Accepting enormous risk is not an easy thing to stomach in fantasy baseball, but it’s necessary when trying to build a strong staff of starting pitchers. Just consider some of the names in the top 10 below.
I have Jacob deGrom at No. 2, even though he didn’t pitch after July last season because of forearm/elbow problems. The word is he’s fine now, and if he is indeed fine, deGrom is the best pitcher in the sport, no questions asked. Maybe putting him at No. 2 is optimistic, but his ceiling far surpasses any else’s — including Gerrit Cole — and the inherent risk involved is not that much greater than that which resides with any top-end starter.
Max Scherzer (No. 4) is 37 years old and has made trips to the injured list in each of the past two full seasons. Zack Wheeler (No. 7), after throwing 213.1 innings in 2021, experienced some shoulder soreness this winter which has him a little behind schedule in Spring Training. Shane Bieber (No. 8) missed more than three months last year due to a shoulder injury. As you go further down these rankings, you’ll see other big names who are even more injury-prone and/or whom I just don’t quite believe in any longer.
But winning in fantasy baseball requires a leap of faith when it comes to starting pitching. How to keep an ace pitcher healthy is a query that all MLB franchises are still trying to answer. No strategy seems 100 percent dependable; you just have to accept the high likelihood of injury that comes with repeatedly performing a highly athletic skill that generates a ton of force on the body.
Since a physical breakdown is a possible outcome for any pitcher, the best course of action when building your starting staff is to assess that risk on a case-by-case basis while always giving a little more weight to what could happen if their body holds up.
Here are my top 100 starting pitcher rankings for 2022.
2022 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 100 SPs
Top 100 starting pitchers
Rank | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Team |
1 | Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees |
2 | Jacob deGrom | New York Mets |
3 | Corbin Burnes | Milwaukee Brewers |
4 | Max Scherzer | New York Mets |
5 | Walker Buehler | Los Angeles Dodgers |
6 | Brandon Woodruff | Milwaukee Brewers |
7 | Zack Wheeler | Philadelphia Phillies |
8 | Shane Bieber | Cleveland Guardians |
9 | Julio Urias | Los Angeles Dodgers |
10 | Sandy Alcantara | Miami Marlins |
11 | Aaron Nola | Philadelphia Phillies |
12 | Lucas Giolito | Chicago White Sox |
13 | Lance Lynn | Chicago White Sox |
14 | Logan Webb | San Francisco Giants |
15 | Freddy Peralta | Milwaukee Brewers |
16 | Jose Berrios | Toronto Blue Jays |
17 | Robbie Ray | Seattle Mariners |
18 | Joe Musgrove | San Diego Padres |
19 | Frankie Montas | Oakland Athletics |
20 | Yu Darvish | San Diego Padres |
21 | Charlie Morton | Atlanta Braves |
22 | Max Fried | Atlanta Braves |
23 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels |
24 | Kevin Gausman | Toronto Blue Jays |
25 | Alek Manoah | Toronto Blue Jays |
26 | Dylan Cease | Chicago White Sox |
27 | Justin Verlander | Houston Astros |
28 | Trevor Rogers | Miami Marlins |
29 | Carlos Rodon | San Francisco Giants |
30 | Shane McClanahan | Tampa Bay Rays |
31 | Nathan Eovaldi | Boston Red Sox |
32 | Chris Bassitt | New York Mets |
33 | Framber Valdez | Houston Astros |
34 | Luis Castillo | Cincinnati Reds |
35 | Pablo Lopez | Miami Marlins |
36 | Ian Anderson | Atlanta Braves |
37 | Eduardo Rodriguez | Detroit Tigers |
38 | Sonny Gray | Minnesota Twins |
39 | Tyler Mahle | Cincinnati Reds |
40 | Sean Manaea | Oakland Athletics |
41 | Blake Snell | San Diego Padres |
42 | Chris Sale | Boston Red Sox |
43 | Jose Urquidy | Houston Astros |
44 | Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers |
45 | Ranger Suarez | Philadelphia Phillies |
46 | Mike Clevinger | San Diego Padres |
47 | Luis Garcia | Houston Astros |
48 | Zac Gallen | Arizona Diamondbacks |
49 | Logan Gilbert | Seattle Mariners |
50 | Marcus Stroman | Chicago Cubs |
51 | Hyun Jin Ryu | Toronto Blue Jays |
52 | Shane Baz | Tampa Bay Rays |
53 | Michael Kopech | Chicago White Sox |
54 | Anthony DeSclafani | San Francisco Giants |
55 | Aaron Civale | Cleveland Guardians |
56 | German Marquez | Colorado Rockies |
57 | Luis Severino | New York Yankees |
58 | Adam Wainwright | St. Louis Cardinals |
59 | Alex Wood | San Francisco Giants |
60 | Kyle Hendricks | Chicago Cubs |
61 | John Means | Baltimore Orioles |
62 | Tarik Skubal | Detroit Tigers |
63 | Patrick Sandoval | Los Angeles Angels |
64 | Noah Syndergaard | Los Angeles Angels |
65 | Lance McCullers Jr. | Houston Astros |
66 | Steven Matz | St. Louis Cardinals |
67 | Huascar Ynoa | Atlanta Braves |
68 | Carlos Carrasco | New York Mets |
69 | Cal Quantrill | Cleveland Guardians |
70 | Triston McKenzie | Cleveland Guardians |
71 | Yusei Kikuchi | Toronto Blue Jays |
72 | Joe Ryan | Minnesota Twins |
73 | Tanner Houck | Boston Red Sox |
74 | Luis Patino | Tampa Bay Rays |
75 | Jordan Montgomery | New York Yankees |
76 | Jon Gray | Texas Rangers |
77 | Zack Greinke | Kansas City Royals |
78 | Alex Cobb | San Francisco Giants |
79 | Jack Flaherty | St. Louis Cardinals |
80 | Jameson Taillon | New York Yankees |
81 | Josiah Gray | Washington Nationals |
82 | Zach Plesac | Cleveland Guardians |
83 | Stephen Strasburg | Washington Nationals |
84 | Taijuan Walker | New York Mets |
85 | Chris Paddack | San Diego Padres |
86 | Bailey Ober | Minnesota Twins |
87 | Aaron Ashby | Milwaukee Brewers |
88 | Tony Gonsolin | Los Angeles Dodgers |
89 | Andrew Heaney | Los Angeles Dodgers |
90 | Elieser Hernandez | Miami Marlins |
91 | Zach Eflin | Philadelphia Phillies |
92 | Nick Pivetta | Boston Red Sox |
93 | Cristian Javier | Houston Astros |
94 | MacKenzie Gore | San DIego Padres |
95 | Marco Gonzales | Seattle Mariners |
96 | Kyle Gibson | Philadelphia Phillies |
97 | Wade Miley | Chicago Cubs |
98 | Trevor Bauer | Los Angeles Dodgers |
99 | James Kaprielian | Oakland Athletics |
100 | Brady Singer | Kansas City Royals |