As a Dodger fan growing up in the years I got used to a team that had a seemingly endless parade of effective starting pitchers (and usually bullpens too) that other teams simply couldn't match. It's astounding when you really look at it (see below).
But the Mariners currently seem to have a fountain seven or eight deep (depending on if you count Hultzen).
Felix, (Iwakuma), (Paxton), Happ, Walker, Elias, Montgomery, (Hultzen)
Felix is a true ace, of course.
'Kuma when healthy is a solid number two.
The two of the young studs, Paxon and Walker, have each demonstrated number two capability with ace potential.
Happ and Elias are VERY solid number threes.
And now Montgomery comes along and quickly stakes a claim to being as effective as any of them not named Felix.
The Mariners can have three of their top eight pitchers on the shelf and still run out a number five pitcher who as likely as not can shut you down. Doesn't happen every time, but not one of them would be surprising us if they did.
* * *
1965 - Koufax-Drysdale-Osteen (123 starts between three starters!)
1966 - Koufax-Drysdale-Osteen-Sutton
1967 - Drysdale-Osteen-Sutton-Singer
1968 - Drysdale-Osteen-Sutton-Singer
1969 - Osteen-Singer-Sutton
1970 - Sutton-Osteen-Singer (a down year for the team pitching-wise)
1971 - Sutton-Osteen-Singer-Downing
1972 - Sutton-Osteen-John-Downing-Singer (down year for Singer)
1973 - Sutton-Messersmith-Osteen-John-Downing (five bona fide starters, none higher than 3.31 ERA)
1974 - Sutton-Messersmith-John-Rau
1975 - Sutton-Messersmith-Rau-Hooton (Tommy John had his famous surgery)
1976 - Sutton-Rau-Hooton-John-Rhoden
1977 - Sutton-John-Hooton-Rau-Rhoden
1978 - Sutton-Hooton-John-Rau-Rhoden-Bob Welch (SIX!)
1979 - Sutton-Hooton-Sutcliffe-Reuss
1980 - Sutton-Hooton-Reuss-Bob Welch
1981 - Hooton-Reuss-Valenzuela-Welch
1982 - Valenzuela-Reuss-Welch-Hooton
1983 - Valenzuela-Ruess-Welch-Hooton-Alejandro Pena
1984 - Valenzuela-Welch-Rick Honeycutt-Pena
1985 - Valenzuela-Hershiser-Reuss-Welch-Honeycutt
1986 - Valenzuela-Hershiser-Welch-Honeycutt-Reuss
1987 - Hershiser-ineffective Valenzuela-Welch (the pipeline starts to break down)
1988 - Hershiser-ineffective Valenzuela (despite Hershiser's historic campaign, the end of the run is upon them)