by John Halpin

I'm not going to cover closers, because I could come up with the most intelligent, logical explanation as to why a closer will succeed — or someone could, anyway — and then a manager's whim or a GM's drunken decision to lure Todd Jones out of retirement at the winter meetings can change everything. If I contribute anything to fantasy baseball as a whole in my life, it will be to get at least one league to abolish the saves category. I'll put it on my tombstone and everything.

Johnny Cueto, Reds

You're going to notice a big bias toward pitchers with high strikeout rates, and if you don't like it, I highly recommend visiting ballsinplayarebad.com. With that said, Cueto's our first breakout contestant, despite the fact that his home field is smaller than the one where they have the Little League World Series. Cueto gives up too many gopher balls (29 in 174 IP), but he averaged more than eight whiffs per nine this season with a 2.32-to-1 K/BB ratio. He's got the stuff to break through. It's probably just a matter of when.

Yovani Gallardo, Brewers

Gallardo's breakout was expected this season, but a torn ACL in April derailed the hype machine that had been built around him. No worries — if he's healthy in 2009, Gallardo will resume his track to be the Brew Crew's ace and could get a lot of wins on that team. I'll have Gallardo in my top 30 among starters next spring, right around where I had him eight months ago.

Zack Greinke, Royals

Once again, here's one of my favorite hype-tastic baseball quotes, from the 2005 edition of Baseball Prospectus:

"With apologies to Jon Landau, we have seen the future of pitching, and his name is Zack Greinke."

(For the youngsters out there, Landau was a music critic in the early 1970s, and after seeing a young musician perform at Harvard Square Theater, he wrote, "I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen." Landau later became Springsteen's producer and manager. That history lesson was brought to you by the outrageously useful Wikipedia. And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming).

Greinke turns 25 next week, and while he might not become the next Greg Maddux like a lot of people thought, he's turning into a really good pitcher. He went 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP this year, and a .312 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) suggests that he was the victim of at least a little bit of bad luck. His K/BB ratio was a terrific 3.27-to-1, thanks mainly to a career high eight-plus whiffs per nine innings. One more step up makes Greinke a Cy Young contender, and I think he's got it in him.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies

Yes, yes, I know. Ubaldo walked 103 guys in 198 2/3 innings. I'm completely insane for including him here. The commitment hearings will be broadcast live beginning this weekend on FOXSports.com.

Seriously, there are a lot of great arms out there, but most of them aren't as great as this one. A few years back, I read a scout's quote about someone that said, "If he could only cut down his walk total by one per nine innings ..." If Ubaldo could do that, his K/BB ratio would be clearly above 2-to-1 and his ERA would probably drop by at least a third of a run — and that's assuming he won't improve in any other area. Maybe he'll never figure it out, but if he does, look out.

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

This is an easy one. Kershaw's regarded as one of baseball's elite pitching prospects. He showed some wildness that earned him a 4.26 ERA in 21 starts this season, but stuff-wise he's in big-time company. When you're in the middle rounds and debating between a supertalent like Kershaw and a lesser one like, say, Mike Pelfrey, go for the upside.

Jonathan Sanchez, Giants

An injury, 47 innings and a 7.47 ERA after the All-Star break? Thud. Before that, Sanchez actually wasn't bad, posting a 3.97 ERA and striking out 115 batters in 111 innings. He plays in a pitcher-friendly park, and he's a 26-year-old southpaw with a good arm. Also, his .327 BABIP — ninth-highest in the majors — makes you think he's bound to improve. Sanchez could be a really nice late-round pick for you. Not many of your competitors are going to want him.