Pitcher Power Rankings

Starters:
*Factors taken into account: Stats thus far. Ability to maintain stats. Personal affinity for particular players.

1. Roy Halladay. 10 wins. 2.52 ERA. 1.02 WHIP. Third in the AL in K's. Enough said.
2. Johan Santana. Despite his lackluster June so far (5.54 ERA), Santana still is second in the league in K's and boasts a 2.39 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP. He usually struggles one month, and is lights out for the remainder of the season.
3. Zack Greinke. Falling off just a bit, but it would've been impossible not to. Seems like the only team that can hit him is Toronto. Still, 1.55 ERA and .97 WHIP is tough to argue with. I think he's got a fighter's chance at a less than 3.00 ERA.
4. Dan Haren. 2.33 ERA and a microscopic WHIP (0.85), he' probably be the front runner for the Cy Young if not for a measley 4 wins. He can think the woeful Diamondbacks for that one. He's known as a first half pitcher, but even if he falls off a bit, he's going to be a top notch starter for the entire year.
5. Justin Verlander. He's been on a Greinke like run over his last 8 starts, giving up only 7 runs in those starts. Leads the league in K's at 106, and has a 3.02 ERA and 1.10 WHIP to go along with those. Guy with possibly the best stuff in the majors is putting it all together.
6. Josh Johnson. Peter Gammons' pick to win the Cy Young is looking solid right now, as the hefty right hander has 2.73 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. Johnson's slider is one of the nastiest in the game, and when he's spotting his upper 90's fastball, he's nearly unhittable.
7. Yovani Gallardo. After the loss of CC Sabathia, the Brewers knew that they would need Gallardo to assume the ace role as his own this year, and he's done just that. With a 2.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, Gallardo looks like the real deal. He's won 6 games, good for a 17 win pace. He's been a bit lucky with BABIP, but that 1.08 WHIP won't fall too much. This guy is for real.
8. Johnny Cueto. K's are down, but as Tom Seaver said, "My job isn't to strike people out, it's to get them out; sometimes by striking them out." Only 58 K's but a 2.33 ERA and 1.05 WHIP screams dominance. K's will likely go up, as will ERA and WHIP, but he's a legit dominant starter. We'll see if he has a rough second half like his teammate Edinson Volquez did last year.
9. Edwin Jackson. Talk about breakout pitcher of the year. Edwin is sitting pretty with a 2.16 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 62 K's in 83 innings. He's always had overpowering stuff, and he's just now putting it all together. Proves that a change of scenery can make all the difference. It won't be fun going up against the Tigers in a short playoff series with Verlander and Jackson looming.
10. Chris Carpenter. I know he's only thrown 44 innings, but he's sitting on a 1.23 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in those innings. He got hit around just a little bit in his last start, but it's clear that he still has the dominant stuff. If he can stay healthy for the rest of the season -which, in itself, would be a minor miracle, he'll continue dominance.
11. Chad Billingsley. 8 wins. 90 K's in 85 innings. 2.73 ERA, 1.26 WHIP. I probably sold him a little short. He'll be moving up this list in no time.
12. Tim Lincecum. Yeah, so this is probably the lowest you'll see Lincecum ranked on this list for the next 10 years or so. Still, kid has been amazing. 2.96 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 95 K's in 75 innings. Supposed Verducci Effect candidate has done just fine so far, and will continue to dominate, while others on this list will most likely slip.
13. Jered Weaver. Not sure how much longer Weaver can maintain these numbers, but wow. 2.31 ERA, 1.04 WHIP. 69 K's in 81 innings. Dominant. I haven't seen much of Weaver this year, but I hear he's doing a much better job of keeping the hitters guessing. We'll see just how real this version of Jered Weaver is.
14. Ted Lilly. I know, I know. But his numbers are elite. 3.00 ERA, 1.05 WHIP. 63 K's in 78 innings. Lilly has always been a viable fantasy pitcher, but this is what we call stepping it up a notch. Highly doubtful that Lilly will maintain this, especially during the summer in hitter friendly Wrigley Field.
15. Erik Bedard. Like Carpenter, stuff has never been the issue with Bedard. One of the filthiest breaking balls in the game, and he's had it on display so far this year in Seattle. 2.47 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 65 K's in 65 innings. Highly sustainable if he can stay healthy.

Back with more Power Rankings later on tonight or Saturday.