Key Stats: Max Scherzer is ranked higher here than anywhere else, but in terms of starting pitchers I only rank him 35th, so it's not too different from Tristan Cockcroft. Scherzer took a step back in the numbers from 2010, but was better than some of those numbers would indicate. His xFIP was lower than his FIP by almost 0.70 runs and his K:BB was up about 0.5 versus the 2010 season that made him the number 122 overall player. Skeptics Say: Only four pitchers gave up more home runs than Scherzer last season. That problem gets more complicated when you consider his 1.35 WHIP. Scherzer has a tendency for blowing up a team's ERA in one start. In six starts he allowed at least two home runs last year and in all of those starts he gave up at least five runs. Scherzer is still relatively young, so perhaps consistency will come with age.
Peer Comparison: CBS ranks Jair Jurrjens ahead of Scherzer. This was certainly the case at the all-star break last year, but after that point...
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