Starting pitcher is more difficult to tier than offensive positions. Not only are there seemingly endle s amounts of SPs, but breakouts and busts also seem even more difficult to predict. Wins are notoriously volatile, and even just a few more/le s homers or a little bit of better/worse batted-ball luck noticeably affects ERA and WHIP. As such, our starter tiers aren't all about "types" of production since many guys have similar profiles. It's more about reliability -- and even that only means so much given the injury i sues many pitchers deal with. All of that put together is why fantasy baseball owners have so many different draft strategies when it comes to pitching.

The simplest question is whether you should wait on pitching and piece together a rotation with sleepers and matchup-based streamers or if you should go in on an ace early. There Night Train Lane Jerseys are advantages and drawbacks to both, but either way, mid- and late-round sleepers will be key.

DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT:

We'll do our best to break down types of pitchers (i.e. high-K guys vs. low-WHIP guys) and the reliablene s of different tiers of pitchers, as well as when to target them in your drafts.

Note: All position-eligible designations based on Yahoo default settings.

2019 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: | | | | | | ||

Who are the best fantasy baseball SPs?

We've had some expansive tiers, even for the Tier 1 guys, at other positions, but we're limiting our Tier 1 SPs -- and you could argue we should limit it even more to just the top three guys.

Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Jacob deGrom figure to be the top three pitchers drafted in most leagues, with at least one (Scherzer) going in the first round of most drafts. Sale and deGrom are also in the mix as borderline first-round picks in 12-team leagues. What sets them apart is impeccable acro s-the-board numbers and elite strikeout. deGromhas only had this all-around level of succe s once, so you could argue Detroit Lions Hats that someone like Corey Kluber is just as good, but deGrom seems to be improving while Kluber seems to be (slightly) declining, so that's why there's differentiation.

It's not as if Kluber, Justin Verlander, and GerritCole are consolation prizes. All have a case to be second-round picks. Cole trailed only Sale in K/9 ratio among starters last year (12.4), though it was a sharp improvement from his previous career-best of 9.0. Is it sustainable? Ditto for Verlander, who improved from a 9.6 K/9 ratio and 3.2 BB/9 ratio to 12.2 and 1.6 marks, respectively. Regre sion seems likely, but how much?

Conversely, Kluber dropped from an 11.7 K/9 in 2017 to 9.3 last year, so it's tough to know what to expect this year. Either way, he won't walk anyoneor give up many homers, making him an ideal SP1who won't cost you a first-round pick.

TIER 1A (First-round studs)Max Scherzer, NationalsChris Sale, Red SoxJacob deGrom, Mets

TIER 1B (Second-round studs)Justin Verlander, AstrosGerrit Cole, AstrosCorey Kluber, Indians

MORE RANKINGS TIERS, DRAFT STRATEGY | | | | | |

2019 Fantasy Baseball SPRankings: Tier 2

We have to start by pointing out that being inTier2B doesn't mean John Penisini Jerseys a pitcher is worse than those in Tier 2A, it just means he's different in some way. With this tier, we're breaking up pitchers based on injury worries. That's not to say there those in Tier 2A are worry-free -- every pitcher has potential injury i sues -- but those in Tier 2B have more fo a checkered medical history.

Many will argue there's a big difference between, say, Aaron Nola, a consensus third-round pick, and Jose Berrios, a seventh- or eighth-round pick. And while we're not going to argue Berrios is better, the bottom line is both have similar K- and BB-rates, with Berriosprone to giving up more homers. At 24, Berriosstill has plenty of room to improve (as does the 25-year-old Nola), and we're anticipating a bit of a breakout for Berrios, which is why we have them in the same tier.

Of course, Tyrell Williams Jerseys it would be surprising if Berriosbecamea Tier 1 pitcher next year, while many of the other pitchers in this tier have either been there or very close. Trevor Bauer was about as lights out as it gets last season, posting a 2.21 ERA and significantly dropping his HR-rate to 0.46. The reason he's not in Ter 1 this year is because he previously had never posted an ERA below 4.18 or an HR-rate under 0.94. Maybe he's finally figured it all out, but there are still regre sion worries. The same is true for Blake Snell, who significantly improved in K/BB ratio and saw his swinging-strike rate skyrocket from 10.8 percent to 15.1.

The pitchers in Tier 2B are bona fide aces, but lasting full seasons (i.e. 30-plus starts) might be too much to ask for. Clayton Kershaw (back) and Luis Severino (shoulder) are already dealing with injuries and will likely mi s the first two-to-four weeks of the season. It's rare you can get aces like that at reduced costs, so if you trust your ability to stream early in the season, grabbing one in fourth or fifth round could a steal...or it could be a completely wasted pick.

Most of these guys can function as an SP1, but some will invariably be SP2s. If Levi Onwuzurike Jerseys you have one in that slot, consider yourself ahead of the game.

TIER 2A (Potential SP1s)Aaron Nola, PhilliesCarlos Carrasco, IndiansBlake Snell, RaysWalker Buehler, DodgersPatrick Corbin, NationalsTrevor Bauer, IndiansJose Berrios, TwinsZack Greinke, D-backsMike Clevinger, IndiansJack Flaherty, Cardinals

TIER 2B (Potential SP1s with injury i sues)NoahSyndergaard, MetsJames Paxton, YankeesStephen Strasburg, NationalsClayton Kershaw, DodgersLuis Severino, Yankees

SLEEPERS & BUSTS: | Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Potential studs and sleeper SPs

These aren't perfect sub-tiers, as not every guy is an exact match for the criteria, but it's a decent approximation of what we expect. There are injury risks scattered throughout (Yu Darvish, Jimmy Nelson, Masahiro Tanaka, Madison Bumgarner), but all of these pitchers have SP2 upside anda couple might evenfinish as SP1s.

Not all of the high-K guys in Tier 3A will strike out a ton more than the guys in Tier 3B or 3C, but Darvish, Robbie Ray, Charlie Morton, Eduardo Rodriguez, German Marquez, and Kenta Maedaall had K-rates of at least 10.0 last year Herman Moore Jerseys (as did Jimmy Nelsonthe last time he pitched in 2017). You know what you're getting from these guys, at least in one category. Nelson has the most upside if he can stay healthy, but he'll likely be on an innings limit this year in his first season back from shoulder surgery. Mike Foltynewicz has similar upside, but he'syet to pitch in March because of elbow sorene s.

Tier 3B features two guys who have turned in good seasons b