2010 Fantasy Baseball Position Rankings- Backup Starting Pitchers

Unless you totally kick your draft/auction in the groin, you should have your five or six regular rotation SP's taken from the four tiers of my "Rotation Starting Pitchers" article. In most drafts, this will leave you one or two SP slots left to fill. You have a choice- do I go with a "dependable innings eater" (read "mediocrity") like Jon Garland, who I know will at least give me a win or two, or roll the bones on a prospect or recovering injured SP. Want my advice? Dance with Lady Luck and go for broke! Take a shot at a prospect or injured SP. If you hit, you will have rostered a SP with at least Tier Three production for nothing. If you miss, so what? You can always drop the guy and replace him with some free agent equivalent to Jason Marquis- remember, there is always mediocrity available on the waiver wire.

That being said, let's take a look at who might become the next Brett Anderson in 2010 and explore the next 48 best starting pitcher choices in Fantasy Baseball!

Tier Five Starting Pitching (16)- Here is where you look for young pitchers with good K/9 rates and quality stuff or veterans who you feel will maintain the surprisngly good season they had in 2009.

65. Wade Davis (166 IP, 10 W, 146 K, 4.37 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) You could make a good argument for Davis as a Tier Four SP, but I would like to see him for an entire year before investing anything more than prospect-level cash or pick.

66. Jeff Niemann (174 IP, 11 W, 120 K, 4.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) About the same outlook as Wade Davis, except Davis has a much bigger upside.

67. Madison Bumgarner (140 IP, 7 W, 105 K, 3.97 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) A better prospect than either guy listed above him, but concerns about his drop in velocity in the second half of 2009 and whether the Giants will start him off in the minors in 2010 move him down a bit.

68. Ben Sheets (No projection) After you have your rotation SP's set, he's a great injury risk to chase. Even a little bit of Sheets is better than a whole lot of most every other pitcher left on the board.

69. Brian Matusz (182 IP, 11 W, 147 K, 4.32 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) Baltimore's got a lot of good, young, arms, with Matusz leading the way. Should be a fun team to watch in a year or two.

70. Joe Blanton (204 IP, 12 W, 141 K, 4.22 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) I can't buy that Joe Blanton A). will strike out guys at the rate he did last year, and B). is any better than an end-of roster SP. Feel free to disagree if you wish- we'll see who is right at the end of the season.

71. Brandon Morrow (160 IP, 8 W, 154 K, 4.24 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) Let's see if just one year of knowing what his role will be brings out the talent in his arm.

72. Edwin Jackson (204 IP, 11 W, 145 K, 4.40 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) Leaving Comerica Park for the intimate (read: homer-prone) atmosphere of the BOB is not good for any pitcher, especially ones who combine walks and fly balls like Jackson. Think of Jackson as "mediocre with chance of some upside", which is better than the "mediocre with chance of implosion" types like Kyle Lohse.

73. Mat Latos (165 IP, 9 W, 122 K, 4.17 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) The numbers say Latos trails the two following SP's but, in my expert auction league, I'll spend the extra dollar on him before either Young or Bedard.

74. Chris Young (146 IP, 9 W, 127 K, 3.68 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) Will help your ratios, but won't win many games (thanks to his teammates) or throw many innings (thanks to his addiction to getting injured).

75. Erik Bedard (132 IP, 8 W, 127 K, 3.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) Why list Bedard behind Young? Because Young will bust his butt to pitch well even if hurt. There is no guarantee that Bedard will bust his to pitch well even if healthy.

76. John Maine (152 IP, 8 W, 125 K, 4.18 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) Another part of a Mets' team whose injury report looked like the casualty list from the Battle of Antietam. I'll spend a few dollars to see if he bounces back.

77. Phil Hughes (138 IP, 7 W, 126 K, 4.28 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) After the Joba fiasco, who knows what silly rules the Yankees will enact for Hughes, but you know there will be some if he starts. This lowers my expectations a bit, but not as much as the fact that he only has two MLB quality pitches, and he needs a third before I will make him a fantasy rotation guy.

78. Jason Hammel (176 IP, 10 W, 133 K, 4.47 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) A good SP to pick up cheap and use only when he's away from Coors.

79. Joel Pineiro (195 IP, 11 W, 108 K, 4.15 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) Could pitch like a rotation guy, could pitch like Livan Hernandez on a bad streak. I'm not taking any pitcher with his puny K/9 rate for my rotation, but he might play as a backup SP.

80. Gil Meche (180 IP, 10 W, 136 K, 4.22 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) Always a nice, quiet, end of roster, gamble, so long as his Torquemenda of a manager doesn't leave him out there for another 132-pitch outing.

Tier Six Starting Pitching (16)- Same criteria as Tier Five, except the vets aren't quite as good...

81. Homer Bailey (162 IP, 9 W, 126 K, 4.76 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) Homer, please, oh please, beat these projections so that we can really get excited about you again. Bailey's like an old girlfriend from high school- when you think of her, you remember getting really excited once but, when you see her today, you wonder what all the fuss was about.

82. Justin Masterson (159 IP, 9 W, 127 K, 4.22 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) If he doesn't come up with an offspeed third pitch to handle lefties, he will become the new Jeff Weaver. If he does, then he becomes a poor man's Chad Billingsley- he's power stuff is that good.

83. Bud Norris (155 IP, 8 W, 146 K, 4.42 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) With his ability to rack up K's, he could become a Jonathan Sanchez.

84. Manny Parra (125 IP, 7 W, 108 K, 4.66 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) Then again, Bud Norris could just as easily become Manny Parra.

85. Gio Gonzales (144 IP, 7 W, 153 K, 4.62 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) If you have one SP spot left and feel like playing the lottery, here is a guy to consider. He could be the winning ticket if he ever gets the remotest idea of how to actually pitch.

86. Ian Snell (166 IP, 8 W, 125 K, 4.51 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) Of course, some SP's never do- like Ian Snell.

87. Trevor Cahill (180 IP, 10 W, 104 K, 4.52 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) Remember when some fantasy "experts" were ranking Cahill over Brett Anderson as the A's top prospect last year? Expect some small, but important, progress for Cahill in 2010.

88. Derek Holland (144 IP, 9 W, 112 K, 4.97 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) When the light clicks on for Holland, he'll make huge leaps. Someday soon Texas will feature this guy in the rotation along with Neftali Feliz and Martin Perez. Now that will be some serious Texas heat!

89. Brett Cecil (114 IP, 6 W, 86 K, 4.52 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) Another good risk pick late in a deep draft.

90. Robinson Tejada (100 IP, 5 W, 83 K, 4.43 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) A starter? A reliever? Meet the Royals' version of Joba Chamberlain.

91. Kevin Millwood- (172 IP, 12 W, 115 K, 4.38 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) About 20 IP better than mediocre.

92. Joe Saunders (176 IP, 11 W, 103 K, 4.21 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) Fortunately for owners of Saunders, these are decent numbers. Unfortunately, they are also his ceiling...

93. Jeremy Guthrie (187 IP, 9 W, 115 K, 4.42 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) Think Kevin Millwood without the press.

94. Brad Penny (164 IP, 10 W, 105 K, 4.32 ERA, 1,39 WHIP) Another in the "vets who once were good and might hit a hot streak" line of SP's.

95. Jonathon Niese (140 IP, 6 W, 101 K, 4.53 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) OK, Minaya, just tell your manager to let this kid pitch and see what he can do. If they try that right off the bat in 2010, Niese will beat these projected numbers. Besides, what could an old, broken down, Kelvim Escobar do that Niese couldn't?

96. Jeremy Hellickson (90 IP, 5 W, 73 K, 4.35 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) Last in this tier only due to opportunity- just look at the TB starters already listed. But if he gets the chance....

Tier Seven (16)- Here is the home of the SP's you should keep in mind as free agents or injured sleepers...

97. Hiroki Kuroda (158 IP, 9 W, 105 K, 3.68 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) Let's start the parade of guys you know will be pretty decent- if their arms don't blow up in your face.

98. Justin Duchscherer (130 IP, 8 W, 92 K, 3.75 ERA, 1.22) The difference between these SP's and the ones cited a tier above who have lesser numbers is that most of the Tier Six guys can surprise with their performance. Duchscherer and his ilk can only surprise with their health. Remember, with SP's, injuries beget injuries. But worth a long-shot gamble.

99. Mark Rzepczynski (145 IP, 8 W, 132 K, 3.87 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) The difference between these guys and someone like Ben Sheets is that, if healthy, these Tier Seven SP's are rotation helpers, while a healthy Sheets is a rotation leader.

100. Nick Blackburn (195 IP, 11 W, 97 K's, 4.05 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) Blackburn's problem isn't health, it's a total inability to strike anyone out. But he helps a little in ratio and wins, and maybe he will come up with some trick strikeout pitch. It's happened before...

101. Kevin Correia (178 IP, 10 W, 126 K, 4.16 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) I know many people who claim San Diego is the best city in America, and I am certain Kevin Correia agrees with them. He may ask to be buried at PETCO...

102. Paul Maholm (190 IP, 10 W, 121 K, 4.23 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) Just a tick above mediocre.

103. J.A. Happ (184 IP, 10 W, 135 K, 4.36 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) He isn't as good as he showed last year. Think of him as a Jamie Moyer in training.

104. Chirs Volstad (179 IP, 10 W, 119 K, 4.40 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) His biggest problem is his fastball is straight as a string. He needs one of three things to blossom- 1. Better command within the strike zone, 2. Add some movement to his heater, or 3. Get a mean streak and bean a few guys.

105. Clayton Richard (159 IP, 8 W, 109 K, 4.38 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) Another of those young guys who pitches in a good park for him (PETCO again) and might progress enough to be relevant.

106. Ross Ohlendorf (165 IP, 9 W, 114 K, 4.38 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) Has a good enough sinker to aspire to become Derek Lowe Lite.

107. Brett Myers (125 IP, 7 W, 106 K, 4.43 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) Yet another talented, yet utterly stupid, SP who ticks off their teammates (the poster boy of which is Vincente Padilla).

108. Carl Pavano (165 IP, 8 W, 110 K, 4.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) A more durable version of Brett Myers, which is the first time Pavano has been called more durable than anything.

109. Barry Zito (187 IP, 11 W, 134 K, 4.38 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) If he can keep the K/9 rate where it was in 2009 and lower the WHIP a tad, he could become quite useful again. But if the Giants' hadn't paid him a bajillion dollars solely on his rep, we wouldn't look on Zito so badly in the first place.

110. Mike Pelfry (184 IP, 10 W, 113 K, 4.38 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) The Mets' version of Chris Volstad.

111. Daniel Hudson (125 IP, 6 W, 94 K, 4.27 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) Many experts see him as a #5 MLB starting pitcher at best. I think he can do a little better...

112. Chris Tillman (130 IP, 6 W, 91 K, 4.92 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) Still in the learning stages, but would be quite a find if it turns out he's a quick study.

Five to Watch

113. Neftali Feliz- Only reason he is not listed in one of the tiers is that no one is sure of how Texas will use him in 2010. Will he start? If so, he would rate just behind Strasburg. Will he relieve? Think a young, good, Brad Lidge of Astro days.. Either way, grab him and ride the lightning.

114. Martin Perez- Just behind Feliz in the Texas system. If Feliz is "dynamic", what does that make Perez, "electric"?

115. Ross Detwiler- The Nationals' are bringing him along slowly, but there is talent here. If you are a fan of the '86 Mets, think of him as possibly their Ron Darling to Strasburg's Doc Gooden down the road.

116. Matt Maloney- The Reds are building up a decent collection of young SP talent.

117. Koji Uehara- If he starts, he's OK. But the Orioles lack any sort of a reliable closer, and Uehara has a skill set which might be enough to get by in that role. Hey, saves are saves, and we love getting them from someone we stashed as a free reserve pick.

On deck- the closers!