Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Rankings: Top Ten Starting Pitchers

You can draft all the heavy-duty, homerun-poppin' hitters your heart desires in this year's fantasy baseball draft, but if you don't have a quality staff of starting pitchers, your hopes of winning the fantasy championship trophy will be as dim as the Detroit Lions' chance of winning next year's Super Bowl! With this being said, here is a top ten ranking of this year's fantasy starting pitchers for you to go by!

#1. Tim Lincecum (San Francisco Giants)

The only knock on Tim in recent years was that he played for a team that struggled to score runs, hence, he would be hard pressed to get more than ten wins in a season. Well, he's accumulated 33 wins in the past two seasons and the Giant's offense is actually getting better, as guys like the "Kung Fu Panda" are starting to shine! Lincecum puts up sick numbers in every single category, has phenomenal strikeout power (over 260K's in the '08 & '09 seasons), and still pitches in the NL West, which is notoriously known for being "pitcher friendly." Lincecum is not only the best fantasy pitcher, but the best REAL pitcher!

#2. Roy Halladay (Philadelphia Phillies)

People will argue that Roy is somewhat of a risky pick based on the fact that he has moved to a hitter-friendly park in Philadelphia. Really? Do these people forget where Roy came from? First off, the stadium for the Toronto Blue Jays is not known for being extremely difficult to hit in . . . just ask Aaron Hill! Secondly, he hails from the American League East, where he had to battle the dangerous lineups of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees on numerous occasions every season! And let's not forget that Roy finally has the luxury of throwing to opposing pitchers, now that he is in the National League! His E.R.A. has been under 2.80 for two consecutive years-don't expect this trend to end in the 2010 season!

#3. CC Sabathia (New York Yankees)

His strikeout and E.R.A. stats might not be as impressive as Lincecum's, but regardless, Sabathia is sure to put up similar numbers as last season and end up with around 200K's and 20 wins. He appears healthy and his arm still appears to be in tip-top shape . . . combine that with a high-scoring Yankee lineup to support your cause and you got yourself a great fantasy pitcher!

#4. Chris Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals)

So you were worried that Carpenter would never fully recover from surgery? You were worried that he would never be his old self again? Well, if you were one of the many that were worried, then worry no more! He posted CY Young numbers last year and is showing no signs of letting up. With 144 strikeouts in 192 innings, Carpenter doesn't have the enormous punchout power as some other guys on this list, but he makes up for it with flawless location, a stellar W.H.I.P. of 1.01, and a record of 17-4!

#5. Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals)

With the strong comeback of Carpenter, Wainwright went somewhat unnoticed last season, which is a shame considering the fact that he had 19 wins, an E.R.A. of 2.63, and over 210 strikeouts! Wainwright got stronger and stronger as the season went along-in 17 of his last 19 starts, Wainwright gave up two or fewer earned runs! That's impressive! VERY impressive! This team has TWO aces, not just one! Plus, the Cardinals still seem to own their division, thus making it easier to continue racking up wins for starting pitchers.

#6. Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners)

Like Wainwright, Hernandez finished a strong season with a stellar July and August, as he only gave up a total of 21 earned runs in his last 13 starts. He pitches in a pitcher-friendly park and showed serious progress with this accuracy and control of the game, as he lowered his '08 W.H.I.P of 1.39 to 1.14 in '09! It appears that Felix has finally become the reliable and dependable power-stud that we expected him to be! Draft him with confidence!

#7. Zach Greinke (Kansas City Royals)

It's hard to believe that Greinke will be able to match last year's remarkable numbers, which included a 2.16 E.R.A. and 242 strikeouts, but it would also be hard to believe that he would totally fall apart this year. Expect Greinke to slip just a little, as many hitters and coaches will be putting in extra time to figure out the ways of this new phenom. Seeing how Kansas City has no other real threats for starting pitchers, expect these players and coaches to have LOTS of time to research! Even if opponents study him more carefully, you should still expect Greinke to stay in the top ten among all pitchers this year.

#8. Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers)

He had a rough start to last season, as he had a 7.29 E.R.A. at the end of April; HOWEVER, he quickly proved that he is worth the hype and that he is capable of adjusting his game . . . by the end of July, his E.R.A. had sunk all the way down to 2.76! Throw in the fact that he averages over one strikeout per inning and you have a young phenom that will only get stronger! Don't be surprised if he is a top 3 pitcher by 2012!

#9. Cole Hamels (Philadelphia Phillies)

Cole obviously wasn't his normal self last season, as he posted a losing record of 10-11 and a disappointing E.R.A. of 4.32. Cliff Lee was a welcome addition to Philly last season, but even with Cliff's solid resume, Cole was still ridden with the pressure of performing with "TOP ACE" results. This season will be different . . . with the addition of Roy Halladay, Cole will not be under a microscope in his attempt to recover from a down season. All eyes and pressure will be on Roy . . . during which time Cole will regain his dominant form and put himself back among the elite this season!

#10. Yovani Gallardo (Milwaukee Brewers)

He has a dominant strikeout per inning ratio (204 K's in 185 innings) and easily has "Top 5 Stuff;" however, he lost some of his owners' confidence last season with a lackluster 2^nd half, as his E.R.A. boosted from 2.86 at the end of June to 3.73 at the end of the season. Expect Yovani to get back on track to begin the 2010 season and show that he has fully earned the right to make this top 10 list!