As bad as our rotation has been, including demotions (Pivetta & Kluber) and promotions from the pen (Pivetta, Crawford, Houck and a bunch of Openers,) I remember thinking we'd be super lucky to get 30 starts from Sale and Paxton, combined. They are at 29, now, and both have pitched better than almost anyone expected.
We also had some serious concerns about Bello: his durability and development timeline. His 3.70 ERA in 21 starts has to be viewed as better than expected.
Two of the biggest disappointments, this year, did have questions going into the year, but mostly about health and durability, not skill level:
Whitlock: 5.72 ERA (10 GS)
Houck: 5.05 ERA (13 GS)
The Kluber, Whitlock and Houck letdowns have been nearly offset by the the Sale/Paxton combo, Bello and the big surprises of all: Crawford (16 GS) and the return of Pivetta (11 GS) to the rotation or opener follower (7 games with more than 3 IP as a RP'er.)
I like our rotation, now.
I love our pen, now.
Just stay healthy, let a few guys work out some kinks, and maybe we peak at just the right time.