Judging starting pitchers is nasty business. Much of their performance is dependent on their teammates. The pitching numbers are greatly affected by the fielding that goes on around them and the won-loss record is affected by run support and bullpen performance. There is a movement afoot to remove the win from the baseball record books. Like most movements, it is small and determined. It could grow over time and maybe they will make some headway, but don’t ever see the win leave the sport completely and it certainly won’t leave the fantasy baseball landscape.

That being said, when judging pitchers from one season to the next, it is important to leave wins out of the equation. Some pitchers can put back to back huge win totals together, but those pitchers are becoming fewer and further between. As a fantasy player, it makes more sense to look at the other three categories before looking at wins. Bill James has his pitching runs like he has for runs created and we will use that metric to judge our pitchers.

From season to season, it is hard to predict which pitchers will remain strong. C.C. Sabathia and Tim Lincecum looked like guys that would live in the top forty, but they are standing outside that group for right now. David Price is pitching well and could rejoin the group before the season is over. Unfortunately, all three have suffered through either ineffectiveness or injury. In some cases it has been both. Other former stars went down this season as well. It makes drafting pitching early a dangerous proposition. Even with health, some don’t live up to the advanced billing (Justin Verlander). Some perform well, but never seem to get past the nagging injuries (Stephen Strasburg). It makes selecting position players a better percentage bet.

PR

PRE

Notes
Felix Hernandez

105

26

The best in the AL by a large margin. Will the voters ignore his won-loss record again?
Hisashi Iwakuma

97

283

The two best pitchers in baseball are on the same team and they are still out of the running.
Clayton Kershaw

92

11

The best pitcher in the NL is in line for another Cy Young award and a huge contract.
Max Scherzer

90

72

He might be the favorite for the Cy Young in spite of the margin between Hernandez and him.
Matt Harvey

89

135

If anyone can challenge Kershaw it would be him.
Adam Wainright

88

41

He’s good, but no one knows he is quite this good.
Yu Darvish

86

46

If he could face the Astros every game he’d look like Three Finger Brown.
Chris Sale

86

57

Starting pitching has not been the problem on the south side of Chicago.
Justin Masterson

85

362

2012 was a disaster, but 2013 has been a dream. Who would imagine Masterson would be a top ten starter?
Hiroki Kuroda

82

145

He will be a free agent this winter. The Yankees desperately need their best starter back.
Cliff Lee

78

36

He falls outside of the top ten, but he has been as good as advertised.
Derek Holland

78

204

He has been the most consistent Rangers starter over the past several seasons.
Bartolo Colon

78

347

Most felt he would fall off following his PED suspension. He continues to surprise past age 40.
James Shields

75

90

The Royals felt they needed an ace and they got one for a very steep price.
Madison Bumgarner

75

48

He has supplanted Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum as the best starter on the staff.
Justin Verlander

75

13

The Tigers have the best staff in baseball. When Verlander is your second starter you are crazy good.
C.J. Wilson

74

173

He was worth the contract they paid unlike Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols.
Anibal Sanchez

73

141

The third starter on the Tigers staff was an excellent addition to the club late last season.
A.J. Griffin

72

297

The Athletics staff is a quiet contender for the deepest staff in baseball.
Pat Corbin

72

343

One of the young guns in the Dbacks system made good this season.
Jordan Zimmerman

71

78

He has been the top starter in Washington this season. It says more about Washington than about him.
Jose Fernandez

70

344

People thought it was a mistake to rush him to the majors, but he has more than held his own.
Cole Hamels

70

35

He’s been solid, but not as good as people thought he should be.
Jose Quintana

69

434

It isn’t his fault the White Sox have been in basement all season.
Stephen Strasburg

67

14

He personifies the Nationals plight. He has been good, but not quite as good as 2012.
Doug Fister

67

144

He might never repeat 2011, but he has shown he is quite an impressive pitcher in his own right.
Mike Minor

67

156

Yet another reason why the Braves have the best record in baseball.
Ervin Santana

66

363

He is repeating the magic we saw in 2011 and helping the Royals remain competitive.
Travis Wood

65

354

He is making the Sean Marshall trade look a lot better on the Cubs end.
Chris Tillman

65

269

He is one of the reasons why the Orioles remain in the hunt without their one run magic.
Jarrod Parker

65

178

He came on strong in 2012. He took a step back overall, but has been solid nevertheless.
Gio Gonzalez

64

58

Last season’s star has been very solid, but not quite as good. That describes most of the team.
Jeff Locke

64

364

He is one of the unsung heroes from this season’s for the upstart Bucs.
Lance Lynn

63

217

He plays up because he pitches for a very good team and manages to win games.
Hyun-Jin Ryu

62

309

A very solid signing for the Dodgers. He will settle into the fourth or fifth slot from now on.
Julio Teheran

61

303

The young right handers finally lived up to all of the hype.
Mike Leake

61

382

Another pitcher that should have been picked higher. He should in the 200s next season.
Mat Latos

61

66

He has not lived up to his draft position, but he has still been very good.
Bronson Arroyo

61

350

He has been solid the past two seasons. He should go higher next season.
John Lackey

61

396

He is the line Boston pitcher on this list and they are still somehow in first place.

 

 

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