High Fives: Visit to the mound

Top 5 starting pitcher draft values, based on Yahoo ADP

1. Alex Wood -  Run support may be an issue, but he's a star on the rise who offers plenty of K upside

1. Clayton Kershaw – He should be the clear No. 2 overall pick

1. Gerrit Cole - Strikeout spike, ground-ball bias, friendly park, Searage factor, mid-90s fastball. Enormous upside.

2.  Danny Salazar -  Pedigree and 2nd half rebound should trump early '14 struggles

2. Matt Harvey - I’m all in this year, willing to draft him around 40 picks higher than his ADP

2. Phil Hughes - Escaping New York cleared his head, fixed everything. When in doubt, trust K/BB.

3. Phil Hughes -  K/BB rate was unreal in '14 - MIN home park very pitcher friendly

3. Gerrit Cole - Great pedigree/ park and had a 41:3 K:BB ratio over last five starts last year.

3. Jose Quintana - Pitched far better than 9-11, 3.32/1.24 last year

4. Mike Fiers -  Offers bankable K per IP stuff with ratio serviceability at a low, low price

4. Mike Fiers - His 21.5 K-BB% would’ve ranked seventh-best last year if he qualified

4. Brandon McCarthy - Numbers spiked after trade, now back in friendly LA

5. Collin McHugh -  Believe in that slider - he throws it often, and it's legit

5. Danny Salazar - Has a 238.4 ADP while possessing the upside of a top-15 pitcher

5. Ian Kennedy - The overlooked guy in Petco

Bottom 5 starting pitcher draft values, based on Yahoo ADP

1. Sonny Gray -  I want more than 7.5/K per 9 from someone drafted among the top 20 starters

1. Anibal Sanchez - Don’t want to spend a high pick on a SP with such injury risk

1. Andrew Cashner - Frequent injuries, strikeout count doesn't seem to match raw stuff

2. Justin Verlander  -  Fastball velocity has fallen 5 straight seasons, K/9 fell below 7.0 last season

2. Justin Verlander - Is being drafted as a top-35 SP coming off a 6.95 K/9 rate

2. Masahiro Tanaka - I'll root but not invest; arm held together by scotch tape

3. Rick Porcello -  In Y! default leagues, you can't draft a SP with a career 5.49 K/9

3. Mat Latos - FB velocity has decreased every year he’s been in the league

3. Tyson Ross - Forty-one percent sliders? Run while you still can. 

4. Hisashi Iwakuma -  Tanked hard after AS break in '14, and soon to be 34 years old

4. Masahiro Tanaka - Love his skills but worried about his arm

4. Madison Bumgarner - Price jumped and he's off a 270-inning year

5. Anibal Sanchez - Health risk; Only 1 ('13) of his 6 seasons with 100+ IP delivered a return that warrants current ADP

5. Lance Lynn - He’s being drafted ahead of Doug Fister?

5. Adam Wainwright - Long a favorite of mine, but everything I read this spring is worrisome

Top 5 strikeout bets for '15 among the SP-eligible crowd

1. Clayton Kershaw - Coming off season in which he averaged 10.9 K/9

1. Clayton Kershaw - He’s good at baseball

1. Max Scherzer - Go look at the cushy division again, ha ha ha 

2. Max Scherzer - Whiffed 252 in '14, and now he gets to to face pitchers instead of DHs

2. Max Scherzer - He’s going to be a monster in the NL

2. Clayton Kershaw - I won't take him Round 1, but the argument is reasonable

3. Felix Hernandez -  K rate has risen steadily with age - 9.4+ K/9 each of past 2 seasons

3. Stephen Strasburg - Only health is the issue here

3. Felix Hernandez - Averaged 226 whiffs over six years, never misses

4. Jon Lester -  Innings eater coming off K/IP season and, like Scherzer, gets to lose the DH this season

4. Chris Sale - Had second-highest K% (30.4) in MLB last season

4. David Price - Can be a frustrating own at times, but three huge strikeout years out of four

5. David Price - Has whiffed 200+ in 3 of past 4 seasons, including 271 in '14

5. Corey Kluber - His breakout last year was no fluke

5. Corey Kluber - Guessing he's more durable than Strasburg  

Top 5 projected fantasy rookie starters for '15

1. Carlos Rodon - His stuff is MLB-ready and Danks and Noesi are the current No. 4-5 (yuck!)

1. Carlos Rodon - Was the top college prospect of last year’s draft

1. Carlos Rodon - White Sox know division is there for taking, should be aggressive with promotions 

2. Noah Syndergaard - 6-foot-6, 240 lbs with high 90s fastball, solid control

2. Noah Syndergaard - Zach Wheeler’s injury should speed up his timeline

2. Aaron Sanchez - Needed in rotation after Stroman news

3. Daniel Norris - Has makings of 4 above-average offerings and has window of opportunity this spring

3. Aaron Sanchez - Was a candidate to close but more likely to start with Marcos Stroman out 

3. Noah Syndegaard - When in doubt, bet on the big pitchers 

4. Henry Owens - Has a natural feel for pitching, K rates have been great in minors and BOS staff has some fleas

4. Dylan Bundy - Is two years removed from being the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball

4. Andrew Heaney - Messy first time around, but new division has soft landing spots, too

5. Andrew Heaney - Strike-thrower could find himself in LA quickly this season

5. Archie Bradley - Has disappointed, but there’s still upside here

5. Archie Bradley - Now that post-hype discount applies, I'm interested 

Top 5 least favorite MLB starting pitchers of all-time

1. David Wells -  That he lasted 21 years doesn't speak well to what kind of conditioning it takes to be a MLBer

1. Mark Prior - I feel bad for him, but no SP cost me more in fantasy leagues. I was all in

1. Don Sutton - Cheesy hair, cheated without repercussions (Black & Decker, anyone?), compiled way into HOF

2. Roger Clemens -  Loved him in Boston, but my dislike for him gained steam from his Yankee years forward

2. Roger Clemens - I never understood him throwing that bat at Mike Piazza

2. John Lackey - Looks like a jerk from every angle 

3. Mike Scott -  Can't explain it - Always felt oddly compelled to root against him

3. Barry Zito - He made up for it in two outings, but that $126 million contract was rough

3. Roger Clemens - Undeniable legend, but worked damn hard at being unlikable 

4. Barry Zito -  He's an overpaid athlete poster boy, but unfortunately he earned his keep against my M's (12-3 career)

4. Gio Gonzalez - Lost a league because of his performance (on his last pitch) during the last game of the 2011 season

4. Jack Morris - All sunshine and lollipops during HOF campaign; different guy during playing days

5. Steve Carlton - He bored me to death as a kid, too young to understand his slider artistry

5. Clayton Kershaw - Because he's a Dodger and is so, so good

5. Daisuke Matsuzaka - Slow-working nibblers are the worst to watch