Every Monday, I will be releasing “The List” where I rank the current value of the Top 100 pitchers in fantasy baseball for the rest of the season. Use these rankings to help understand what to expect from pitchers for the rest of 2015, and as a tool to gauge trade value in your fantasy leagues.
Let’s see what has changed in the SP market since last week:
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Notes
– The biggest change this week is the fall from grace of Felix Hernandez who had yet another game allowing at least 7 ER as he got trounced by the Red Sox. For most of the year, it was expected that Felix would recover and return to his usual self, but given that he still hasn’t gotten there and under 2 months remain in the season, it’s time for a proper demotion. He’s still Top 20 as the upside is still enormous, but it’s a tough hit for the Seattle ace.
– Madison Bumgarner has gotten wind of the dwindling San Francisco Giants‘ playoff hopes and turned it up on a notch to put the team on his back. Both Chris Archer and Gerrit Cole have not been their dominate self lately and fall behind the sweeping lefty.
– Mimicking his excellent run at the end of 2014, Carlos Carrasco has begun to morph into the man the under-the-hood numbers have dictated all season and gets a well deserved bump.
– Cherry Bomb role model Danny Salazar has been much more consistent than his history illustrates, allowing one of fewer ER in each of his last four starts. Considering that the 20s are mixed with many underperformers and enigmas, Salazar has earned his first Top 20 slot this year.
– While I expected a larger fall from the Nationals rookie, the players behind him didn’t instill enough confidence to reduce Joe Ross‘ elevated ranking dramatically. Look for him to bounce back and boost your staff.
– The biggest rise this week comes from Lance McCullers who could be rejoining the Astros’ rotation as soon as this weekend. Despite a hiccup last week, McCullers still has Top 40 ability and could see another increase next week with a solid return to the bigs.
– The lanky Taylor Jungmann continues to impress in Milwaukee and now holds an elite 2.81 FIP across his 13 starts in the bigs. One may point to his 3.63 xFIP, but given his repertoire of sinkerballs, he should not be expected to hold a league average for HR/FB.
– Drew Smyly enters the ranks as he returned to the Rays rotation over the weekend. The start was far from sterling, but they rarely are after extended DL stints. Smyly has the talent to make an impact on your staff and given the large amount of matchup-only pitchers outside the Top 50, Smyly deserves his spot at #51.
– Reds slinger Raisel Iglesias has maintained a solid K/BB in his 10 starts for Cincinnati, but his FIP/xFIP leave a bit to be deserved. The upside is there for those who need it, and he deserved a major bump to #66.
– The fantastic return of Matt Shoemaker has come to a close and he should be reserved for only the most desperate of streams as he figures himself out again.
– Andrew Cashner can’t seem to figure it out, leading to his lowest ranking of the season at #85.
– Texas looks to be getting Derek Holland back this week, which they hope can make them keep up in the playoff race. Holland isn’t much of a fantasy asset, but he has some upside for a handful of Ks and a decent ERA on a given night.
– Rookie John Lamb enters The List as he made his debut over the weekend for the Reds. He has upside to him, but there may be some more growing pains before it’s realized.
– Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman is on a faster track to recovery than expected, and there is a possibility that he will return before the end of the year. His role is still unknown, as there have been reports of Toronto’s darling being sent to the pen. Nevertheless, the mere chance he gets to log innings this year makes him a speculative add to the end of The List.