Comparing the Best Young Pitchers in the National League with a Fantasy Edge

These are the best young pitchers in the National League that pitch in pitchers parks, which will make it easier for them to rack up stats this year compared to equivalent talent pitchers who play in hitters parks.

Mike Pelfrey (Mets) - made 4 starts last year for the Mets and was not overly impressive, going 2-1 with a 5.48 ERA, with a K to BB ratio of just 1.1. But his minor league record indicates he will be much better this year: 7-3/ 2.43 ERA/ 10.2 K's/ 3.1 BB's in 18 starts and 96 innings. Just needs to be in the rotation to start racking up decent stats.

Anibal Sanchez (Marlins) - 23 year old's first year in Majors Was overly impressive. He went 10-3, with a 2.83 ERA (just 66% of the League ERA last year), 5.7 K's and 3.6 BB's, plus the no-hitter. Can he keep that up this year? In the minors he pitched to a 2.66 ERA in almost 300 innings, while his K rate was 10.6 and his BB rate was 2.9. Looks like he can to me.

Matt Cain (Giants) - still just 22 this year. Has already made 38 big league starts, going: 15-13/ 3.80 ERA/ 7.9 K's and 4.0 BB's. Solid if unspectacular year last year. His K rate in the minors was 10.1, and he improved his rate last year in the Majors to 8.5. That K rate makes him a valuable pitcher for any fantasy team, and if he gets his ERA down and win totals up, he's a top ten pitcher.

Chuck James (Braves) - never as highly touted as Kyle Davies, he was always the better pitcher, and proved it last year. 11-4/ 3.68 ERA/ 6.9 K's and 3.6 BB's. Given his minor league record: 26-13/ 2.09 ERA/ 10.5 K's and 2.6 BB's, look for him to be even better this year. You might still be able to get him in later rounds this year.

Scott Olsen (Marlins) - probably will never be an all timer, but his stats are solid. He K'd 8.4 last year, and 9.7 in the minors, so he's a high strikeout pitcher. ERA was 4.03 last year, and was 3.06 in minors, so he will probably lower that a bit this year too. Should be a solid fantasy starter this year.

Chad Billingsley (Dodgers) - went 7-4 last year with a 3.80 ERA. K to BB ratio was just 1.0. Went 35-17/ 3.18 ERA/ 10.2 K's and 3.7 BB's in minors, so look for him to lower his ERA this year, while his K to BB ratio vastly improves. Pitching in one of the best pitchers parks in baseball a big plus for him.

Noah Lowry (Giants) - bad year last year. Went just 7-10 with a 4.74 ERA. Even worse, his K rate plummeted to just 4.7. Have to believe he was injured, as his K rate was well over 7.0 prior to last year, and over 8.0 in the minors. Look for him to bounce back, if he's healthy this year. Might be a bargain.

Clay Hensley (Padres) - not really a kid, as he'll be 28 this year. Has pitched very respectably in the Majors so far: 12-13/ 3.30 ERA/ 5.8 K's/ 3.6 BB's. Compare that to what he did in the minors: 29-22/ 3.60 ERA/ 8.0 K's/ 2.6 BB's. He is not a bad pitcher at all. If he's in the Padres rotation this year, he will give you decent stats, and could be a real bargain.

John Maine (Mets) - pitched well for the Mets last year, going: 6-5/ 3.60 ERA/ 7.1 K's and 3.3 BB's. Can he pitch well for them again this year? His minor league record says he certainly can: 34-29/ 3.24 ERA/ 9.4 K's and 2.9 BB's. He didn't pitch well in the Majors when he first got the chance for Baltimore, but the O's just gave up on him too early. Pitching at Shea will only help him.

Ricky Nolasco (Marlins) - decent start to his big league career: 11-11/ 4.82 ERA/ 6.4 K's and 2.6 BB's. His minor league numbers suggest he'll be better this year: 41-17/ 3.41 ERA/ 9.0 K's and 2.8 BB's.

Josh Johnson (Marlins) - where did last year come from? He went 12-7/ 3.14 ERA/ 7.6 K's and 4.2 BB's. Now look at his minor league record: 23-25/ 3.71 ERA/ 7.3 K's and 3.4 BB's. Not a terrible record at all, but not one that would lead you to believe he could have done what he did last year. Be very surprised if he can move forward at all, or even maintain what he did last year.

Kyle Davies (Braves) - been lousy so far in the Bigs: 10-13/ 6.38 ERA/ 6.7 K's and 4.9 BB's. His minor league record gives reason for hope: 39-20/ 2.91 ERA/ 9.0 K's and 3.0 BB's. Last year one of the dopey Met announcers was interviewing Bobby Cox and asked Cox if he was surprised that Chuck James was pitching so well, better than the highly touted Davies. Cox said he wasn't surprised at all, if you looked at James' minor league numbers it told you all you needed to know. Obviously, the announcer had never looked.