Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Under-the-Radar Aces You Must Target

You don't need me to tell you to target pitchers like Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in your fantasy baseball draft. If you've signed up to play this season, you know that those guys are the cream of the starting pitching crop.

Where a fella like myself can come in handy is telling you which pitchers are going to be overlooked and undervalued by most, if not all, of your leaguemates. You would be wise not to do the same.

There aren't that many aces around Major League Baseball, but there are more than you probably think. All you have to do is dig deep.

When you do, make sure you're on the lookout for the five guys listed below.

5. Brandon Morrow, Toronto Blue Jays

Brandon Morrow went 11-11 last season with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Those are the kinds of numbers that drag a fantasy pitching staff down.

One thing Morrow did excel at was striking out hitters. He struck out exactly 203 hitters in 179.1 innings of work. That amounted to a K/9 of 10.19, second only to Zack Greinke and higher than even Mr. Kershaw.

In addition, Morrow's high ERA is misleading. His FIP was over a full run lower at 3.64, a sign that Morrow suffered from a bit of bad luck in 2011. 

If Morrow's luck evens out, he'll give you well over 200 strikeouts with an ERA in the mid 3.00s and a WHIP at or below 1.20. That will be good for roughly 15 wins, making him an excellent fantasy option. 

4. Anibal Sanchez, Miami Marlins

Anibal Sanchez finished with a sub-.500 record last season, going 8-9 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.

That ERA isn't bad, but the record and the WHIP obviously need work in 2012 for Sanchez to be a reliable fantasy ace.

It's a good bet he will be. Despite his unspectacular numbers, Sanchez had a very good 9.26 K/9 and a BB/9 of 2.93. He also racked up a lot of ground balls, so it's no surprise that he's another guy whose FIP (3.35) was lower than his ERA.

If Sanchez pitches like he did last year, he'll at least put up solid strikeout numbers with a respectable ERA. With Miami's improved lineup at his back, he stands to win at least 15 games.

3. Brandon Beachy, Atlanta Braves

Brandon Beachy was limited to 141.2 innings last season, so he didn't qualify to lead any pitching categories.

However, had Beachy pitched enough innings to qualify, he would have led the majors in K/9. He struck out 10.74 hitters every nine innings last season, which is ridiculous.

Plus, Beachy's ERA was 3.68 and his WHIP was 1.21. Those are acceptable numbers, and things will be even better in 2012 if Beachy's ERA is much closer to his 2011 FIP of 3.19.

The only issue with Beachy is wins, as the Braves don't have a great offensive attack. But if he wins 12 games and excels in other categories, he'll be well worth a pick.

2. Brandon McCarthy, Oakland Athletics

Thanks in large part to the fact he was pitching for the A's, not too many people noticed how good Brandon McCarthy was last season. 

McCarthy only won nine games, but he had a 3.32 ERA and and 1.13 WHIP, both of which are very strong fantasy numbers. Better yet, McCarthy had a 1.32 BB/9, which was good for the third-lowest mark in baseball. His FIP was 2.86, fifth in baseball.

McCarthy's ability to limit his walks will make sure his WHIP stays low, and his ability to induce ground balls while mixing in a strikeout here and there will make sure his ERA stays low. 

As for the wins and the strikeouts, it's worth noting that McCarthy's K/9 is actually on the rise in recent seasons, and there will be more wins for him this season if Oakland's revamped lineup lives up to its potential.

1. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants

Madison Bumgarner had a decent season in 2011, going 13-13 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.

Get ready for him to go from being decent to being excellent. 

Bumgarner suffered from bad luck as much as any pitcher in baseball last season. His ERA was 3.21, but his FIP was 2.67. That was good for fourth in the league, and it put him in the same company as Cliff Lee.

Bumgarner struck out 8.40 hitters per nine innings and walked 2.02 hitters per nine innings, which are both outstanding numbers. His problem was his BABIP, which was pretty high at .322. Seeing as how he had a ground-ball rate of 46 percent, it was a little too high.

Things are going to level out for Bumgarner this season. When they do, he'll be the best pitcher on a starting staff that includes Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, which is saying something.