A few weeks ago, Baseball Press kicked off our 2010 Fantasy Positional Rankings with catchers and first basemen, then we started our way around the middle infield with second basemen and shortstops and closed out the infield with our third basemen rankings. With the outfielders covered and the relief pitchers completed, we shift our focus to your starting rotation. As we close out the '10 preliminary rankings, there are a lot of questions with regards to depth charts and free agents, but this should provide owners with a general starting point at each position. Players are eligible for the position in 2010, if they played at least 10 games at that position in 2009. These are initial rankings heading into draft day and do not reflect the final rankings come October 2010. The statistics listed to each player are his FINAL 2009 numbers, not the projected 2010 stats.

A pair of youngsters are near the top of the list, one ahead of perennial ace Johan Santana and one just behind. Santana gets a lot of brownie points for consistency and not looking like a 12 year-old girl, but Tim Lincecum is flat-out the top-ranked starting pitcher in baseball. You might even say he's the "highest". Felix Hernandez fully arrived in 2009 and looks to do the same for a better Mariners squad this season.

We all love the Zack Greinke story and the 2009 Cy Young Award, but I expect some regression and he still plays for a team that isn't going to give him much of a shot at a 20-win season.

Dan Haren, on the other hand, will post a better win total, assuming Brandon Webb comes back and the Diamondback stop hitting like a girls field hockey team.

Injuries are a concern in 2010 with Chris Carpenter and Brandon Webb, but when healthy they can be fantasy dynamos for your pitching staff. They're definitely worth a gamble at the right price, but be sure you have ways to cover any lost time.

Josh Beckett might be good for 200 strikeouts a season and a high win total, but the 3.86 ERA in 2009 and the 4.03 ERA the prior year isn't what you want out of your fantasy ace, so he's relatively low here.

Young aces Josh Johnson, Jon Lester, and Matt Cain are all good options but lack the track record of some veteran pitchers. Any one of them could compete for a Cy Young in 2010 if things go their way.

Aside from injuries, Jake Peavy had a very solid 2009 season and being on a team that can actually score some runs should counterbalance the effects of moving to the American League. I wouldn't expect a sub-3.00 ERA out of him, but I think a very good season is coming in 2010, if his 3 starts as a White Sock are any indication.

John Lackey has immense fantasy value but it's vital to see where he lands. A hitter friendly American League ballpark could hurt him a bit, as he had just 139 strikeouts in over 176 innings in 2009.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has sleeper written all over him for 2010, though the word is largely out amongst stat-heads and fantasy fanatics. His 2.79 ERA and 9.7 K/9 rates are excellent, as is his NL-best 6.3 hits/9 rate. If he could get his walks under control and work deeper into games, he could have a shot at doubling his win total from 2009.

Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez built upon a very good 2008 season by having a solid 2009 and then catching fire late in the season as the Rockies reeled off a bunch of late-season wins. His 3.08 ERA after the All-Star Break was a big factor in his team's success, and at the age of 26 he should be entering his prime as we start the new decade of baseball.

Even if the Braves don't compete in 2010, one of the lone bright spots will be Tommy Hanson, who is already pitching well beyond his 24 years. He won 11 of his 21 starts (losing just 4) and posted a 2.89 ERA in 2009 and shows no signs of slowing down.

The horrific start to Ricky Nolasco's 2009 season led to a demotion, but upon rejoining the team he had just a few hiccups and still finished the season with 13 wins and 195 strikeouts in 185 innings. If he can iron out the problems and avoid disasters, he should be just fine.

Another big sleeper is Tampa Bay pitcher Matt Garza, who posted solid numbers in 2008 and 2009 but has every indication of being a breakout ace for the Rays. His 189 strikouts in 203 innings (8.4 K/9) was a big improvement over his 2008 season (6.2 K/9) and the 26 year-old has all the makings of a fantasy stud.

Recently traded fireballer Max Scherzer should fit in just fine with Detroit, and run support should help him rack up some wins to go with his excellent strikeout numbers (174 K in 170 1/3 innings in 2009).

Tampa Bay's David Price didn't live up to the hype in 2009, but showed flashes of what got everyone so excited about him and posted a 3.51 ERA in his final 9 starts. He's certainly worth taking a look at once the first tier of pitchers are off the board.

The move to the National League should help pitcher Edwin Jackson, who looked dominant in 2009 before running out of steam late in the year (his ERA rose from 2.64 to 3.62 in just the last two months of the season). If he can replicate his early season success, he could post an ERA around 3.00 and win 15 games.

Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey both had their ups and downs in 2009 and might be somewhat undervalued heading into 2010. They don't put up crazy numbers but should be solid options for the middle of a fantasy rotation.

Roy Oswalt had a bit of an off year and might be a steal if Houston is a better squad and he can return to form. He is getting up there in years but still does a very good job of controlling games, but simply must improve on his 8 wins in 2009 (30 starts).

Despite all the injury concerns, Rich Harden should be considered a viable fantasy option, especially in his new Texas home. Texas is a hitter's park, but the added run support should give Harden a shot at a high win total, as long as he can log close to a full season of starts.

Daisuke Matsuzaka's value has finally leveled off, but he's still a good pitcher on a very good team and strikes out a lot of hitters. The walks are a concern, and he probably won't help you in the WHIP or ERA categories, but a 200 strikeout season is always useful. He's not as bad as his 5.76 ERA in 12 starts last year, but he's not as good as his 2.90 ERA in 2008 either.

Jeff Niemann emerged as a bit of an ace for the Rays in 2009. He's a pretty reliable option that can help you in a few categories.

Carlos Zambrano is no longer an ace, but he can put up pretty good numbers when he's not completely melting down on the mound.

Despite not starting a game for the Rangers in 2009, Neftali Feliz still sits pretty high on this list. An 11.3 K/9 rate will do that, as will a 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, and just 13 hits allowed in 31 innings. Assuming he's in the rotation and logs 30-plus starts, he's a lock for 180 strikeouts.

Jorge De La Rosa may have overachieved in 2009, but he's a strikeout pitcher on a good team with a solid defense backing him up. He's showed potential throughout his career, and it's finally developing, as evidenced by his 193 strikeouts and 16 wins.

He had his promising season cut short, but Jordan Zimmerman will come into 2010 as the top young ace for the Nationals. His season end numbers (3 wins in 16 starts, a 4.63 ERA) might not impress, but he did strke out 92 hitters in 91 1/3 innings.

Ryan Dempster couldn't repeat his wildly successful 2008 season (17 wins, 2.96 ERA) but had an above-average season for a disappointing Cubs team in 2009, going 11-9 with a 3.64 ERA. At age 32, he's salvaged his once-promising career and will probably have a similar year in 2010, though an improved Cubs team should bump that win total up a bit.

Now that he's with the Angels, Scott Kazmir seems to have reclaimed his mojo and is an interesting fantasy option for 2010. Kaz posted a 1.73 ERA in 6 starts for the Angels. He'll probably never lead the league in strikeouts again like he did back in 2007, but he could whiff 175 in 200 innings for you.

It's not yet clear when Stephen Strasburg will begin firing 103 mile-per-hour heaters in front of the half-dozen fans that show up for Nationals games, but his strikeout potential alone makes him a great option for 2010. His ranking may fluctuate based on how well he pitches this spring.

It's unknown where or when Ben Sheets will blow out his arm at this point, but he'll probably post an ERA in the low 3.00s and 7 K/9 before he ends his season, so that's valuable. Recommendation: don't draft him with Rich Harden, unless you're a complete masochist.

Ricky Romero's up-and-down 2009 season ended up okay: 13-9 with a 4.30 ERA and 141 K in 29 starts. The former sixth overall pick should build upon those numbers and could be a very helpful mid-rotation guy for the 2010 fantasy season. Fun fact: he's not related to Cesar Romero.

I fully expect bounce-back seasons from Ervin Santana and Chris Young, but wouldn't blow high draft picks or salary on them. The same goes for Aaron Harang, though at age 31 I think his Wookie-like physique may be catching up with him.

Another prospect who may finally be ready for stardom is long-time Reds hurler Homer Bailey, who was all "doh" and no "woo-hoo" prior to 2009; in his first 17 major league starts he was 4-8 with a 6.72 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. In 20 starts last season, he was 8-5 with a 4.53 ERA, including going 6-1 with a 1.70 ERA in his last 9 starts.

Nick Blackburn is about as vanilla as you can get as far as major league starters: 11 wins and an ERA just a few ticks above 4.00 in both 2008 and 2009.

Matt Latos jumped directly from AA to the majors last season and showed flashes of the brilliance he had in the minor leagues. He's in one of the best pitcher parks in baseball and if he can keep his walk total down he could help any fantasy roster.

Joel Pineiro's new nickname should be "zombie", because he came back from the dead big time in 2009. His success may have had more to do with the Cardinal coaching staff than anything, but walking just 27 batters in 214 innings (a league-best 1.1 BB/9) and allowing just 11 home runs makes me think he has a legit shot at posting a decent year in 2010. It's silly to think he could repeat what he did in 2009, though.

Barry Zito finally started earning some of his massive contract late in the 2009 season, as he finished the year with a 4.03 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 192 innings. In his last 15 starts, he posted a 2.83 ERA.

Zito's teammate Jonathan Sanchez almost tossed a perfect game for the Giants, but he's still largely a forgotten man. He struck out 177 hitters in 163 1/3 innings in 2009, and his 4.24 ERA probably deserved better than a measly 8 wins. He's got sleeper written all over him.

Randy Wells' rookie year was a bright spot on an otherwise dim Cubs season, but his 12 wins and 3.05 ERA don't seem sustainable, and that puts him fairly low on this list. He's a converted catcher who posted 4.00-plus ERAs throughout his minor league career prior to last season. I think he'll have a decent year in 2010, but I wouldn't expect a repeat of his '09 stats.

Shaun Marcum is coming off of a lost 2009, but he was a valuable fantasy contributor in 2008 (9-7, 3.39 ERA in 25 starts) and can probably do something similar in 2010.

After a spectacular start to 2009, Jason Marquis fizzled down the stretch last season but still posted a 15-13 record with a 4.04 ERA. His strikeout numbers are always quite low, limiting his value, but he's good for a dozen or so wins every year for a team that signs him.

Mike Pelfrey is better than his 5.03 ERA in 2009, but not a whole lot better. If the Mets are decent, he will be too.

Brad Bergesen had his solid rookie campaign cut short by injury, but his 3.43 ERA in 19 starts gives hope for success in 2010. His teammate Brian Matusz was dominant in the minor leagues before making the jump directly from AA ball, and went 4-0 in his last 5 starts after shaky beginnings.

It's not clear where Ardolis Chapman will end up, or when he'll make the majors, but a 21 year-old Cuban lefty with 100 mph heat definitely makes this list.