow starters and looks to carve a niche for himself. He threw for 4.44 ERA, 59 K’s, 121.2 IP and 57 walks. He will earn the minimum.
• Jeremy Sowers: Sowers is also a soft tosser who doesn’t seem to be able to get outs as consistently as his teammate Laffey. He threw for 5.25 ERA, 51 K’s, 123.1 IP and 52 walks. He earns near the minimum.
• Carlos Carrasco: Carrasco was the key player in the Cliff Lee deal from the Phillies. He is armed with a lively mid-90s fastball, a changeup and a curve, the key for him has been consistency, and he’s generally taken a little time to adapt to each level. He threw for a 8.87 ERA, 11 K’s, 22.1 IP and 11 BB. He will earn the minimum.

There is a wide range of talent being offered in the starting rotations for the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox have the best overall talent on their roster and seem to have the most solidified rotation coming into spring training. However, they have the highest price tag associated with their talent. That is why I have to give my vote to the Twins. They may not have the best talent on their team, but for what they are paying them, they have the most potential and the best cost efficiency.