Ride The WAVE - AL East Starting Pitchers

BB per 9/hits per 9/K's per 9, followed by ERA/Wins/Sv/K's/WHIP:

BAL: Jeremy Guthrie - 2.32/8.82/6.19

• Guthrie broke through in 2007 with a surprise season, posting a 3.70 ERA and 1.209 WHIP in 175.3 IP. Without a hike in the strikeout rate, some regression should be expected. WAVE sees a 3.92/10/0/139/1.238 line in 202 IP.

BAL: Daniel Cabrera - 4.70/9.04/7.75

• I've lost all faith in Cabrera's potential at this point. All the skill in the world won't make up for the ridiculous amount of walks Daniel surrenders. WAVE: 5.37/9/0/173/1.527 in 201 IP.

BAL: Adam Loewen - 5.08/8.59/8.14

• The highest drafted Canadian in the history of the game still possesses major control issues, despite plus stuff. Much like Cabrera, his game won't improve until his command does. WAVE has him at 5.24/10/0/160/1.520 in 177 IP.

BAL: Steve Trachsel - 3.73/9.96/3.45

• The veteran righty has struggled with his command the past few seasons, and considering how hittable he is, the results have predictably been poor. BAL won't be providing Trachsel with much run support, and there's no upside to speak of, so he can be safely avoided in fantasy leagues. WAVE projects 4.74/8/0/72/1.521 in 188 IP.

BAL: Brian Burres - 4.06/10.17/6.61

• Not much to like in the 27 year old lefty, and not much upside either. WAVE: 5.56/7/0/119/1.580 in 162 IP.

BOS: Josh Beckett - 2.16/8.24/8.69

• The ace of the Sox, Beckett should continue to provide his fantasy owners with a Cy Young calibre season, posting plenty of strike outs and wins, pitching in front of an outstanding offense. WAVE has him at 3.60/18/0/193/1.155 in 200 IP.

BOS: Daisuke Matsuzaka - 3.30/8.14/9.04

• Control seems to be the only thing holding Dice-K back from being one of the truly elite. Odd, considering the extraordinary control he displayed while pitching in Japan, posting a 1.86 BB/9 in his last two seasons in Japan. Much is probably due to a smaller MLB strike zone, and better, more patient hitters, who don't swing at as many balls out of the zone. WAVE likes Matsuzaka to show improvement in his rate stats in year two, and he remains a bit of a sleeper due to his rookie season not meeting expectations. 3.90/16/0/211/1.271 in 210 IP.

BOS: Tim Wakefield - 3.02/8.95/5.70

• As a knuckleballer, Wakefield should age well. Despite turning 42 later this year, Tim should continue to get ample run support to provide AL-only owners with wins. WAVE: 4.57/13/0/121/1.330 in 191 IP.

BOS: Jon Lester - 4.28/9.34/6.58

• I feel like a bit of a broken record here, but as with most young pitchers, Lester's one area of concern is control. Between Clay Buchholz, Bartolo Colon, and Curt Schilling, it will be interesting to see how the back end of the Boston rotation shakes out. WAVE is projecting 4.67/10/0/117/1.513 in 160 IP.

BOS: Clay Buchholz - 3.92/8.06/8.56

• WAVE doesn't think Buchholz will be in the rotation for the whole season, but that by the end of it, he should be a serviceable fantasy starting pitcher while posting a solid K rate. Walks could be an issue. 3.99/6/0/118/1.331 in 124 IP.

BOS: Bartolo Colon - 2.43/9.79/5.93

• Colon looks like he may make a positive impact for the Sox and fantasy owners in '08 after all. He shouldn't pitch much more than half the season in the rotation, but will be a popular waiver wire pickup when he is recalled from the Minors, and should provide a decent number of wins pitching in front of Big Papi and M-Ram. WAVE: 4.29/9/0/83/1.357 in 126 IP.

BOS: Curt Schilling - 1.54/9.47/6.04

• Schilling is on the 60 day DL, and expected to miss at least the first half of the season. The jury is out on whether Schilling will ever again provide fantasy value, but WAVE likes him for 3.91/5/0/51/1.224 in 76 IP.

NYY: Andy Pettitte - 2.86/9.81/6.70

• So long as Pettitte remains healthy, he'll provide fantasy owners with wins. WAVE has him down for 4.01/15/0/157/1.408 in 211 IP in '08.

NYY: Chien-Ming Wang - 2.43/9.17/4.31

• I wasn't a believer heading into the 2007 season, but Wang, to his credit, put up nearly identical numbers in '07 as he did in '06. Despite a poor K rate, Wang manages to keep runs in check by inducing a large number of ground balls. The Yanks should provide plenty of run support. WAVE: 3.68/18/0/103/1.288 in 215 IP.

NYY: Phil Hughes - 3.75/8.69/7.88

• Hughes is a promising youngster that needs to be owned in all keeper leagues. There figures to be a learning curve, but the solid results will eventually come. WAVE: 4.06/11/0/126/1.382 in 144 IP.

NYY: Mike Mussina - 1.93/9.69/6.03

• Mussina followed up his impressive '06 campaign with a disappointing and inconsistent 2007. It's doubtful that Mussina will return to ace form in his age 39 season, but he should improve on his numbers from last season. WAVE: 4.05/13/0/122/1.291 in 182 IP.

NYY: Ian Kennedy - 4.34/8.67/7.74

• Kennedy impressed in '07 at every level: A, AA, AAA, and MLB. He's likely to have some growing pains in his first full MLB season, but is still someone to target in long term keeper leagues. WAVE projects 4.34/12/0/141/1.445 in 164 IP.

NYY: Joba Chamberlain - 2.30/6.91/9.28

• Chamberlain will start the '08 season in the bullpen, but is likely to pitch at least the second half of the season in the rotation. There's currently no reason to believe he won't be an ace once the move to the rotation is made, as evidenced by his BB, hit, and K rates. WAVE likes him to go 3.00/7/2/133/1.023 in 129 IP.

TB: James Shields - 1.87/9.12/7.47

• Shields broke out in '07 to the tune of a 3.85 ERA, 1.107 WHIP, and 184 strike outs. A solid K rate, excellent control, and a solid young supporting cast, all make Shields an excellent target in all fantasy formats. WAVE has him down for more of the same in '08: 3.73/14/0/180/1.221 in 217 IP.

TB: Matt Garza - 3.22/9.99/7.15

• Garza is a highly touted prospect, but likely not quite ready to put up mixed league stats. WAVE projects 4.69/11/0/151/1.468 in 190 IP.

TB: Andy Sonnanstine - 1.74/10.46/5.53

• Sonnanstine's 2007 MLB ERA was higher than his corresponding WHIP would indicate, so there is hope for improvement in '08. WAVE: 4.52/11/0/121/1.355 in 197 IP.

TB: Edwin Jackson - 4.66/10.69/6.99

• Jackson was once the top rated LA Dodgers prospect, but has floundered in several big league trials. Control seems to be his biggest liability, though he has been easy to hit in the Majors as well. The talent is there, but time is running out for the 24 year old to show that he's more than a 5th starter on a bad team. WAVE: 5.88/7/0/132/1.706 in 170 IP.

TB: Jason Hammel - 4.00/10.17/6.42

• Despite a solid Minor League track record, Hammel has yet to show anything that would make him appear to be more than an MLB middle reliever. WAVE is projecting 5.08/4/0/77/1.574 in 108 IP.

TB: Scott Kazmir - 3.87/8.40/9.87

• Kazmir begins 2008 with a left elbow strain, and it figures that he'll miss a fair bit of time to start the season. Regardless of the innings pitched total, the ratios should be there to make him well worth using in any format. WAVE has him at 3.60/10/0/181/1.364 in 165 IP.

TOR: Roy Halladay - 1.74/8.80/5.39

• It's doubtful that Halladay will ever strike out 200+ again, but he remains a fantasy ace, exhibiting excellent control, while racking up wins and innings. WAVE sees 3.57/16/0/133/1.171 in 222 IP for '08.

TOR: AJ Burnett - 3.36/7.73/8.64

• If only Burnett could manage to stay healthy. It wouldn't be wise to count on it, but if he did, you'd be getting ace numbers out of the 9th round. WAVE projects 3.76/11/0/170/1.232 in 177 IP.

TOR: Dustin McGowan - 3.20/8.35/7.52

• The oft injured McGowan managed to stay healthy for 191.6 pro innings last season, and will look to build off his breakout '07 season. He should show improvement, and if he can manage to pitch 200 innings, be a major sleeper. WAVE: 3.99/12/0/162/1.284 in 194 IP.

TOR: Shaun Marcum - 2.48/8.38/7.19

• Say hello to the new Derek Lowe. Only this Derek Lowe is 26 years old with room for improvement. WAVE likes Shaun as a sleeper for 2008, and to post a 3.90/14/0/151/1.206 line in 189 IP.

TOR: Jesse Litsch - 2.97/10.09/4.95

• Is it just me, or is the Jays rotation surprisingly stacked? Litsch looks like a fine #5, and could easily grow into more with experience. WAVE has him at 4.45/11/0/100/1.451 in 182 IP.