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New York Mets 2012 Projected Rotation (Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R A Dickey, Dillon Gee)

I thought about simply reposting my comments about the Mets' rotation from last year, since not much has changed to make me excited about this team. But that would just be lazy, and our readers deserve better than that. So, without further ado, my expectations about another underwhelming season for the Mets' SPs.

Check out the rest of our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

C – 1B – 2B – SS – 3B – OF – SP – RP

New York Mets Starting Rotation

Player	IP	W	ERA	WHIP	K	K/9	ADP
Johan Santana	150	8	3.65	1.26	116	7	229/267/328
Mike Pelfrey	200	9	4.45	1.35	111	5	*/460/400
Jon Niese	175	9	3.80	1.31	152	7.8	233/238/359
R A Dickey	200	10	3.55	1.24	122	5.5	*/270/311
Dillon Gee	170	10	4.35	1.38	123	6.5	371/235/*

ADP is from Couch Managers, Mock Draft Central and Fantasy GameDay, respectively, and is current as of the day of publication.

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Is it a certainty that Santana will be back this season? I have a huge distrust of the Mets and their injury return estimates. Even if Johan takes the mound for the whole season, it's not like he's the ace he once was. The strikeouts aren't there, nor is the control. I might take a late (last couple of rounds late) risk that he could be worth a roster slot, but it's not likely.

Pelfrey can give you innings, but not much else. Look at his ADP-he's not even being considered in most drafts. You should take the hint and ignore him, too.

Niese is not as awful as his rotation mates, but that still is only faint praise. As a SP5, he's acceptable, and he does contribute in the strikeout column, but I try not to draft pitchers whose WHIP is north of 1.28.

Dickey is another inning eater, tossing up the knuckler every five days. The strikeout potential is nil, but he does have some attractive ERA and WHIP numbers. He could be a solid SP5/6 for your roster...certainly he's the best option out of the Mets' offerings in 2012.

Gee is a fifth starter in real baseball, but that does not translate to fantasy. With an ERA over 4 and a WHIP approaching 1.4, you should look elsewhere for a SP, no matter how deep your league drafts.

Gadzooks, things look bleak in the world of SP for the Mets. Both in fantasy and on the field. I feel bad for any Mets fans out there. There's always next year, right?

Comments are always welcome and I can be contacted at ia@fantasyalarm.com If you are interested in joining me for a weekly mock draft, drop me a line. I host one mock at least every week through the end of March, and am willing to set up the parameters to help you draft in your individual leagues.

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Tagged Dillon Gee Johan Santana Jon Niese MLB Mike Pelfrey New York Mets R A Dickey Rotations Starting Pitching

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Miami Marlins 2012 Projected Rotation (Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez, Carlos Zambrano)

Miami wanted to make a splash this off-season, spending money on a new shortstop and two members of their rotation, but missing out on the Pujols and Fielder sweepstakes. It'll be interesting to see how all the new parts come together, but I do like one addition to the SP ranks. The other, not so thrilling to me. Here's how I see the rotation shaping up in early February.

Check out the rest of our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

C – 1B – 2B – SS – 3B – OF – SP – RP

Miami Marlins Starting Rotation

Player	IP	W	ERA	WHIP	K	K/9	ADP
Josh Johnson	160	13	3.00	1.14	146	8.2	74/98/94
Mark Buehrle	205	13	3.75	1.31	114	5.0	206/301/275
Ricky Nolasco	190	12	4.05	1.35	165	7.8	241/258/94
Anibal Sanchez	185	13	3.50	1.28	177	8.6	175/129/150
Carlos Zambrano	175	12	4.15	1.36	146	7.5	276/261/378

ADP is from Couch Managers, Mock Draft Central and Fantasy GameDay, respectively.

Want to read more? Check out our Fantasy Alarm in-season fantasy baseball coverage complete with nightly fantasy baseball recaps, two start pitchers, best waiver pickups, injury reports and in-depth minor league baseball coverage.

Josh Johnson can be a great pitcher. If fact, he is a great pitcher. His problem is staying healthy. Great strikeout potential, sharp command and the ability to force groundballs all make him a desirable SP1. Problem is, with the reward comes high risk. I am not willing to take that chance with my ace. I will let others reap the rewards, while I minimize my potential for disaster.

The move to the NL should only improve Buehrle's potential. He is a pitcher that doesn't wow you with his stuff, but at the end of the season, he'll have provided the kind of numbers you want from a SP3/4. You need to get your Ks from the rest of your staff, but Buehrle can give your pitching staff a nice solid foundation.

Nolasco should prove tobe a bargain in drafts this season, given how poorly he pitched in 2011. I think he was a bit unlucky with his strand rate and BABIP, but he also saw a dip in his K/9 ratio. I wouldn't take much more than SP4/5 flier on him, but if he's dangling at the tail end of your draft, he is worth considering.

Sanchez is a pitcher on the rise. Just now 28, he was finally healthy with no shoulder woes last season, and we watched him put up a great K/9 with good command (a K/BB in the 3.0 neighborhood). I expect a few more victories with the revamped lineup in Miami than last year's 8. If I had to choose a SP3/4 in the middle rounds, Sanchez would look mighty tempting.

I am not excited about Big Z in the least. I could see him doing a passable job in Miami, or simply blowing up and therefore, exploding your fantasy team. With a plus 4 ERA and a WHIP floating over 1.3, I cannot recommend rostering him.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday & Sunday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST and Wednesday 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

Comments are always welcome and I can be contacted at ia@fantasyalarm.com If you are interested in joining me for a weekly mock draft, drop me a line. I host one mock at least every week through the end of March, and am willing to set up the parameters to help you draft in your individual leagues.

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Tagged Anibal Sanchez Carlos Zambrano Josh Johnson MLB Mark Buehrle Miami Marlins Projected Rotation Ricky Nolasco Starting Pitchers

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Atlanta Braves 2012 Projected Rotation (Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, Brandon Beachy, Mike Minor)

Before we know it, spring training will be upon us with the pitchers and catchers reporting in sunny Florida and Arizona. Thus, there is no better time to start thinking about what each team's rotation will look like. This allows us fantasy players to formulate our draft strategies and by reading these articles, I hope to give you a leg up on your competition. I am starting with the NL East, and so first comes the Braves.

Check out the rest of our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

C – 1B – 2B – SS – 3B – OF – SP – RP

The following table gives you the projections I've determined early on in this 2012 pre-season. Adjusts will need to be made, of course, as the spring unfolds. I have gone with the listing of SPs for each team that I published early this month, but will adjust as the rotations become more settled. I am also adding my favorite stat to evaluate pitchers, that being strikeouts per 9 innings. When drafting, I will always gravitate to the guys that keep runners off the bases, so long as the peripheral stats bear me out. I am also showing the current (as of date of publication) ADP for each pitcher from Couch Managers, Mock Draft Central and Fantasy GameDay.

Atlanta Braves Projected Rotation

Player	IP	W	ERA	WHIP	K	K/9	ADP
Tim Hudson	210	14	3.45	1.21	135	5.7	154/138/157
Jair Jurrjens	160	11	3.88	1.33	120	6.75	155/210/210
Tommy Hanson	190	12	3.45	1.22	210	9.9	93/94/76
Brandon Beachy	190	13	3.58	1.22	205	9.7	116/118/134
Mike Minor	185	9	4.20	1.33	170	8.3	213/230/324

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Tim Hudson is the ace of the staff, at least for now. A ground ball inducing pitcher, he is best started on your team when pitching at Turner Field. Last year, his home/away splits were horrible, but that is more a matter of bad luck than poor pitching. Still, the lack of strikeouts is concerning to me and I wouldn't draft him any earlier than a SP3/4 on my team.

Jurrjens had a great first half but then his injury bug bit him again. Personally, I believe the first part of 2011 is the absolute best you can expect, and went on a month or so too long to ever expect again. I used to rue the day the Tigers traded him away for Edgar Rentieria but no longer. Back of the rotation or spot starter at best.

Tommy Hanson is another bright spot on the horizon, fantasy pitching-wise. Before his shoulder injury last year, he was demonstrating the skill set that had many of us reaching for him three years ago. A dominant strikeout master with excellent control, if he stays healthy, I see him as a SP2 for your team. Be wary of the health issues, though, as shoulder injuries in a pitcher make me nervous.

Brandon Beachy could be the best SP on the staff. Another young hurler with command and dominance, until he strained his oblique (the trendy injury of 2011), he was a joy to own. I've been targeting him in mocks and his ADP is rising everytime I look. He will not be available as a sleeper, so be prepared to draft him in the early middle rounds. I would take him as my SP3 without question and perhaps as a SP2.

Now, Mike Minor is currently the definition of a sleeper. I am prolly undervaluing his K/9 potential, and I expect the abnormally high LD% he posted last season to normalize. He could be another strikeout per inning guy for your staff, but don't plan on a stellar ERA or WHIP. Even with the limited peripheral value, he is a great end of the draft pick.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday & Sunday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST and Wednesday 8:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

Comments are always welcome. I can be reached concerning SP issues at ia@fantasyalarm.com Drop me an e-mail if you are interested in joining me for a weekly mock draft, too. I host one mock at least every week up through the end of March, and can set up the parameters to help you draft in your individual leagues.

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Tagged Atlanta Braves Brandon Beachy Jair Jurrjens MLB Mike Minor Rotations Starting Pitchers Tim Hudson Tommy Hanson

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2012 MLB "Official" Starting Rotations

I started this post as I was preparing for Super Sunday, but computer issues delayed it's appearance. I did note even as the game played out that my thoughts have turned to the promise of a new baseball season, and all the hope that February and March bring to fantasy owners everywhere. If the hot stove free agent and trade activity haven't gotten you excited, then maybe some starting pitching analysis will do the trick. I know that just in compiling the information set forth below I felt as though more was right with the world than not. Anyway, here's a preliminary look at all 30 MLB rotations, as they play out right now. There will still be some movement, to be sure, but the chart below should provide a decent jumping off point for us all.

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NL Projected Starting Rotations
		SP1	SP2	SP3	SP4	SP5
Atlanta Braves		Tim Hudson	Jair Jurrens	Tommy Hanson	Brandon Beachy	Mike Minor
Miami Marlins		Josh Johnson	Mark Buehrle	Ricky Nolasco	Anibal Sanchez	Carlos Zambrano
New York Mets		Johan Santana	Mike Pelfrey	Jon Niese	R. A. Dickey	Dillon Gee
Philadelphia Phillies		Roy Halladay	Cliff Lee	Cole Hamels	Vance Worley	Joe Blanton
Washington Nationals		Stephen Strasburg	Gio Gonzalez	Jordan Zimmerman	John Lannan	Edwin Jackson/Chien-Ming Wang
Chicago Cubs		Matt Garza	Ryan Dempster	Randy Wells	Chris Volstad	Paul Maholm/Travis Wood
Cincinnati Reds		Johnny Cueto	Mat Latos	Bronson Arroyo	Mike Leake	Homer Bailey
Houston Astros		Wandy Rodriguez	Brett Myers	Bud Norris	J. A. Happ	Jordan Lyles/Henry Sosa
Milwaukee Brewers		Yovani Gallardo	Zack Greinke	Shaun Marcum	Randy Wolf	Chris Narveson
Pittsburgh Pirates		Erik Bedard	James McDonald	Kevin Correia	Jeff Karstens	Charlie Morton
St. Louis Cardinals		Chris Carpenter	Adam Wainwright	Jaime Garcia	Kyle Lohse	Jake Westbrook
Arizona Diamondbacks		Ian Kennedy	David Hudson	Trevor Cahill	Joe Saunders	Josh Collmenter
Colorado Rockies		Jhoulys Chacin	Jeremy Guthrie	Guillermo Moscoso	Alex White	Juan Nicasio/Drew Pomeranz/Tyler Chatwood/Kevin Millwood
Los Angeles Dodgers		Clayton Kershaw	Chad Billingsley	Ted Lilly	Aaron Harang	Chris Capuano
San Diego Padres		Tim Stauffer	Clayton Richard	Edinson Volquez	Cory Leubke	Dustin Moseley
San Francisco Giants		Tim Lincecum	Matt Cain	Madison Baumgarner	Ryan Vogelsong	Barry Zito
AL Projected Starting Rotations
Baltimore Orioles	Zach Britton		Jason Hammel	Tommy Hunter	Alfredo Simon	Wei-Yin Chen/Jake Arrieta/Tsuyoshi Wade
Boston Red Sox	Josh Beckett		Jon Lester	Clay Buchholz	Alfredo Aceves	Daniel Bard
New York Yankees	CC Sabathia		Michael Pinedo	Hiroki Kuroda	Ivan Nova	Phil Hughes/Freddie Garcia/A. J. Burnett
Tampa Bay Rays	David Price		James Shields	Jeremy Hellickson	Matt Moore	Wade Davis
Toronto Blue Jays	Ricky Romero		Brandon Morrow	Brett Cecil	Henderson Alvarez	Dustin McGowan
Chicago White Sox	Gavin Floyd		John Danks	Phil Humber	Jake Peavy	Chris Sale
Cleveland Indians	Ubaldo Jiminez		Justin Masterson	Fausto Carmona	Josh Tomlin	Kevin Slowey/ Derek Lowe
Detroit Tigers	Justin Verlander		Doug Fister	Max Scherzer	Rick Porcello	Jacob Turner
Kansas City Royals	Luke Hochevar		Jonathan Sanchez	Bruce Chen	Aaron Crow	Felipe Paulino/Dan Duffy
Minnesota Twins	Carl Pavano		Francisco Liriano	Scott Baker	Nick Blackburn	Jason Marquis/Brian Duensing
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	Jared Weaver		Dan Haren	C. J. Wilson	Ervin Santana	Jerome Williams/Garrett Richards
Oakland Athletics	Brandon McCarthy		Bartolo Colon	Brad Peacock	Tom Milone	Dallas Braden/Jarrod Parker
Seattle Mariners	Felix Hernandez		Jason Vargas	Blake Beaven	Hisashi Iwakuma	Hector Noesi
Texas Rangers	Colby Lewis		Derek Holland	Yu Darvish	Neftali Feliz	Matt Harrison

Check out the rest of our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

C – 1B – 2B – SS – 3B – OF – SP – RP

Things will change once camps open and rotations are jiggered and manipulated. For now, though, this is a preliminary peek into the 2012 season and what we will be talking and writing about over the next eight months.

If you ever have a question about starting pitching, I can be contacted at ia@fantasyalarm.com. Or if you have an interest in participating in any mock drafts during February and March, drop me a line as I am holding weekly mocks at least the middle of March, if not the end of the month.

Want to read more? Check out our Fantasy Alarm in-season fantasy baseball coverage complete with nightly fantasy baseball recaps, two start pitchers, best waiver pickups, injury reports and in-depth minor league baseball coverage.