Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Just like baseball in real life, you can never have too much starting pitching in the fantasy world. Now of course it's best to have top line pitching, but unless you overload at the beginning of the draft, you should find yourself in the position of delving into the deep pool of MLB starting pitchers.
The Top 20:
1. Tim Lincecum - Giants
2. Roy Halladay - Phillies
3. Zack Grienke - Royals
4. Felix Hernandez - Mariners
5. CC Sabathia - Yankees
6. Justin Verlander - Tigers
7. Adam Wainwright - Cardinals
8. Chris Carpenter - Cardinals
9. Josh Beckett - Red Sox
10. Dan Haren - Diamondbacks
11. Yovani Gallardo - Brewers
12. Johan Santana - Mets
13. Josh Johnson - Marlins
14. Jon Lester - Red Sox
15. Tommy Hanson - Braves
16. Cole Hamels - Philles
17. Matt Cain - Giants
18. John Lackey - Red Sox
19. Wandy Rodriguez - Astros
20. Clayton Kershaw - Dodgers
The Elite:
Tim Lincecum is hands down the best pitcher in baseball, and has been the past few years. What's scary is that he doesn't even turn 26 until this June. He's so good, he's a top 5 pick in the draft. Following Lincecum are another two right handers in Roy Halladay and Zack Grienke. Some people might be surprised I put Halladay at #2, but I really expect him to put up huge numbers as he finally plays for a World Series contender. While he may be the old, wily vet, Grienke is one of the young guns in the game. There should be no anxiety (yes, I went there) in taking him in the late first round.
The 2nd Tier:
Felix, the cat, Hernandez had his first full healthy season and put up 19 wins and a 2.49 ERA. He was rewarded by the Mariners in the off season, so the 24 year old can now just go out and pitch. CC Sabathia did exactly what he was supposed to do in his first year in the Bronx. Look for his ERA to drop a bit now he understands how to pitch in the new Yankee Stadium. In case you didn't realize, Justin Verlander was one of the four MLB pitchers to get 19 wins in 2009. While I'd like to see him reduce his 1.18 WHIP from a year ago, he still strikes out people at an amazing rate.
On the Rise/Rebound:
Tommy Hanson - The young Braves ace should have started the 09' season in Atlanta. He wasn't brought up until June 7th, but still managed to get 11 wins and rack up a 2.89 ERA. I don't expect a sophomore slump as he gets used to pitching in the bigs.
Clayton Kershaw - I am a huge fan of Clayton Kershaw and think he'll end up as one of the best left handed pitchers in the game in about 2-3 years. This year will not be his breakout year, but it will not be too far off. He still needs to get his pitch count down so he can work deeper into games. When he can do that, then his low win total will skyrocket. He already has a great fastball and one of the best left handed curve balls in the majors.
Wade Davis - Watch out for this great Rays prospect. He'll be slotted down in the starting rotation, so the pressure is not on him to be stellar off the bat. He did pitch pretty well in on 36.1 innings at the end of the year.
Rick Porcello - Most experts will admit that Porcello had a pretty good rookie season in 09'. When you go 14-9 for a mediocre team then that's decent. So far, he's been lights out in Spring Training with a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings. He's looked fantastic and ready for a 15+ win with a sub 3.25 ERA season.
Fausto Carmona - Remember when he won 19 games in 2007? Well, he's looked very similar to that so far in Spring Training. I know you can't tell too much from Spring Training stats, so you need to use your eyes.
On the Slide/Watch out:
Vincente Padilla - I love Joe Torre, but starting Padilla opening day is ridiculous. I don't care if they're trying to line Kershaw up for the home opener. Despite a great end to his season with the Dodgers, he will eventually return to his usual self.
Joel Piniero - This is more of a gut feeling for me. I have a philosophy that I steer clear of pitchers the first year after leaving the St. Louis Cardinals. Let's call it the Dave Duncan effect. On the flip side, don't be surprised if Brad Penny has a good year.
Kevin Millwood - Unfortunately for the Orioles, he's having a terrible Spring Training. I know he has a history of slow starts, but he's been downright awful so far. Hopefully, he'll at least be able to mentor the solid young stars on the horizon in the O's staff.
Watch out Friday for the final category - Closers.
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