X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Predicting The Top 10 Finishers for ERA in 2015: Fantasy Baseball Rankings

While wins are not solely the pitcher's responsibility, one category that falls primarily in the pitcher's hand (pun intended) is ERA. In 2014 the league saw nine starters finish with an ERA under 2.50, capping off one of the best pitching seasons in recent memory. With the amount of runs scored trending downward, it is oh-so important to roster some of these elite pitchers. The following 10 guys have the best chance to finish with the lowest ERA in 2015.

 

10. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals

Up to this point Strasburg has yet to post a season long ERA of under 3.00 as a full time starter with the Nats. To me, this is his best shot to get under that mark. The addition of Max Scherzer, who I’ll get to later, will really take some pressure off Strasburg, who has dealt with a lot of it, since being taken as the #1 pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.

Strasburg took a step up with his command in 2014, posting career bests in BB/9 and strikeouts to walk ratio. This improvement did not decrease his strikeout rate, which remained one of the best in the majors at 10.13/9 innings. The combination of Scherzer, another year removed from Tommy John surgery and an improved sense of control, should lead Strasburg to his best season yet.

 

9. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants

Another year, another postseason masterpiece from Bumgarner. Yet again, the San Francisco ace lead the Giants to the pennant and picked up the World Series MVP along the way. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, there are no bonuses for real world awards.

In 2015 Bumgarner will look to continue his consistent pitching in an attempt to reach the 200 IP mark for the fifth consecutive season. In 2014 he got into a groove and set career highs in strikeouts and BB/9. With a strikeout rate from 22.5% to 25.1% over the past four seasons, there is no reason to believe his ERA will drop from years past. At such a young age Bumgarner already has the poise, experience, and consistency of a veteran.

 

8. Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds

Cueto finished with the fourth best ERA in the majors last season and fourth consecutive season with an ERA 2.82 or less. His consistency has been staggering and he really turned up the heat last season with a career high 242 strikeouts.

Cueto would be higher up on this list if not for the .238 opposing batting average on balls in play. Even with the strikeout prowess it would be extremely difficult to replicate that number in 2015. That said, after four straight seasons near the top of the ERA leaderboard, there's no reason to doubt Cueto this year.

 

7. Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians

Nobody turned more heads in 2014 than AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber. Coming out of nowhere, Kluber posted a 2.44 ERA in 2014, finishing seventh in the majors. I have him at that same spot on this list and expect him to have another great year.

Kluber is 28 years old but really only has two full seasons of major league innings pitched. He has dominant stuff striking out 269 batters, good for second best in the majors in 2014. His strikeout power mixed with a great 48% ground ball rate (and a great infield defense behind him) should leave Kluber in the top ten in ERA once again.

 

6. Matt Harvey, New York Mets

In Harvey’s first full season in the Major’s he shined, putting up a 2.27 ERA with 191 strikeouts in 178.1 innings. The obvious concern which leaves Harvey low on this list is that he’s coming back from Tommy John surgery. Harvey has a similar career trajectory as Strasburg (#10 on this list) who came back in 2014 with a fantastic season.

Harvey has looked great this spring and should put up stellar numbers once again. In 2013 he had a 27.7% strikeout ratio and saw extra base hits on only 22% of all hits. This is 11% below the league average and is essential in maintaining a low ERA. Harvey is one of the bright young stars in baseball and should bounce back nicely this season.

 

5. Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs

Lester is one of my favorite pitching options coming into the 2015 season. He capped off a 2014 campaign where he finished with a career high 2.46 ERA. I think a move to the NL will serve well for Lester after spending the last decade in the AL.

Studies by Baseball Prospectus in 2011 and the Hardball Times in 2008, proved that moving from the AL to the NL as a pitcher adds a significant fantasy benefit. According to Baseball Prospectus, pitchers who moved from the AL to NL from 2000-2010 saw a .53 increase in K/9 as well as a .45 decrease to their ERA on average. Lester being an above average pitcher already, should be able to take advantage of these trends and possibly have the best season of his career, even in his late age.

 

4. Chris Sale, Chicago Sox

Sale, with his unorthodox release, has quickly become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He's been absolutely ridiculous against lefties, holding them down to a .184 average with only 2 home runs over the past 3 seasons. With this clamp down on one side of the plate, he will be tough to bump out of the top ten when it comes to his ERA.

In 2014 he finished second in the AL with an incredible 2.17 ERA. His 30.4% strikeout percentage was second only to Clayton Kershaw as was his strikeout to walk ratio. One statistic that sticks out from his 2014 season was that batters swing and miss at balls inside the strike zone a league leading 19.5% of the time. This shows that the hitters are simply having a difficult time picking up the ball coming out of Sales hand. Success on the mound derives from that.

 

3. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

Scherzer signed a $210 million dollar contract this offseason that will take his talents to the nation's capital. Scherzer has been elite in the AL for the past five seasons, and similar to Lester at #5, I think his move to the NL will show great dividends.

He consistently sports one of the best strikeout rates in baseball, averaging 216.2 strikeouts per season over the last five campaigns. One area that he should be able to improve on in the NL is the amount of walks he allows. Out of the top ten pitchers in strikeout percentage, Scherzer had the second highest BB/9 ratio. Lowering this number along with facing new hitters in the NL will help Scherzer shatter his ERA career high in 2015.

 

2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

King Felix finished second in ERA in 2014 at 2.14 and I expect him to be in the running for the top spot once again. His .197 opposing batting average and .92 WHIP were elite numbers in 2014. The main upswing from years past was his command. At 1.75 BB/9, he set a career high and finished third in that category among the top 20 strikeout pitchers from last season.

Felix is as dominant a pitcher as we have seen in recent memory and there are no signs of him slowing down. Along with better control and a continued strikeout dominance, Felix recorded the highest ground ball rate, 56.2%, that he has had since 2007. Felix is clearly one of the top pitchers available and will leave fantasy owners feeling like the king.

 

1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

I really shouldn’t have to write anything about Kershaw but I’ll go over some of his 2014 numbers for nostalgia purposes.

Last year we saw an unprecedented earned run average for Clayton Kershaw at 1.77, the best mark since Pedro Martinez in 2000. He finished first in K/9, K%, K-BB%, WHIP, and the list goes on and on. The point being, Kershaw had one of the most dominant pitching seasons in the modern era. Still at only 27 years old, he has a chance to go down as one of the all time greats. As much as it would be fun to be contrarian with this #1 spot, I really would be shocked if Kershaw doesn’t come through with the best ERA yet again in 2015.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Lodolo24 mins ago

Has A Quality Start Against The Brewers On Thursday
Torrez Finney29 mins ago

Set For UFC Debut
Cade Horton30 mins ago

Strikes Out Six In Season Debut
Jeremy Peña38 mins ago

Jeremy Pena Goes Deep On Thursday
Ian Seymour39 mins ago

Strikes Out 10 In Loss
Samuel Basallo46 mins ago

Goes Deep On Thursday
Dustin Wolf3 hours ago

Snaps Skid On Thursday
Wyatt Johnston3 hours ago

Scores In Sixth-Straight Game
Linus Ullmark3 hours ago

Stops 31 Shots In Victory
Nick Suzuki3 hours ago

Has Goal, Assist On Thursday
Leon Draisaitl3 hours ago

Can Not Finish Thursday's Contest
John Gibson3 hours ago

Exits Early On Thursday
Geraldo Perdomo3 hours ago

Hits Grand Slam On Thursday
Tony Gonsolin3 hours ago

Picks Up Strikeout In Rehab Game
Zach Neto4 hours ago

Homers In Rehab Game
Kristian Campbell4 hours ago

Homers On Thursday
Joel Payamps4 hours ago

Picks Up Save On Thursday
Nestor Cortes4 hours ago

Jr. Picks Up Win Over Reds
Trent Grisham4 hours ago

Homers In Win On Thursday
Jazz Chisholm Jr.4 hours ago

Homers On Thursday
Luke Weaver4 hours ago

Picks Up Save On Thursday
Aaron Judge4 hours ago

Homers Again
Dalton Rushing9 hours ago

Wears The Platinum Sombrero On Thursday
Shohei Ohtani10 hours ago

Still Without Timeline To Face Live Hitters
Jordan Lawlar10 hours ago

Collects Three Hits, Three RBI On Thursday
Carlos Carrasco10 hours ago

Strikes Out Five, Picks Up Win
Merrill Kelly10 hours ago

Gets Lit Up By Yankees
Luis F. Castillo10 hours ago

Expected To Start Friday
Nikola Jokić12 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Expected To Play On Friday
Jonathan Kuminga12 hours ago

Back On Thursday Night
Miles Boykin14 hours ago

Heading To Chicago
Jalen Wilson14 hours ago

Sidelined On Thursday
Baker Mayfield14 hours ago

Tampa Bay Restructures Baker Mayfield's Deal
Case Keenum15 hours ago

Chicago Signs Case Keenum To One-Year Deal
Kyshawn George15 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Richaun Holmes15 hours ago

Out Versus Magic
Khris Middleton15 hours ago

Out Again Thursday Versus Magic
D'Angelo Russell15 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Noah Clowney16 hours ago

Done For Rest Of The Season
Jordan Poole16 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Scottie Barnes16 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Jonathan Drouin16 hours ago

Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin Unavailable Thursday
Tyrese Maxey16 hours ago

Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
Alexandar Georgiev16 hours ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Henry Thrun16 hours ago

Returns From Nine-Game Absence Thursday
Olli Määttä16 hours ago

Olli Maatta Returns To Utah Lineup Thursday
Dylan Guenther16 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Anthony Duclair16 hours ago

Takes Leave Of Absence
Alex Pietrangelo17 hours ago

On Track To Return Thursday
Brady Tkachuk17 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Trey McBride17 hours ago

Cardinals Making Trey McBride The Highest-Paid Tight End In NFL History
Geno Smith18 hours ago

Raiders, Geno Smith Agree To Two-Year Extension
19 hours ago

Tyler Shough Could Be Day 2 Pick In NFL Draft
Dallas Cowboys19 hours ago

Shemar Stewart Meeting With Cowboys Staff
New York Giants19 hours ago

Travis Hunter The Likely Pick For Giants?
Dallas Cowboys20 hours ago

DeMarvion Overshown Aiming For Comeback Player Of The Year Award
Washington Commanders20 hours ago

Commanders Sign T.J. Maguranyanga
Kansas City Chiefs21 hours ago

Mike Edwards Reunites With Chiefs
New Orleans Saints21 hours ago

Saints Could Take A Quarterback Early In The Draft
Joe Milton III23 hours ago

Traded To Cowboys
Anfernee Simons1 day ago

Could Be Absent Again Thursday
Scoot Henderson1 day ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game Thursday
Scottie Barnes1 day ago

Iffy For Thursday
Immanuel Quickley1 day ago

Takes Thursday Off
Jakob Poeltl1 day ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Damian Lillard1 day ago

May Return To Action Sooner Than Expected
Giannis Antetokounmpo1 day ago

Likely To Suit Up Thursday
LeBron James1 day ago

Probable Thursday
Jared McCann1 day ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Jackson Blake1 day ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Artemi Panarin1 day ago

Tallies Three Points In Overtime Victory
Andrei Svechnikov1 day ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Jake McCabe1 day ago

Suffers Injury On Wednesday
Jonathan Drouin1 day ago

Exits Wednesday's Contest
Los Angeles Chargers1 day ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
1 day ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals2 days ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Tutu Atwell2 days ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers2 days ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Jrue Holiday2 days ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets2 days ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Al Horford2 days ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Evgeni Malkin2 days ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
2 days ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
2 days ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
Cameron Young2 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge2 days ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners3 days ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia3 days ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti3 days ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp3 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim3 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood3 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau3 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole3 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens3 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA4 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy4 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman4 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall4 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara4 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez4 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.4 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira4 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez4 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas4 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez4 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron4 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano4 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones4 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry5 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano5 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Best Bets: Week 2 Picks

Well, the opening week is always full of curveballs, and 2025 was no exception. We actually saw the Birmingham Stallions lose a game, looking bad in the process. Overall, I went 3-3-1 on spreads and over/unders last week, so a bit inconvenient that neither parlay worked out. It is a short season, so the pressure […]


Isaiah Bond - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: 5 Undervalued Draft Targets

We all know at this point who the top names are heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Ashton Jeanty will be the dynasty rookie RB1. Tetairoa McMillan will be the rookie WR1. But fantasy leagues aren't won just by getting a top-2 or three rookie pick and grabbing the best guys. Rookie drafts are also […]


Ja'Marr Chase fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Two-Round Start-Up Dynasty Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single Quarterback

The players you select in the early rounds of dynasty fantasy football start-up drafts have a massive impact on the chances of your team winning for many seasons after the first one. So it's crucial to nail these picks, and there are a few ways you can do that. Obviously, no one's being selected in […]


Tetairoa McMillan - College Football DFS Lineup Picks, NCAA CFB, NFL Draft Prospect

2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single-QB

Thankfully, fans and fantasy football players only have to wait a few more weeks for the 2025 NFL Draft. That means dynasty fantasy rookie mock drafts are right around the corner. While dynasty fantasy outlooks for the NFL Draft prospects will change between today and the end of April, it’s time for another dynasty rookie […]


Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Outlooks For Wide Receivers On New Teams: Davante Adams, DK Metcalf, Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Christian Kirk, and more

The 2025 NFL offseason has been full of breaking news alerts. Last year, all the action was at the running back position, with Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs changing teams. However, all the action has been at the wide receiver position this offseason. Some big-name wide receivers remained with their current teams. Tee […]


Bijan Robinson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Running Back Preview: Targets & Sleepers For 2025 Drafts

While the NFL is in the middle of its offseason, the fantasy football world never takes a break. Much in the fantasy world will change between now and the start of the regular season. Yet, let’s take an early look at the running back position for 2025 fantasy football drafts. Below are three early-round studs, […]


Russell Wilson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Fantasy Football Outlooks For QBs On New Teams: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, more

The NFL quarterback carousel gets to spin every offseason, and plenty of QBs have already found new homes ahead of the 2025 NFL season. For fantasy football, a player's surrounding team is extremely important, so it's worth looking into each of their outlooks with their new squads. There are still a few unsigned QBs, but […]


Shedeur Sanders - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Superflex/Two-QB

The 2025 NFL Draft is still less than 30 days away. Therefore, dynasty fantasy rookie mock drafts are nearly here. Much will change between now and the NFL Draft. However, it’s time for another dynasty rookie mock draft. This rookie mock draft is a two-round, 12-team, and two-quarterbacks. For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, […]


Deshaun Watson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Offseason Team Needs: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

The AFC North, comprised of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers, sent two teams to the playoffs in 2024 and had one on the cusp of a playoff berth. The Ravens have the best roster of the four teams by a long shot. The Steelers have a solid defensive group, and […]


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 2: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2025)

Week 2 of the UFL season is just around the corner. This week will feature one game on Friday, one game on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Birmingham and Michigan will play at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, followed by Memphis-D.C. on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Sunday's game pits the 1-0 Renegades against the […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]