Top 5 Keeper Starting Pitchers - 2009 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide

Participating in a Fantasy Baseball keeper league is challenging enough, but choosing pitchers that are going to provide you with good numbers for consecutive seasons is extremely difficult. Amongst all major league pitchers, Johan Santana, C.C. Sabathia, Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, and Brandon Webb stand out as being your best draft choices, and this article will explain why that is true.

#1 Keeper Starting Pitcher - Johan Santana - Fantasy Baseball 2009

Johan Santana is one of the most dominant pitchers in the league, mainly due to his outstanding command and devastating change-up. In 2008, he led all pitchers with a 2.53 ERA, and finished fifth in the majors in strikeouts with 206. Despite that still being a lot of strikeouts, Santana definitely has the potential for more, as he has struck out as many as 265 in a single season before. His stats only show that he had 16 wins in 2008, but that number should have been at least 20 if the Mets bullpen came through. With the addition of Francisco Rodriguez, Santana is going to have a reliable reliever behind him in 2009, which is going to allow him to get the victories he deserves.

#2 Keeper Starting Pitcher - C.C. Sabathia - Fantasy Baseball 2009

The newly acquired Yankee is not only going to produce in 2009, but he is going to be even more successful than he was in 2008 due to the team he has behind him now. In 2008, he was second in the majors with 251 strikeouts, and fourth with a 2.70 ERA. Towards the end of last season, he was on an absolute tear with the Brewers, going 11-2 in 17 starts, with 7 of those being complete games. He wants the ball in his hands, and there is no hiding why: He is going to come through. Look for him to be as dominant for the Yankees as he was for the Brewers in the upcoming, 2009 season.

#3 Keeper Starting Pitcher - Tim Lincecum - Fantasy Baseball 2009

The reigning Cy-Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum is just a nasty pitcher. The amount of power he can generate from his small frame is just incredible, and it benefited him on the mound. He led the majors with 265 strikeouts, and he was third in the league with a 2.62 ERA. He was an 18 game winner in 2008, and that can definitely improve since he is still young and maturing. Lincecum's delivery is very unique, and he hides the ball very well, which deceives the hitters and makes him more effective. Look for Lincecum to pick up where he left off in 2009.

#4 Keeper Starting Pitcher - Roy Halladay - Fantasy Baseball 2009

Some may overlook Roy Halladay, but he is definitely a player you should look to draft for your 2009 fantasy team. He was a 20 game winner in 2008, and he finished fifth in the majors with a 2.78 ERA. He also was tied for fifth in the league with 206 strikeouts, the same amount as Johan Santana. Ever since 2006, Halladay was been getting more starts, striking out more batters, and winning more games than the previous season, and in 2009, look for him to better the numbers that he put up in 2008.

#5 Keeper Starting Pitcher - A.J. Burnett - Fantasy Baseball 2009

Like Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett is another pitcher that might be overlooked. He struck out a total of 231 batters in 2008, to go along with his 18 wins in 34 starts. Although his ERA was a bit higher than it has been in the past, so were his win and strikeout totals, so it can be considered as an even tradeoff. He greatly improved from 2007, when he only won 10 games, and he definitely has much more left in him, so it is definitely possible that 2009 can spell good things for Burnett.

Source: www.mlb.com