Two full years = Two Cy Young Awards.  What else can you say?  Last year, he made a nice leap in efficiency by lowering his ERA, earned runs, homeruns, hits allowed, and walks allowed totals.  Lincecum was absolutely overpowering at home posting a 1.88 ERA and 1.01 WHIP and the Giants should be able to provide a little more run support this season.  Lincecum had some off-field trouble after being cited for marijuana possession (he’s from Seattle, plays in San Francisco, and, look at the hair, we’re not shocked or worried.)  His 5-11, 170 pound frame undergoes a tremendous amount of torque during his delivery and a slight dip in velocity has been documented.  However, Lincecum has constantly proved doubters wrong over his career, so we think he can continue dominating the opposition in 2010.

The Blue Jays finally pulled the trigger and sent Halladay to Philadelphia as the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal.  The move to a hitter-friendly ballpark will be offset by not having to face a DH and less-dangerous hitters – not to mention a more powerful lineup behind him.  He’s pitched a ton of innings over his career -220+ IP in 4 consecutive seasons plus 9 complete games for the second year in a row.  He did experience some back problems last year, but we’re quite confident he will hold up for the foreseeable future.

The King produced a breakout season going 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 217 Ks.  He plays in pitcher’s park, but oddly had a 3.09 ERA & 1.24 WHIP at home vs. a 1.99 ERA 1.04 WHIP on the road.  Hey, all the better.  He was rewarded with a large contract extension during the off season, so let’s hope he maintains motivation and turns in another Cy Young worthy season.

The move to New York didn’t cause Sabathia to miss a beat.  He equaled a career-high 19 wins and just missed out on 200 Ks landing at 197.  The only noticeable flaw was the 67 walks allowed, his highest mark since 2002.  He often faces predominately right handed lineups, so the New Yankee Stadium effect didn’t seem to bother him at all.  Sabathia pitched better at home 14-5, 3.17 ERA compared to a 3.53 ERA on the road.  If he’s able to crank out 230-250 innings, he’ll have another decent shot at the 20-win mark.

Greinke started off last season pitching 29 scoreless innings over the first 4 games and rode the momentum all the way to winning the A.L. Cy Young Award.  Even though he plays in Kansas City, he produced a quality stat line: 16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 Ks, 51 BB, and a 1.07 WHIP.  The social anxiety disorder seems to be under control, but it will always cause some concern over relapse.   Nevertheless, Greinke’s pitching repertoire warrants top-5 fantasy starter status.

The 14-10 record doesn’t accurately reflect Haren’s value.  He finished with an outstanding 1.00 WHIP struck out 200+ batters second season in a row.  As we’ve come to expect, Haren was rock solid before the All Star Break but stumbled in the second half – going 5-5 with a 4.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and .267 BAA.  Even with the unfavorable splits, he’s still a top-10 pitcher overall.

Verlander stumbled out of the gate last year, but finished with career-best marks in IP, wins, ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP.  True, his stat line from 2008 sticks out like a sore thumb, but there had to be some injury and/or mechanical problem that was never fully disclosed.  We’re willing to treat it as an anomaly and believe Verlander can win another 16-18 games with an ERA around 3.50-3.70 and 200+ strikeout potential.

After injuries limited him to 20 starts in 2008, Wainwright bounced back with a Cy Young caliber season.

He finished at 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.21 WHIP while seeing his K/9 ratio spike to 8.2.   He doesn’t work late into games (although he’s a lock for 6 IP) and he’s not a flamethrower (fastball averages 90.4 MPH), but Wainwright’s consistency will allow him to anchor a fantasy staff.

After a series of injuries, Beckett proved his durability by averaging 207 innings pitched over the past three years.  Despite Fenway Park’s hitter friendly reputation, he’s much more comfortable at home posting a 3.59 ERA / 1.08 WHIP against a 4.13 ERA and 1.31 WHIP on the road.  Beckett has fallen below the 15-win mark only one time since 2005 and he’s never had a WHIP above 1.32.  His K/9 ratio is 8.7 over the past 3 seasons and he’s in a contract year, so expect Beckett to make an all out push to be the most coveted free agent on the market.

Even though he fell short on his win and ERA totals from 2008, you have to take some perspective into account.  Last year, Lester’s strikeout total spiked from 152 to 225 and he gave up less hits and walked fewer batters than he did in 2008.  If he would have allowed 5 less runs, his ERA would have been the same.  Not so bad at all – and not that bad of a selection if you miss out on some of the bigger names.