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2003 FANTASY BASEBALL - AL STARTING PITCHER RANKINGS


Zito closing the gap on Pedro...



After matriculating through all the hitters, we now move on to the pitching aspect of the game. Having the big boppers will always get your team off to a good start, but as in real life baseball � titles are won and lost with the pitching staff. As usual, the better pitchers (at least statistically) are in the National League. But the AL is catching up. Just a few years ago it was Randy Johnson and some scraps. Now it�s Pedro, Bart Colon, a converted reliever, and incredibly deep rotations in Minnesota and Oakland. The AL pitching rankings are as follows�

  1. Pedro Martinez (BOS) � Yes, he�s high maintenance, is handled with kid gloves (only averaging 177 IP since �00), is roughed up on rare occasions, and causes his share of distractions including one already this Spring where Pedro is putting the gun towards the organizations head over a $17.5 million club option for �04. And you can forget about him pitching the final week of the season should the team fall out of contention. But at the end of the day, Pedro is still #1 at least in the AL, coming off a season featuring 239 K�s v. 40 walks, along with a 2.26 ERA, .92 ratio, and 20-4 record. And all of that after a very rocky April. Baseball hit .183 off Pedro in �02, which was up from .157 in 2000.


  2. Barry Zito (OAK) � Zito has distanced himself from teammates Time Hudson and Mark Mulder, and has established himself as the ace of one of baseball�s better pitching staffs in recent memory. In �02 was somewhat manageable in the first half, going 11-3 with a 3.49 ERA � but was simply unstoppable in the second half (12-2, 1.92). Z ended up lowering his ERA from 3.49 to 2.75 and ratio from 1.23 to 1.13. Only negative was only striking out 182 in 229.1 innings, after averaging just under a K an inning (205/214.1) in 2001.


  3. Derek Lowe (BOS) � The great surprise of 2002, especially for those who grabbed him late and used him at a reliever spot, where Lowe was still eligible. Recorded an early no-hitter v. the D-Rays and quickly showed that it wasn�t a fluke finishing with a 21-8 record along with a 2.58 ERA and a fantastic .97 ratio. Wasn�t huge with the strikeouts, recording only 127 in 219.2 innings after striking out 82 in 91.2 innings as a closer in �01.


  4. Mark Mulder (OAK) � Gets a slight nod over teammate Tim Hudson statistically as #2 on the Oakland staff. Finished 19-7 with 159 K�s in 207.1 innings, along with a 3.47 ERA and 1.14 ratio. As with Zito, stepped it up in the second half, going 10-2 with a 3.08 ERA. Also went 21-8 with a 3.45 ERA/1.16 ratio in 2001.


  5. Bartolo Colon (CWS) � Returns to the AL after a brief exile in Montreal. Became less of a thrower and more of a pitcher in 2002. Only struck out 149 in 233.1 innings as opposed to 201 K�s in 222.1 IP in �01, but lowered his ERA/ratio from 4.09/1.39 to 2.93/1.24. And actually fared much better in Cleveland (2.55/1.16) than with the Expos (3.31/1.32). Returning to the AL Central, Bart will get plenty of opportunities to dominate on Detroit, Kansas City, and a rebuilding Cleveland club.


  6. Tim Hudson (OAK) � The workhorse of the Oakland staff, and one has to wonder if he�s being overused � logging 238.1 innings last year after an even 235 the year before. ERA did drop from 3.37 to 2.98, but strikeouts went down from 181 to 152. Will allow baserunners as ratios of 1.24, 1.22, and 1.25 since 2000 would attest, but also sports a sparkling 53-24 won/loss record over the same span.


  7. Roy Halladay (TOR) � A close second to Derek Lowe in regards to breakout years among AL hurlers, going 19-7 on a sub .500 Toronto team, along with a 2.93 ERA and 1.19 ERA. Logged 239.1 innings in �02, we�ll see if the workload catches up to him this year.


  8. Mike Mussina (NYY) � Top pitcher from a solid Yankee staff coming off seasons of 17-11 and 18-10, and struck out 182 in 215.2 IP last year. A 4.05 ERA is of some concern, as Moose has occasional outings where he gets inexplicably tattooed. Moose often saves his best work for the Red Sox, pitching a three-hit shutout last August along with taking a perfect game to the ninth the year before.


  9. Jarrod Washburn (ANH) � 2002 looked like was going to be a long season on opening night, as Washburn was shelled early by Cleveland, while Bartolo Colon cruised to a complete game shutout. But Jarrod turned it around completely from that point forward, winning 12 straight decisions after sustaining another loss en route to an 18-6 campaign. Finished with a 3.15 ERA (down from 3.77) and 1.17 ratio (down from 1.29) as opponents were held to a .215 BA.


  10. Mark Buehrle (CWS) � Sox workhorse will get some welcome relief workload wise with Bartolo Colon aboard. Will give up some runs and hits (3.58 ERA/1.24 ratio), but logged plenty of innings (239) on the way to a 19-12 season.


  11. Freddy Garcia (SEA) � Went 18-6 with a 3.05 ERA and 1.12 ratio in 2001, and was looking as good as anyone in the AL with a 10-4 record and 3.02 ERA through June 14th. But Oakland would shell him for ten earned runs over three innings in his next outing � and Freddy was simply not the same after that as his second-half ERA ballooned to 5.56. Did see a nice bump in strikeouts (181 in 223.2 IP over the previous season (163 in 238.2 IP).


  12. Joel Pineiro (SEA) � Got a shot over the final two months of the 2001 season and was sensational, going 6-2 with a 2.03 ERA/.94 ration. Pineiro would show last year at that was no fluke, going 14.7 with a 3.24 ERA/1.25 ratio. Especially lethal at Safeco Field, where Joel sported a 2.55 ERA.


  13. Andy Pettitte (NYY) � Mr. Yankee among the pitchers, Pettitte had another solid season despite missing two months, going 13-5 with a 3.27 ERA/1.31 ratio. Pettitte does allow baserunners (1.39 career WHIP), but has also gone 128-70 in a career spanning since 1995. Never spectacular but remarkably consistent.


  14. Jose Contreras (NYY) � Cuban defector listed at 31 years of age, although some think he may be even older. Throws in the mid-90�s and was 117-50 with a 2.82 ERA with the Cuban national team over the past seven years. Although those validity of those records are spotty, his one appearance against a big league team was not, shutting out the Orioles on two hits with ten strikeouts in a 1999 exhibition appearance. Included among his strike out victims that night was Albert Belle on two occasions. Do not shy away from taking Contreras.


  15. Rodrigo Lopez (BAL) � Came out of nowhere to sport a 15-9 record along with a 3.57 ERA/1.19 ratio with a woeful Oriole team in 2002. The opposition did start to figure him out somewhat in the second half, as Lopez was 7-6 with a 4.20 ERA, including a 4.94 ERA after August 27.


  16. Roger Clemens (NYY) � Even at age 40, still good for wins and K�s, as Rocket went 13-6 with 192 strikeouts in just 180 IP. ERA did rise to 4.35 along with a 1.31 ratio, although opposition hitters were held to a .224 average. Clemens needs just seven wins to join the elite 300 win club.


  17. Ramon Ortiz (ANH) � Slowly approaching staff ace status with the Halos, Ortiz lowered his ERA/ratio from 4.36/1.43 to 3.77/1.18 last year, although his second half ERA was 4.20. Finished 15-9 while placing 10th in the AL in strikeouts with 162.


  18. Cory Lidle (TOR) � The A�s are so deep in pitching that they could afford to trade Lidle away, who went 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA in the second half last year. Lidle�s final record was only 8-10, but with a 3.89 ERA and 1.20 ratio. Lidle was not highly regarded coming up through the minors and was used as a replacement player (Cory says he was tricked by the organization into appearing in a replacement game) back in 1995, so perhaps the lack of support given to him is not coincidental.


  19. Johan Santana (MN) � Numbers from last year (137 K�s in 108.1 IP, 2.55 ERA, 1.23 ratio) are so spectacular that one thinks the Twins have to find a place for him in the rotation. However, the team is already locked up with Brad Radke, Eric Milton, Joe Mays and Rick Reed. Closing would be another intriguing possibility but Eddie Guardado is entrenched in that role.


  20. C.C. Sabathia (CLE) � 6�7� 260lber still only 22, but logs plenty of pitches and issued 88 free passes in 210 IP last year. Finished 13-11 after a 17-5 record in �01, but ERA/ratio falls in the 4.40/1.35 range. The pick of many to suffer an arm breakdown this year.


  21. Chan Ho Park (TX) � The experts called his signing with the Rangers as a huge mistake at this time last year, and CHP did nothing to change those opinions going 3-4 with an 8.01 ERA and a couple of trips to the DL. Rebounded somewhat to go 6-4 with a 4.28 ERA in the second half, but the final numbers of 5.75/1.59 were still nothing short of disastrous. Went 3.50/1.17 as recently as his last year with the Dodgers in �01, so an improvement somewhere towards that plateau is possible.


  22. Brad Radke (MN) � Missed a couple of months with a groin problem. Going 9-5 with a 4.72 ERA/1.22 ratio. Don�t expect strikeouts or a sub 4 ERA, but plenty of offensive support and a good won/lost record.


  23. Rick Reed (MN) � Wiley veteran recorded a 15-7 ledger with a 3.78 ERA 1.16 ratio. At age 37, keeping the ERA under four will be a chore, but like Radke will be buoyed by a good hitting team behind him.


  24. John Lackey (ANH) � Got the ball for Game 7 of the World Series and proceeded to get the win that night, not a bad end to a rookie season, eh. Finished with a 9-4 record with a 3.66 ERA and 1.35 ratio in 108.1 innings worth of work. Fastball clocked at around 93 MPH.


  25. Ted Lilly (OAK) � Tremendous sleeper pick, especially if Ted can ever get with a team that isn�t incredibly deep (as NYY and Oakland are) in pitching. Struck out 112 in 120.2 innings with New York in �01, and recorded a 3.69 ERA/1.11 ratio last year. Consistency is going to be key if Lilly hopes to win the #4 or even #5 spot in the A�s rotation.


  26. Kevin Appier (ANH) � Has done fairly well in the post-surgery portion of his career, going 40-33 over the past three seasons, and recording a 3.92 ERA/1.35 ratio last year. Will give up hits, as a .267 BA by the opposition will attest.


  27. Eric Milton (MN) � Missed some time in the second half with a bad knee, and finished with a 4.84 ERA, but a nice 1.19 ratio. Has never finished with an ERA below four, and gives up plenty of gopher balls.


  28. Tim Wakefield (BOS) � How it happened is beyond anyone, but the veteran knuckleballer somehow finished with a 11-5 record, 2.81 ERA, and a 1.05 ratio. Strikeout ratio is even decent with 134 K�s in 163.1 IP. But the knuckler can go away just as quickly, as a 5.48 ERA, 1.47 ratio in 2000 proves.


  29. Omar Daal (BAL) � A 4-19 pitcher back in 2000, Daal rebounded with seasons of 13-7 and 11-9, and had a decent 3.90 ERA pitching for LA in �02.


  30. David Wells (NYY) � Throw out an injury plagued season in �01, and Wells has put together seasons of 20-8 (TOR) and 19-7 last year with a 3.75 ERA, 1.24 ratio. 39 year-old has already announced that this will be his last season, and will be fighting for scraps in a loaded Yankee rotation.





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