STARTERS: Sixth Starters 2013

One of the biggest draft day mistakes that owners make is to overvalue Opening Day roles.

It's natural to target Opening Day starting rotations when filling out your pitching staffs. After all, they include the guys who already have starting jobs, and we all want to get out of the gates quickly in our fantasy leagues.

But early-season roles on pitching staffs are fluid, especially when it comes to starting pitchers. Injuries will create openings, as will trades. So too will poor performance from rotation incumbents, or strong performance from SP candidates in the bullpen or minor leagues.

Let's take an illustrative look.

In 2012, only three teams—CIN, SF, and WAS—had their Opening Day starting rotations throw all but 100 IP of the total...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Starting Pitchers

In August, Cade Cavalli showed what he can do when he's healthy.
Aug 29 2026 3:09am
Troy Melton's elite stats and skills against righty bats confirm his rotation-anchor upside.
Aug 22 2026 3:06am
Kyle Harrison's big step forward in 2026 can be traced to some excellent stats and skills during his home starts.
Aug 15 2026 3:05am
Gavin Williams has become the game's best starting pitcher in the second half, among those with 30+ IP.
Aug 8 2026 3:07am
Payton Tolle's mediocre results in July hid an excellent foundation of skills, putting him in position to be a difference-maker down the stretch.
Aug 1 2026 3:05am

Tools