Baseball - Position Rankings

2010 was the year of the Pitcher.  6 no hitters, 2 of which were perfect games, it’s important to lock in a few aces for your staff, but there’s always a good bunch of starters that you can grab late as well.

How important are SPs?  Due to scarcity, you probably need at least one ace in your first four picks, but having a balance of 2 hitters / 2 pitchers is the way to go.

Despite the craziness and the year of the pitcher,  Roy Halladay (2) & Ubaldo Jimenez are the only ones that you take high, and the key is to find who will be this year’s version.

Dallas Braden, Edwin Jackson, and the (so close) Armando Galarraga found the rhythm that one day, but they are too inconsistent to be strong top 50 pitchers.

If I had to pick one guy to repeat with the no hitter, it may be Matt Garza, who is poised for success.  He is going from the tough AL East into the weaker NL Central, and there have been noted success from pitchers who’ve made this transition in the past, most recently Roy Halladay.

Follow @EightGamesBack for more questions/insight, .....and without further suspense, what we’ve all been waiting for.... the rankings

Tier 1

Roy Halladay – 33

What can you say?  Roy Halladay had a Perfect Game, a Playoff no-hitter in the playoffs in his 1^st stab at it, and he wrapped up the NL Cy Young.  If he needed any more motivation to be the best pitcher in baseball, Phillies signed an extra ace in Cliff Lee, and he’ll fight to be the best pitcher on his staff, which in turn makes him the best in the NL, again.

Tim Lincecum – 26

Don’t forget about the Freak.  Yes, he was overshadowed by Roy & Ubaldo last year, but in September in the heat of the playoff race on their way to be World Series Champions, Timmy was 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA and a WHIP of 0.93.  Timmy has the ring, they don’t.

Felix Hernandez – 24

You can make many arguments for King Felix to be the top SP, and many have him as a solid #2 SP, but you have to win to be a SP.  The Mariners are a baaaad team, and they are without Aardsma to begin the season , which doesn’t help Felix’s win numbers any.

Cliff Lee - 32

Phillies’ 2^nd SP in the Top 4.  There is no true comparison between Miami Heat and the Philadelphia Phillies, but they are now currently the team I love to hate.  This ranking of 4 includes that hate, and do not be surprised if even surpasses his ace, Roy Halladay considering he’s facing your 2^nd starters.

Adam Wainwright – 29

Adam Wainwright earned his spot into the top 5 with a strong 20 win season last year, and pitching at Busch Stadium certainly gives him a strong advantage.  All signs point to another strong season for him, but call it a hunch that there will be a small dropoff (ie Sabathia last year). Tommy John Surgery, out for 2011.  Maybe a bigger dropoff than I imagined....

Tier 2

Jon Lester – 27

Jon Lester is about to enter his prime, and is posed for a dominant season.  He secured 19 wins in season where the Red Sox were decimated by injury.  What will he do with a healthy squad with adds of Carl Crawford & Adrian Gonzalez?

Josh Johnson – 27

Josh Johnson was shut down at the beginning of September, but before that he was on a Cy Young pace.  The Marlins love Josh Johnson basically making him untouchable last year, he’s clearly the ace that they want to build around, and is arguably the best young power pitcher in the NL.

Ubaldo Jimenez – 27

Have you noticed a trend?  The last three pitchers are all 27 Opening Day next season.  Pitchers tend to blossom in their late 20’s, and I don’t see marked improvement in Ubaldo after last season’s jump.  His ERA eclipsed 2.00 for the first time in July, and climbed to almost 3 at season’s end.  Was the first half an anomaly?  Time will tell...

CC Sabathia – 30

CC Sabathia had an off year last year, but he’s still a strong power pitcher, and he’ll bounce back.  He’s on a strong team, and with Andy Pettite retiring, they’ll rely on CC more than ever.  King Felix took his Cy Young last year, and that sure is extra motivation as well to bounce back as well.

Cole Hamels – 27

Cole Hamels was the ace 2 years ago, and now he may be the 4^th starter.  4^th Starter.  This means he’ll be squaring off against Jair Jurggens, Chris Volstad, Jonathan Niese, and Jordan Zimmerman in his inter-division matchups.  However, this is a close situation to monitor who grabs the 3^rd/4^th rotation spot between Oswalt/Hamels.  Did I mention this a contract year for Hamels?

Tier 3

Zack Greinke – 27

Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia both showed what AL Cy Young winners do when they go from AL to the NL.  Forget the drop-off last year.  Zack Greinke will love being on a good team and be motivated to lead a rotation of four strong pitchers.  Even better news, Gallardo may be the Opening day starter, leaving Greinke to face your 2^nd starters.

Clayton Kershaw - 23

Last year, Clayton Kershaw solidified his position as the “King Felix” of the NL.  Dodgers are going through some hard times with their ownership struggles, but Kershaw is certainly a bright spot to build around.

Justin Verlander – 28

Justin Verlander is your typical Top 15 guy, who always disappoints.  Why does he continue to be ranked higher?  Because, like always, this could be his year for complete domination.

Tommy Hanson – 24

Tommy Hanson went through his “Sophomore Slump” last year, but this year he’ll soar past Kershaw just to prove me wrong.

Jered Weaver – 28

Jered Weaver continues to impress, and he quietly had a strong season last year.  Don’t let him fall too far in the drafts, he also has the extra motivation to keep fellow ace Dan Haren behind him.

Tier 4

Matt Cain – 26

Was it luck or skill that Giants won the World Series last year?  Take a look around the league on how many teams are constructing a “big four”.  Matt Cain leads the Giants in the #2 slot behind Lincecum, and he won’t wow you with numbers, but you know what you’re getting with him.

Francisco Liriano – 27

I have a hard time not ranking Liriano higher. This guy has strong upside, but injury troubles have him plagued him throughout his entire career.  He finished strong last year, and his nasty slider showed signs of life last year.  Watch out for this guy, if he stays healthy.

Yovani Gallardo – 25

Yovani leads the Brew Crew along with fellow Ace in Greinke.  The future is bright in Milwaukee, who are happily flying under the radar behind the Cubs/Cardinals.  Yovani is a key to their success if they are to surprise the NL Central.

Matt Garza – 26

Considering the teaser above, Matt Garza is probably ranked pretty low, but my opinion on him is that he’ll have great games and some blowup games in the Windy City if the wind is blowing out considering he’s more of a fly ball pitcher than a ground ball pitcher.

David Price – 25

Why is David Price so low?  Tampa Bay is changing their philosophy to beating people with their bat by letting Garza/Soriano go, and re-tooling with veterans Manny & Damon.  This makes me think that David Price will have a slightly off year, his second full year slump.

Tier 5

Chris Carpenter – 36

Why is Chris Carpenter so low?  He’s not getting any younger, and this just might be the year that he doesn’t carve up as many batsmen.

Mat Latos – 23

He was INCREDIBLE last season.  There may be a second year slump coming, and that’s really the only reason he’s this low.  The only question is how bad can a slump really be at Petco?

Dan Haren – 30

The move from AZ to LAA also hurt him last year.  Haren will still get you a lot of K’s, but don’t expect him to be the dominant pitcher he was earlier in his career.

Phil Hughes – 24

It’s put up time or shut up time for Phil Hughes and the Yanks.  With AJ Burnett losing his touch, and Andy Pettite retiring, Yanks have to hope their young gun puts up better than a 4 ERA.

Roy Oswalt – 33

To round out the Top 25, it’s only fitting that it’s the last of the Four Aces from the Phillies... or R2C2 ... or Phantastic Phour, etc.  Oswalt is more of a fly ball pitcher, hence why he’s lower, but most likely he’ll adjust to Citizen’s Bank.  Reminder: monitor who becomes the 3^rd/4^th starter between him & Hamels.  This ranking assumes he’s the 3^rd.

Tier 6

Max Scherzer – 26                  *2.47 ERA after All-Star Break

Shaun Marcum – 29                *AL to NL pitcher, 3-1 in Interleague play (last 3 yrs)

Wandy Rodriguez – 32           *2.11 ERA after All-Star Break, bad team, few Ws

Ted Lily – 35                          *WHIP of .99 with Dodgers, ERA a little high - 3.52

Clay Buchholz – 26                *Can he repeat his 2.33 ERA season?

Tier 7

Jonathan Sanchez -28             *Post break 101 K’s tied w/ King Felix, Ubaldo,  & Lester

Brett Anderson – 23               *If healthy, he can wow you as the best pitcher on this staff

Trevor Cahill – 23                   *The other half of solid pair of Aces on the Athletics

Chad Billingsley – 26             *a 3.00 ERA after Break, if he only could be consistent

Colby Lewis – 31                    *Lee-less, Colby will be looked at to lead the staff

Tier 8

John Danks – 26                     *One of many solid, but not fantastic White Sox starters

Tim Hudson – 35                    *Tim Hudson is aging, but Turner Field is still friendly

Brandon Morrow – 26                        *He tossed a 1 hit, 17K CG against the Rays... the Rays!

Daniel Hudson – 24                *Here’s your sleeper, grab him before everyone else does

Josh Beckett – 31                    *He’s gotta bounce back – doesn’t he?

Tier 9

John Lackey – 32                    *See Josh Beckett

Jaime Garcia – 24                    *Can’t go wrong with Dave Duncan projects, great 2010

Brandon Webb – 31                *Sinker ball pitcher, just may be effective in Arlington

R.A. Dickey – 36                    *The obligatory knuckleballer on the list

Hiroki Kuroda – 36                 *Great 2010, but age may catch up with him this year

Tier 10

Scott Baker – 29                     *4.49 ERA, but 3.82 after the break

Brett Myers – 31                     *Did he just need a new place? Shined in Houston

Jeremy Hellickson – 23           *Hyped to be the next great arm coming out of TB minors

Brian Matusz – 24                   *A year under Showalter? Yes, please!

Rip Van Winkles (Sleepers...)

Edwin Jackson - 27                 *Contract Year, No Hitter last year

Ian Kennedy - 26                    *1.55 ERA in September of last year

Gio Gonzalez – 25                  *Gotta love Lefties with nasty stuff

Bud Norris – 26                      *3-1 vs. STL, 6-9 vs. Everyone Else, might be worth a flyer

Chris Young (NYM) – 31       *Ex-Padre travels east to Metco Park aka Citi Field