The top 75 starters are a mix between boring mid rotation veterans, and the second tier of high risk, high reward youngsters. Picking the right player or two from this group can really make your draft.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher/First Base/Second Base/Shortstop/Third Base/Outfield(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/Starters(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 100)/Closer/Top 250 Overall

51) John Lackey CHI-NL – Put up a career best 2.77 ERA last season as a 36-year-old. Will now have the powerful Cubs offense for run support. 2016 Projection: 14/3.52/1.25/160

52) Scott Kazmir LAD – Ride him in the first half, trade him at the deadline before the inevitable collapse. 2016 Projection: 12/3.43/1.20/164

53) Jaime Garcia STL – Can’t stay healthy, but has a career pitching line of 3.31/1.26/573 in 724.1 IP. He isn’t going to strike many guys out, but the guy can pitch. 2016 Projection: 9/3.38/1.19/128

54) Jordan Zimmerman DET – Was trending in the wrong direction even before the move out of the NL East. Looks like he might get comfortable in this “safe and boring” tier for the next few years. 2016 Projection: 13/3.62/1.24/155

55) Shelby Miller ARI – The centerpiece in the trade heard round the world. Dave Stewart better hope he pitches better than my projection. 2016 Projection: 12/3.61/1.26/162

56) Wei-Yin Chen MIA – Moving from a hitter’s park in the AL East to a pitcher’s park in the NL East. I like. 2016 Projection: 11/3.43/1.20/158

57) Kenta Maeda LAD – Total unknown. Wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up much better, or much worse than my projection. 2016 Projection: 12/3.55/1.23/157

58) Collin McHugh HOU – Came back down to earth last season after a fantastic rookie season in 2014. Gravity’s a bitch. 2016 Projection: 13/3.70/1.24/167

59) Gio Gonzalez WASH – Tried to turn himself into a groundball pitcher in 2015 (with a terrible infield defense behind him), before scraping that plan in the 2nd half (86 K’s in 81 IP). 2016 Projection: 11/3.68/1.30/176

60) Jake Odorizzi TB – The prototypical Tampa Bay starter. Don’t expect him to pitch deep in games. 2016 Projection: 10/3.69/1.22/167

61) Andrew Heaney LAA – Had a strong rookie season in 2015. Doesn’t have the huge K upside, but has all the makings of a very solid pitcher. 2016 Projection: 11/3.66/1.23/152

62) Kyle Hendricks CHI-NL – Struck out 88 batters in 81 IP post all-star break last season. Has a career 3.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 260.1 IP. There is a lot to like here. 2016 Projection: 10/3.72/1.22/160

63) Aaron Nola PHI – Steady young starter without the big K upside. 2016 Projection: 9/3.69/1.23/148

64) Hector Santiago LAA – Fully transitioned into a starter last season, and predictably tired out after reaching a career high in IP. Could be an intriguing sell high candidate if he gets off to another hot start. 2016 Projection: 10/3.69/1.29/158

65) Ian Kennedy KC – The ratios might not look pretty, but he has struck out over a batter per inning the last two seasons. 2016 Projection: 10/3.90/1.28/178

66) Jason Hammel CHI-NL – After stratospheric 1st half in 2015, absolutely imploded in the 2nd half. Still averaged over a K per inning. 2016 Projection: 10/3.81/1.24/165

67) Ervin Santana MIN – You know what to expect at this point. 2016 Projection: 12/3.88/1.28/156

68) Andrew Cashner SD – Looked like a promising young pitcher on the rise coming into last season. Now he looks like an aging has-been. One year can sure change a lot. 2016 Projection: 9/3.71/1.29/161

69) Eduardo Rodriguez BOS, SP – (Update: Will start the season on the DL with a right knee injury. He is expected to make his season debut sometime in May.) Big, strong lefty with tons of potential. Fenway Park and the AL East do not provide the most hospitable pitching conditions, though. 2016 Projection: 9/3.78/1.26/155

70) Jake Peavy SFG – 34 years old going on 40. 2016 Projection: 11/3.71/1.20/140

71) Clay Buchholz BOS – 31 years old going on 25. Are we still waiting on his upside? 2016 Projection: 10/3.74/1.28/125

72) Phil Hughes MIN – Seems to go through a dead arm period every other year of his career. This should be one of the live arm years if the trend holds. 2016 Projection: 11/3.92/1.27/153

73) Anibal Sanchez DET – Still a major health risk, but if healthy, he is a much better pitcher than he showed last season. 2016 Projection: 9/3.75/1.26/150

74) Anthony DeSclafani CIN – Relatively safe young starter with some upside. 2016 Projection: 10/3.89/1.30/161

75) Kevin Gausman BAL – Baltimore’s recent history with developing pitching prospects has been brutal. He was the #4 overall pick in the 2012 draft, though, and has some K upside as well. 2016 Projection: 9/3.82/1.27/148

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)