We're winding up our league-specific rankings at Fake Teams, and today we present the starting pitchers for each league. Before jumping in, why not check out the other AL & NL Only ranks?
We also have some other iterations of starting pitcher ranks, if you came here looking for that:
Mixed League 1-25 (with profiles)
Mixed League 26-50 (with profiles)
Points league ranks will be posted later today.
AL-Only Starting Pitchers
1. Justin Verlander, DET
2. Felix Hernandez, SEA
3. CC Sabathia, NYY
4. Jered Weaver, LAA
5. Dan Haren, LAA
More league-specific ranks after the jump:
6. David Price, TB
7. Jon Lester, BOS
8. James Shields, TB
9. Josh Beckett, BOS
10. C.J. Wilson, LAA
11. Matt Moore, LAA
12. Yu Darvish, TEX
13. Michael Pineda, NYY
14. Ricky Romero, TOR
15. Derek Holland, TEX
16. Brandon Morrow, TOR
17. Max Scherzer, DET
18. Ubaldo Jimenez, CLE
19. Scott Baker, MIN
20. Neftali Feliz, TEX
21. Chris Sale, CWS
22. Ervin Santana, LAA
23. Jeremy Hellickson, TB
24. Ivan Nova, NYY
25. John Danks, CWS
26. Colby Lewis, TEX
27. Brandon McCarthy, OAK
28. Hiroki Kuroda, NYY
29. Justin Masterson, CLE
30. Gavin Floyd, CWS
31. Clay Buchholz, BOS
32. Doug Fister, DET
33. Matt Harrison, TEX
34. Francisco Liriano, MIN
35. Wade Davis, TB
36. Jonathan Sanchez, KC
37. Jake Peavy, CWS
38. Josh Tomlin, CLE
39. Henderson Alvarez, TOR
40. Aaron Crow, KC
41. Alfredo Aceves, BOS
42. Guillermo Moscoso, OAK Traded to Colorado - loses value
43. Philip Humber, CWS
44. Jacob Turner, DET
45. Brad Peacock, OAK
46. Derek Lowe, CLE
47. Brett Cecil, TOR
48. Jason Vargas, SEA
49. A.J. Burnett, NYY
50. Alexi Ogando, TEX
The American League list is loaded with talent on the front end before completely falling off the table at around 35 or 40, depending on your taste. There are plenty of upside picks at the back, but since potential isn't a category yet, I recommend aggressively pursuing pitching in the early rounds. A few notes on player placement:
- Matt Moore moved up my list after the Rays announced his extension, essentially guaranteeing him playing time. The comparison to Darvish based on AAA/NPB statistics is one I just can't shake, so they'll likely always be closely linked on any lists I post this offseason. I give the advantage to Moore based on Major League experience and home ballpark.
- I bumped Michael Pineda down after his trade to New York. Sure, he might pick up an extra win or two, but a low ground ball percentage (36.3) worries me in that park. Don't penalize him too much, though.
- Alexi Ogando's value plummets as he seems to be on the outside looking in for a rotation spot. To be truthful, I've only listed he and A.J. Burnett (who will likely battle Freddy Garcia and some other fringe candidates for the #5 spot) because they have potential to produce if they're given the chance. Also, there was nobody else I liked. The guys who just missed my list: Jeremy Guthrie, Luke Hochevar, Rick Porcello, Zach Britton, and Carl Pavano, in some order.
NL-Only Starting Pitchers
1. Roy Halladay, PHI
2. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
3. Tim Lincecum, SF
4. Cliff Lee, PHI
5. Cole Hamels, PHI
6. Zack Greinke, MIL
7. Ian Kennedy, ARI
8. Matt Cain, SF
9. Stephen Strasburg, WAS
10. Madison Bumgarner, SF
11. Yovani Gallardo, MIL
12. Tommy Hanson, ATL
13. Matt Garza, CHC
14. Adam Wainwright, STL
15. Mat Latos, CIN
16. Brandon Beachy, ATL
17. Cory Luebke, SD
18. Jordan Zimmermann, WAS
19. Daniel Hudson, ARI
20. Gio Gonzalez, WAS
21. Chris Carpenter, STL
22. Josh Johnson, MIA
23. Anibal Sanchez, MIA
24. Shaun Marcum, MIL
25. Jaime Garcia, STL
26. Wandy Rodriguez, HOU
27. Ted Lilly, LAD
28. Johnny Cueto, CIN
29. Tim Hudson, ATL
30. Vance Worley, PHI
31. Trevor Cahill, ARI
32. Jhoulys Chacin, COL
33. Chad Billingsley, LAD
34. Mike Minor, ATL
35. Bud Norris, HOU
36. Erik Bedard, PIT
37. Chris Capuano, LAD
38. Ryan Vogelsong, SF
39. Tim Stauffer, SD
40. Ricky Nolasco, MIA
41. Jon Niese, NYM
42. Juan Nicasio, COL
43. Josh Collmenter, ARI
44. Mike Leake, CIN
45. James McDonald, PIT
46. Julio Teheran, ATL
47. Johan Santana, NYM
48. Homer Bailey, CIN
49. Carlos Zambrano, MIA
50. Edinson Volquez, SD
The outlook for the Senior Circuit is much more rosy, as you might expect. Given the dearth of quality position players on this side of the majors, I would feel very comfortable about waiting to fill out my rotation in the name of building a quality lineup in an NL-Only league. That said, there are some risky upside plays at the end of this list, and it goes without saying that if you find yourself calling some of those names, you'd better have some insurance already in place. A few notes about player placement:
- I thought about dropping Mat Latos even further in light of his move to The Great American Ballpark, but I was already lower on him than most, and I actually think the way folks in mock drafts have adjusted to the news is about right. He's still a strikeout pitcher wherever he goes, after all.
- Josh Johnson is just now getting around to throwing off a mound. That wouldn't bother me so much if he hadn't missed so much time in 2011. If he shows up at spring training good as new, I'll adjust his ranking to match his talent level, but for now, I'm not touching that shoulder problem with a 20-foot pole.
- Juan Nicasio, on the other hand, has been throwing behind a L-screen and should face live hitting soon. It's amazing how far he's come already. If he can return and show some mental toughness, he's a nice pitcher who can really bring you some value at this point in the draft. Monitor this situation closely.
- Before you ask: No, I don't like Jair Jurrjens as a fantasy pitcher very much. He's part of my just missed list, along with Kyle Lohse, Brett Myers, and Randy Wolf, in some order. Do feel free to ask questions and leave your comments and criticisms in the comments section. I'll do my best to address all of them. Shameless self-plug: I've started a Twitter account that will focus on fantasy baseball: @BishopSBN. I'm happy to respond on there as well. While you're at it, make sure you're following @faketeams.