Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2012: Top Pitchers in This Year's Draft

While a high-powered offense is what will keep your fantasy team afloat during the course of a season, the impact of a solid pitching staff can't be underestimated.

Use your early-round picks on the Albert Pujolses and Matt Kemps of the world, but make sure you also have a handle on the top arms in the game, so someone doesn't sweep all the best ones off the board before you get a chance to grab one who can make a difference.

Here are a few you should consider above the rest, first and foremost:

Justin Verlander, Detroit

The Detroit ace, after a couple of years of failing to produce for fantasy owners, has bounced back in recent times and is a safe bet. In 2011, he had the most wins (24), the most K's (250) and the lowest ERA (2.40) in the American League. He threw 251.0 innings, and his walk rate per nine was 2.04.

His numbers in 2012 project to be similar—just don't expect him to rack up 24 wins again. Numbers like that don't happen two years in a row.

Roy Halladay, Philadelphia

Snagging either Halladay or Verlander as your top pitcher would put you in great shape, though Halladay always generates lots of fantasy buzz because of his consistency. He's won at least 17 games in each of the last four seasons, and his highest ERA in that span has been 2.79.

Last year, he had 19 wins with 220 strikeouts (8.47 per nine innings) in 233.2 frames.  It's also worth noting that over the last five seasons, he leads the league in complete games (42) and shutouts (12).

Clayton Kershaw, L.A. Dodgers

Last year's National League Cy Young Award winner warrants attention, too, and could be the first pitcher off the board in a lot of leagues. In 233.1 innings, the now-24-year-old had a strikeout rate of 9.57, with just 2.08 walks per nine, showing a definite improvement over the last two years.

Kershaw is starting to last longer into games and registered 21 wins last year, but last season was by far the best of his young career. By comparison, in 2010, he went 13-10 in 32 starts with a 2.91 ERA, though his K/9 ratio (9.3) was consistent with his 2011 total.

The Top 15 Pitchers in This Year's Fantasy Draft:

1. Clayton Kershaw, L.A. Dodgers

2. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

3. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

4. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

5. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

6. Jered Weaver, L.A. Angels

7. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies

8. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

9. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies

10. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

11. Dan Haren, L.A. Angels

12. Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

13. Zack Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers

14. James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays

15. C.J. Wilson, L.A. Angels