The news officially broke this afternoon: Adam Wainwright will in fact undergo Tommy John surgery costing him the entire 2011 season (and, quite possibly, a good chunk of 2012 as well).
Wainwright, coming off a year in which he went 20-11 with a 2.42 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 213 K and finished second in the NL Cy Young voting, had come in at #5 of our previous starting pitcher rankings (click here to view, which will also bring a little bit more insight into the rankings). It just shows how big of a void his injury leaves on fantasy baseball draft boards.
We have to persevere, however, so let’s take a look at how the Top 30 pitchers now looks:
- Roy Halladay – Philadelphia Phillies
- Felix Hernandez – Seattle Mariners
- Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants
- Jon Lester – Boston Red Sox
- CC Sabathia – New York Yankees
- Cliff Lee – Philadelphia Phillies
- Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers
- Zack Greinke – Milwaukee Brewers
- Jered Weaver – Los Angeles Angels
- Justin Verlander – Detroit Tigers
- Ubaldo Jimenez – Colorado Rockies
- Josh Johnson – Florida Marlins
- Francisco Liriano – Minnesota Twins
- Chris Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals
- Yovani Gallardo – Milwaukee Brewers
- Cole Hamels – Philadelphia Phillies
- Clay Buccholz – Boston Red Sox
- Mat Latos – San Diego Padres
- Tommy Hanson – Atlanta Braves
- Dan Haren – Los Angeles Angels
- Roy Oswalt – Philadelphia Phillies
- Colby Lewis – Texas Rangers
- David Price – Tampa Bay Rays
- Ricky Nolasco – Florida Marlins
- Brett Anderson – Oakland Athletics
- Matt Cain – San Francisco Giants
- Max Scherzer – Detroit Tigers
- Matt Garza – Chicago Cubs
- Josh Beckett – Boston Red Sox
- Chad Billingsley – Los Angeles Dodgers
What are your thoughts on the rankings? Who’s too high? Who’s too low?
**** Make sure to order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here. ****
Make sure to check out our 2011 rankings:
I lost Wainwright in a keeper league and have to replace him with Carpenter, Colby Lewis, or Buchholz. Is Carp the really choice here? I just don’t see him staying healthy given his track record.
I know it is tough to trust Carp, but I do think he is the best option of the three. While I love Lewis for ’11, he really is a wild card.
Buchholz is a solid option, but pitches in the AL East (making him a risk) and has worse control than Carpenter.
If you are scared about Carps health I could see going Buchholz, but when two pitchers are close (and they are), I generally tend to lean towards the NL option.
In a dynasty roto league with QS and K/BB as additional stats, which two of these three young pitchers would you keep:
Bumgarner, Hellickson and Daniel Hudson.
I usually see Hudson rated higher than Hellickson, but thinking long-term in addition to just this year, doesn’t Hellickson project to be more of a No. 1 starter while Hudson is more of a No. 3 starter? What do you think I should do?
It’s really a tough call. I think Hellickson is a lock, then it comes down to the other two.
Hudson has a much higher strikeout upside, which certainly helps matters. He’s not going to replicate his success in Arizona last season, but he should continue to be very, very good. Considering K/BB is a category, it gives him an edge.
That’s probably the direction I’d go, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the three.
What team has the best fantasy pitching staff bullpen Included?
Philly
Boston
Milwaukee
Giants
LA Dodgers
LA Angels
Tampa Bay