This season I wanted to try out something different from our normal look at 2 – start pitchers every week. Please let me know what you think of these rankings as well as which you prefer.

The 2010 season kicks off this evening, so the time has come to start setting your line – up. Who should start? Whose match – up is a little bit too risky? Let’s take a look at how I rank the starting pitcher for the upcoming week:

Roy Halladay – Philadelphia Phillies – @ Was, @ Hou Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants – @ Hou, vs. Ari Dan Haren – Arizona Diamondbacks – vs. SD, vs. Pit Felix Hernandez – Seattle Mariners – @ Oak, @ Tex Johan Santana – New York Mets – vs. Fla, vs. Was Zack Greinke – Kansas City Royals – vs. Det, vs. Bos Justin Verlander – Detroit Tigers – @ KC, vs. Cle Yovani Gallardo – Milwaukee Brewers – vs. Col, vs. Stl Ubaldo Jimenez – Colorado Rockies – @ Mil, vs. SD CC Sabathia – New York Yankees – @ Bos, @ TB Chris Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals – @ Cin, @ Mil Josh Beckett – Boston Red Sox – vs. NYY, @ KC Scott Baker – Minnesota Twins – @ LAA, @ CWS Josh Johnson – Florida Marlins – @ NYM, vs. LAD Jered Weaver – Los Angeles Angels – vs. Min, vs. Oak Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers – @ Pit Cole Hamels – Philadelphia Phillies – @ Was Adam Wainwright – St. Louis Cardinals – @ Cin Chad Billingsley – Los Angeles Dodgers – @ Pit Ricky Nolasco – Florida Marlins – @ NYM James Shields – Tampa Bay Rays – vs. Bal, vs. NYY Jake Peavy – Chicago White Sox – vs. Cle Jon Lester – Boston Red Sox – vs. NYY Matt Garza – Tampa Bay Rays – vs. Bal Tommy Hanson – Atlanta Braves – vs. CHC Wandy Rodriguez – Houston Astros – vs. SF A.J. Burnett – New York Yankees – @ Bos, @ TB Carlos Zambrano – Chicago Cubs – @ Atl. @ Cin Edwin Jackson – Arizona Diamondbacks – vs. SD, vs. Pit Matt Cain – San Francisco Giants – @ Hou Javier Vazquez – New York Yankees – @ TB Jorge De La Rosa – Colorado Rockies – vs. SD Mark Buehrle – Chicago White Sox – vs. Cle, vs. Min John Lackey – Boston Red Sox – vs. NYY Brett Anderson – Oakland Athletics – vs. Sea Clay Buchholz – Boston Red Sox – @ KC John Danks – Chicago White Sox – vs. Min Aaron Harang – Cincinnati Reds – vs. StL, vs. CHC Randy Wolf – Milwaukee Brewers – vs. Col, vs. Stl Tim Hudson – Atlanta Braves – @ SF Gavin Floyd – Chicago White Sox – vs. Cle Roy Oswalt – Houston Astros – vs. SF, vs. Phi Rick Porcello – Detroit Tigers – vs. Cle Rich Harden – Texas Rangers – vs. Tor Jair Jurrjens – Atlanta Braves – vs. CHC Max Scherzer – Detroit Tigers – @ KC Vicente Padilla – Los Angeles Dodgers – @ Pit, @ Fla Kevin Millwood – Baltimore Orioles – @ TB, vs. Tor Ryan Dempster – Chicago Cubs – @ Atl Scott Feldman – Texas Rangers – vs. Tor, vs. Sea Derek Lowe – Atlanta Braves – vs. CHC, @ SF Zach Duke – Pittsburgh Pirates – vs. LAD, @ Ari Nick Blackburn – Minnesota Twins – @ LAA, @ CWS Hiroki Kuroda – Los Angeles Dodgers – @ Fla Mike Pelfrey – New York Mets – vs. Was Jeff Niemann – Tampa Bay Rays – vs. Bal Johnny Cueto – Cincinnati Reds – vs. Stl Jon Garland – San Diego Padres – @ Ari, @ Col Joe Saunders – Los Angeles Angels – vs. Min, vs. Oak Mat Latos – San Diego Padres – @ Col Ervin Santana – Los Angeles Angels – vs. Min Kevin Slowey – Minnesota Twins – @ LAA Paul Maholm – Pittsburgh Pirates – vs. LAD Ben Sheets – Oakland Athletics – vs. Sea, @ LAA Shaun Marcum – Toronto Blue Jays – @ Tex, @ Bal Jake Westbrook – Cleveland Indians – @ CWS, @ Det Joel Pineiro – Los Angeles Angels – vs. Min Brett Myers – Houston Astros – vs. SF David Price – Tampa Bay Rays – vs. NYY Ian Kennedy – Arizona Diamondbacks – vs. SD Chris Young – San Diego Padres – @ Ari Ian Snell – Seattle Mariners – @ Oak, @ Tex Dallas Braden – Oakland Athletics – vs. Sea, @ LAA John Lannan – Washington Nationals – vs. Phi, @ NYM Fausto Carmona – Chicago White Sox – @ CWS

Thoughts:

It’s the first week of the season, so I didn’t weigh a pitcher having two starts as heavily as I will as the year wears on. Let’s be honest, how many owners are utilizing a pitch – and – ditch approach at this point?

One of the hardest decisions was where to place A.J. Burnett on the rankings. Yes, he’s a two – start pitcher, but those two starts come against two tough divisional opponents on the road. That knocks him down a few slots below a couple of single – start options.

I believe in Jon Lester as a Top 10 pitcher for 2010, but opening up against the Yankees may cause him to get off to a slow start. This type of match – up is probably the only time all year that you’ll see Jake Peavy ranked above him.

Ben Sheets has a ton of upside this season, but having missed all of 2009 I just couldn’t rank him too highly. As the year goes on, he easily could find himself significantly higher on these lists.

Cole Hamels and Chad Billingsley both need to get off to a quick start to help fantasy owners forget 2009. With their match – ups, they certainly have been given that chance. As far as one – start pitchers go, they are two of my favorites for Week 1.

Jorge De La Rosa may seem a bit high at #32, but I’m a big fan of his this season and he has a great match – up. Given the way he pitched in the second half of 2009, you have to like his chance to get things off to an equally impressive start.

Mike Pelfrey has struggled this spring, but he showed signs in his final spring outing, giving up just one unearned run over six innings. Before you point to the lineup the Rays marched out, it had Crawford, Zobrist, Longoria and all their friends in it. Getting to start the season against the Nationals surely puts him in a good place to get things started.

Will this be the year Ian Snell rediscovers things? Time will certainly tell…

Will David Price put things together and live up to the hype? He’s got a tall order in week one, taking on the Yankees. If he pitches well, his standing in these rankings is going fly upwards. For this week, however, he’s just not worth the gamble.

For more information on pitching rotations, check out our 2010 Rotation Tracker by clicking here. For more information on the closer situations around the league, check out our 2010 Closer Tracker by clicking here.

Picture courtesy of Icon Sports Media, Inc.