Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Pitcher Rankings

Ok, so after several hours of analyzing stats and projections, you came up with your pitcher rankings for your 2009 fantasy baseball season. We all know who belongs at the top of the list (Lincecum, Webb, Beckett, Peavy), but what about the other guys? What about the guys that fell off the radar for a bit? Do you keep them where they are on your list, or do you consider moving them up? Well, here are four pitchers that you NEED to move up on your '09 fantasy list ASAP!

1- Ian Snell (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Going into the 2008 season, Snell was going in the top 20 or 25 for pitchers in most leagues. He had a very respectable, strikeout-filled '07 season, with over 200 innings pitched, and it was assumed he would carry and improve those numbers into '08. Well, just the opposite happened. Snell's '08 season was absolutely horrendous. There were several points in the season where his E.R.A. was over 7.50. Most people look at this awful year and automatically drop Snell way down on their list. Hold the phone! True, Snell had a rough season, but he showed very positive signs toward the end of the season. In his last ten starts of the season, he brought his E.R.A down by several points (to 5.42); in five of those starts, he gave up two or fewer earned runs. He only gave up more than three earned runs in three of those starts. In addition, he started to bring back the strikeouts, as some of these games saw him get 8 or 9K's.

2- Yovani Gallardo (Milwaukee Brewers)

Gallardo was awfully impressive in '07, but was the victim of an injury that kept him out of virtually the entire '08 season. It's a shame that people automatically put you way down in their rankings after an injury. If you moved him down, then immediately move him back up. This guy has got the right stuff, and he showed no ill effects from the long layoff, as he made one start in late September and gathered up 7 strikeouts in 4 innings, only giving up one earned run. And if you're concerned about his injury from last year being a lingering issue, keep in mind that this was a NON-THROWING injury. This was an ACL injury, so his arm is still in great shape, with no reason for any concern. If you're in a keeper league, then keep this one. He is only 23 years old and his future looks very bright.

3- Josh Johnson (Florida Marlins)

Much like Gallardo, Johnson became a forgotten man due to a layoff due to injury. He missed almost all of the '07 season, and missed a third of the '08 season, but despite that long time off, he still was able to come back and show that he could still be as powerful as he was way back in the '06 season! He ended the '08 season with an E.R.A. of 3.61, a record of 7-1, and averaged nearly 1 strikeout per inning. That's not too shabby for a guy that was out that long!

4- Javier Vazquez (Atlanta Braves)

Javier is probably already a top 30 pitcher in your rankings, but consider moving him up even higher. He put respectable numbers for the Chicago White Sox last season and showed that he still is one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball-200 or more strikeouts in each of his past two seasons. Yes, he did have a fairly high E.R.A of 4.67, BUT he is now an Atlanta Brave, which means no more designated hitters. You've seen it over and over again . . . pitchers almost always seem to perform better in the National League than they did in the American League . . . and Javier will be no exception to that trend. Move him up at least ten spots on your list.

*all statistics obtained from Yahoo Sports