When deciding between two pitchers the league they pitch in is often a deciding factor.  Wouldn’t you much rather own an NL pitcher over an AL pitcher, all else being equal?  But, who are the best pitchers to target in the NL?  Let’s take a look:

1. Roy Halladay – Philadelphia Phillies
2. Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Cliff Lee – Philadelphia Phillies
4. Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants
5. Cole Hamels – Philadelphia Phillies
6. Zack Greinke – Milwaukee Brewers
7. Mat Latos – Cincinnati Reds
8. Stephen Strasburg – Washington Nationals
9. Matt Cain – San Francisco Giants
10. Yovani Gallardo – Milwaukee Brewers
11. Tommy Hanson – Atlanta Braves
12. Madison Bumgarner – San Francisco Giants
13. Ian Kennedy – Arizona Diamondbacks
14. Daniel Hudson – Arizona Diamondbacks
15. Adam Wainwright – St. Louis Cardinals
16. Shaun Marcum – Milwaukee Brewers
17. Josh Johnson – Miami Marlins
18. Matt Garza – Chicago Cubs
19. Brandon Beachy – Atlanta Braves
20. Johnny Cueto – Cincinnati Reds
21. Jordan Zimmermann – Washington Nationals
22. Anibal Sanchez – Miami Marlins
23. Cory Luebke – San Diego Padres
24. Wandy Rodriguez – Houston Astros
25. Ted Lilly – Los Angeles Dodgers

Thoughts:

• When you are drafting a pitcher in the National League you want to focus on the Phillies, Brewers and Giants, huh?  Those three teams combine for 8 of our Top 12 options, though that really shouldn’t surprise anyone.
• I know Ted Lilly is set to open the season on the DL, but it’s not enough of an issue at this point to downgrade him (word is he should return for mid-April).  He’s not a sexy name, but he always seems to get the job done.  That definitely has value that shouldn’t be ignored.
• Cory Luebke is a hot name at this point, though you have to be careful before investing too heavily in him.  He posted a minor league K/9 of 7.54, so can we really anticipate him replicating a near 10.0 mark?  If he can maintain it, then you have a tremendous option (outside of victories).  If he can’t, the numbers are going to regress.  I would proceed with caution.  For more on Luebke, and my 2012 projection, click here.
• Speaking of Petco Park, there are good reasons to think that Mat Latos is going to regress substantially as he moves to Cincinnati.  However, he has posted road ERAs of 3.14 and 3.68 the past two seasons.  Would that really be so bad?  He has the stuff to be one of the elite pitchers in the NL.
• Adam Wainwright has some risk, after missing all of 2011, but if he comes back strong he should entrench himself back in the Top 10.  That makes him well worth targeting in all formats.

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Make sure to check out all of our 2012 rankings:

• Catchers
• First Basemen
• Second Basemen
• Third Basemen
• Shortstops
• Outfielders: 1-20 | 21-40
• Starting Pitchers: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60
• Closers