Fantasy Baseball Preview: Top 50 Starters

It's that time of year again kids, fantasy baseball season. Time when grown men gather together and decide whether or not they want to draft John Danks or Johnny Cueto in the 17th round.

Wait, what is that you say? You don't know what the fuck a Johnny Cueto is? Well no worries my friend! TheWizWit team is here to help! We've pulled together our collective fantasy baseball talents (well, except for Maurice whose fantasy sports abilities begin and end with football) to bring you the 2010 WizWit.com's Fantasy Baseball Preview. We didn't always agree, as you'll see below. However, these rankings are guaranteed to help you win your championship this year. If they don't, well, blame Maurice.

First off, the guys we (really) disagreed on:

Ricky Nolasco (Chris's ranking: 31, Dave's ranking: 15)

Chris's Take: I'm not totally sold that Nolasco's head is where it needs to be, nor am I a big proponent of the sabermetrics ratios that tout him so highly. The guy just could not get outs last year. While he came back and pitched well after a minor league stint, I just don't trust him. He's certainly not as bad as his final # totals were for last year, but I don't think he's as good as his 2008 #'s. He's likely somewhere in the middle (which makes him a very good cadidate), but I'll let somebody else draft him as I wouldn't use a pick for the average draft position he'd go.

Dave's Take: Draft Ricky Nolasco. This guy had a K/9 rate almost identical with Zach Greinke (9.49 to 9.50). He doesn't walk many, as his K/BB ratio was 5th in the majors. AND he plays for a good enough team where 15+ wins is possible. Yes, his ERA last year was over 5. But when he came back from the minors in early June he pitched rather well and his ERA was 3.82 from that point on. They guy misses bats and, when his crazy high BABIP from last year normalizes, he should be more of 3.50 ERA pitcher. You add in likely 200+ K's and his a top 20 pitcher, easily.

Brandon Webb (Chris's ranking: 23, Dave's ranking: 41)

Dave's Take: Brandon Webb is an excellent pitcher. Healthy, he's a top 10 guy without question. But this is a guy coming back from shoulder surgery. He pitched four innings last year. His recovery, as he has said himself, isn't going to happen quickly. He has barely thrown over the last year and will likely take a few months to get back to full strength (if he gets there at all this year). I just think there are safer bets. Could you strike it rich with Webb this year? Sure, but he could also blow up in your face. Let someone else take the risk.

Chris's Take: Webb could be the biggest draft day value pick of the season. He is a year removed from absolutley lights out seasons and has had a significant amount of time to rehab his shoulder. Webb has already started throwing and is not being held back as spring training starts. Don't let him fall too far - you could be passing up this years biggest bargain in the 2010 version of Chris Carpenter.

Brett Anderson (Chris's ranking: 49, Dave's Ranking: 29)

Chris's Take: Nothing not to like here, he's a good young pitcher who could break out this season. I rate him lower because I have to believe there may be some bumps in the road in his sophomore season, as it can always be frustrating to play matchups with a very young (22yrs old) pitcher. I also bump him down a tad due to the fact he plays on a very poor team where Wins are at a premium.

Dave's Take: Brett Anderson has all the tools. He induces ground balls like it's his job and has swing and miss stuff. He pitches in a great ballpark for pitchers. If he played for the Red Sox or Yankees he's be hyped beyond belief. Will he have ups and downs? Sure. But he's got tremendous upside and has shown he has the composure to get it done. If he's around in round 13 or 14, give him a shot. You'll be happy you did.

And now, onto the rankings:

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Roy Halladay
3. Felix Hernandez
4. CC Sabathia
5. Zach Greinke
6. Jon Lester
7. Dan Haren
8. Justin Verlander
9. Adam Wainwright
10. Johan Santana
11. Cliff Lee
12. Chris Carpenter
13. Josh Johnson
14. Cole Hamels
15. Josh Beckett
16. Yovani Gallardo
17. Clayton Kershaw
18. Jake Peavy
19. Tommy Hanson
20. Javier Vazquez
21. Matt Cain
22. Ricky Nolasco
23. John Lackey
24. Chad Billingsley
25. Ubaldo Jimenez
26. Wandy Rodriguez
27. Jered Weaver
28. Matt Garza
29. James Shields
30. A.J. Burnett
31. Scott Kazmir
32. Scott Baker
33. Brandon Webb
34. Roy Oswalt
35. David Price
36. Jair Jurrjens
37. Edwin Jackson
38. Brett Anderson
39. Ryan Dempster
40. Max Scherzer
41. Tim Hudson
42. Carlos Zambrano
43. John Danks
44. Rich Harden
45. Ben Sheets
46. Kevin Slowey
47. Derek Lowe
48. Huroki Kuroda
49. Johnny Cueto
50. Ervin Santana