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2012 Fantasy Baseball Value Starting Pitcher Options

Ryan Lester
Jun 7, 2018

After the first 180 players have come off the board (15 rounds in 12-team leagues), there are still plenty of value starting pitcher options available.

John Danks, Chicago White Sox: His overall numbers weren’t great (8-12, 4.33 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 135 Ks), but he had stretches where he was nearly untouchable (6-1, 2.03 ERA from June-August)

Jhoulys Chacin, Colorado Rockies: He was much better before the All-Star Break (8-7, 3.16 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) than after (3-7, 4.31 ERA, 1.55 WHIP). He needs to cut down on his free passes.

Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers:  Colby finished 14-10 with a 4.40 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 169 Ks. Holland went 16-5 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Harrison went 14-9 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 126 Ks. Feliz is scheduled to join the rotation. He has the stuff, it’s just a matter of how he handles the switch. I like Feliz and Lewis better than Holland and Harrison. Alexi Ogando is also one to keep an eye on if he is able to claim a spot in the rotation.

Brandon McCarthy, Oakland A’s:  He’s pitching in a favorable ballpark. After going 9-9 last year with a 3.32 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 123 Ks he should be a solid end of your fantasy rotation starter.

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox:  Buchholz was limited to 14 starts last year, but was solid when he was able to pitch. He finished 6-3 with a 3.48 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 60 Ks. He won’t return to 2010 form (17-7, 2.33 ERA), but he’s a decent value option.

Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker, Minnesota Twins:  Liriano has nasty stuff, but can be wildly inconsistent as evidenced by his 5.09 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and his six-walk no-hitter. He’s a risk/reward option. Baker, went 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP and 123 Ks in 134 2/3 innings. I expect the Twins to be better so his wins should increase. He’ll also give you a solid ERA and WHIP.

Bud Norris, Houston Astros:  He won’t get you a ton of wins, but he is a solid strikeout pitcher. He posted a decent 3.77 ERA last year. Unfortunately, that came with a 1.33 WHIP.


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