Fantasy Insight: Top 20 Starting Pitchers

Italicized (number) is projected draft round

1. Roy Halladay- Philadelphia (2)

2. Felix Hernandez- Seattle (2)

3a. Adam Wainwright- St. Louis (2)

3. Tim Lincecum- San Francisco (3)

4. Jon Lester- Boston (4)

5. Justin Verlander- Detroit (4)

6. C.C. Sabathia- New York (3)

7. Josh Johnson- Flordia (5)

8. Ubaldo Jimenez- Colorado (5)

9. Clayton Kershaw- Los Angeles (5)

10. Francisco Liriano- Minnesota (7)

11. Jered Weaver- Los Angeles (5)

12. David Price- Tampa Bay (3)

13. Cliff Lee- Philadelphia (4)

14. Tommy Hanson- Atlanta (7)

15. Zach Greinke- Milwaukee

16. Mat Latos- San Diego (7)

17. Dan Haren- Los Angeles (4)

18. Yovani Gallardo- Milwaukee (7)

19. Max Scherzer- Detroit (8)

20. Matt Cain- San Francisco (6)

1. Roy Halladay

Everybody already knows he’s the best starter in the game. He’s starting to hit his mid-30s, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down. He’s got a great fastball, with lots of movement, and a devastating sinker/splitter combo that allows him to get a lot of groundouts and strikeouts. Doc remains one of the best workhorses in the game. Picking Hallladay gives you a guaranteed 15+ wins, 200++ innings, and 200 Ks.

2. Felix Hernandez

Slowly, but surely, King Felix is catching up to the Doc. The only roadblock in Felix’s rise to dominance is the Seattle offense. However, they’re getting better, and with the impact of Smoak and Ackley I think Hernandez can improve his record a lot this season. As far as pure stuff his is the best in all of baseball and his repertoire continues to be untouchable.

           

3a. Adam Wainwright- out for the season with Tommy John Surgery, but still one of the best in the NL. Get better soon Adam!

3. Tim Lincecum

The fear of Lincecum’s mechanics came into fruition a little last season, but The Freak remained healthy and turned in another dominate season, despite a slow start. His fastball doesn’t touch 100 MPH like some other strikeout pitchers, but it’s got great movement and tops out at about 98 MPH. He’s also got a great understanding of the zone, allowing him to limit walks and eat up innings. As long as he’s healthy he’s the next best thing to Felix and Doc (and you can get him about a round later).

4. Jon Lester

Lester has become the premier left-handed pitcher in baseball. He doesn’t quit possess the control Lee has, but he’s getting there. His dominance stems from his cutter that he can seamlessly hit both sides of the plate with. The redesigned Boston lineup also gives Lester a lot of run support, and his ability to eat innings limit the effect of a shaky bullpen. The biggest thing Lester needs to work on is his tendency to stumble out of the gate in April and the occasional blow up game.

5. Justin Verlander

Verlander is a starter that throws a 100 MPH fastball consistently, and has never had many issues of injuries. That’s a bona-fied ace if I’ve ever heard of one. Verlander eats up innings, posting four back-to-back years of 200+ innings. He’s has had great success in his career, and the amazing thing is he’s done it in Detroit: a team with a hitters park that’s never emphasized defense. Over the last two seasons Verlander has averaged a 3.41 ERA compared to a 2.88 FIP; so, with a little more luck he could be a real beast.

6. C.C. Sabathia

He’s the next big time workhorse, and his value is tied into his innings. Sabathia has lost some velocity and movement of his fastball since joining the Yankees, but by adding a changeup he’s become a more capable pitcher. It also helps him that the Yankees provide such good run support. C.C. has been great for a long time and it doesn’t look like that is going to change anytime soon. With him you’re getting 200 IP++, a low to mid 3.0 ERA, and 15-18 wins.

7. Josh Johnson

Johnson is on the brink of being the best pitcher in baseball. He has an incredibly frame: very athletic and built like a rock. J.J. has great endurance, making him a great innings eater, while also creating tremendous torque with pinpoint control. His fastball-slider combo is one of the best, and he mixes in a deceptive changeup just for good measure. With Florida working on their defense a little more luck could swing Johnson’s way and finally put him into the elite.

8. Ubaldo Jimenez

As effectively wild as they come. Jimenez throws consistently in the upper 90s, touching 100 MPH at times, all while creating devastating movement on his pitches. He can give up walks, but his ability to create groundballs is great for producing double plays, eliminating hits, and keeping the ball in his home park of Coors Field. The Rockies ace is good for 200 IP and 200 Ks, and comes at a great bargain in about the 5^th round of drafts.

9. Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw is another NL pitcher who keeps getting better and better. Last season he finally learned how to control the pitch count and the strike zone, effectively allowing him to pitch more innings with less walks. He’s got pure hit-and-miss stuff, mixing in a perfectly looping curve with his high-90s fastball. Kershaw’s biggest issue is the Dodger’s shoddy defense that backs him up. With more luck he could be the best lefty in the NL.

10. Francisco Liriano

Liriano finally returned to devastating form last season after TJ surgery in 2007. He possesses one of the most devastating sliders in the majors, and it allows him to rack up the Ks. With a few less blow up games last season Liriano could have easily surpassed 200 IP. Despite playing on a Minnesota team, that usually emphasizes defense, Liriano had an FIP of 2.66, compared to his ERA of 3.62. That means he could be a breakout candidate this season, and one that many drafters might overlook.