Although this list is a little late as I’ve been putting it off for some time, these pitchers are still the next cream of the crop in the Fantasy world. It’s clear to see that the Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays are both forming rotations to be reckon with as both teams have FOUR pitchers in the Top 25. This list consists of 11 Left-Handers, 16 American Leaguers, and 7 pitchers on the list still cannot drink a beer legally. Don’t want to read about each pitcher? Top 25 Pitchers with no Write-Ups. Now, here they are:
25. Jarrod Parker – Arizona Diamondbacks (11/24/1988, 19 Years Old)
Jarrod Parker is an undersized right hander with an outstanding fastball that sits in the 93-97 range on a regular basis. Parker was drafted 9th overall out of a high school in Indiana by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Parker’s delivery is silky smooth, but the only question mark on him is whether one of both of his second offerings (Changeup and Curveball) can develop into an above average major league pitch. Parker will be able to survive in Low-A ball only with his Fastball, but he will quickly be sent to the bullpen in the Majors if he doesn’t support his fastball.
2010 Projection: 9-6, 4.09 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 95 Ks – 55 BBs in 125 Innings
24. Manny Parra – Milwaukee Brewers (10/30/1982, 25 Years Old)
Parra is not as young as the rest of this list, but he is major-league ready, which can’t be said for a lot of these players. Parra relies a lot on his 92-95 MPH fastball with a lot of movement. His second best pitch is his curveball which comes in slower than his changeup but doesn’t have a whole lot of movement. Parra will also mix in a slider and changeup, as well. Parra will be a very good #3 pitcher for many years and his high strikeout rate makes his worth owning in fantasy league right now.
2008 Projection: 9-5, 4.18 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 119 Ks – 66 BBs in 136 Innings
23. Brett Anderson – Oakland A’s (2/1/1988, 20 Years Old)
Brett Anderson was drafted in the 2nd round (55th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks and was traded to Oakland in the Dan Haren trade. Anderson’s physical stature is a little decieving because although he stands at 6′4″ and 215 pounds, throwing from the left side, his fastball generally sits in the low 90s. His changeup makes up for this less than stellar fastball, and is generally viewed as the best pitch in his arsenal. His curveball is also a plus pitch which is what raises his major league potential even though he’s struggling early on in 2008.
2010 Projection: 5-7, 4.43 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 85 Ks – 36 BBs in 105 Innings
22. Rick Porcello – Detroit Tigers (12/27/1988, 19 Years Old)
Rick Porcello was thought of as the best high school pitcher in the 2007 draft by many scouts but dropped to 27th pick due to his signability (Scott Boras as agent). Porcello’s best asset is that he has four plus offerings, his weakness is the concerns about him controlling all these pitches. Early signs are positive, in 10 starts Porcello is only walking 6.5% of batters and sporting a 66% Grounball rate. The upside is very, very high.
2011 Projection: 8-4, 4.28 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 79 Ks – 41 BBs in 110 Innings
21. Jordan Walden – Los Angeles Angels (11/16/1987, 20 Years Old)
Walden’s pro debut in 2007 was pretty mediocre but he shows a lot of promise with his 6′5″ frame and 95-97 MPH fastball. His second offerings at still at an early stag of development, which is what his main focus will be on over the next few years of minor league ball. If his slider and changeup become major league pitches than we could be looking at an ace of the pitching staff. The more likely scenario is Walden becoming a #2 or #3 pitcher, making solid fantasy contributions through his strikeouts.
2010 Projection: 4-6, 4.47 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 89 Ks – 40 BBs in 96 Innings
20. Michael Bowden – Boston Red Sox (9/9/1986, 21 Years Old)
Michael Bowden is a 21 Year old, right-handed gunslinger for the Boston Red Sox. Standing tall at 6′3″ and carrying 215 pounds with him, most scouts are fans of his solid frame. Bowden’s HR/9 is a little sketchy at times but he makes up for that with his always solid K-BB Ratio (317-93 in 322 Career innings. Bowden doesn’t overpower many hitters with his fastball, but has excellent command and a changeup that keeps getting better. You can think of him as a James Shields type pitcher if everything goes good. Worst case scenario, Bowden will likely be a #3 or #4 pitcher for the Red Sox, along the lines of Justin Germano, Jason Marquis, Miguel Batista, etc.
2009 Projection: 4-5, 4.58 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 91 Ks – 54 BBs in 125 Innings
19. Franklin Morales – Colorado Rockies (1/24/1986, 22 Years Old)
Morales is a 6 foot southpaw from Venezuela with an absolutely devastating curveball that is his best pitch even though he also has a 95 MPH fastball. According to PITCH f/x, Morales threw 92 curveballs last year during his Major League stint last season, only 5 of those resulted in hits for the opposing batter (5.8%). However, 43 of those were balls (46%). Many pitchers success depends on them being “effectively wild”, right now Morales is just plain wild. The potential here is through the roof, and he may become the Rockies new ace if his command improves at all.
2008 Projection: 9-5, 4.77 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 59 Ks – 64 BBs in 96 Innings
18. Tyler Robertson – Minnesota Twins (12/23/1987, 20 Years Old)
6′5″, 220 pound southpaw who strikes out 26% of the batters he faces, while walking only 7.5% of them: what’s not to like about that? The only thing stopping Robertson from being in “elite” prospect status is his much talked about “funky” delivery. If Robertsons arm action doesn’t prove harmful, then he certainly has the talent and potential to become a #2 pitcher in the Major Leagues, or dare I say, even an Ace. Robertson is only 20 years old and the Twins are moving him slowly through the system so it may be late 2009 or even 2010 until we find out how Robertson will fare in the Major Leagues.
2009 Projection: 4-1, 3.18 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 71 Ks – 33 BBs in 80 Innings
17. Jeremy Hellickson – Tampa Bay Rays (4/8/1987, 21 Years Old)
Coming from the same home town as Hellickson, I’ve followed this prospect from as early as age 12. Hellickson’s stats in high school were similar to those you may find in a video game, and he continues to perform outstandingly through two professional seasons. In 2007 at Single A Columbus, Hellickson throw 111 innings and managed a 2.67 ERA and 106-34 K/BB ratio while giving up 7 Home Runs. In 2008, Hellickson is making his biggest progress yet at A+ Vero Beach… through 8 starts Hellickson has struck out 58 batters (31.9 K%) while walking 3 (1.6 BB%)! He’s allowed 3 long balls and only 7 total runs in 46.2 Innings, which is good for a 1.35 ERA. Hellickson has proven that A+ is not a challenge for him, a AA Callup should be imminent, and possibly a major league callup will be in the cards before the 2008 season is over.
2010 Projection: 7-2, 3.98 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 119 Ks – 50 BBs in 120 Innings
16. Faustino De Los Santos – Oakland A’s (2/15/1986, 22 Years Old)
De Los Santos is a pure power pitcher that can absolutely dominate at times with his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and wicked curveball. De Los Santos was a key piece in the Nick Swisher trade, and has endless potential. De Los Santos needs to work on keeping his pitch counts down or else he may end up in the bullpen. Either way, De Los Santos should be worth owning in all fantasy leagues by 2011.
2009 Projection: 11-5, 3.48 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 139 Ks – 86 BBs in 144 Innings
15. Scott Elbert – Los Angeles Dodgers (8/13/1985, 22 Years Old)
Scott Elbert (6′1″ 210 lb Lefty drafted out of high school) was on the fast track to the big show and then injury struck during his third start of the 2007 season. A year later, Elbert is close to returning but his stock has dropped due to the uncertainty of him regaining his nasty stuff after shoulder surgery. Elbert brings the heat (mid-90’s fastball), has a nasty slider and very solid curve. Whether all these assets return to him after surgery will be a huge concern. If all things go well then Francisco Liriano is a pitcher he could be compared to.
2009 Projection: 8-6, 4.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 135 Ks – 49 BBs in 122 Innings
14. Brett Cecil – Toronto Blue Jays (7/20/1986, 21 years Old)
Cecil was a closer in college (Maryland) but is being converted into a starting pitcher by the Toronto Blue Jays. So far the conversion is going smoothly, but the Blue Jays are playing it very safe, stretching him out very slowly. Standing at 6 feet, 3 inches and deliverying from the left side are both immediate signs of potential. Cecil’s fastball sits int he 92-95 range and uses his nasty slider to send hitters back to the dugout. Seeing that Cecil still has not lasted longer than 4.2 innings this year, we shouldn’t expect to see Cecil in Toronto until late 2009 at the earliest.
2010 Projection: 8-8, 4.31 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 128 Ks – 65 BBs in 142 Innings
13. Ian Kennedy – New York Yankees (12/19/1984, 23 Years Old)
If you’re looking for the next home-grown Yankee Ace, then keep looking because that spot belongs to Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain. However, Ian Kennedy will make a great #3 starter, with #2 upside. Batters are learning quickly that Kennedy doesn’t exactly stay in the strike zone, shown by his career MiLB BB/9 of 3.00… Kennedy certainly has the upside, but containing it (literally) will be the difference between becoming a #2 Starter or becoming a Spot Starter/Long Relief.
2008 Projection: 3-6, 5.48 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 69 Ks – 54 BBs in 94 Innings
12. Wade Davis – Tampa Bay Rays (9/7/1985, 22 Years Old)
Wade Davis was drafted in the 3rd round in 2004, and at the age of 18 he looked like he was drafted a little too high after he ended rookie ball with a 6.02 ERA, giving up 8 HRs with a mediocre 38-19 K/BB ratio in 57.2 Innings. Since 2004, Davis has been near unhittable: 431-138 K/BB Ratio and only 18 HRs allowed 390.1 Innings while also sporting a Hits/9 of less than eight. Davis may not have the huge upside of a lot of the guys on this list but he’s a pretty safe bet to be a solid innings eater and provide fantasy owners with some worthy stats.
2009 Projection: 11-7, 4.33 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 122 Ks – 68 BBs in 151 Innings
11. Jacob McGee – Tampa Bay Rays (8/6/1986, 21 Years Old)
Jacob Mcgee is a 6′3″ 190 lb Southpaw that has a massive 455 innings pitched in the minor leagues at the young age of 21. In those 455 innings Mcgee has accumulated 536 Strikeouts while walking only 184 and only surrendering 24 HR’s (.47 HR/9). The Rays could use another lefty in the rotation to supplement Kazmir, if they choose to go experience over potential (Price) then we can expect to see McGee called up in the 2nd half of 2008. His high K Rate and the new-and-improved Ray’s defense will make McGee worth owning in most fantasy leagues as soon as he is called upon.
2009 Projection: 9-7, 3.89 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 118 Ks – 50 BBs in 144 Innings
10. Cole Rohrbough – Atlanta Braves (5/23/1987, 21 Years Old)
The Braves are proving why they have consistently put together a winning team over the past two decades, prospects like Rohrbough. A 6′3″ Lefty is nothing to overlook, and scouts have certainly taken notice of Rohrbough after he struck out 96 batters in 61.1 Innings last season while only allowing 2 Home Runs and walking 20 Batters. Rohrbough has some minor injuries to start the 2008 season, which may delay his process slightly. Rohrbough’s real upside will be become clear once we see him face some half-way decent hitters which occur until AA. It should be smooth sailing until then.
2010 Projection: 5-5, 4.30 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 103 Ks – 68 BBs in 95 Innings
9. Trevor Cahill – Oakland A’s (3/1/1988, 20 Years Old)
Cahill, drafted 66th overall out of high school by the Oakland A’s is quickly becoming one of my favorite prospects as well as many other prospectors around the nation. It’s hard not to like 184 Ks and only 3 HRs allowed in 156 innings. Cahill is one of the few prospects on this list that still cannot have an alcoholic beverage (legally). Billy Beane’s scouting department found another gem here, spotting Cahill wasn’t easy seeing that he was such a late bloomer (increased velocity from 84 to 94 MPH from his Junior to Senior Year). Cahill currently sports a 31.8 K% and 6.5 BB% in 2008 at A+ Stockton. If Cahill keeps up this kind of dominance then a call-up in 2009 is not out of the picture by any means. You can expect immediate fantasy value upon his callup.
2009 Projection: 4-2, 3.44 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 92 Ks – 46 BBs in 80 Innings
8. Gio Gonzalez – Oakland A’s (9/19/1985, 22 Years Old)
Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s clearly knew what they were doing when they let Zito go, because now they’ve already restocked the A’s with what looks like may be the next Barry Zito. Gio Gonzalez is that pitcher I’m talking about, a southpaw who throws low-mid 90s with a wicked 12-6 Curve, supplemented with a changeup that is not sub-par. Like Zito, Gio should have a couple of huge years, but not be a true ace. Gio led the Minor Leagues in Strikeouts in 2007 + pitching at the friendly confines of the Colliseum = Big Fantasy Impact. Look for Gio to debut mid-season 2008, and start making fantasy impacts in 2009.
2009 Projection: 10-6, 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 131 Ks – 60 BBs in 145 Innings
7. Homer Bailey – Cincinnati Reds (5/3/1986, 22 Years Old)
Just last year, Homer Bailey was being touted as the next Ace of the Cincinnati Reds franchise. It’s funny what a year can do to expectations, as Cueto is now considered by most to be the better of the two prospects. Don’t count Bailey out quite yet though, when you take into consideration that Bailey was pitching through injuries last season, you can expect to see a bounce back year for Bailey. Bailey should be called to the rescue the Reds lack of a 5th starter problem before the All-Star break. Bailey still has all the tools as a year ago, and with improved health, he may start tapping into that “Ace Potential” that we all believed he had. I think at worst, Bailey becomes another Bronson Arroyo.
2008 Projection: 5-4, 4.51 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 83 Ks – 40 BBs in 103 Innings
6. David Price – Tampa Bay Rays (2/8/1985, 23 Years Old)
It’s hard to hide the hype surrounding David Price. He was the 2007 #1 overall pick, which means he has high expectations to live up to. Many will consider Price a bust if he becomes anything less than a good #2 starting pitcher. His arsenal includes an upper 90s fastball, good slider and solid change-up and it all comes from a 6′6″ left-hander. Elbow soreness has set back Price’s pro debut, but it isn’t anything long term or serious. Now that the Rays are sporting a good defense and have a great hitting lineup, we may see Price join the rotation in late July or early August as the Rays try to make a strong push for the post-season. The potential upside for Price is dare I say…Randy Johnson.
2010 Projection: 7-7, 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 135 Ks – 55 BBs in 126 Innings
5. Will Inman -San Diego Padress (2/6/1987, 21 Years Old)
Will Inman is presonally one of my favorite prospects. Inman absolutely dominated at age 19 in A and A+, then ran into his first professional slump in AA Huntsville and AA San Antonio. In all fairness, his .372 BABIP in June last year is rediculously unlucky, and was the month when most of the damage was done. In 2008, He’s returned to AA San Antonio, this time he brought along the dominating stuff I know and love. Through 8 starts, he has a 1.85 ERA, 44-18 K/BB Ratio, 1, yes only 1 Home Run given up, in 43.2 Innings Pitched. Add in the fact that PETCO Park is in his future, he can easily become a #2 starter for your fantasy team by 2011, with ace potential if he keeps progressing.
2009 Projection: 8-4, 4.23 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 93 Ks – 46 BBs in 120 Innings
4. Johnny Cueto – Cincinnati Reds (2/15/1986, 22 Years Old)
Johnny Cueto has a very special arm, ace potential (likely a #2 or #3), but is still very raw at age 22. Looking at his Minor vs Major league stats, they are nearly identical, barring one glaring difference… 0.62 HR/9 in the Minors vs 1.54 HR/9 in the majors, what gives? It could be bad luck, it could be growing pains, it could be that he’s overthrowing, or it could be the bandbox in Cincinnati. Look further and you see he has started 4 games at home (3.67 ERA,0.96 WHIP, 4 HR) , and 4 on the road (9.16 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 5 HR) so you can throw out the bandbox theory. It’s likely that he’s going through the normal Major League learning curve, and will be just fine in the long run. Being from the Dominican Republic, and noting the eerily similar body build (5′11″, 175), it’s easy to want to look at Pedro Martinez as a comparable, or at least a ceiling. Personally, I think Dan Haren is more reasonable as a max potential for Cueto.
2008 Projection: 10-9, 4.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 130 Ks – 59 BBs in 149 Innings
3. Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers (3/19/1988, 20 Years Old)
This 6′3″ South-Paw has been flat out dominant in his first two professional seasons. Lots of lefties can soar through low minors just by being left-handed, but AA hitters are generally better than that. How is he responding to AA in 2008, so far? 33.1 Innings, 1.08 ERA, 0 HR, 37-11 K-BB Rate, more domination. The Dodgers have moved Kershaw into the bullpen (not permanent, solely for inning precautionary reasons), and soon Kershaw should be making major league hitters look foolish with his deadly curve piece. Kershaw may have some control issues early on because MLB hitters are much smarter vs. Lefties than low A-Ball hitters, but he has Scott Kazmir potential once he learns the ins and outs of the Majors. Give him one year and you won’t be sorry to have him on any of your fantasy squads.
2008 Projection: 5-5, 4.88 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 86 Ks – 61 BBs in 102 Innings
2009 Projection: 10-8, 3.73 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 170 Ks – 96 BBs in 180 Innings
2. Joba Chamberlain – New York Yankees (9/23/1985, 22 Years Old)
“Don’t call me Justin” Chamberlain has been dominant to say the least in his young MLB career. In 19 games, Chamberlain posted a 0.38 ERA with a 34-6 K/BB Ratio in 24 innings! If you add in his minor league stats from last year as well you get 169-33 K/BB in 132 innings, unreal. How can someone who performed at the big stage of New York in his rookie season not be #1 prospect. Well, it’s close but looking at the Pitch F/x tool we see that Joba threw a mere 5 curveballs and only 3 changeups. This tool isn’t 100% of course, but it’s obvious that when Joba moves out of the bullpen he will have to prove these pitches to be worthy of supporting his dominant Fastball-Slider combo that is devasting in short usage.
2008 Projection: 7-4, 3.21 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 131 Ks – 61 BBs in 130 Innings
1. Clay Buchholz – Boston Red Sox (8/14/1984, 23 Years Old)
Buchholz isn’t the pure power house that #2 prospect Joba profiles as, but Buchholz can flat out pitch. He’s got a reporteoire of Fastball, Curve, Change and Slider and has the confidence to throw any of them on any given count. Buchholz made his major league debut in 2007, including a No-Hitter in his second career major league starter. The only weaknesss of Buchholz may be his inability to get groundballs, shown by his 1.16 HR/9 in 39 AAA innings. Pointing out that weakness is really nitpicking, because he’s Boston’s next ace whether or not he gives up a four-bagger every 9 innings or not.
2008 Projection: 6-6, 4.48 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 99 Ks – 43 BBs in 103 Innings
Joba Chamberlain image courtesy of Creative Commons License
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