Fantasy Baseball 2011: Top 25 MLB Starting Pitcher Rankings
Here’s an early look at the 2011 Starting Pitcher rankings.
1. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
Led the majors in wins (21) and ranked third in WHIP (1.04), fourth in ERA (2.44) and tied for fifth in strikeouts (219). He’s the complete package.
2. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
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Lincecum was 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 231 Ks. That was during an off year. He was untouchable in the playoffs.
3. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
His 20-11, 2.42 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 213 Ks season basically mirrored his 19-8, 2.63, 1.21, 214 line from 2009. He tied for second in wins and ranked fourth in WHIP, fourth in ERA and ninth in Ks.
4. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
He was a beast last year, leading the majors in ERA (2.27) while ranking second in Ks (232) and fifth in WHIP (1.06). His only downside was the lack of wins (13), a problem that could easily resurface in 2011. It’s not a worrisome enough of a problem to keep him out of the top four.
5. Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox
Lester continued to perform at a high level, setting a career high in wins (19) and WHIP (1.20) while matching his career high with 225 Ks. His solid 3.25 ERA rounded out his dominance, which should continue with an even better offense backing him.
6. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
The wins will be there, as he’s averaged 20 the past two years for New York. He has had identical 197 K seasons as well, which is not elite, but solid. Low 3.00 ERA and a sub-1.20 WHIP round out his excellence.
7. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies
I still can’t believe Lee joined the Phillies to form one of the best rotations in recent memory. He shouldn’t have a problem increasing that win total, especially since he won’t be facing as many aces. He should post a microscopic WHIP and a low ERA. He doesn’t strike out a ton of batters, which is the only thing that keeps him from ranking higher.
8. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Verlander followed up his 19-9, 3.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 269 K season with an 18-9, 3.37, 1.16, 219 one. Aside from a blip in 2008, he’s been one of the best in the game since 2006.
9. Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies
Jimenez had one of the most dominating first halves in history. He finished 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 214 Ks. He has filthy stuff and is a tireless worker.
10. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Kershaw was brilliant last year, going 13-10 with a 2.91 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and 212 Ks. I believe this year he’ll add more wins to the outstanding peripheral numbers.
11. Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
It’s possible the best three pitchers in the American League last year (King Felix, 13; Lee, 12; and Weaver, 13) combined for just 38 wins. Weaver led the bigs in Ks (233) and posted the sixth best WHIP (1.07) and 16th best ERA (3.01).
12. Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
Johnson posted the second lowest ERA (2.30) in the majors last year while sporting an 11-6 record, 1.11 WHIP and 186 strikeouts in 183.2 innings.
13. Zack Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers
I think a change of scenery will do Greinke good, as he’ll actually have some run support. He stayed in a small market, which is probably good for his psyche. I don’t think he’ll bounce back to his Cy Young numbers, but he could certainly be a top 10 fantasy pitcher.
14. Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
Buchholz went 17-7 last year with a 2.33 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. He only had 120 Ks in 173.2 innings. If he can improve that total, he also top 10 potential.
15. Mat Latos, San Diego Padres
Latos went 14-10 last year with a 2.92 ERA (13th in the league), a 1.08 WHIP (tied for seventh) and 189 Ks (19th).
16. Dan Haren, Los Angeles Angels
Haren’s overall numbers were somewhat disappointing (12-12, 3.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 216 Ks), but he was rock solid after joining the Angels, going 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 75 Ks in 94 innings. He’s topped 200 strikeouts the past three seasons, and he has a 3.55 ERA and 1.17 WHIP since 2005.
17. Roy Oswalt, Philadelphia Phillies
It’s almost embarrassing how stacked the Phillies rotation is. Oswalt was 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with the Phillies. He finished 13-13 with a 2.76 ERA (eighth in the league), 1.03 WHIP (second) and 193 Ks (18th). Like Lee, he won’t be facing many aces this year for the Phillies.
18. Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
Hamels bounced back in a big way last year, going 12-11 with a 3.06 ERA (17th in the league), 1.18 WHIP (tied for 21st) and 211 Ks (11th). With the studs ahead of him in the rotation, he should have plenty of favorable matchups.
19. Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins
Liriano successfully bounced back last year, posting a 14-10 record with a 3.62 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and 201 Ks in 191.2 innings. He was 8-3 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in the second half.
20. Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers
Gallardo was 14-7 with a 3.84 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and 200 Ks in 185 innings. He and Greinke form a solid one-two punch.
21. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
Price went 19-9 (tied for fourth most wins) with a 2.72 ERA (seventh), 1.19 WHIP (tied for 25th) and 188 Ks (20th). He was 10-2 with a 2.12 ERA against the AL East last year. I think he has a hard time coming close to those numbers, which means his overall production takes a hit.
22. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
He’ll turn 36 early in the year, but after going 16-9 with a 3.22 ERA (23rd), a 1.18 WHIP (tied for 21st) and 179 Ks (28th) last season, it’s hard not to imagine Carpenter as a solid No. 2 fantasy pitcher.
23. Brett Anderson, Oakland Athletics
He’ll have to stay healthy, but when he is, he can be downright nasty. He finished 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 75 Ks in 112.1 innings. He was 4-1 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in September and October.
24. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
Hanson had an odd year, sporting a solid 3.33 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP with 173 Ks but finishing 10-11. In 55 starts he has a 3.16 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
25. Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants
Cain went 13-11 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 177 Ks. In 170 starts he has a 3.45 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He's still unlucky, posting a 57-62 career mark despite those solid numbers.
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