Don’t waste a first-round pick on a pitcher. I like having a solid starter to trot out each week in fantasy baseball, but it’s not worth losing an every-day option who has elite fantasy baseball skill.

There’s plenty of pitchers available later in the draft and on the waiver wire in the regular season. However, if you’re getting into the late second and early third rounds, and you’re itching to get that No. 1 option, take a look at these options.

Here’s a breakdown of my top-five fantasy baseball pitchers heading into 2016.

Clayton Kershaw owns the highest ADP among pitchers. Flickr/Keith Allison
Clayton Kershaw owns the highest ADP among pitchers. Flickr/Keith Allison

1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

He has a No. 5 ranking, which won’t jive with the strategy of waiting on a pitcher until the late second and early third rounds. But if everyone in your league has that same strategy, Kershaw is the best option.

He dots all the “I’s” in fantasy baseball. He’s dominant in strikeouts, wins, ERA and WHIP. You can’t ask for much more out of a pitcher than what Kershaw has shown throughout the years. As long as he’s healthy, he’s the best bet, which is likely why his No. 5 ranking is 15 spots higher than any other pitcher, according to Fantasy Pros.

2. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

He’s in the American League, so that’s a bit of a drawback. Nonetheless, he’s the best pitcher in that league and we know we can count on him.

Sale was a bit off last season, but we’re not too worried. The White Sox were a mess, and this year, I’m expecting bigger and better things all the way around. Sale is a proven commodity in the strikeout department and he should go under 3.00 in ERA and be close to 1.00 in WHIP. As long as he can stay healthy and log a few more wins, he should be a solid bet in the late second round.

Max Scherzer is our third-best rated pitcher. Flickr/Keith Allison
Max Scherzer is our third-best rated pitcher. Flickr/Keith Allison

3. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

If you can’t land Sale or Kershaw, Scherzer isn’t a bad option, either. His strikeout total is always high, and with another year in the National League, he will likely get more comfortable.

I have to believe the Nationals will be better this season, allowing Scherzer to improve upon his 14 wins from last season. He had some head scratchers last season, but he still managed a lower than 3.00 ERA and lower than 1.00 WHIP. He’s elite at strikeouts, making him a prime option in the second or third round.

4. Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs

Maybe it just took a few years to get going for Arrieta. Or maybe he’s a one-hit wonder. You can’t back off of him, though, because of his potential.

He started 25 games in 2014, registering 10 wins and a 2.53 ERA. In 2015, he recorded 22 wins to go along with a 1.77 ERA. That’s quite an improvement on a career that hadn’t see more than 10 wins.

Since being in the National League, though, his career has skyrocketed. He’s logging more innings and fooling batters. We doubt he keeps up with last year’s pace, but if he’s anywhere near that dominance, he could be the best fantasy pitcher in the draft.

5. Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins

He’s a beast…when he’s healthy. We’re projecting Fernandez as our fifth-best starting pitcher based on his potential for being one of MLB’s best fantasy pitchers.

In 2013, when he started 28 games, he won 12 games, had an ERA of 2.19 and struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings. The only problem is that he’s started only 19 games since that season.

During those starts, though, he was dominant. He won 10 of those games, and registered 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 2014, and 11 in 2015.

If he’s healthy, there may be no better option at striking out the opposition. Fernandez’s problem is that’s a big “if.”

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