2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: SP

When I say the Four Aces, you're probably thinking about spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds. Wrong -- well, except for the diamonds part. The 2011 fantasy season features a rotation dubbed the Four Aces plus Joe Blanton, a group that could very well be the best staff ever to take the field in Major League Baseball history.

First we have Roy Halladay, The two-time Cy Young award winner dominated National League competition in his first year in the Senior Circuit. With 21 wins, a 2.44 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and a K:BB ratio north of 7.0, Halladay was the obvious choice for the prestigious pitching award. He's our pick to repeat as baseball's top pitcher in 2011.

Next up is free agent signee Cliff Lee, who reports for his second term of duty in Philadelphia. Lee has called four different cities home over the last two seasons, and he's pitched phenomenally in each of them. After winning the AL Cy Young in 2008, Lee closed the 2009 season in Philadelphia, where he went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 7.4 K:BB ratio in 12 starts. He's a legitimate top-five fantasy starter and the best No. 2 in baseball.

While Roy Oswalt doesn't sport a Cy Young trophy, maybe he should. The veteran righty has two 20-win seasons on his resume as well as five seasons with an ERA under 3.00. He proved last season he still has the goods, going 7-1 in 12 starts after being traded to the Phillies while posting a 1.74 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. Let's not forget his cumulative 1.025 WHIP led the National League last season. Consider Oswalt a dark-horse Cy Young contender in 2011 and a great value as an SP2.

Finally we come to the only ace that was with the team at the start of the 2009 season, Cole Hamels. With so many great names ahead of him in the rotation, Hamels will likely get lost in the shuffle of your fantasy draft, but he's coming off an age-26 season where he turned in a career-best 3.06 ERA while striking out more than one batter per inning. He'd be the No. 1 starter on half the teams in baseball, so it's almost unfair he'll be lined up against other team's No. 4 starters to start the season.

1. Roy Halladay, PHI
2. Felix Hernandez, SEA
3. Tim Lincecum, SF
4. Cliff Lee, PHI
5. Jon Lester, BOS
6. CC Sabathia, NYY
7. Justin Verlander, DET
8. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
9. Josh Johnson, FLA
10. Zack Greinke, MIL
11. Jered Weaver, LAA
12. Cole Hamels, PHI
13. Mat Latos, SD
14. David Price, TB
15. Matt Cain, SF
16. Ubaldo Jimenez, COL
17. Roy Oswalt, PHI
18. Dan Haren, LAA
19. Tommy Hanson, ATL
20. Max Scherzer, DET
21. Chris Carpenter, STL
22. Chad Billingsley, LAD
23. Francisco Liriano, MIN
24. Yovani Gallardo, MIL
25. Shaun Marcum, MIL
26. Brett Anderson, OAK
27. Colby Lewis, TEX
28. Clay Buchholz, BOS
29. John Danks, CWS
30. Wandy Rodriguez, HOU
31. Daniel Hudson, ARI
32. Ted Lilly, LAD
33. Josh Beckett, BOS
34. Brandon Morrow, TOR
35. Tim Hudson, ATL
36. Ricky Nolasco, FLA
37. Matt Garza, CHC
38. Phil Hughes, NYY
39. Jake Peavy, CWS
40. John Lackey, BOS
41. Jonathan Sanchez, SF
42. James Shields, TB
43. C.J. Wilson, TEX
44. Hiroki Kuroda, LAD
45. Madison Bumgarner, SF
46. Ryan Dempster, CHC
47. Javier Vazquez, FLA
48. Brett Myers, HOU
49. Jeremy Hellickson, TB
50. Ricky Romero, TOR
51. Trevor Cahill, OAK
52. Gio Gonzalez, OAK
53. Ervin Santana, LAA
54. Edinson Volquez, CIN
55. Jaime Garcia, STL
56. Johan Santana, NYM
57. Jordan Zimmermann, WAS
58. Scott Baker, MIN
59. Jhoulys Chacin, COL
60. Travis Wood, CIN
61. Carl Pavano, MIN
62. Gavin Floyd, CWS
63. Bronson Arroyo, CIN
64. Kevin Slowey, MIN
65. Ian Kennedy, ARI
66. Johnny Cueto, CIN
67. Edwin Jackson, CWS
68. Wade Davis, TB
69. Jorge de la Rosa, COL
70. Brian Matusz, BAL
71. Derek Lowe, ATL
72. Mike Minor, ATL
73. Randy Wolf, MIL
74. Tim Stauffer, SD
75. Dallas Braden, OAK
76. Brett Cecil, TOR
77. Joel Pineiro, LAA
78. Jair Jurrjens, ATL
79. Mark Buehrle, CWS
80. Jeff Niemann, TB
81. Carlos Zambrano, CHC
82. Carlos Carrasco, CLE
83. Aaron Harang, SD
84. Rick Porcello, DET
85. Anibal Sanchez, FLA
86. Jake Westbrook, STL
87. Jeremy Guthrie, BAL
88. J.A. Happ, HOU
89. Clayton Richard, SD
90. A.J. Burnett, NYY

• Two years removed from an AL-leading ERA and WHIP as well as a Cy Young award, Zack Greinke now gets to ply his trade in the National League Central. The move has worked wonders for pitchers like Ted Lilly and Chris Carpenter in the past -- could Grienke be the next guy to make a smooth transition to fantasy stardom? I would bank on the answer being a resounding "yes."

• Making the move with Grienke is Shaun Marcum, who rebounded after missing all of 2009 to win 13 games last season while turning in a 3.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 3.8 K:BB ratio over the course of 31 starts. And that came in the AL East -- imagine what he could do in the National League. Marcum is likely a popular sleeper pick heading into 2011 drafts, but people may not be high enough on him, as he could potentially turn in a top-10 season.

• The bad news that came down on Adam Wainwright could scare fantasy owners away from other recovering pitchers, but make sure you keep Jake Peavy in mind when you head into the draft. Not only is Peavy ahead of schedule in his recovery from a shoulder injury, he has a shot at making it back by the start of the season. While the former Padre has seen a predictable rise in his ratios after leaving Petco Park, he still has solid numbers across the board. Buy him at a discount.

• Digging deeper into the position, Jordan Zimmermann has been overshadowed by phenom Steven Strasburg, even before the youngster made it to the majors. Don't sleep on Zimmermann's fantasy potential, as he posted a K:BB ratio over 3.0 in 2009 while striking out more than a batter per inning before his injury. He was nearly as good in 2010, and now in his age-25 season, Zimmermann is poised to rocket up the fantasy charts. Grab him for your bench and don't be surprised if he becomes a mainstay in your rotation.

• Keep an eye on Mike Minor. He had spent barely any time in the minor leagues before Atlanta called him up late last season for eight starts and a relief appearance, and while his 5.98 ERA and 1.57 in the big leagues aren't numbers to inspire confidence, he did post a K:BB ratio near 4.0. If he wins the last spot in the Atlanta rotation, he could be good for double-digit wins and a strikeout per inning while quality ratios, making him a perfect end-game pick.