Top 25 Fantasy Starting Pitchers
MLB Baseball Starters to Help Your Rotisserie Team
The best starting pitchers from number 6 through 25.
Fantasy Baseball Top 5 Pitchers
6. Erik Bedard, Seattle Mariners (13-5, 3.16 ERA, 221 Ks, 1.09 WHIP).
This former Oriole lefty can do it all, but his core value is as an all-world strikeout pitcher. Bedard struck out 221 in just 182 innings in 2007, which gives him a 10.9 K/9 inning rate.His ERA and WHIP were also first class. But Bedard was shut down for the last month of the season with an oblique injury. Add that to his 2002 Tommy John surgery and a 2005 knee injury that put him of the 60 day DL, and Bedard starts to look like an injury risk, which is the only reason he isn't in the top five. Repeat, he has Top Five Talent, but he is an injury risk.
7. Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs (18-13, 3.95 ERA, 177 Ks, 1.33 WHIP).
The big thing for fantasy baseball advisors this year is to warn you against Zambrano because, according to some, he has been overused for most of his career is thus bound to break down any day now. Don't bet on it. Zambrano's been the baby bull for the past five years, and at just 27 years old, he will do it for one more year at least. Expect at least 200 innings, and bet on Carlos to match last year's wins and Ks, although it's reasonable to believe that his ERA, which has been on an uptrend, will keep him out of the elite group.
8. Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks (15-9, 3.07 ERA, 192 Ks, 1.21 WHIP)
Haren is excellent, but he's still one notch down from the elite. He probably will get your fantasy team about 180 strikeouts. He probably will post an ERA around 3.30-3.50 but seems unlikely to do better than that. Furthermore, Haren's BAA is usually in the .250 range, which means that his WHIP, while always good, is not likely to be better than 1.20.
That being said, owning Haren definitely is recommended. His downside is minimal, in that he hasn't pitched fewer than 217 innings and hasn't struck out fewer than 163 hitters in three seasons. Haren also rarely has a disastrous outing: in the past three seasons, he has surrendered six or more runs just six times in 102 starts.
9. John Lackey, Los Angeles Angels (19-9, 3.01. ERA, 179 Ks, 1.21 WHIP).
Lackey also falls into the solid category, but falls just short of elite status because he doesn't strike out enough batters. He's a workhorse whose made 33 starts in each of the past five seasons; that type of consistency is a huge value in and of itself. He also routinely posts a mid-3 ERA, and his WHIP is regularly in the mid-1.20s. Like Haren, Lackey is a bit more hittable than the elite pitchers, but he's still a great fantasy bet.
10. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies (15-3, 3.39 ERA, 177 Ks, 1.12 WHIP).
God, is this guy tempting, and if you have the guts, take him higher. But keep in mind that Hamels has two things that work against his fantasy value.
The first is his health. In 2007, Hamels missed six starts with an elbow strain. He also spent some time on the disabled list in 2006 with a shoulder injury. Those pains, and his stick-like physique, make his durability a question mark.
The second is his ballpark. His home park in Philly is a right-handed hitters dream, with a power alley that is just a little bit deeper than most pony league fields. That puts Hamels at risk for giving up home runs, which unfairly raise his ERA.
If he makes 33-34 starts, Hamels will be a fantasy stallion. Even if he misses a few starts, he can still give you at least fifteen wins, close to 200 Ks and a nice ERA. Just hope there isn't a stint on the DL in there somewhere.
The Rest of the 25 Best Fantasy Starting Pitchers
11. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers (18-6, 3.66 ERA, 183 Ks, 1.23 WHIP). At this point inn his career, it's reasonable to assume that Verlander will match his 2007 numbers. He's a safe bet at this level.
12. Aaron Harang, Cincinnati Reds (16-6, 3.73 ERA, 218 Ks, 1.14 WHIP). Harang has great stuff. His biggest enemy is that bandbox called the Great American Ball Park, although he did manage to pitch well there last year. It's hurt him in the past, though, and should be a factor that you consider when deciding if and when you want to make a run at Harang.
13. Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves (16-10, 3.33 ERA, 132 Ks, 1.22 WHIP). Tim is a three category pitcher, but he won't help you rack up the Ks. Hudson definitely found something last year, and he looked the best he's been in a few years, which is good news for those who were concerned that he was on the decline. A steady Tim is a good Tim: 16-17 wins, 1.29 WHI, 3.20 ERA.
14. Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Devil Rays (13-9, 3.48 ERA, 239 Ks, 1.38 WHIP). This could be a big year for Kazmir, who seems to have matured very quickly in his brief career. His stuff is remarkable, and the Devil Rays may actually score some runs this year, so Kazmir should have an impressive season.
15. Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (14-7, 3.18 ERA, 154 Ks, 1.35 WHIP). He's been trending downard, which is troubling. Especially in the strikeout category. Once those numbers drop, they don't usually come back.
16. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (16-7, 3.71 ERA, 139 Ks, 1.24 WHIP). Same issue as Oswalt. He's a great real-world pitcher, but in fantasy land, he is poised to be a Category Killer.
17. John Smoltz, Atlanta Braves (14-8, 3.11 ERA, 197 Ks, 1.18 WHIP). John Smoltz is still a realistic threat to win the Cy Young Award. But he's 41 years old now, and sooner or later father time has to catch him. Could it be this year? That risk is why he's not higher.
18. Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians (19-8, 3.06 ERA, 137 Ks, 1.21 WHIP). He was three category stud in 2007, but was that a fluke?
19. Brad Penny, Los Angeles Dodgers (16-4, 3.03 ERA, 135 Ks, 1.31 WHIP). The Ks are the only thing keeping him from a higher rank.
20. Chien-Ming Wang, New York Yankees (19-7, 3.70 ERA, 104 Ks, 1.29 WHIP). Wang is a steady, solid sinker pitcher who gets a lot of double play outs. Unfortunately, those don't count in most leagues, but strikeouts do, and Wang does not get strikeouts. He will pile up the wins, though, and his WHIP is good enough. If he could get the ERA below 3.50, he'd rank three or four spots higher. If he could strike anybody out, he'd be in the top five.
21. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (14-7, 3.92 ERA, 165 Ks, 1.38 WHIP). This kid is all upside if he stays healthy.
22. Kelvim Escobar, Los Angeles Angels (18-7, 3.40 ERA, 160 Ks, 1.27 WHIP). 2007 was his career year. Still consistently good, though.
23. Jeff Francis, Colorado Rockies (17-9, 4.22 ERA, 165 Ks, 1.38 WHIP). ERA is high, but he should get the wins.
24. Javier Vazquez, Chicago White Sox (15-8, 3.74 ERA, 213 Ks, 1.14 WHIP). Confounding pitcher. Sometimes he's brilliant and other times he's brutal. He's a goo dpick around here, or maybe as high as 20, but any more is really pushing it.
25. Jeremy Bonderman, Detroit Tigers (11-9, 5.01 ERA, 145 Ks, 1.38 WHIP). Subject to change during spring training for this guy.
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Top 5 Fantasy Starting Pitchers
Top 100 Fantasy Baseball Rankings
