Welcome to a new fantasy baseball season and a weekly roundup of fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings to help you plan your week. These matchups were pulled Friday morning, and please be aware they are subject to change. The data is from the majors for the entire 2013 season.
Top starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 1 | Adam Wainwright | STL | @CIN, @PIT | 2.94 | 22.9% | 3.7% |
| 2 | Cliff Lee | PHI | @TEX, @CHC | 2.87 | 25.3% | 3.7% |
| 3 | Felix Hernandez | SEA | @LAA, @OAK | 3.04 | 26.2% | 5.6% |
| 4 | Madison Bumgarner | SF | @ARI, @LAD | 2.77 | 24.8% | 7.7% |
| 5 | Chris Sale | CWS | MIN, @KC | 3.07 | 26.1% | 5.3% |
| 6 | Jose Fernandez | MIA | COL, SD | 2.19 | 27.5% | 8.5% |
| 7 | Stephen Strasburg | WSH | @NYM, ATL | 3.00 | 26.2% | 7.7% |
| 8 | David Price | TB | TOR, TEX | 3.33 | 20.4% | 3.6% |
| 9 | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | SF | 1.83 | 25.6% | 5.7% |
| 10 | Max Scherzer | DET | KC | 2.90 | 28.7% | 6.7% |
| 11 | Jordan Zimmermann | WSH | @NYM | 3.25 | 18.6% | 4.6% |
| 12 | Alex Cobb | TB | TOR, TEX | 2.76 | 23.2% | 7.8% |
| 13 | Justin Verlander | DET | KC, BAL | 3.46 | 23.5% | 8.1% |
| 14 | James Shields | KC | @DET, CWS | 3.15 | 20.7% | 7.2% |
| 15 | R.A. Dickey | TOR | @TB, NYY | 4.21 | 18.8% | 7.5% |
| 16 | Anibal Sanchez | DET | KC | 2.57 | 27.1% | 7.2% |
| 17 | Gio Gonzalez | WSH | @NYM | 3.36 | 23.4% | 9.3% |
| 18 | Homer Bailey | CIN | STL | 3.49 | 23.4% | 6.4% |
| 19 | Danny Salazar | CLE | MIN | 3.12 | 30.8% | 7.1% |
| 20 | Gerrit Cole | PIT | STL | 3.22 | 21.3% | 6.0% |
| 21 | Andrew Cashner | SD | LAD, @MIA | 3.09 | 18.1% | 6.6% |
| 22 | Jered Weaver | LAA | SEA, @HOU | 3.27 | 18.5% | 5.8% |
| 23 | Matt Cain | SF | @ARI, @LAD | 4.00 | 20.8% | 7.2% |
| 24 | Justin Masterson | CLE | @OAK, MIN | 3.45 | 24.3% | 9.5% |
| 25 | Julio Teheran | ATL | @MIL, @WSH | 3.20 | 22.0% | 5.8% |
Additional Information: Clayton Kershaw threw on Friday and will throw again on Saturday. It’s still too early to tell if he’ll be available to pitch on his scheduled start on Friday. I have concerns about Jered Weaver’s long-term fantasy viability, but with one start against the Astros, Weaver is a must start. The Athletics love to utilize the platoon advantage, and I’m not worried about the viability of Justin Masterson because he was able to finally neutralize left handed hitters last year. For example, his strikeout rate increased six percentage points (to 19 percent) and opposing hitters hit 50 points less than last year.
Backend starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 26 | Chris Tillman | BAL | BOS, @DET | 3.71 | 21.2% | 8.0% |
| 27 | A.J. Burnett | PHI | @TEX, @CHC | 3.30 | 26.1% | 8.4% |
| 28 | Sonny Gray | OAK | CLE, SEA | 2.67 | 25.7% | 7.7% |
| 29 | Zack Greinke | LAD | @SD | 2.63 | 20.6% | 6.4% |
| 30 | Corey Kluber | CLE | @OAK | 3.85 | 22.4% | 5.4% |
| 31 | Michael Wacha | STL | @CIN | 2.78 | 25.0% | 7.3% |
| 32 | Shelby Miller | STL | @PIT | 3.06 | 23.4% | 7.9% |
| 33 | Hiroki Kuroda | NYY | @HOU | 3.31 | 18.2% | 5.2% |
| 34 | Ivan Nova | NYY | @HOU | 3.10 | 19.8% | 7.5% |
| 35 | Chris Archer | TB | TOR | 3.22 | 19.2% | 7.2% |
| 36 | Dan Haren | LAD | @SD | 4.67 | 21.1% | 4.3% |
| 37 | Yordano Ventura | KC | @DET | 3.53 | 17.2% | 9.4% |
| 38 | C.J. Wilson | LAA | SEA | 3.39 | 20.6% | 9.3% |
| 39 | Alex Wood | ATL | @MIL, @WSH | 3.13 | 23.5% | 8.3% |
| 40 | Jon Lester | BOS | @BAL, MIL | 3.76 | 19.6% | 7.4% |
| 41 | Hyun-Jin Ryu | LAD | @SD, SF | 3.00 | 19.7% | 6.3% |
| 42 | CC Sabathia | NYY | @HOU, @TOR | 4.78 | 19.3% | 7.2% |
| 43 | Johnny Cueto | CIN | STL, @NYM | 2.82 | 21.1% | 7.4% |
| 44 | Clay Buchholz | BOS | MIL | 1.75 | 23.1% | 8.7% |
| 45 | Jose Quintana | CWS | MIN | 3.51 | 19.7% | 6.7% |
| 46 | Lance Lynn | STL | @CIN | 3.97 | 23.1% | 8.9% |
| 47 | Scott Kazmir | OAK | CLE, SEA | 4.04 | 24.1% | 7.0% |
| 48 | Dan Straily | OAK | SEA | 3.96 | 19.4% | 8.9% |
| 49 | Jeff Samardzija | CHC | @PIT, PHI | 4.34 | 23.4% | 8.5% |
Additional Information: The Tigers offense will not be as potent as last year, which is why I’m not concerned about having Chris Tillman or Yordano Ventura this high. Ventura has some of the best raw stuff in the majors, and I predict he will win the AL Rookie of the Year. If Ivan Nova improves his fastball command, he’s a top 40-50 starting pitcher. CC Sabathia has looked great during the spring, and I predict he’ll positively regress in 2014. He won’t be a Cy Young candidate anymore, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he posts a sub 3.80 ERA.
Spot starters
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 50 | Drew Smyly | DET | BAL | 2.37 | 26.7% | 5.6% |
| 51 | Rick Porcello | DET | BAL | 4.32 | 19.3% | 5.7% |
| 52 | Francisco Liriano | PIT | CHC, STL | 3.02 | 24.5% | 9.5% |
| 53 | Matt Moore | TB | TOR | 3.29 | 22.3% | 11.8% |
| 54 | John Lackey | BOS | @BAL | 3.52 | 20.7% | 5.1% |
| 55 | Ricky Nolasco | MIN | @CWS, @CLE | 3.52 | 20.5% | 5.7% |
| 56 | Scott Feldman | HOU | NYY, LAA | 3.46 | 17.8% | 6.6% |
| 57 | Travis Wood | CHC | PHI | 3.11 | 17.5% | 8.0% |
| 58 | Bartolo Colon | NYM | WSH | 2.65 | 15.2% | 3.8% |
| 59 | Kyle Lohse | MIL | ATL | 3.35 | 15.5% | 4.5% |
| 60 | Michael Pineda | NYY | @TOR | – | – | – |
| 61 | Tony Cingrani | CIN | STL | 2.92 | 28.6% | 10.2% |
| 62 | Tommy Milone | OAK | SEA | 4.15 | 18.9% | 5.8% |
| 63 | Eric Stults | SD | @MIA | 3.93 | 15.3% | 4.7% |
| 64 | Tyler Skaggs | LAA | @HOU | 5.12 | 21.2% | 8.8% |
| 65 | Tyler Chatwood | COL | @MIA | 3.15 | 13.9% | 8.6% |
| 66 | Jon Niese | NYM | CIN | 3.71 | 16.9% | 7.7% |
| 67 | Dillon Gee | NYM | WSH, CIN | 3.62 | 16.9% | 5.6% |
| 68 | Tanner Roark | WSH | ATL | 1.51 | 19.5% | 5.4% |
| 69 | Mike Leake | CIN | @NYM | 3.37 | 15.2% | 6.0% |
Additional Information: Tommy Milone has a career 3.21 ERA at home. I’m buying Tyler Skaggs as a deep sleeper. His velocity is back in the mid 90s, the curveball has more bite and he pitches half of his games in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Eric Stults had a 3.06 ERA at home and he gets to pitch in another big ballpark. Tanner Roark generates a lot of ground balls and can miss an above-average number of bats, which makes him a fantastic stream candidate.
Proceed with caution
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 70 | Martin Perez | TEX | PHI | 3.62 | 15.9% | 7.0% |
| 71 | Zack Wheeler | NYM | WSH | 3.42 | 19.5% | 10.7% |
| 72 | Hector Santiago | LAA | SEA | 3.56 | 20.9% | 11.0% |
| 73 | Tim Hudson | SF | @ARI | 3.98 | 17.8% | 6.7% |
| 74 | Zach McAllister | CLE | @OAK | 3.75 | 17.4% | 8.5% |
| 75 | James Paxton | SEA | @LAA | 1.50 | 22.3% | 7.4% |
| 76 | Wade Miley | ARI | SF | 3.55 | 17.4% | 7.8% |
| 77 | Tim Lincecum | SF | @ARI | 4.37 | 22.9% | 9.0% |
| 78 | Matt Garza | MIL | ATL | 4.38 | 20.6% | 6.1% |
| 79 | Jake Odorizzi | TB | TEX | 3.94 | 18.0% | 6.6% |
| 80 | Joe Kelly | STL | @PIT | 2.69 | 14.8% | 8.3% |
| 81 | Jesse Chavez | OAK | CLE | 3.93 | 22.2% | 8.1% |
| 82 | Taylor Jordan | WSH | ATL | 3.66 | 13.2% | 5.0% |
Additional Information: Taylor Jordan generates a lot of ground balls, but unlike Tanner Roark, Jordan does not miss enough bats. Jesse Chavez started utilizing the cutter more often last year and it became a true weapon against both lefties and righties. After he stopped tipping his pitches in late June, Zack Wheeler had a 3.23 ERA in his final 10 starts.
Avoid
| Rank | Name | Team | Opp. | ERA | K% | BB% |
| 83 | Bronson Arroyo | ARI | SF | 3.79 | 15.1% | 4.1% |
| 85 | Garrett Richards | LAA | @HOU | 4.16 | 16.3% | 7.1% |
| 86 | Drew Hutchison | TOR | @TB, NYY | – | – | – |
| 87 | Edwin Jackson | CHC | @PIT | 4.98 | 17.4% | 7.6% |
| 88 | Kyle Gibson | MIN | @CLE | 6.53 | 12.2% | 8.4% |
| 89 | Wei-Yin Chen | BAL | BOS | 4.07 | 18.2% | 6.8% |
| 90 | Miguel Gonzalez | BAL | @DET | 3.78 | 16.9% | 7.4% |
| 91 | Jorge De La Rosa | COL | @MIA, ARI | 3.49 | 15.7% | 8.7% |
| 92 | Brandon Morrow | TOR | @TB | 5.64 | 17.4% | 7.4% |
| 93 | Nathan Eovaldi | MIA | COL, SD | 3.39 | 17.3% | 8.9% |
| 94 | Mark Buehrle | TOR | @TB | 4.15 | 15.9% | 5.8% |
| 95 | Jake Peavy | BOS | MIL | 4.03 | 16.9% | 7.1% |
| 84 | Erasmo Ramirez | SEA | @LAA, @OAK | 4.98 | 17.8% | 8.1% |
| 96 | Yovani Gallardo | MIL | ATL, @BOS | 4.18 | 18.6% | 8.5% |
| 97 | Ubaldo Jimenez | BAL | BOS | 3.30 | 25.0% | 10.3% |
| 98 | Charlie Morton | PIT | CHC | 3.26 | 17.2% | 7.3% |
| 99 | Felipe Paulino | CWS | MIN | – | – | – |
| 100 | Ian Kennedy | SD | LAD, @MIA | 4.24 | 22.4% | 10.2% |
| 101 | Phil Hughes | MIN | @CWS | 5.19 | 18.8% | 6.5% |
Additional Information: Felipe Paulino’s biggest roadblock to success has been a long list of injuries. He has really good raw stuff, and if he’s able to stay healthy, he could be a top-50 starting pitcher. If Don Copper can keep Chris Sale healthy, then why not Paulino? Ian Kennedy is an extreme fly-ball pitcher and he has two starts in pitcher-friendly ballparks. If you’re picking this low, he provides a lot of upside. Kyle Gibson got lit up in his brief call-up to the majors last year, but he looked a lot better in triple-A. Gibson is a former first-round pick and has the ability to be an extremely viable streaming option if the strikeout rate regresses to the 21 percent he showed in triple-A last year.