Positional Ranks: Starting Pitchers

Written by Charlie Saponara on Feb 05, 2010 20:46.

This is perhaps the most time consuming and yet most volatile position to project and rank. These rankings are based mostly on five main factors. Strikeouts, walks, durability and upside...in that order. Wins mean something, but are highly unpredictable except for maybe the top few pitchers. When ranking starters, or pitchers in general, I ask myself one main question: Who is the best at the things they can control? Secondly, I break that question down into parts: Who generates the most strikeouts and swings and misses? Who has the best command? Who gets a large amount of ground balls? Who keeps the ball in the ballpark?

With this in mind, here are the top 70 starting pitchers broken down into tiers.

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Positional Ranks: Designated Hitter

Written by Charlie Saponara on Feb 04, 2010 13:41.

This is a short list, but it contains some of baseballs former supper sluggers. Having DH-only eligibility handycaps owners who draft these hitters so they'll have to put up the numbers to warrant a selection. Who, if any, will be worth the pick?

Positional Ranks: Shortstop

Written by Charlie Saponara on Feb 03, 2010 21:39.

Finishing out the infield, we head to shortstop. While the talent at the top is strong, the middle tiers are filled with bounce back candidates and young unproven players. Those unproven players, however, make for some of the more enticing late picks on draft day.

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Positional Ranks: Catcher

Written by Charlie Saponara on Feb 02, 2010 18:50.

Ahhh yes, the whafer thin catcher position. It may look somewhat deep with names like Jorge Posada and Bengie Molina lurking around the the middle of the rankings, but name value can be deceiving. There are a ton of question marks outside of the top three, but some interesting deep sleepers emerging from the bottom tier.

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Positional Ranks: Third Base

Written by Charlie Saponara on Feb 01, 2010 18:59.

After a couple weeks away, we're back to finish out the positional rankings. Third base has been a thin fantasy position over the last couple of years and most of the high end guys will go off the board early. There are, however, some young up-and-coming mid-to-late round options this season. Where will they fit in with the group of third base veterans? Let's take a look...

Who to Watch: A's, Mariners

Written by Charlie Saponara on Jan 30, 2010 21:19.

Last season, when Brett Greenfield and I were doing this series, we had a tough time finding even one sleeper from the A's and Mariners. Now, with a slew of offseason action, both teams have bolstered their rosters with fantasy value. With more options to choose from, which players do fantasy owners need on or off their radar come draft day?

Don't Forget About Trevor Cahill

Written by Charlie Saponara on Jan 30, 2010 03:50.

Before the 2009 season, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill were considered two of Oakland's top pitching prospects. Both had similar minor league progressions through the system and both held strong strikeout numbers along the way. Many scouts and experts were torn as to which they would rank as the better prospect. Now, with a full Major League season for each, it is Brett Anderson who has stepped out in front with an impressive second half. Still, Trevor Cahill has potential to be a fantasy force down the road. The only question is: How long is that road?

Adam Lind's Breakout Season

Written by Charlie Saponara on Jan 28, 2010 23:24.

Adam Lind has been regarded as a good hitting prospect for years. Finally, last season, Lind was given an opening day gig and at age 26 he had his breakout season. Such a breakout does not go unquestioned, however. Can he repeat his 35 homers given the big spike in HR/FB rate? Is he a true .300 hitter? The answers to these questions, plus others, are very important because to grab Lind on draft day 2010, it will come at a significant cost.

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