Fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for week 10

 

The matchups and statistical data were pulled Saturday morning. Please be aware the matchups are subject to change.

Top Starters

Rank

Name

Team

Opp.

ERA

K%

BB%

1

Jordan Zimmermann

WSH

NYM, MIN

2.37

15.8%

3.2%

2

Felix Hernandez

SEA

CWS, NYY

2.38

26.5%

4.9%

3

A.J. Burnett

PIT

@ATL, @CHC

2.72

28.7%

9.4%

4

Lance Lynn

STL

ARI, @CIN

2.91

25.4%

9.1%

5

Anibal Sanchez

DET

TB, CLE

2.79

30.8%

6.2%

6

Mike Minor

ATL

PIT, @LAD

2.48

23.7%

5.0%

7

Clayton Kershaw

LAD

SD

1.68

25.3%

6.9%

8

Matt Harvey

NYM

MIA

1.85

28.5%

5.8%

9

Adam Wainwright

STL

ARI

2.48

23.7%

1.9%

10

Yu Darvish

TEX

@TOR

3.03

36.0%

7.5%

11

Cliff Lee

PHI

@MIL

2.34

20.1%

4.1%

12

Hisashi Iwakuma

SEA

CWS

2.35

25.3%

4.0%

13

James Shields

KC

HOU

2.96

23.5%

6.4%

14

Chris Sale

CWS

OAK

2.53

24.7%

6.1%

15

Justin Verlander

DET

CLE

3.68

29.0%

8.1%

16

Max Scherzer

DET

TB

3.43

31.0%

6.1%

17

Stephen Strasburg

WSH

NYM

2.49

24.5%

7.2%

18

Shelby Miller

STL

ARI

2.02

26.6%

6.6%

19

Madison Bumgarner

SF

@ARI

3.13

23.9%

7.6%

20

Doug Fister

DET

TB

3.28

21.1%

3.7%

21

Jeff Samardzija

CHC

PIT

2.85

27.5%

8.2%

22

Hyun-Jin Ryu

LAD

ATL

2.89

23.3%

7.6%

23

Johnny Cueto

CIN

COL

2.76

23.9%

10.3%

24

Matt Moore

TB

@DET

2.21

22.5%

11.2%

Additional Information: In his last five starts (including the one on Saturday), Justin Verlander has a 7.42 ERA and is walking a little more than nine percent of batters. However, with a 33 percent strikeout rate his struggles have been command rather than his stuff. This week he pitches against the 5th best team in OPS in the majors. Stephen Strasburg left the game on Friday after two innings due to a slight oblique strain. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Strasburg’s next start could be pushed back if necessary. The Detroit Tigers have the second best OPS against left handed pitching, but Matt Moore isn’t necessarily a bona fide.

Backend Starters

Rank

Name

Team

Opp.

ERA

K%

BB%

25

Zack Greinke

LAD

ATL

4.37

15.2%

4.5%

26

Mat Latos

CIN

STL

3.01

20.9%

6.8%

27

Clay Buchholz

BOS

LAA

1.73

26.0%

9.6%

28

Ervin Santana

KC

HOU

3.33

20.2%

3.9%

29

Jake Peavy

CWS

@SEA, OAK

3.62

25.5%

5.8%

30

Hiroki Kuroda

NYY

@SEA

2.39

17.2%

5.2%

31

Patrick Corbin

ARI

SF

1.71

20.9%

7.5%

32

Jered Weaver

LAA

CHC

3.71

18.3%

8.5%

33

Homer Bailey

CIN

COL

3.84

24.3%

6.8%

34

Gio Gonzalez

WSH

MIN

3.89

21.8%

10.9%

35

Cole Hamels

PHI

MIA

4.43

21.6%

8.6%

36

Alex Cobb

TB

@DET, BAL

2.66

22.8%

5.1%

37

CC Sabathia

NYY

CLE

3.96

19.6%

5.1%

38

Ryan Dempster

BOS

TEX, LAA

4.45

26.2%

11.8%

39

Matt Garza

CHC

PIT

4.00

30.0%

17.5%

40

Derek Holland

TEX

@BOS

2.97

23.6%

6.3%

Additional Information: Maybe I should have Clay Buchholz higher, but I wasn’t a believer in the preseason, and I’m still not. In the month of May, CC Sabathia has a 4.14 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and now faces one of the best offenses in majors. The month of May has been kind to Gio Gonzalez. He has a 2.48 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Gonzalez is a walker (nearly 11 percent walk rate this year) and like most walkers will have a higher likelihood of blowup outings than non-walkers. He’s a set-it and forget-it pitcher. I fully admit I’m overly optimistic about Matt Garza, but the stuff has looked great, and he faces the Pirates, the 24th-ranked team in OPS.

Spot Starters

Rank

Name

Team

Opp.

ERA

K%

BB%

41

Kris Medlen

ATL

PIT, @LAD

3.48

16.7%

8.4%

42

A.J. Griffin

OAK

@MIL, @CWS

4.04

19.6%

6.3%

43

Ricky Nolasco

MIA

@PHI

3.69

19.7%

5.8%

44

Dan Straily

OAK

@CWS

5.08

20.4%

8.0%

45

Jarrod Parker

OAK

@CWS

5.40

16.2%

9.6%

46

Corey Kluber

CLE

@NYY

4.58

25.1%

4.1%

47

Wandy Rodriguez

PIT

@ATL

3.58

18.1%

4.0%

48

Andy Pettitte

NYY

CLE, @SEA

3.83

18.8%

7.2%

49

Alexi Ogando

TEX

@TOR

3.08

17.7%

9.1%

50

Bartolo Colon

OAK

@MIL

3.82

16.0%

1.6%

51

Jason Vargas

LAA

CHC

3.34

15.5%

8.4%

52

Michael Wacha

STL

ARI, @CIN

1.29

26.1%

0.0%

53

Scott Feldman

CHC

@LAA

2.82

19.9%

7.4%

54

Tommy Milone

OAK

@MIL, @CWS

4.04

19.8%

5.1%

55

Rick Porcello

DET

CLE

5.29

19.0%

4.7%

56

Nick Tepesch

TEX

@BOS

3.88

17.8%

6.7%

57

David Phelps

NYY

CLE, @SEA

4.65

23.1%

9.3%

58

Jose Fernandez

MIA

@NYM

3.79

23.4%

9.5%

59

John Lackey

BOS

TEX

2.95

23.7%

7.4%

60

Matt Cain

SF

@ARI

5.01

21.6%

8.4%

61

Jon Lester

BOS

TEX

3.34

20.1%

6.4%

62

Josh Johnson

TOR

@SF

6.85

19.4%

9.2%

63

Andrew Cashner

SD

@LAD, @COL

3.65

17.9%

7.3%

64

Kyle Kendrick

PHI

MIA, @MIL

3.26

14.9%

6.9%

65

C.J. Wilson

LAA

@BOS

3.95

21.1%

10.5%

66

Jose Quintana

CWS

OAK

3.74

18.3%

7.5%

Additional Information: This section is where most of us have the toughest decisions. Usually, we have two to four pitchers we’re debating between. Since joining the rotation in late March, Corey Kluber is striking out 26 percent of batters and is only walking 5.1 percent of batters. Don’t look at his 4.70 ERA as it’s likely to regress with the aforementioned peripherals. He’s only owned in 23 percent of NFBC leagues, so he’s most likely available in your league. In Jarrod Parker’s last four starts, he has a 2.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. The reason why I’m a believer is he’s throwing more quality strikes. Specifically, in the beginning of the season, he threw a lot of pitches in the middle of the zone, and now he’s throwing strikes on the corners. Jon Lester has a 5.13 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. The most worrisome is the drop in strikeout rate. To begin the year, it was 21.5 percent and now it’s only 17 percent. In his last six starts, Rick Porcello has a 3.32 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while striking out 25 percent of batters. That is not a misprint.

Proceed With Caution

Rank

Name

Team

Opp.

ERA

K%

BB%

67

Trevor Cahill

ARI

@STL, SF

2.88

16.3%

8.8%

68

Brandon McCarthy

ARI

@STL, SF

4.99

13.4%

3.4%

69

Paul Maholm

ATL

@LAD

3.74

17.6%

7.3%

70

Chris Tillman

BAL

@HOU, @TB

4.27

19.5%

8.3%

71

Bronson Arroyo

CIN

COL, STL

3.75

14.0%

4.4%

72

Phil Hughes

NYY

@SEA

4.97

20.6%

5.6%

73

Kevin Slowey

MIA

@NYM

3.59

18.0%

4.6%

74

Justin Masterson

CLE

@NYY, @DET

3.07

24.7%

9.2%

75

Julio Teheran

ATL

PIT

3.68

14.5%

5.0%

76

Kyle Lohse

MIL

OAK, PHI

4.37

14.9%

4.4%

77

John Danks

CWS

@SEA, OAK

5.40

17.5%

2.5%

78

Jeremy Hefner

NYM

@WSH, MIA

4.74

17.6%

8.4%

79

Justin Grimm

TEX

@BOS, @TOR

3.93

19.0%

6.0%

80

Miguel Gonzalez

BAL

@HOU

3.94

16.9%

8.5%

81

Jeremy Guthrie

KC

MIN

3.84

13.1%

7.2%

82

Dillon Gee

NYM

@WSH

5.68

18.9%

6.6%

83

Jonathan Pettibone

PHI

MIA, @MIL

3.64

15.8%

7.9%

84

Brandon Morrow

TOR

TEX

5.64

17.4%

7.4%

85

Tyler Chatwood

COL

@CIN, SD

2.12

21.3%

7.4%

86

R.A. Dickey

TOR

@SF, TEX

5.18

18.3%

9.9%

Additional Information: Brandon McCarthy was just placed on the DL. It looks like Tyler Skaggs will take McCarthy’s rotation spot. I would rank Skaggs 79 overall for this week (assuming he takes McCarthy’s starts). Chris Tillman has two very favorable matchups, which is why he’s ranked so high. Every time I watch Tillman pitch, I don’t understand why hitters don’t square his pitches more often because it’s not plus (on the scouting scale) stuff. Phil Hughes gives up a lot of fly balls and home runs. What better situation than a ballpark where fly balls never leave the park. If you’re a R. A. Dickey owner you have to keep him on your bench. The velocity of the knuckleball is still in the mid-70s and it doesn’t have the same life as it did last year. Despite the solid baseball card statistics, Jonathan Pettibone is a fringe major leaguer, but with a start against the Marlins, I would be very tempted to put him in my lineup.

Avoid

Rank

Name

Team

Opp.

ERA

K%

BB%

87

Travis Wood

CHC

@LAA

2.75

17.7%

8.5%

88

Mike Leake

CIN

STL

3.01

17.0%

5.7%

89

Ian Kennedy

ARI

@STL

4.70

19.0%

8.7%

90

Wade Miley

ARI

@STL

4.52

17.0%

8.5%

91

Zach McAllister

CLE

@DET

3.08

17.2%

6.9%

92

Freddy Garcia

BAL

@HOU

3.57

10.9%

4.3%

93

Francisco Liriano

PIT

@CHC

2.35

27.7%

7.9%

94

Ted Lilly

LAD

SD, ATL

4.26

16.9%

9.0%

95

Chris Capuano

LAD

SD, ATL

5.45

16.1%

8.7%

96

Tom Koehler

MIA

@PHI, @NYM

3.22

17.0%

7.8%

97

Marco Estrada

MIL

OAK, PHI

4.96

21.3%

6.1%

98

Yovani Gallardo

MIL

OAK

4.79

18.2%

8.4%

99

Tim Lincecum

SF

TOR, @ARI

5.12

23.7%

10.8%

100

Jeremy Hellickson

TB

BAL

5.61

18.7%

6.7%

101

Chris Archer

TB

BAL

Additional Information: Chris Archer did not look as bad as the box score would indicate. He has a plus-plus (on the scouting scale) fastball that sits in the mid-90s and maxed out at 99 mph. He also has a devastating slider and a solid changeup. If I knew for sure he was guaranteed a start this upcoming week, I would rank him 73rd overall. I know what the numbers say for Francisco Liriano this year, but I rather believe the past four years than the last four starts.