Two Diamonds in the Rotation

In case anyone has missed it, the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired right-hander Dan Haren from the A's in December for a bunch of prospects. Now, it's no secret the Haren is a good pitcher - he's an ace on most ballclubs. But he joins a rotation that already includes 2003 NL Rookie of the Year Brandon Webb. So just who is the ace of the D'Backs' staff?

What a tough question. Both pitchers have the same amount of years served in the major leagues, with Webb ahead in the games started department. But remember, Haren came up with the Cardinals in '03 and only started 14 games that season, while Webb started 28 that same season. Webb has won the Rookie of the Year, the NL Cy Young Award (2006), and came in second to Jake Peavy in 2007 for that same award. He is also a two-time All Star. But Haren was an All Star in 2007, and was named the starting pitcher - an honor which Webb has not received so far in his career.

Chances are, Webb is named the Opening Day starter for the Diamondbacks, and given his numbers, will be declared the "ace" of the staff. The term ace, however, is merely a formality, as both righties have the ability to be the ace of any rotation in the league. I mean, what team would not want these two atop their rotation? A combined 114-99 record, with a total of almost 1500 strikeouts between the two of them. If that's not the best 1-2 punch in baseball, it's certainly among the top three. Look out National League!