Hall of Fame members Ed Delahanty, Rollie Fingers, Phil Niekro, Branch Rickey, George Sisler, and Cy Young were all born in the Buckeye state, and hundreds of other great players such as Pete Rose, Roger Clemens, Paul O’Neill, Barry Larkin and Thurman Munson called Ohio their birthplace as well.

Currently, the state of Ohio is well represented in the pitching ranks. Here are five of the top (current) MLB pitchers who were born in the great Buckeye state.

1. Cory Luebke, San Diego Padres

Born in Coldwater, Ohio in 1985, San Diego Padres starting pitcher Cory Luebke honed his skills at Marion High School in Maria Stein before moving on to Ohio State University.

Luebke, drafted by the Padres in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft, completed his first full season with the Padres in 2011. He started the season in the bullpen before moving into the starting rotation in late June.

Luebke’s overall record was only 6-10, however he posted a nifty 3.29 ERA and appears primed to build on an outstanding full season.

2. Eric Surkamp, San Francisco Giants

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1987, San Francisco Giants pitcher Eric Surkamp enjoyed his first taste of the big leagues in 2011, debuting on August 27 against the Houston Astros.

Surkamp, who attended North Carolina State University and was a sixth round draft pick for the Giants in 2008, was impressive in his debut, allowing just one run on six hits in six innings of work.

Surkamp would start five more times in the final month of the 2011 season, and figures to be vying for a spot in the starting rotation for the Giants in the 2012 season.

3. Matt Guerrier, Los Angeles Dodgers

Relief specialist Matt Guerrier, born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1978, has developed into one of the most reliable and durable right-handed relievers in the majors, posting five consecutive seasons of at least 70 appearances.

Guerrier led the American League in appearances in 2008 and 2009 while with the Minnesota Twins, and signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2011 season.

4. Derek Holland, Texas Rangers

Born in Newark, Ohio in 1986, Texas Rangers left-hander Derek Holland was a highly touted southpaw when the Rangers drafted him out of Wallace State Community College in the 25^th round of the 1986 MLB Draft.

Holland, who made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2009, was a key part of the starting rotation in 2011, with a 16-5 record and 3.95 ERA in 32 starts. Holland delivered a masterful performance in Game 4 of the 2011 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, blanking the Cards on just two hits over 8.1 innings.

With ace C.J. Wilson leaving the Rangers via free agency, Holland will be counted upon to continue delivering excellence for the Rangers as they look to defend their AL championship in the 2012 season.

5. Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers

At just 27 years of age, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Chad Billingsley, born in Defiant, Ohio in 1984, has already become a seasoned veteran, completing his sixth year with the Dodgers in 2011.

With a 70-52 lifetime record and 3.68 ERA, Billingsley is a great complement to staff ace and 2011 Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, and the two form one of the top 1-2 starter combos in the National League.

Who else should be included on this list? 

Jeff Herbst (born and raised in the Midwest) has had a passion for sports ever since he could first walk.. He works with Phoenix Bats, a company that manufacturers world-class baseball bats such as their youth wood bats for little league sluggers across the globe.

With the addition of Ayala, our relief options have opened up. We won’t have to see guys like Guerrier, Crain and Breslow every night meaning that we will have much fresher arms in the latter part of the season, something that lost us a chance at the postseason in ’08. Ayala has gotten a pretty bad rap among fan commentary, but given the right situation; he should be a good fit in our relief rotation and should compete for the setup job.

A Joe Crede signing is looming.

In a press conference yesterday, Jim Pohlad stated that a Joe Crede signing made sense to him:

“We’re not done. The season hasn’t started yet,” Pohlad said. “Frequently, transactions do occur during Spring Training, so it still could happen. There is nothing from us saying, ‘Don’t go get anyone. We’re done. Go into the season and keep your fingers crossed.’ … We still have room in our payroll, and if there are opportunities [to add a player], we’ll pursue them.

Pohlad doesn’t make the personnel decisions, he just cuts the checks, but we at least we know Pohlad’s wallet isn’t holding up the deal. Pohlad was optimistic that the Twins were not done making deals this offseason, contrary to previous reports.

Scott Boras also had some noteworthy quotes this week regarding Joe Crede:

“Joe Crede has been cleared to play and is ready to compete every day, as any other player would be going to camp,” Boras said. “And he’ll be doing so in about 10-14 days…Joe Crede is healthy, the playing surface he plays on is not an issue.”

Boras is obviously trying to sell his client to the Twins, noting that he is healthy and the playing surface (the Metrodome turf) is not an issue. Crede’s back problems have worried Twins officials for some time as playing on turf only intensifies the likelihood of injury.

Acquiring a healthy Joe Crede would be a huge upgrade for Minnesota. Crede hit 17 home runs before his injury as he was on pace to put 30 over the fence by season end. If we get anywhere near that sort of performance from Crede and the rest of our team stays healthy, we should be eyeing postseason play. But again, the keyword being a ‘healthy’ Crede.

Brandon Warne from SethSpeaks.net puts together an argument against acquiring Joe Crede, stating that a Buscher/Harris platoon puts up similar numbers at a fraction of Crede’s cost and health problems.

Jim Pohlad also pointed out that payroll should significantly increase after 2009 as several players are up for arbitration (that and a massive Joe Mauer contract is looming). This gives us some hope that we can keep the core of our young talent together for a few more years, but fans are skeptical as the Pohlads have promised an increased payroll for years.

The Twins also reached middle ground with Matt Guerrier on Thursday, signing him to a 1.475MM dollar one year deal for 2009. Guerrier’s a good pitcher who is best noted for being overworked during the latter part of the 2008 season.