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We all know what a fantasy ace looks like and so far this season most of the big names have delivered. As great as Chris Sale (9-0, 1.58 ERA, .72 WHIP, 62 K/10 BB) and Jake Arrieta (8-0, 1.29 ERA, .84 WHIP, 63 K/20 BB) have been, Clayton Kershaw is still “King of the Hill." The reason for his dominance can be directly linked to his astonishing 95K/5 BB ratio. No, that’s not a typo! He’s practically unhittable (5.4 H/9) and is likely headed towards his 4th Cy Young Award before the age of 29.
The rest of the top 10 performers this year include a revitalized Johnny Cueto back in the NL, flame-throwing Noah Syndergaard, Stephen Strasburg and Madison Bumgarner. All of these pitchers held high expectations this offseason. Max Scherzer has finally crawled back to the top 10 where he belongs, but there are two more names that are certainly surprises. Jordan Zimmermann has blossomed in Detroit and been the steadiest presence in the Tigers rotation all year long. By far the biggest surprise on this list is Jeff Samardzija, who was left for dead by many heading into 2016. Last year, Samardzija led the league in hits allowed and earned runs while leading the AL in home runs allowed. Like Cueto, he too has found himself again in San Francisco posting a 2.66 ERA in 9 starts. His H/9 are down and his K/9 is up resulting in a new man on the mound.
However, these arms represent just 7 percent of all the starting pitchers in MLB and almost every team in your league has one “ace." Fantasy owners need to have a better understanding of the rest of the arms getting the job done this year and what their value is using Relative Position Value (RPV). Here’s the low down on the next 25 arms using a standard points system to evaluate who the best of the next are who toe the rubber every fifth day.
| Player | FPPG | Raw RPV | Salary | Pts per $ | RPV Per Dollar |
| Rich Hill SP | OAK | 176 | 0.147 | $ 8,900 | $51 | -0.010 |
| Jose Quintana SP | CHW | 171 | 0.118 | $ 5,700 | $33 | 0.336 |
| John Lackey SP | CHC | 170 | 0.108 | $ 6,400 | $38 | 0.248 |
| Marcus Stroman SP | TOR | 169 | 0.104 | $ 7,100 | $42 | 0.163 |
| Rick Porcello SP | BOS | 166 | 0.085 | $ 7,300 | $44 | 0.124 |
| Aaron Nola SP | PHI | 165 | 0.078 | $ 6,800 | $41 | 0.179 |
| Jose Fernandez SP | MIA | 162 | 0.059 | $ 6,600 | $41 | 0.188 |
| Cole Hamels SP | TEX | 162 | 0.059 | $ 9,700 | $60 | -0.193 |
| Colby Lewis SP | TEX | 160 | 0.046 | $ 10,900 | $68 | -0.357 |
| Chris Tillman SP | BAL | 160 | 0.042 | $ 9,300 | $58 | -0.162 |
| Aaron Sanchez SP | TOR | 153 | 0.000 | $ 11,900 | $78 | -0.550 |
| Vince Velasquez SP | PHI | 153 | -0.003 | $ 8,400 | $55 | -0.097 |
| Drew Pomeranz SP | SD | 150 | -0.020 | $ 6,100 | $41 | 0.190 |
| Jon Lester SP | CHC | 149 | -0.026 | $ 10,600 | $71 | -0.417 |
| Danny Salazar SP | CLE | 149 | -0.030 | $ 5,400 | $36 | 0.276 |
| Masahiro Tanaka SP | NYY | 146 | -0.046 | $ 8,200 | $56 | -0.119 |
| J.A. Happ SP | TOR | 146 | -0.049 | $ 7,000 | $48 | 0.042 |
| David Price SP | BOS | 145 | -0.052 | $ 5,900 | $41 | 0.189 |
| Felix Hernandez SP | SEA | 144 | -0.062 | $ 6,100 | $43 | 0.153 |
| Zack Greinke SP | ARI | 143 | -0.065 | $ 4,600 | $32 | 0.359 |
| Steven Matz SP | NYM | 143 | -0.069 | $ 7,900 | $55 | -0.104 |
| Jimmy Nelson SP | MIL | 138 | -0.098 | $ 8,200 | $59 | -0.184 |
| Tyler Chatwood SP | COL | 137 | -0.105 | $ 10,400 | $76 | -0.512 |
| Jason Hammel SP | CHC | 137 | -0.108 | $ 5,800 | $42 | 0.153 |
| Josh Tomlin SP | CLE | 136 | -0.111 | $ 6,100 | $45 | 0.106 |
Jose Quintana has quietly been one of the most reliable arms in baseball, throwing 200 innings in three straight seasons with a mid-3 ERA or better. Finally, he’s getting run support and he’s already halfway to breaking his streak of 9 win seasons with 5 W’s. Rick Porcello is the real shocker for me. His newfound strikeout rate has finally led to him getting out of jams and the Red Sox offense has given him all the confidence to challenge hitters. Like Chris Tillman, he’s been a front end fantasy arm who was acquired for almost zero cost on draft day. I’ll be the first to admit, I was skeptical of Rich Hill transitioning into a full time starter’s role at this stage in his career. However, he’s adapted well (2.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a near 3/1 K/BB ratio). I’m still concerned with him wearing down in the second half. Hill hasn’t thrown 100 innings in season since 2010. Despite his +15% RPV advantage on the group, I would be shopping Rich Hill hard right now for a more proven arm that’s underperformed like a Matt Harvey-type.
Drew Pomeranz should have been on your radar this year. He pitched very well out of the pen in 2015 for the Padres and in the rotation a few years ago with the A’s. The move to the NL has helped his cause and this once “can’t miss prospect” has finally hit pay dirt. I, too, would be concerned with him when he hits around 100 innings on the year. His win potential is also limited in San Diego. Now is a good time to shop him and his dual RP/SP eligibility before he tires. The same can be said for Aaron Sanchez of the Blue Jays.
Jose Fernandez, Danny Salazar, Zack Greinke and David Price will all end up towards the top of this secondary list by the end of June. Tyler Chatwood and Josh Tomlin are the most likely to find themselves on the outside looking in of the top 35 arms by the All-Star break. Health is the only question for Steven Matz. He’s incredibly efficient and has above average strikeout potential. Many owners are uneasy about him and this may be your chance to roll the dice on one of the few difference makers. Acquiring Matz is a move for a team set to win this year and a risk worth taking.
Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17) is the seven-time best-selling author of the Fantasy Black Book Series for baseball and football. He hosts Fantasy Sports Tonight on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and the Dear Mr. Fantasy Podcast.