2009 Starting Pitcher Fantasy Rankings: Nos. 21-40

It’s time to continue my rankings of the top starting pitchers, looking at those I slotted in Nos. 21-40 spots (to read the Top 20, click here). There were a lot of names who had fallen just short of the Top 20, so let’s not waste time and get right to it:

21. Jon Lester - Boston Red Sox
22. Rich Harden - Chicago Cubs
23. Zack Greinke - Kansas City Royals
24. Joba Chamberlain - New York Yankees
25. Edinson Volquez - Cincinnati Reds
26. Adam Wainwright - St. Louis Cardinals
27. Yovani Gallardo - Milwaukee Brewers
28. A.J. Burnett - New York Yankees
29. Justin Verlander - Detroit Tigers
30. Ricky Nolasco - Florida Marlins
31. Aaron Harang - Cincinnati Reds
32. Matt Cain - San Francisco Giants
33. Javier Vazquez - Atlanta Braves
34. Josh Johnson - Florida Marlins
35. John Danks - Chicago White Sox
36. Ryan Dempster - Chicago Cubs
37. Brett Myers - Philadelphia Phillies
38. Jered Weaver - Los Angeles Angels
39. Scott Baker - Minnesota Twins
40. David Price - Tampa Bay Rays

Notes:

1. Javier Vazquez moves back to the NL, causing some to think he is going to become one of the elite. I wouldn’t go that far, as his last stint there was not all that impressive (4.42 ERA with the Diamondbacks in 2004).

He’s also only had an ERA under four just once in the past five seasons, but he still has the potential to be one of the top fantasy pitchers, especially with that strikeout potential.

2. Ryan Dempster went 17-6 last season with a 2.96 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, so why is he so low here?  He’s undependable, that’s why. I’ve said it before, but I just don’t buy the mediocre starter, turned bad closer, turned ace starter, story he’s written. 

At 31-years old, why are we supposed to believe he suddenly became an ace?  I’m not buying it.  I touched on this way back in December, which you can read by clicking here.

3. Justin Verlander struggled mightily last season, posting an ERA of 4.84. I wouldn’t ignore the numbers he posted in 2006 & 2007, as well as the signs he showed at times last season (2.73 ERA in June). There’s still hope there and I certainly wouldn’t simply write him off.

4. A.J. Burnett moves to a contender, though he’s still pitching in the highly competitive AL East. He also is now pitching for one of the team’s that he absolutely dominated. Wait, have I mentioned that he’s an injury waiting to happen? Don’t put too much stock in him this season.

5. Prior to last season, Aaron Harang would have been considered a pitcher who could have been ranked in the Top 20 and definitely in the Top 30. Injuries cost him, but he showed  signs of a turn around in September (3.07 ERA). I wouldn’t discount him, as I mentioned in my article about him in January (click here to read).

6. How long have we been hearing about the potential of Matt Cain? He’s shown signs, but never seems to have any luck, going 15-30 over the past two seasons despite ERA’s of 3.65 & 3.76. Maybe this will finally be the season he gets lady luck on his side.

7. Brett Myers is any interesting case to look at. He suffered the Steve Trachsel treatment, as I like to call it, and that seemed to get things back on track (1.65 ERA in August). Then again, he posted a 5.23 ERA in September.

There’s no doubting his skill, and it is possible that the wear and tear of switching back to the rotation caused him more trouble then anyone expected. With a full-season under his belt, it is very easy to imagine seeing him bounce back to the type of pitcher he was in ‘05 & ‘06, giving him the potential to significantly outperform this ranking. I’ll be taking a closer look at him in the near future.

8. Jered Weaver & Scott Baker both appeared on my Five Late Round WHIP Option article (click here to read). Does it surprise anyone that I’d include them at the bottom of this list?

9. Everyone loves David Price, and it is quite possible that he performs like a Top 20 option and takes home the Rookie of the Year award. He still is just a rookie, however, so I would temper my expectations a bit if I were you.

10. Joba Chamberlain has the stuff to be among the elite starters, as long as the Yankees opt to leave him in the rotation for the entire season and not baby him along or shift him to the bullpen. Will that happen? Time will tell, which was the only reason he was this low (and could have been moved down even further).

11. Yovani Gallardo is a pitcher whose name was bandied about with Chamberlain’s in regards to talent. He showed those skills in his rookie season, but injuries derailed him last year. I’m looking for a monster season from him in ‘09, as the Brewers turn to him to help replace both C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets.

12. I really wish Rich Harden could stay healthy for a full season, because if he did, he would easily be a Top 10 pitcher. That allure helps to buoy his ranking, despite the inevitable amount of time he will miss.

13. I’m sure Chien-Ming Wang is one name that people want to see on here, but as I’ve discussed before (click here to read), I’m not very high on him heading into ‘09. The lack of strikeouts and potential for an ERA over four certainly scares me away and drops him down my draft board just outside of this list.

There you have it.  Who was left off the list?  Who should have been higher?  Lower?

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