Starting Pitcher Overview

Starting Pitcher Overview:  Starting Pitching is loaded this year, from top to bottom.  As I wrote in our draft tip: why to wait on pitching, there are three tiers of pitching I wouldn't mind having as my ace.  In the article I make the point that you can wait until the 4th to 6th rounds, and still end up with players like Jon Lester or Clayton Kershaw.  If you want to read more check it out on the page on the right labeled.  "Draft Tip: Why to Wait on Pitching"

Tier 1

Roy Halladay

Felix Hernandez

Tier 2

Tim Lincecum

Cliff Lee

Jon Lester

Clayton Kershaw

C.C Sabathia

Justin Verlander

Tier 3

Ubaldo Jimenez

David Price

Zack Greinke

Josh Johnson

Chris Carpenter

Cole Hamels

Mat Latos

Tommy Hanson

Tier 4

Dan Haren

Jered Weaver

Roy Oswalt

Mat Latos

Francisco Liriano

Johnathan Sanchez

Matt Cain

Clay Buchholz

Tier 5

Yovani Gallardo

Shaun Marcum

Chad Billingsley

Gio Gonzalez

Daniel Hudson

Max Scherzer

Brett Anderson

John Danks

Trevor Cahill

Jake Peavy

Ricky Romero

C.J. Wilson

Brian Matusz

Matt Garza

Best of the Rest

Wandy Rodriguez

Tim Hudson

Brandon Morrow

Ricky Nolasco

Josh Beckett

John Lackey

Jeremy Hellickson

Javier Vazquez

Jorge De La Rosa

Madison Bumgarner

Ervin Santana

Ian Kennedy

Rick Porcello

Johnny Cueto

Edinson Volquez

Breakouts:  Jon Lester, Clayton Kershaw, Daniel Hudson, Shaun Marcum.  I figured that since there are so many pitchers to choose from, it would be more helpful for me to pick a few for each topic.  You might think it is weird that Jon Lester and Clayton Kershaw could be my top breakout pitchers because they are so established.  But, Lester and Kershaw and my CY Young picks for this season over the likes of Roy Halladay and Felix Hernandez.  Daniel Hudson and Shaun Marcum are two lower end breakout stars.  Marcum moves to the NL from the tough AL East and slots in as the Brewers third starter.  Hudson moved to the NL last season from the White Sox and went 7 and 1 after his move to Arizona.  

Sleepers: Rick Porcello, Jeremy Hellickson, John Lackey, Madison Bumgarner.  These are four pitchers that you should be able to get outside of the top 30 pitchers, and should really help your fantasy rotation.  At only 22 years old Porcello has pitched over 330 innings in his big league career.  His third season should be a breakout.  Hellickson was a rookie last season who threw 36 innings last season in the bigs.  The Ray's were so confident in his ability that they traded Matt Garza in the offseason.  Bumgarner is also a youngster who was dominant in the offseason for the World Series champions.  And John Lackey struggled last season with the Red Sox with a 4.40 ERA and 14 wins.  Look for the Sox offense to help with the win total, and Lackey's Era to come back down to below 4.  

Busts: Zack Greinke and Carlos Zambrano.  Greinke's numbers will definitely improve after moving to Milwaukee from Kansas City.  But, some people are drafting him as someone who will win 20 games and an Era under 3.  I would put Greinke in Tier 3 starting pitchers and draft accordingly.  Zambrano is someone who is gaining steam after going 8 and 0 from August to October.  But we all know how volatile Zambrano can be, and I'd much have a safer starter than the Cub's star.

Note:  After writing this Zack Greinke has been shut down for 4 to 6 weeks with a fractured rib.  This will obviously drop his average drafted position, and depending on your league he could be worth drafting cheap.