We’ve gone over whether or not you should grab a starter early, Rudy’s fantasy baseball strategy says sure, why not? My fantasy baseball strategy says not so much. Whichever strategy you subscribe to, you’re still going to need some late round value. The top 20, 40, 60 and 80 starters for 2009 fantasy baseball can be found under the 2009 fantasy baseball rankings. As I used to call Cliff Notes in college, this is a companion piece. If you click on some of the player’s names, you’ll see whole posts dedicated to these doodes with 2009 fantasy baseball projections. Anyway, here’s some starters to target for 2009 fantasy baseball:
Manny Parra – I hesitated to put Kershaw on this list because of his walks, but the same could be said about Parra, and, in a roundabout way, I just did. The deciding factor was Kershaw is a bit more expensive at drafts than Parra.
Aaron Heilman – If he gets the 5th starter job or the 6th starter job and then Harden gets injured, Heilman’s a guy to keep an eye on. Why aren’t you looking at me when I talk to you? I’ve got an eye on Heilman, woman!
Wandy Rodriguez – Imagine 50 Cent in your fantasy league, “I’ll take you to the Wandy shop, his road starts will make you drop…” Yes, I heard Rodriguez strained his left intercostal muscle (isn’t that the road that runs along the Florida coast?), but it’s too early for me to jump off the Wand-wagon.
Chris Young – After he returned from having his face rearranged by a Pujols liner, he had a 2.38 ERA in September.
John Maine – I know what you’re thinking when you see Maine on this list. You’re thinking I’m trying to get you to fall for the ol’ banana-in-the-tailpipe. You have to ignore a lot of last season for Maine, he was pitching injured. If healthy, he could be a strong #3 fantasy starter.
John Danks – Doesn’t seem like he’s getting the pub of some guys, but he should be. One of the few AL starters I’m targeting late.
Randy Johnson – He’s not the maverick he once was. He might only pitch 15 – 20 starts, but has shown he can be effective for those 15 – 20 starts.
Jeremy Guthrie – The other AL starter. I’ve talked about JG so much, I might need a Guthrie jersey. Someone brought up something in the comments the other day (Not sure what post or what comment it was. We get a lot of comments, ya’ll.) about Guthrie’s FIP and BABIP. It’s true, Guthrie may regress a little this year. I have him projected for 12-10/3.90/1.25/130 in 2009. Those are not #2 starter numbers. Again, for those reading over your shoulder, do not think you’re snagging a #2 starter in the last rounds. I talk a lot about Guthrie, but he’s just a solid endgame guy in deep leagues.
Aaron Cook – Almost as boring as his name. Easily the most unexciting name on this list. Also, one of the steadiest names on the list. Those in H2H leagues want consistent, Cook can provide it. In a time when we seem to be losing everything, our economy, our homes, our jobs, it’s up to us to stand up and be counted, make our frustrated voices heard. For those who want reliability and street cleaning twice a week, vote Aaron Cook.
Josh Johnson – A good K rate and his name almost sounds like the porn star, Gosh Johnson.
