Fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for week 12

These matchups and statistical data were pulled Saturday morning to help fantasy baseball owners plan their week. Please be aware the matchups are subject to change.

Top Starters

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
1	Adam Wainwright	STL	CHC, TEX	2.18	24.2%	2.2%
2	Yu Darvish	TEX	OAK, @STL	2.64	34.0%	7.8%
3	Max Scherzer	DET	BAL, BOS	3.19	31.0%	6.4%
4	Justin Verlander	DET	BAL, BOS	3.41	27.5%	7.6%
5	James Shields	KC	@CLE, CWS	2.79	22.7%	6.5%
6	Shelby Miller	STL	CHC, TEX	2.21	28.7%	5.4%
7	Matt Harvey	NYM	@ATL, @PHI	2.04	27.4%	5.4%
8	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@SD	1.88	24.6%	7.2%
9	Hisashi Iwakuma	SEA	OAK	1.79	24.5%	3.9%
10	Chris Sale	CWS	@MIN	2.43	26.0%	5.7%
11	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	COL	2.54	24.6%	7.1%
12	Felix Hernandez	SEA	@LAA	2.49	26.6%	5.0%
13	Cliff Lee	PHI	WSH	2.55	22.3%	4.3%
14	Jordan Zimmermann	WSH	COL	2.00	16.6%	3.5%
15	Mike Minor	ATL	NYM	2.44	23.7%	5.2%
16	Hiroki Kuroda	NYY	LAD	2.78	17.2%	5.4%
17	Madison Bumgarner	SF	SD	3.30	24.8%	7.0%
18	Zack Greinke	LAD	@SD	3.68	16.8%	6.8%
19	Jered Weaver	LAA	PIT	3.76	17.4%	6.6%
20	Johnny Cueto	CIN	@ARI	2.17	23.8%	9.1%
21	Clay Buchholz	BOS	TB, @DET	1.71	24.9%	8.9%

Additional Information: It looks as though Clay Buchholz is fully recovered from the irritated AC joint and neck stiffness, and he should be added to your starting lineup. Supposing Stephen Strasburg comes off the DL on Sunday (June 16), he is expected to start this week against the Rockies. With Troy Tulowitzki on the DL for four to six weeks, the Rockies lineup is going to be Carlos Gonzalez, two young, unproven prospects (Josh Rutledge and Nolan Arenado) and a lot of fringe average offensive players; the Rockies are now a great stream option when they are on the road.

Backend Starters

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
22	Matt Cain	SF	SD, MIA	4.70	21.5%	8.0%
23	Andrew Cashner	SD	@SF, LAD	3.51	17.3%	6.8%
24	Mat Latos	CIN	PIT, @ARI	3.08	20.8%	6.1%
25	Ervin Santana	KC	@CLE	2.74	19.7%	3.6%
26	Jeff Samardzija	CHC	@STL, HOU	3.46	27.5%	8.7%
27	Patrick Corbin	ARI	MIA, CIN	2.28	19.3%	6.3%
28	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	@NYY, @SD	2.85	21.7%	7.2%
29	Lance Lynn	STL	CHC	3.00	24.9%	8.8%
30	Bartolo Colon	OAK	@SEA	2.92	15.0%	3.1%
31	Rick Porcello	DET	BAL	4.37	20.9%	4.6%
32	Derek Holland	TEX	@STL	3.11	22.9%	6.3%
33	Homer Bailey	CIN	PIT	3.47	24.6%	6.5%
34	Kris Medlen	ATL	NYM	3.10	17.4%	6.8%
35	Anibal Sanchez	DET	BOS	2.65	31.2%	6.1%
36	Doug Fister	DET	BOS	3.28	19.4%	3.4%
37	Julio Teheran	ATL	@MIL	3.62	18.2%	4.7%
38	Jose Fernandez	MIA	@ARI	3.11	25.8%	9.0%
39	Gio Gonzalez	WSH	@PHI	3.40	23.1%	11.0%
40	Paul Maholm	ATL	NYM-2, @MIL	3.65	16.9%	7.1%

Additional Information: In his last nine starts, Rick Porcello has a 2.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 25.6 percent strikeout rate and 4.6 percent walk rate. Porcello is a top 30-35 starting pitcher the rest of the year. Shockingly, Bartolo Colon is only owned in 80.6 percent of ESPN leagues. Colon doesn’t strike anyone out, but he’s the perfect companion pitcher for high strikeout, poor WHIP pitchers (I’m looking at you Ryan Dempster). After a brief rough patch in late April, Jose Fernandez has a 2.42 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 27.4 percent walk rate. With Logan Morrison and Giancarlo Stanton back in the Marlins lineup, Fernandez may have an opportunity to pitch with a lead and earn more wins.

Spot Starters

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
41	Jarrod Parker	OAK	@TEX, @SEA	4.45	16.3%	9.1%
42	Dan Straily	OAK	@TEX, @SEA	4.45	19.6%	6.7%
43	Bud Norris	HOU	CWS, @CHC	3.47	16.1%	7.9%
44	Mike Leake	CIN	PIT, @ARI	2.75	17.5%	5.3%
45	CC Sabathia	NYY	TB	4.07	20.9%	4.5%
46	Cole Hamels	PHI	NYM	4.45	22.2%	7.0%
47	Corey Kluber	CLE	MIN	4.08	24.4%	5.1%
48	Alex Cobb	TB	@NYY	2.95	22.6%	6.2%
49	Tyler Chatwood	COL	@WSH	2.14	21.9%	7.3%
50	Andy Pettitte	NYY	TB	3.95	18.0%	6.6%
51	David Phelps	NYY	TB	3.90	24.2%	10.4%
52	Ricky Nolasco	MIA	@SF	3.80	19.8%	6.0%
53	Gerrit Cole	PIT	@LAA	2.86	7.4%	0.0%
54	Justin Masterson	CLE	KC	3.52	24.1%	9.7%

Additional Information: Dan Straily has looked great in his last five starts, recording a 2.20 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. The biggest adjustment he’s made is he’s no longer trying to strike everyone out; he has a 16.3 percent strikeout rate in that time frame compared to 23.1 percent to begin the year. Instead, he’s following Colon’s lead and throwing a lot of strikes, nearly 70 percent of them. Tyler Chatwood, only owned in 9 percent of ESPN leagues, is a must stream in all formats. The Nationals have the third lowest OPS in the league (ahead of the Mets and Marlins). Corey Kluber is only owned in 2 percent of ESPN leagues despite striking out 24.5 percent of batters and only walking 5 percent of batters. If he’s available, go get him.

Proceed With Caution

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
55	Jason Vargas	LAA	SEA, PIT	3.74	14.6%	8.0%
56	C.J. Wilson	LAA	SEA	3.90	21.2%	9.8%
57	Kyle Lohse	MIL	@HOU	3.84	15.0%	4.0%
58	Bronson Arroyo	CIN	PIT	3.27	13.8%	3.9%
59	Jose Quintana	CWS	@MIN, @KC	3.86	16.9%	6.8%
60	Zack Wheeler	NYM	@ATL-2	#N/A	#N/A	#N/A
61	Kyle Kendrick	PHI	WSH	3.76	14.4%	6.4%
62	Edwin Jackson	CHC	@STL	5.40	21.6%	8.8%
63	Jacob Turner	MIA	@ARI, @SF	1.80	16.7%	9.0%
64	John Lackey	BOS	@DET	3.14	21.4%	6.2%
65	Jordan Lyles	HOU	MIL, @CHC	3.48	18.4%	7.2%
66	Hector Santiago	CWS	@KC	3.12	23.5%	11.8%
67	Ubaldo Jimenez	CLE	KC, MIN	4.79	23.3%	11.8%
68	Chris Tillman	BAL	@DET	3.61	20.1%	8.6%
69	Tommy Milone	OAK	@TEX	3.61	19.6%	5.1%
70	A.J. Griffin	OAK	@TEX	3.78	19.3%	5.8%
71	Jeff Locke	PIT	@CIN	2.19	18.1%	10.9%
72	Ryan Dempster	BOS	@DET	4.21	24.3%	11.2%
73	Ross Detwiler	WSH	@PHI, COL	3.02	11.5%	4.6%
74	Josh Johnson	TOR	COL, BAL	5.39	19.5%	8.7%
75	Tim Hudson	ATL	NYM, @MIL	4.41	17.9%	5.6%
76	Travis Wood	CHC	@STL, HOU	2.65	18.0%	8.4%
77	Jon Lester	BOS	@DET	4.11	18.9%	8.7%
78	Yovani Gallardo	MIL	ATL	4.74	18.3%	8.0%
79	Trevor Cahill	ARI	MIA	3.96	16.6%	9.0%
80	John Danks	CWS	@MIN	4.13	19.4%	3.2%
81	Alfredo Figaro	MIL	@HOU	3.47	19.3%	3.6%

Additional Information: The big name on this list is Zack Wheeler. The Braves strikeout the most of any team in the majors, so I couldn’t think of a better opportunity to showcase his plus stuff. In his last four starts, Ubaldo Jimenez has a 2.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 20.6 percent strikeout rate and 12.4 percent walk rate. Those numbers are not overly impressive but, he achieved those numbers @Texas, @Detroit, @Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. With two great matchups against the Royals and the Twins, Jimenez is worth the roll of the dice if you’re looking for a strikeout infusion for your team. However, Doug Thorburn recently wrote his posture is still very bad and is causing him to lose his release point. Hector Santiago has pitched great, but he’s facing the Royals who have the 10th highest OPS against lefties. Jordan Lyles has pitched very well in his last six starts, but he’s not as good as the 1.67 ERA and 1.09 WHIP would indicate. In those six starts he’s faced the Mariners, Rockies, Pirates, Angels and the Royals twice; not exactly the best offenses in the majors. Lyles doesn’t have overly impressive stuff, but has plus (on the scouting scale) command of the fastball (sits at 89-92 mph) and command of his other three pitches (change-up, slider and curveball). A profile like his is not a profile of a pitcher you want on your fantasy team because he doesn’t miss enough bats, and his performance from start to start are more difficult to predict.

Avoid

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
82	Aaron Harang	SEA	@LAA, OAK	5.59	22.1%	3.8%
83	Francisco Liriano	PIT	@CIN, @LAA	2.36	27.4%	9.5%
84	Josh Lindblom	TEX	OAK	5.89	21.3%	6.4%
85	Eric Stults	SD	@SF	3.27	16.6%	5.0%
86	Tim Lincecum	SF	MIA	4.69	23.4%	10.2%
87	Dillon Gee	NYM	@ATL, @PHI	4.84	19.8%	6.3%
88	Nick Tepesch	TEX	OAK, @STL	4.30	17.4%	5.9%
89	Chad Gaudin	SF	MIA	2.32	22.7%	8.5%
90	Stephen Fife	LAD	@SD	3.73	22.6%	7.5%
91	Joe Saunders	SEA	@LAA	4.80	12.4%	7.4%
92	Justin Grimm	TEX	OAK	5.58	18.0%	7.2%
93	Jorge De La Rosa	COL	@TOR, @WSH	3.49	16.1%	8.2%
94	Juan Nicasio	COL	@TOR	4.86	15.8%	8.4%
95	Wade Miley	ARI	CIN	4.89	16.9%	7.9%
96	Scott Feldman	CHC	@STL	3.22	17.8%	6.6%
97	Roberto Hernandez	TB	@NYY	4.91	20.7%	6.2%
98	R.A. Dickey	TOR	BAL	5.11	16.9%	9.3%
99	Chris Archer	TB	@BOS-2, @NYY	4.80	19.4%	13.4%
100	Jhoulys Chacin	COL	@WSH	4.52	15.0%	8.0%
101	Jonathan Pettibone	PHI	NYM	3.70	14.7%	7.9%

Additional Information: You may have noticed Matt Moore is not in my top 101. In his last nine starts he has a 6.38 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 12 percent walk rate and only a 14.7 percent strikeout rate. Those peripherals look like they belong to a fifth starter, not the best prospect in 2012 according to Baseball Prospectus. What’s most bothersome about Moore’s performance has been the decrease in his fastball velocity (two mph) compared to last year. I’m not starting him until he puts together a string of good starts.