Top 45 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty League Starting Pitchers: Take Two

Let’s wrap up our latest round of Dynasty League rankings with a look at starting pitchers.  How do some of the “older” top options, like Roy Halladay and Johan Santana, fall when we are looking two, three or more years ahead?  Let’s take a look:

1. Tim Lincecum—San Francisco Giants
2. Zack Greinke—Kansas City Royals
3. Roy Halladay—Philadelphia Phillies
4. Felix Hernandez—Seattle Mariners
5. CC Sabathia—New York Yankees
6. Dan Haren—Arizona Diamondbacks
7. Jon Lester—Boston Red Sox
8. Justin Verlander—Detroit Tigers
9. Johan Santana—New York Mets
10. Yovani Gallardo—Milwaukee Brewers
11. Ubaldo Jimenez—Colorado Rockies
12. Clayton Kershaw—Los Angeles Dodgers
13. Cole Hamels—Philadelphia Phillies
14. Josh Johnson—Florida Marlins
15. Josh Beckett—Boston Red Sox
16. Chris Carpenter—St. Louis Cardinals
17. Tommy Hanson—Atlanta Braves
18. Adam Wainwright—St. Louis Cardinals
19. James Shields—Tampa Bay Rays
20. Cliff Lee—Seattle Mariners
21. Brandon Webb—Arizona Diamondbacks
22. Stephen Strausburg—Washington Nationals
23. Chad Billingsley—Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Matt Garza—Tampa Bay Rays
25. Brett Anderson—Oakland Athletics
26. Ricky Nolasco—Florida Marlins
27. Wandy Rodriguez—Houston Astros
28. Matt Cain—San Francisco Giants
29. David Price—Tampa Bay Rays
30. John Lackey—Boston Red Sox
31. Jake Peavy—Chicago White Sox
32. Rich Harden—Texas Rangers
33. Scott Baker—Minnesota Twins
34. Rick Porcello—Detroit Tigers
35. Jered Weaver—Los Angeles Angels
36. Clay Buchholz—Boston Red Sox
37. A.J. Burnett—New York Yankees
38. Brian Matusz—Baltimore Orioles
39. Aroldis Chapman—Cincinnati Reds
40. Jorge De La Rosa—Colorado Rockies
41. John Danks—Chicago White Sox
42. Wade Davis—Tampa Bay Rays
43. Carlos Zambrano—Chicago Cubs
44. Javier Vazquez—New York Yankees
45. Gavin Floyd—Chicago White Sox

Thoughts

• Roy Halladay is among the elite pitchers in the game. There is just no questioning that.  However, how much of an impact does his age have on fantasy owners?  As much as I’d love to push Felix Hernandez above him, I just can’t do it.  Halladay is too good and considering he’s now in the NL, I just couldn’t pass him up.
• Given his history of injuries, do Dynasty League owners really want to put much faith into Chris Carpenter?  The young, established options certainly look a whole lot more intriguing to me.
• Johan Santana is one of the elite, but at 31-years old you have to wonder how much longer he has left at this level.  I can’t drop him below the Gallardo’s and Kershaw’s quite yet, but wouldn’t blame anyone from doing so on draft day.
• Bad luck aside, Ricky Nolasco has the potential to be a solid No. 2 pitcher for many years to come.
• How will Jake Peavy perform outside of Petco Park?  Personally, I wouldn’t be willing to take the gamble, especially in a Dynasty League.  If he struggles, the selection will haunt you for many years to come, given the other options you would’ve had to overlook.
• Speaking of moving to a new ballpark, does anyone truly trust Javier Vazquez pitching in the new Yankees Stadium?  A lot would have to go wrong for me to draft him among my top three pitchers, despite his success in ‘09, which is why he fell outside of the Top 40.  His AL track record makes him just too much of a risk.
• Was Max Scherzer’s omission an oversight?  Nope.  Like Joba Chamberlain, his future could be in the bullpen, so if you are looking for a long-term starter he’s just not a good selection.  Additionally, Scherzer is injury prone and moving to the AL.  There are just too many knocks against him to take the risk.
• Like Scherzer (and Chamberlain), the huge question surrounding Neftali Feliz is where his future lies, in the rotation or in the bullpen.  With him, I’m more willing to bet on him ultimately ending up in the rotation, but I still wouldn’t take him among the Top 45 pitchers on draft day.  Outside of that, he’s worth taking the flyer on.
• I know Aroldis Chapman has huge control questions, but with a fastball like his how could you not like his potential long-term success?
• Once he proves healthy, Brandon Webb is likely to return to being a consistent Top 15 option.  Take this opportunity to get him on the cheap.
• We all know Stephen Strausburg has the talent to be an elite SP for a very long time.  That means he’s worth selecting early in Dynasty Leagues, because he could solidify your staff for the next 12 years.

What are your thoughts on the rankings?  Who belongs?  Who doesn’t?

If you would like to see a free preview of the Rotoprofessor 2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide (available for just $5) now including a Top 50 Prospects for 2010 List, click here .

Make sure to also check out our other recently updated Dynasty League Rankings:

• Catchers
• First Basemen
• Second Basemen
• Shortstops
• Third Basemen
• Outfielders
• Closers

Make sure to check out our 2010 yearly league rankings:

• Catchers
• First Basemen
• Second Basemen
• Third Basemen
• Shortstops
• Outfielders
• Designated Hitters
• Starting Pitchers
• Closers

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