tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

2011 Fantasy Baseball Projections – Pitchers

There is a bounty of starting pitchers available to make for a good 2011 fantasy season.

5 Star: Halladay - Philly:  By far the gold standard for pitchers in this era.  Will go high in the draft.

4 Star: Lincecum - SF:  The Freak is a top-notch pitcher.  Last season, started slowly but came back toward the end,  Lester - Bost: This guy is one of the top young pitchers in baseball,  Sabathia - NYY:  CC is an ace and will help your fantasy team,  Verlander - Det:  Top pitcher, could be due for a CY Young season,  Kershaw - LAD:  Another young arm that can be your ace,  Weaver - LAA:  Very reliable and great source for strikeouts,  Lee - Phil:  Hardly walks anybody and should do very well in weak NL,  Hernandez - Sea:  King Felix has nasty stuff.  Should do well for you in all categories, except for wins due to the team he plays for,  Price - TB:  Ends up being ace on a good young pitching staff,  Jimenez - Colo:  This guy was lights out the first half of the season.  Tailed off second half which raises some concerns for me,  Hamels - Phil:  Cole bounced back nicely and I'm looking for a big year,  Johnson - Fla:  Under-rated staff ace.

3 Star:  Buchholz - Bost: Love this kid and definitely a nice 1 or 2,  Haren - LAA:  Dan Haren is one of my favorites,  Gollardo - Milw:  This guy has all kinds of ability but has not yet reached ace status,  Cain - SF:  Be mindful of some health issues this spring.  Has never really been a great fantasy pitcher,  Oswalt - Phil: Should do well on this team,  Hanson - Atl: Could be a breakout pitcher thsi year,  Liriano - Minn:  Injuries are this guy's problems and because of that he scares me,  Billingsley - LAD:  I like this kid a lot.  Could be the year he really distinguishes himself,  Marcum - Milw:  Has pitched really well in tough AL East.  Now goes to NL Central where he should thrive,  Garza - Cubs:  Can be a real stud in weak NL.  Has had some arm issues this spring,  Danks - CWS: Very consistent.

2 Star: Carpenter - STL: With Wainright going down, Carpenter is THE man.  Check out his health,  Latos - SD: Had nice season last year and people took notice.  Watch out for a possible fall back this season,  Hudson - Ariz:  Highly touted youngster.  Would be a nice number 4 on your roster,  Hughes - NYY:  One of my favorite Yankee pitchers.  Should post good numbers,  Shields - TB:  Steady pitcher,  Lackey - Bost:  Lackey took a step back last year.  Should bounce back,  Hudson - Atl:  Tim had a nice bounce back season last year.  Consumate pro and if he stays healthy a nice pick for your fantasy team,  Beckett - Bost:  After nice first year with Bosox, has been up and down.  Not necessarily a sure thing anymore,  Dempster - Cubs:  Quality pitcher who fits in nicely on your fantasy roster,  Lilly - LAD:  One of my all-time favorites.  Love the guy, he's a bulldog,  Floyd - CWS: Nice pick to be your 4th starter,  Gonzalez - OAK: Has the potential to be a real star this year.  Nice value pick,  Jackson - CWS:  With this line-up should post good numbers,  Morrow - Tor:  I like this kid and makes a nice 4th starter,  Vazquez - Fla:  Going back to NL should help Javy big time,  Rodrieguez - Houst:  Very consistent,  Romero - Tor:  Another Blue Jay youngster who can help your fantasy team,  Volquez - Cinc:  Loads of talent but injury issues.  Be mindful,  Garcia - STL:  Nice season last year.  Could take a step backwards,  Lowe - ATL: Nice guy to have to round out your fantasy rotation,  Davis - TB:  Another good young TB pitcher.

Others to watch:  Zambrano - Cubs, Bailey - Cinc, Anderson - Oak, Kazmir - LAA, Santana - LAA, Nolasco - Fla,  Scherzer - Det, DeLa Rosa - Colo, Wilson - Tex, Lewis - Tex, Zimmermann - Wash, Myers - Houst, Guthrie - Balt,  Matusz - Balt, Pelfrey - NYM, Arroyo - Cinc.

Black Balled List:  Pavano - Minn:  Wouldn't take this guy if I was desperate,  Peavy - CWS:  Too many injury concerns, Liriano - Minn:  The same goes for this guy.