SPORT FANATICS FANTASY BASEBALL

 

Fantasy Baseball

FB Home   Player Rankings/Cheat Sheets   Projections   Depth Charts   Probable Pitchers   Injuries   Sleepers/Busts   Prospects  

Articles/Columnists/Blogs   Forums   Podcasts   Mock Drafts   Average Draft Position   Academia   Books & Pay Sites   Leagues

 

Major League Baseball

MLB Home   Headline News   Teams   Scores   Schedules   Standings   Statistics   Players   Transactions   Rumors

Video Highlights   Salaries   Calendar   Ballparks   Attendance   MLB Draft   Hot Stove

History of MLB   World Series   Hall of Fame   All-Star Game   Awards   Historical Statistics

  

Minor League Baseball

MiLB Home   News/Blogs   TV/Audio   Teams/Rosters   Scores   Schedules   Standings   Statistics   Awards   History

 

 

SPORT FANATICS FANTASY BASEBALL PLAYER RANKINGS : STARTING PITCHERS

 

The rankings are based on projected statistics for the 2010 season. The player rankings were determined for a typical 5 X 5 rotisserie league by using wins, saves, ERA, WHIP and strikeouts for pitchers.

 

RANKINGS:    C     1B     2B     SS     3B     OF     OF2     DH     SP     SP2     RP     RP2

 

POS RANK TIER RANK PLAYER MLB LINK LG TEAM POS AGE FP 2010 W 2010 S 2010 K 2010 ERA 2010 WHIP COMMENTS
1 1 Tim Lincecum MLB NL SF SP 25.8 123.85 15 0 224 2.93 1.14 Going for his 3rd straight Cy Young Award in 2010. We only see Roy Halladay giving him a challenge. This guy is a freak who has filthy stuff. Excellent ERA, WHIP and K totals lead to best pitcher in the major leagues.
2 2 Roy Halladay MLB NL PHI SP 32.9 122.27 17 0 179 3.15 1.14 When he is on, he is a great pitcher. He is a horse that should log 200+ IP, 17-18 wins with excellent ERA and WHIP numbers. Will not get the K's that Lincecum will get and that is why he is rated behind him.
3 2 CC Sabathia MLB AL NYY SP 29.7 115.31 17 0 188 3.38 1.17 The big guy just keeps humming along with 16-18 wins and 185+ K's a year. ERA is a little higher than the elite SP's, but his win totals help make up for it.
4 2 Felix Hernandez MLB AL SEA SP 24.0 114.22 16 0 191 3.21 1.20 Seems like he has been pitching for a long time, but he is only 24. Came into his own last year and looks primed for a great 2010 season. Adding Cliff Lee to the rotation should take some of the stress off of him to always perform.
5 2 Dan Haren MLB NL ARI SP 29.6 113.45 15 0 189 3.35 1.15 Has been consistently good for several years, but moved up into the elite tier this past season. Solid across the board and one of the safer elite SP picks.
6 2 Zack Greinke MLB AL KC SP 26.5 111.33 14 0 207 3.29 1.21 Was the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2009, while playing for the KC Royals, that shows just how dominant he was last season. Like everything about him, but getting 15 wins on this team will be very tough.
7 2 Adam Wainwright MLB NL STL SP 28.6 106.30 15 0 172 3.27 1.22 The potential was realized in 2009 and now we will expect the same in 2010. Good numbers in all SP categories, but does not excel in any one of them.
8 3 Justin Verlander MLB AL DET SP 27.1 104.94 15 0 203 3.63 1.23 Reminds us of Sabathia in many ways. Is a workhorse who will get his wins, K's and good WHIP, but his ERA is higher than most of the other aces.
9 3 Jon Lester MLB AL BOS SP 26.2 104.82 15 0 192 3.27 1.23 A lot like Wainwright in that he is very solid in every SP category, but does not excel in any one of them. Best category is probably his K ability, worst is probably the 3.30 ERA which is still good.
10 3 Josh Beckett MLB AL BOS SP 29.9 102.14 14 0 184 3.65 1.19 Will get you 15 wins, 180 K's and a very low WHIP. This adds up to a SP who could be a top 15 fantasy pitcher. Only concern is a slightly elevated ERA around 3.65.
11 3 Javier Vazquez MLB AL NYY SP 33.7 97.93 15 0 185 4.02 1.20 Excellent source of K's and WHIP, now that he is on the Yankees his win total should also increase. We are a little concerned with his ERA as it may be near 4.00 for the season. 
12 3 Tommy Hanson MLB NL ATL SP 23.6 97.59 15 0 184 3.44 1.25 Had a lot of hype surrounding him in 2009, but he lived up to and surpassed everyone's expectations. At only 23 years old, is already regarded as a top 15 fantasy SP.
13 3 Ubaldo Jimenez MLB NL COL SP 26.2 95.37 16 0 184 3.60 1.30 This is one COL pitcher that you can draft with some confidence as he is a high strikeout and ground ball pitcher that bodes well in any stadium.
14 3 Wandy Rodriguez MLB NL HOU SP 31.2 94.13 14 0 180 3.47 1.27 Had a breakout season last year and at 31 is still young enough where we think the trend will continue. High K pitcher with solid ERA and WHIP numbers.
15 4 Chris Carpenter MLB NL STL SP 35.0 93.58 13 0 134 3.17 1.16 Came back strong last season and had a great year. He has it in him to put up very good fantasy numbers, but does have a history of injuries that you must consider on draft day.
16 4 Josh Johnson MLB NL FLA SP 26.2 92.58 14 0 172 3.47 1.28 Another top SP that is solid across the board in all SP categories. We are a little worried that the number of innings pitched the last few years has increased to quickly. 
17 4 Ricky Nolasco MLB NL FLA SP 27.3 92.55 14 0 181 3.90 1.23 Is expected to rebound from a disappointing 2009 season. Should provide good Win, WHIP and K totals, but gives up a lot of HR's, thus ERA is a concern. 
18 4 Johan Santana MLB NL NYM SP 31.1 91.54 13 0 160 3.47 1.21 Had elbow surgery in September 2009, expects to be ready for Spring Training. Should still post solid ERA and WHIP, but the days of 200 K's in a season are over. Still a good pick, but not a top 5 fantasy SP any longer. 
19 4 Cole Hamels MLB NL PHI SP 26.3 91.46 13 0 165 3.78 1.22 Had a very good 2008 season and looked to be primed to join the elite group, but had a disappointing 2009 season. We expect a turnaround in 2010 where he will once again be a top 15 SP.
20 4 Cliff Lee MLB AL SEA SP 31.6 91.10 14 0 135 3.48 1.21 Two outstanding seasons in a row, so you have to recognize the talent. Moving to SEA should help even more as it is a good pitcher's park and thus ERA and WHIP should improve. Had minor foot surgery in January 2010, and experienced abdominal strain during spring training. Expected to miss the first few weeks of the season.
21 4 Jake Peavy MLB AL CHW SP 28.9 90.12 14 0 182 3.93 1.27  
22 4 Scott Baker MLB AL MIN SP 28.5 89.58 14 0 163 3.92 1.24  
23 4 Chad Billingsley MLB NL LAD SP 25.7 89.17 14 0 183 3.62 1.31  
24 4 Matt Cain MLB NL SF SP 25.5 89.12 12 0 165 3.60 1.26  
25 4 James Shields MLB AL TB SP 28.3 89.00 13 0 159 3.83 1.24  
26 4 Brett Anderson MLB AL OAK SP 22.2 84.96 12 0 165 3.56 1.25  
27 4 Clayton Kershaw MLB NL LAD SP 22.0 84.50 11 0 185 3.46 1.30  
28 5 Matt Garza MLB AL TB SP 26.4 83.32 12 0 171 3.83 1.29  
29 5 Yovani Gallardo MLB NL MIL SP 24.1 82.72 12 0 188 3.71 1.33  
30 5 Max Scherzer MLB AL DET SP 25.7 82.18 11 0 190 3.89 1.29  
31 5 Roy Oswalt MLB NL HOU SP 32.6 81.87 12 0 144 3.81 1.26  
32 5 Jair Jurrjens MLB NL ATL SP 24.2 81.28 13 0 138 3.62 1.29  
33 5 John Lackey MLB AL BOS SP 31.5 80.54 13 0 144 3.80 1.28  
34 5 Jered Weaver MLB AL ANA SP 27.5 78.02 13 0 150 4.04 1.29  
35 5 A.J. Burnett MLB AL NYY SP 33.3 77.85 14 0 183 4.20 1.35  
36 5 Ryan Dempster MLB NL CHC SP 32.9 77.07 12 0 156 3.78 1.31  
37 5 Gavin Floyd MLB AL CHW SP 27.2 75.05 12 0 152 4.12 1.31  
38 5 Phil Hughes MLB AL NYY SP 23.8 74.70 10 0 145 3.51 1.20 Was disappointing as a starter, but emerged as a quality setup man in 2009. Beat out Chamberlain for the 5th starter position in 2010.
39 5 Kevin Slowey MLB AL MIN SP 25.9 74.70 12 0 121 3.83 1.21 Had wrist surgery in August 2009, which ended his season early. Expected to be fully recovered for the 2010 season.
40 5 Rich Harden MLB AL TEX SP 28.4 73.56 10 0 160 3.74 1.27  
41 6 John Danks MLB AL CHW SP 25.0 72.30 12 0 150 4.10 1.33  
42 6 Johnny Cueto MLB NL CIN SP 24.1 72.29 12 0 156 4.18 1.31  
43 6 Clay Buchholz MLB AL BOS SP 25.6 71.51 12 0 145 3.87 1.32  
44 6 Ted Lilly MLB NL CHC SP 34.3 71.49 11 0 129 3.84 1.23 Had a very good 2009 season, had shoulder surgery in November 2009. Because of surgery will likely miss the first month of the season.
45 6 Aaron Harang MLB NL CIN SP 31.9 69.66 10 0 154 4.23 1.30  
46 6 Mark Buehrle MLB AL CHW SP 31.0 68.86 13 0 110 4.10 1.31  
47 6 David Price MLB AL TB SP 24.6 68.38 11 0 140 3.97 1.32  
48 6 Carlos Zambrano MLB NL CHC SP 28.8 68.18 12 0 150 3.94 1.37 Came into camp in very good shape.
49 6 Tim Hudson MLB NL ATL SP 34.7 66.58 12 0 107 3.65 1.32  
50 6 Derek Lowe MLB NL ATL SP 36.9 65.09 12 0 122 4.11 1.35  
51 6 Scott Kazmir MLB AL ANA SP 26.2 64.86 11 0 156 4.17 1.38  
52 6 Brandon Webb MLB NL ARI SP 30.9 64.78 10 0 113 3.60 1.29 Pitched 4 innings in 2009 and then missed the entire season with a shoulder injury. Tried to pitch in Spring Training, but shut it down early. Now expected to make first start in late April.
53 6 Randy Wolf MLB NL MIL SP 33.6 63.84 11 0 144 4.23 1.35  
54 7 Rick Porcello MLB AL DET SP 21.3 63.78 14 0 104 4.12 1.34  
55 7 Colby Lewis MLB AL TEX SP 30.7 63.25 12 0 136 4.37 1.36 Played the last two seasons in Japan with some success and did win a rotation spot this spring.
56 7 Bronson Arroyo MLB NL CIN SP 33.1 63.19 12 0 134 4.37 1.36  
57 7 Jonathan Sanchez MLB NL SF SP 27.4 63.18 9 0 165 4.17 1.36  
58 7 Joe Blanton MLB NL PHI SP 29.3 63.11 11 0 122 4.19 1.32 Will begin the season on the DL, not expected to miss much time.
59 7 Brian Matusz MLB AL BAL SP 23.2 63.08 12 0 142 4.35 1.36 Excellent prospect that could be the ace of the staff in his rookie season. 
60 7 Hiroki Kuroda MLB NL LAD SP 35.2 62.84 10 0 100 3.87 1.24  
61 7 Francisco Liriano MLB AL MIN SP 26.4 62.59 10 0 140 3.98 1.35 Has won a spot in the MIN starting rotation, is a candidate for comeback season as he has done well this spring and in winter ball.
62 7 Justin Masterson MLB AL CLE SP 25.0 61.30 10 0 145 4.17 1.38  
63 7 Gil Meche MLB AL KC SP 31.6 61.20 12 0 146 4.33 1.40  
64 7 C.J. Wilson MLB AL TEX SP 29.4 60.27 10 0 143 3.83 1.38 Since he could not be the closer, Wilson asked to be moved back to the starting rotation. He has won a spot in the rotation.
65 7 Jeff Niemann MLB AL TB SP 27.1 58.85 11 0 124 4.07 1.37  
66 7 Jorge De La Rosa MLB NL COL SP 29.0 58.31 11 0 154 4.34 1.43  
67 7 J.A. Happ MLB NL PHI SP 27.5 57.39 10 0 128 4.26 1.37  
68 7 Wade Davis MLB AL TB SP 24.6 56.90 10 0 124 4.05 1.38 Very good SP prospect, won the 5th spot in the TB starting rotation.
69 7 Andy Pettitte MLB AL NYY SP 37.8 56.66 13 0 132 4.48 1.42  
70 7 Kevin Correia MLB NL SD SP 29.6 56.01 9 0 124 4.14 1.37  
71 7 Paul Maholm MLB NL PIT SP 27.8 55.44 10 0 116 4.18 1.37  
72 7 Joe Saunders MLB AL ANA SP 28.8 55.24 12 0 108 4.32 1.39  
73 7 John Lannan MLB NL WAS SP 25.5 55.07 11 0 96 4.09 1.37  
74 7 Joel Pineiro MLB AL ANA SP 31.5 54.87 11 0 95 4.32 1.35  
75 8 Stephen Strasburg MLB NL WAS SP 21.7 54.80 7 0 139 4.01 1.31 Elite prospect has had a good Spring, should be in majors by June if not sooner.
76 8 Brad Penny MLB NL STL SP 31.9 54.57 10 0 103 4.11 1.36  
77 8 Nick Blackburn MLB AL MIN