Starting pitcher is as deep as ever in 2022, and there’s a good mix of veterans and relatively young hurlers near the top of Fantasy Alarm’s SP rankings. Of course, we all know that no position is plagued by injuries like pitcher, so you need to at least be considering a guy on the mound at virtually every point in your draft.
That doesn’t mean you have to draft a pitcher early; nor does it mean you should avoid them and rely completely on a bevy of late-round sleepers and more breakouts who are sure to emerge throughout the year. Much like outfield, it’s all about finding value at various stages of the draft.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Fantasy Alarm Ultimate Draft Guide
Advanced stats are important for evaluating any position, but they’re especially key for SPs. Whatever your preference – FIP, xFIP, SIERA, swinging-strike percentage, BABIP – advanced stats are far superior to the stats that actually count for most fantasy leagues. Of course, if a pitcher routinely has a higher or lower ERA than FIP, that can’t be ignored either, but either way, don’t just count on wins, ERA, WHIP, and Ks when making draft-day decisions.
It’s always tough to evaluate young pitchers who have had only one season with a decent amount of major league starting experience. Alek Manoah, Shane McClanahan, and Logan Webb are a few of those guys this year. While all have major upside, plenty of fantasy owners have been burned by overdrafting these types of pitchers in the past. You’ll have to pay up, at least in relative terms, if you want them, but, again, there will be decent pitchers available later.
There really isn’t one set strategy for this position, so don’t feel you have to follow any rules. Build a well-rounded staff, load up on Ks, and hope for good health.
2022 FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS:
Catcher | First | Second | Third | Short | Outfield | Closer | Overall
Fantasy Baseball SP Rankings: Top players at starting pitcher
These rankings are a composite of three of Fantasy Alarm's experts. Players might also be eligible at RP.
MORE FANTASY: Sleepers | Prospects | Cheat Sheet
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Corbin Burnes | Brewers |
| 2 | Gerrit Cole | Yankees |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | Mets |
| 4 | Walker Buehler | Dodgers |
| 5 | Brandon Woodruff | Brewers |
| 6 | Lucas Giolito | White Sox |
| 7 | Julio Urias | Dodgers |
| 8 | Shane Bieber | Guardians |
| 9 | Zack Wheeler | Phillies |
| 10 | Aaron Nola | Phillies |
| 11 | Sandy Alcantara | Marlins |
| 12 | Max Fried | Braves |
| 13 | Shohei Ohtani | Angels |
| 14 | Freddy Peralta | Brewers |
| 15 | Robbie Ray | Mariners |
| 16 | Logan Webb | Giants |
| 17 | Lance Lynn | White Sox |
| 18 | Yu Darvish | Padres |
| 19 | Jose Berrios | Blue Jays |
| 20 | Trevor Rogers | Marlins |
| 21 | Joe Musgrove | Padres |
| 22 | Kevin Gausman | Blue Jays |
| 23 | Carlos Rodon | Giants |
| 24 | Luis Castillo | Reds |
| 25 | Frankie Montas | A's |
For the rest of Fantasy Alarm's SP rankings -- and rankings at every position -- click here.