Starting Pitcher Rankings - National League 11-20

11. Jason Schmidt - Really faded in the second half last year. Was probably more a factor of his zoo-like surroundings in SF than him wearing down. Will be the ace of an improved veteran LA team. Sub 3.00 career ERA at Dodger stadium, will probably settle in around 3.50 ERA, 180+ Ks and 16+ wins.

12. Matt Cain - Future stud! As many bloggers have already noted, put up ridiculous ERC numbers. Batters hit .214 against him in the second half. Only thing slowing him down will be his team. Wouldn't be surprised to see him lead the league in Ks this year.

13. Dave Bush - If you've read my 3 Up/3 Down segments in the past, you already know what I think of this ace-in-the-waiting. Tied with Roy Oswalt for the league lead in K/BB. Has ridiculous control to go along with a +7 K/9 rate. Posted a sub 1.00 WHIP in August & September. Big time breakout candidate!

14. Barry Zito - Should see an improvement in the ERA and K departments. Concerns remain over his walk rate. Would be surprised to see him get more than 14 wins on a bad SF team.

15. Dontrelle Willis - Will the real Dontrelle Willis please stand up! Will he be the '05 version or the '06? Probably somewhere in between. Finished '06 on a strong note, but the decrease in control is a concern. Will anchor a young Marlins staff, and should finish the year with 14 wins, 3.50 ERA and a WHIP in the 1.30 range.

16. Bronson Arroyo - I really like Arroyo. The guy knows how to pitch and really utilizes his change-up well. I don't see him repeating some of last year's career numbers (ERA specifically), but 200+ innings with 14 wins is very serviceable...

17. Cole Hamels - A ton of upside here. I do have a hunch though, that this guy is going to spend some time on the DL. I hope I'm wrong here, as I would love to see the numbers he would put up with 190 - 200 innings, but I just don't see him staying healthy. I've been seeing him go real high in drafts so far, so be carefule not to reach too far for him.

18. Rich Hill - Similar upside to Hamels with less injury risk. Amazing 2nd half numbers. The offense alone should help him win 14+.

19. Derek Lowe - Mr. steady. You can count on him getting a ton of groundballs, 3.60 ERA, 125 Ks, and 15 wins.

20. Chuck James - James followed up his ridiculous minor league numbers with a solid major league debut. He pitches in a pitcher's park, has a sneaky fastball, and a bulldog mentality. Look for him to build on his '06 campaign with 12-13 wins, 165 Ks, and a sub 3.50 ERA.