[brid autoplay=”true” video=”377153″ player=”10951″ title=”2019 Razzball Draft Kit Starting Pitchers”]
With the top 80 starters for 2019 fantasy baseball, we are so close to the end of the rankings, I can almost taste it! Wait, that’s not rankings I taste, I bit my lip and it’s blood. I wonder if when Dracula bites his lip it’s like when Cougs goes out with her friends and I’m left at home while Emmanuelle is on Cinemax. I’ll go over exactly how to draft starters in a few days, but there are so many ways to skin a cat we should have PETA breathing down our necks. Also, I’m hoping to do the RCL signups next Monday. Stay tuned! Or not, your call. All the 2019 fantasy baseball rankings are there. Here’s Steamer’s 2019 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2019 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers. All projections listed are mine and I mention where I see tiers starting and stopping. Anyway, here’s the top 80 starters for 2019 fantasy baseball:
61. Zach Eflin – This tier started in the top 60 starters for 2019 fantasy baseball. This tier goes from here until Heaney. I called this tier, “An obstetrician screaming, ‘Talk about a hole in one!'” As for Eflin, okay, so this whole tier is guys I seriously considered writing sleeper posts on, but time got away from me, as it always does. As the Steve Miller Band once said, “Time keeps on slippin’ slippin’.” No wonder that guy got into music, his last name is Band. Eflin’s velocity popped from 92 to 94 last year; he started throwing his slider a lot more, and it worked for him, and he stopped using his curve as much because it wasn’t working. His K/9 went from garbage (under 5!) to 8.7 K/9 last year and he’s always had great command. I really need to write a sleeper on this guy. The only drawback, and, of course, there’s one since he’s this late, he might not be in the rotation all year, and could struggle to throw more than 160 IP. 2019 Projections: 12-7/3.87/1.27/144 in 157 IP
62. Joe Musgrove – This guy reminds me of a milkshake you make when you’re eight years old. You throw some ice cream in a blender, then you throw some Oreo cookies, then you throw Animal crackers, then your math homework. You blend it all together and you get something delicious or absolutely awful, depending on how much homework you add. That’s Joe Musgrove. If you throw in his walk rate from last year (1.8 BB/9), his strikeout rate from two years ago (8.1) and his heavy reliance on his cutter from last year, you get a surprisingly delicious pitcher, or an absolutely awful one. 2019 Projections: 8-10/3.84/1.16/134 in 155 IP
63. Andrew Heaney – Already gave you my Andrew Heaney sleeper. It kept saying, “Mark my words.” UPDATE: The Angels are saying Heaney’s dealing with elbow problems, but they’re also saying it’s no big deal. The MRI is clean! Great, someone Windex’d the MRI results. Can we get a real doctor who doesn’t use Pledge on the MRI results? This doesn’t sound like good news, but I’m trying to remain optimistic since Heaney dealt with this last year at this time too. I did lower his projections though. 2019 Projections: 11-7/3.58/1.16/152 in 154 IP
64. Jake Arrieta – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Rodon. I call this tier, “Blood oozing from a Lost & Found.” To draft one of these starters, you would have to lose your mind. If you lost your mind, you’d get blood oozing from a Lost & Found. I could’ve ranked all of these guys after the top 100 starters overall, and seriously considered it, but I figured if I told you to avoid these guys, and later gave you my tool (hehe, my tool) to draft pitchers, you should be fine. I guarantee there will still be people who ask, why did you rank Reynaldo (or any of these guys) here if you don’t want to draft them? Short answer is: cause. Long answer is: because. Answer on a exam question when you need at least 500+ words: because I said so, that’s why, why do you need five hundred words, yadda500. I tried to sufficiently bury this tier, but if they’re not buried enough, avoid anyway. As for Arrieta, I love that he was able to add some velocity year over year, but I hate that he’s lost strides in every other category year over year over year over–You get it. 2019 Projections: 12-9/4.10/1.29/149 in 185 IP
65. Dallas Keuchel – As I’ve said numerous times, I get the feeling Keuchel will be back in the Lone Star state. Am I hedging by not saying Astros, because he might sign with the Rangers? P to the erhaps. Honestly, I haven’t liked Keuchel at any point in his career, and can’t imagine ever owning him, no matter the team he ends up on. Maybe that’s why he’s yet to sign. Or maybe because Major League Baseball teams are actively entering into collusion. Tomato-tomato said with a different emphasis. 2019 Projections: 13-9/3.81/1.28/149 in 198 IP
66. Jhoulys Chacin – This tier always gets me in trouble every year. I feel it already with people thoroughly confused why I gave such terrible projections and said such awful things about guys I’m ranking above guys below. I just said this in Arrieta’s blurb, but I’m saying avoid these guys, so you can stop reading this tier, if you like. However, if you want more….This tier is filled with guys who are safer bets to throw 170-ish innings. To grab a few guys from tiers below: Shoemaker, Cahill, McHugh, etc. are safe bets to throw, what, 40 innings? And I contemplated writing zero innings there, but forced myself to write 40. 170 innings of 4.10 ERA and possibly 40 IP of 3.25 ERA are a coin flip based on risk. Personally, I want to avoid the 4.10-4.35 ERA at 170 IP guys, but this is about where they should be ranked. “Hello? PETA? No, I don’t enjoy beating dead horses, why do you ask and how’d you get my number? Off a bathroom wall?” 2019 Projections: 11-9/4.15/1.20/147 in 181 IP
67. Zack Godley – It would take a miracle for me to pull the trigger on Godley. Okay, not a miracle, I’d settle for Godley’s image showing up in the soap suds in my tub, and my photo of said suds sent to the Vatican, eliciting this response, “Not God, but may be Godley.” His walks were so outta control last year that the only thing Godley didn’t walk on was water. 2019 Projections: 8-13/4.22/1.30/188 in 183 IP
68. Trevor Williams – I loved Williams last year. He won me some leagues. So, I guess this is my way of saying, it was nice owning/knowing you! 2019 Projections: 10-10/4.07/1.22/135 in 182 IP
69. Reynaldo Lopez – Wow, Reynaldo’s numbers are awful. I’m just going to grab one number to illustrate: 5.22 xFIP. I mean, holy shizzballs, that’s terrible. Avoid at all costs. 2019 Projections: 8-12/4.31/1.38/158 in 187 IP
70. Carlos Rodon – No offense to the White Sox’s dreams of fantasticiness (made-up word of the day), but their pitching staff leaves more to be desired than having your house painted by Jackson Pollock. “Um, dude, you just sort of splashed paint on our front door, and you reek of booze.” 2019 Projections: 8-11/4.28/1.34/145 in 164 IP
71. Matt Shoemaker – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Ross. I call this tier, “Dollar Store condoms.” By this tier name I mean, these guys are a mix of sorta safe, sorta cheap and worth a flyer. “Wow, I’ve seen lambskin condoms before, but I never knew they made hedgehog skin condoms.” That’s you going through the Dollar Store condom assortment. For those who have studied in Grey’s Gardens for a while, you will know this is tier name I’ve used in past years. It helps me get a feel for where I am in the pitcher rankings. To explain further because I explain everything further, I like to build my pitching staffs the same every year. I’ll go over this more in my pitching tool I will release in a few days. The gist is, I like to try to work in a starter that can be reliable late in the game that won’t cost a ton that I can just discard if it comes down to it. That’s this tier. Not crazy upside, like the next tier, and not safe and upsidey like the obstetrician tier. Usually this tier is cheap, older guys. As for Shoemaker, here’s what I said when he signed with the Jays, “The Blue Jays with a solid signing! The Cobbler is going to make some contender extremely happy when he’s traded in July. Could see Shoemaker in the AL East working behind Happ, Sale, maybe even Snell, in August. Watch the Jays shock the world and promote Vlad Jr., Biggio and Bichette and every other demon seed of the 2007 All-Star Game, and be a contender themselves. Shoemaker is your standard, ‘When healthy, so sexy’ starter. WHSS, for short. WHSS is also short for Wishes for Suckers. Of course, I will draft Shoemaker and accept his 50-something dominant innings, while praying for 140+ innings.” And that’s me quoting me! 2019 Projections: 7-5/3.69/1.22/127 in 134 IP
72. Collin McHugh – Honestly, the only thing that stopped me from writing a Collin McHugh sleeper post is I’m not in the habit of writing sleeper posts about middle relievers. I’m also not in the habit of ranking middle relievers as starters, so here’s to new beginnings. *checks off New Year’s resolution to rank middle relievers as starters* I’ve really accomplished something in 2019! First, I’d like to thank my much older wife, Cougs. Without you, I’d take out the trash, but I’d have no one asking me to do it. Incessantly. *makes heart sign with hands by chest* McHugh looks like he has the Astros’ pixie dust magic, but getting a full read on a guy who spent all of last year in middle relief is hard. That’s what she said with an eye roll. I think McHugh could slide back into the rotation and be a late-breakout as the Astros are known to do. He also might get less than five starts all year, and be used in the bullpen. 2019 Projections: 8-3/3.12/1.12/123 in 109 IP
73. Michael Wacha – Usually if I’m burned by a guy I don’t immediately go back in, except, of course, Delino DeShields. He’s burned me so much it’s more like Delino DeChlamydia. However, I’m ready to get burned again by Wacha at this price. He was saddled by injuries last year, only throwing 84 1/3 IP, but he still had a 3.20 ERA. Sure, ERA is stupid, but it’s also a category in my leagues. His Ks were down, walks were up and velocity way down, but, again, he was injured, so maybe we can discard some of his down year. Let’s don that jellyfish-skin condom and get burned again! By the way, you know how they say you should pee on a jellyfish sting to take away the pain? What happens if you’re stung on your penis? That’s a riddle for the Sphinx! 2019 Projections: 11-6/3.71/1.26/148 in 162 IP
74. Kyle Gibson – I can’t believe I’m recommending Gibson, but rawr, rawr like a dragon-skin condom, I’m going back in on him. He upped his velocity last year and Ks (8.2 K/9), and there’s flashes of excellent command in his not-too-distant past. Of course, he does seem like a Saberhagenmetrics darling, alternating good year with bad year, but Saberhagenmetricians are hard to be trusted due to their flagrant disregard of everything, except year number. 2019 Projections: 12-10/3.88/1.29/170 in 192 IP
75. Trevor Cahill – Here’s what I said this offseason, “(Cahill) signed with the Angels. Cahill must be perceived to be a lesser pitcher than Matt Harvey. I’m assuming, at least, since he received two million less than him. Funny how perception and reality are operating on different realms with fantasy balancing between the two. Damn, that shizz is poetic! I would want Cahill over Harvey, and not sure how close it is. Cahill can’t stay healthy, but at least he’s serviceable when he is.” And that’s me copying and pasting me! 2019 Projections: 7-8/4.02/1.23/117 in 124 IP
76. Tyson Ross – Here’s what I said this offseason, “(Ross) signed with the Tigers. My mind was blown when I saw he had 150 IP last year. Apparently, it doesn’t take a lot to surprise me. So, Bruce Willis was dead the whole time?! Are you sure?! Don’t hate this signing by the Tigers (admittedly have no idea how much they paid), I could see Ross getting back to just under a 4.00 ERA, if his command continues to improve back to pre-injury levels.” And that’s me–you get the idea. 2019 Projections: 8-10/4.04/1.28/134 in 162 IP
77. Ross Stripling – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until the top 100 starters for 2019 fantasy baseball. I call this tier, “A mountain of microscopic goose pimples.” By the tier name I mean, I love the pitchers in this tier, but you need to be very close in proximity to fully appreciate their sample sizes. One small note that I will go over more when I do the pitcher pairings post (say that fast 117 times!), this is the last pitcher tier to draft in shallower mixed leagues, so you’re around 250 overall. As for Stripling, I’m a slave to depth charts. If a guy is not in the starting rotation, I rarely draft them. It’s also why I’m lower than most on Forrest Whitley. He’s coming in the rankings, just not yet, even though I see him being drafted about ten spots prior to this point. Not by me. I can’t see how Stripling is in the Dodgers’ rotation without an injury, which is to say by April I will have moved Stripling up these rankings, and crossed out someone *cough* Kershaw *cough*. To take me out of the equation, Rudy’s projections have Stripling down for 83 IP. If you’re drafting early, I could see grabbing Stripling in the top 50 starters, and betting on an injury to someone in the Dodgers’ rotation. If you’re drafting late, and Stripling is still not in the rotation, he’s around this point or lower. I’m splitting the difference, tee bee aitch. 2019 Projections: 10-3/3.51/1.21/119 in 109 IP
78. Jimmy Nelson – Here’s what I said this offseason, “(Nelson) re-signed with the Brewers. Nelson is firmly in the ‘Don’t forget about these pitchers in 2019’ camp, but only for people who didn’t own him for parts or all of 2018 when he was firmly in the camp of, ‘He’s gonna return and be great, I can’t believe I only have to keep him on my DL for 6 weeks…hmm…9 weeks…hmm, he’s due back right after the break…will he be break in September? Okay, I can drop him now, right?'” And that’s me rehashing me! 2019 Projections: 7-5/4.08/1.30/127 in 119 IP
79. Matt Strahm – Da duh duh, da duh duh! Let the boys be boys! Strahm! Due to his spring training performance, I couldn’t overlook what Strahm Da duh duh, da duh duh! was doing anymore. He throws 94 MPH fastball with a curve, slide-piece and change that are varying levels of plus. In the minors, he regularly registered a 10+ K/9 and even tamed his once-wild command to respectable levels in the last year. I love NL West pitchers, and there feels like a real chance for a breakout here. So, definitely draft Strahm Da duh duh, da duh duh! Let the boys be boys! (If you can say his name without the rest of that, you’re a better man than I.) 2019 Projections: 8-3/3.19/1.05/132 in 125 IP
80. Touki Toussaint – To prove that we’re all fallible, I’m surprised I didn’t write a rookie outlook post for Touki. To prove I know what fallible means, I used it in a sentence. Twice! I think I know what I was thinking. The Braves are a contender, and I’m shocked if Touki gets more than 100 innings. Not the greatest excuse, since I did outlook posts for guys like Honeywell. In general, I hate rookie pitchers. Correction, I hate drafting rookie pitchers. Honeywell should be on the DL to start the year, which is a plus for stashing. In most leagues, you can just pick up rookie pitchers, get roofied, and drop them. In deep leagues, you draft a rookie pitcher, sit on them for three months, then they get called up and replace your kidney with an accordion while you’re passed out in an Afghani cave. So, why rank Touki first? Because it looks like he’s in the rotation to start the year. This, of course, is bound to change within days of me releasing these rankings and I will end up dropping him out of this tier. For now, though, I did it all for the Touki. 2019 Projections: 8-5/3.97/1.36/108 in 97 IP
80. Bryse Wilson – With Gausman and Faultyelbowitz headed to the IL (which is short for ill), Wilson, Kyle Wright and sometimes Max Fried will be in the Braves’ rotation. This is going to come as a surprise for people but I prefer Bryse Wilson to Wright (or Fried). At only 21 years of age, Bryce has so major poyse. In Triple-A, he had 11.5 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 in only 22 IP, and not much worse in a larger sample size in Double-A (10.4 K/9, 3 BB/9). He throws 95 MPH and has an above-average slider and change. I’d never choose a rookie pitcher for Rookie of the Year-type accolades, but, if I were, Bryse is the type of guy I’d look at. Now wouldn’t that be Bryse for Wilson. 2019 Projections: 7-4/3.82/1.24/126 in 121
