Welcome to The List, where I rank the Top 100 SP for Fantasy Baseball every single Monday of the year.
Want an earlier update to The List? Join me on Mondays at 2:00pm ET as I live-stream its creation each week!
Have questions? My “office hours” are on Playback 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday – Friday + the aforementioned stream of The List.
For each edition of The List, I have a set of rules to outline my thought process and how to best use these rankings. Please take note:
- This is 5×5, 12-teamer, H2H format focused. It generally is the same as roto as well, but make sure you adjust accordingly.
- Before the notes and rankings, an injury table outlines where players would be relatively ranked if they were fully healthy. It’s the best way to tackle how to value players on the IL.
- If a player is on the IL or not confirmed inside the rotation, they aren’t on the List. That includes injuries and guys in the minors, but there are exceptions for players who are expected to be in the rotation but are being skipped this week.
- Second is a table of pitchers outside the Top 100 I considered. Please read this if you can’t find your guy.
- Since this is a 12-teamer, I heavily weigh upside in the back-half of the rankings. The Cherry Bomb players are likely going to underperform those labeled as a Toby across a full season, but it’s in your best interest to chase ceiling vs. floor in many cases. Pick the one that you need most in your situation, of course.
- I’ve made a decision to limit labels to just one label per player, with few exceptions for a second. It streamlines the process much better and hopefully gives you a more targeted understanding of the player.
- The notes outline oh-so-much to help your team. Please read the notes if you can instead of just scrolling to the bottom.
Let’s get to the tables. First are all of our injured compatriots. Injuries are so strange (especially in spring training) and instead of shoving them at random moments on The List, I’ve elected to throw all of them into one table here for you, the wise fantasy manager, to determine if it’s worthwhile to take the injury discount and when.
(OFS) = Out For Season. They usually went under TJS or a similar procedure.
I made a decision last year: I removed the “Preseason tiers” and changed “tiers” to “Relative Rank” as it’ll be more consistent week-to-week — Tiers change while their relative rank does not.
Please understand that “70-80” does not guarantee the player will be exactly in that range when they return. Rankings are 100% relative to the landscape and while this table reflects where they would sit in a vacuum, it’s a fluid creature. Sometimes there are oh-so-many options, sometimes I want to see them healthy and stretched out again, and others we’re starving for pitchers and they jump higher than “70-80”. It’s a loose reference point and why it’s called “relative ranking.” It’s difficult to update this week-to-week and I apologize if the ranking is different when the player actually returns from the IL. I hope it helps!
One last point about that – pitchers often need an extra week or two to ramp up once they do return to the majors. It’s why Still ILL exists and the “relative rank” you see is when those guys have shaken off their rust. Will they be back to normal in their first start or will they need a few? I have no idea! Those ranks are to show what I’d expect once they are fully back to normal.
I added something new to The List last season. It’s a small table of the prospects I’m personally excited about who would jump up The List quickly if they were confirmed in the rotation. Please don’t read too much into these, there are far better prospect analysts out there than me, and this rank will likely conflict with our weekly SP To Stash article from Rudy Ropp, though we will be conferring each week.. Still, I think this table will help you quickly stay on top of who should be on your radar.
They are ordered by my general preference/focus on those guys right now. If any of these are called up, they should be added to your 12-teamers as spec adds at the very least. Some guys aren’t here and that’s due to my own belief they aren’t as pressing as the ones below. I could be very wrong there.
Colors: Green = Worthy of a stash right now in 12-teamers.
Lastly, I heavily recommend you follow my daily SP Roundup that outlines all pitcher performances through the season, as each week’s update will reflect the comments and findings from those daily articles. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the players listed, I highly recommend that you read my 75,000+ word Top 400 Starting Pitchers from February. Many things will have changed, but the root of my perception of these players is outlined there.
Let’s get to it.
Ranking Notes
- This is your reminder to please read these notes as they’ll tell you plenty about why “someone moved up” or “why is he at #X?!”
- Seriously. Read the notes.
- I know there are going to be a ton of comments about I hate how much these rankings change each week and I’m going to get out ahead of them here.
- These rankings mostly change in the back half of The List as that’s your waiver wire. Those aren’t the players you hold onto throughout the year like your SPs 1-4, which means we’re going to be a bit more chaotic and roll with the waves more aggressively. If I see elements that suggest a pitcher could be a Top 40 arm, I’m going to move up a ton from the 80s to the 60s. Shazam, there we go.
- Pitchers in the Top 40 (or so) move less drastically than those from 40-100. Yes, I’m reiterating the last bullet point because I get comments about it each week. The back-half of the List has a ton of movement constantly due to the nature of 12-team leagues. It’s in your best interest to get value now vs. holding onto a fringe arm as a stash for 10 days while you sit them against a tough offense. Yes, this means you’ll see dramatic +15/-20 moves a lot. It’s how it works.
- As is tradition, I need to tell you about the guys who were removed and added from the Top 60, so you have context for the ranking shifts.
- Added: Grayson Rodriguez (22), Joe Musgrove (50), Ryan Pepiot (52), Blake Snell (56)
- Removed: Zach Eflin (32), Nick Lodolo (55)
- Net Change Inside Top 60: (-2)
- Please understand how this affects movement across The List.
Tier 1 – The Remaining Aces
You know they are aces.
1. Tyler Glasnow – Yes, he still has the top spot despite not coming through this week. He still gave you a ton of strikeouts.
2. Zack Wheeler – Things are great. Be happy.
3. Corbin Burnes – He went sub 40% cutters with better slider usage over the weekend and that’s a cool thing.
4. Tarik Skubal – There’s a solid argument for Skubal at #1 given his absurd changeup and sinker/four-seamer heater mix.
5. Luis Castillo – He didn’t have his best heater and still came through.
6. Pablo López – I was considering putting López into Tier 2, but I still believe the best is yet to come.
7. Cole Ragans – I nearly put Ragans under Shōta based on his four-seamer ICR marks + worse slider and cutter this year. However, the Athletics start did give some hope and his changeup has been so dang good.
8. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Hey, can you go back to throwing high four-seamers? Thanks.
9. Shota Imanaga – IM AN AGA. I can’t help but wonder if he gets the Joe Ryan treatment in the second half like Ryan did in 2023.
10. Jared Jones – You expect ten strikeouts each time, don’t you.
Tier 2 – AGA With Something To Prove
They have the AGA tag, though they all have a quirk that could mean they lose it by June.
11. Chris Sale – He’s been quietly incredible for all who took the chance on his health in the pre-season.
12. George Kirby – Kirby’s secondaries need to do more as the fastballs aren’t overwhelming as much as we want them to.
13. Zac Gallen – He went BSB in his last start with four-seamers and curveballs and I’m not sure that’s the answer. Pretty interesting to see him work differently.
14. Max Fried – Fried hasn’t quite locked in yet, though I do believe he will over time as he pitches for a winning club.
15. Aaron Nola – Nola’s curveball is looking all kinds of lovely right now.
16. Joe Ryan – Yep, still an AGA with a great heater and improved secondaries.
17. Kevin Gausman – No, I don’t quite know what’s up with Gausman and I’m leaning in favor of things working themselves out over time.
18. Logan Gilbert – The new cutter has made a large difference this year, even if it’s been a little shaky lately.
19. Freddy Peralta – Peralta is on the edge of losing his AGA tag. Please don’t be the Professor Chaos of old.
20. Logan Webb – So strange to see Webb suddenly drop his changeup in favor of sliders, four-seamers, and sinkers for a start. I have no idea what comes next.
Tier 3 – We Expect Success Every Night
They don’t have the AGA tag and could earn it before June.
21. Kyle Bradish – Give me good sliders and curveballs, please. You should have the AGA tag soon enough.
22. Grayson Rodriguez – He’s returning from the IL and I usually wait a few starts before ranking them back where they were before, just to make sure everything is working as expected.
23. Bailey Ober – He finally had a stumble during his redemption tour. Nothing to be worried about.
24. Framber Valdez – I’m not sure I’ll ever see the version of Valdez I want to see, but the current one ain’t so bad. I mean, I guess I’ll take seven shutout consistently.
25. Paul Skenes – Uhhhh, you saw that Cubs start, right?
26. Yusei Kikuchi – Give me two more dope starts Kikuchi, and you have your AGA tag. He’s been phenomenal since last season with his current mix. GO AWAY CHANGEUP.
27. Sonny Gray – Gray was cruising until his last two and I’m not worried.
28. Dylan Cease – Cease had a rough day against Atlanta on Monday 5/20 and all I wanted to do was be convinced that he has his command problems fixed.
29. Yu Darvish – Darvish has returned four straight 0 ER games since returning from the IL. He’s made his slider the foundation of his approach and I’m all for it.
30. Walker Buehler – His first two starts were wonky, the third was more like the Buehler we know and love. I’m encouraged he’ll continue to take steps forward, though I hope he leans into high heaters given its incredible shape and release.
31. Justin Steele – Steele is still gathering his feel after returning from the IL a few weeks ago. I trust he’s getting better and anticipate more of the Steele we know and love moving forward.
32. Jesús Luzardo – Luzardo has been able to keep his slider away from the heart of the zone more often than usual. I hope that sticks around.
Tier 4 – Hard Rock Café
I don’t think they’ll get the AGA tag this year, but hot dang are they stable 6+ inning arms for all-around production.
33. Nick Pivetta – After a poor Still ILL showing, Pivetta has looked like a stable arm.
34. Jack Flaherty – I still worry that the four-seamer will regress after its recent dominance, but at least the breakers will always be there to keep strikeouts flowing.
35. Ranger Suárez – It feels like a Vargas Rule, though I have to give credit to Suárez’s new changeup success. He may be on the downturn after a pedestrian start last time out (it was terrible weather, to be fair), though he deserves the #35 spot for now as we hold tight and hope we never want to let go.
36. Kutter Crawford – Crawford’s three-pitch mix works. I don’t see a pitch that takes over and dominates lineups incessantly, but you can depend on him throughout the year.
37. Ronel Blanco – No, I don’t believe Blanco was cheating to get the early results. But he was suspended! His spin rates weren’t abnormal. I don’t think we’ll see a step back in production when he returns over the weekend.
38. Carlos Rodón – Now nearly sitting 96 mph with a far better slider and moving away from the cutter, Rodón looks to be a stable arm every five days for a winning club
Tier 5 – So Dang Close To Greatness
I trust all these pitchers to produce this season while they also carry the ability to be more than an SP #3.
39. Garrett Crochet – His four-seamer is legit, I still wonder if his secondaries are enough to help him take the true leap to acedom.
40. MacKenzie Gore – He’s an ace in the making, but like Crochet, he needs more from his secondaries to get there.
41. Luis Gil – The dude just fanned 14 batters, flexing his elite four-seamer and earning all the strikes. He just needs to be a 65%+ strike rate arm and he’ll thrive.
42. Bryan Woo – I had Woo lower last week after he left his previous outing (i.e. his return from the IL) with forearm tightness, you know, the injury that put him on the IL in the first place. Now that he’s pitched a game and not had issue, I’m optimistic he can stay on the field moving forward.
43. Bryce Miller – Where are the secondaries, yo. Relative to Gore and Crochet, I have a touch more worry in Miller’s ability to find them.
Tier 6 – Celebrating The Holly Days
This has stability among arms who are all kinds of fun. Joe Musgrove and Nathan Eovaldi would be in this tier if they were activated at the time of publication.
44. Seth Lugo – It’s absolutely bonkers run that Lugo is on at the moment, though it is against some poor opponents. I’m not ready to believe he can keep up the stupid high strikeout numbers, but who cares what I believe. You’re holding and hoping for the best.
45. Tanner Houck – Houck’s slider is still a phenomenal pitch and he’s been able to find the edges with sinkers and splitters consistently.
46. Reynaldo López – I don’t think López’s overall arsenal is too special, but the fastball + slider is a decent combo, with the curveball helping at times.
47. Michael King – Is he a Cherry Bomb or a Holly? I’m inclined for the latter as King shouldn’t be a high walk arm, while his latest disaster against Rockie Road was all kinds of weird. I’m buying low everywhere.
48. Brayan Bello – I loved watching Bellow feature more sliders than sinkers and changeups last time out. It’s a true three-pitch mix these days, which is exactly what we wanted to see back in February.
49. Nestor Cortes – Cortes isn’t as flashy as the rest, but he’s spotting heaters and cutters consistently.
50. Joe Musgrove – He’s returning from injury after three weeks without a rehab start. Expect a limited pitch count this week as we scrutinize Musgrove, hoping to feel confident moving forward.
51. Reese Olson – Olson has come into his own with sliders and changeups and as long as the four-seamer isn’t allowing balls in play, Olson should be a Quality Start threat each night, hinting at a 25% strikeout rate.
Tier 7 – The Wobbly Guardrails
We’re at the edge of the Cliff where it’s heavily in your interest to grab guys who have the potential to lock themselves firmly inside the Top 40/50 SP for the season.
52. Ryan Pepiot – I didn’t want Pepiot in tier 6 (he’s not a Holly) and debated putting him at the end of Tier 5 or the start of Tier 7. I landed here to be conservative for returns from the IL, but feel free to have him in Tier 5 if you feel differently.
53. Cristian Javier – Javier was terrible in his first start back from the IL and then was the man I’ve always wanted him to be in his second. Well close to that man (more high four-seamers please, thanks) with his greatest strength lying in sliders and changeups for strikes. FINALLY. Now please showcase that you can do it consistently.
54. Christian Scott – Scott has run into trouble lately and watching his heater get fouled off constantly was no fun at all. He’s better than his last two starts, of course, but it’s not as clear that he’ll produce every five days. He really needs a better #3 pitch.
55. Hunter Greene – Greene just earned 17 four-seamer whiffs against the Dodgers, sitting just under 99 mph. Even without the same 17″+ of iVB and his home park of Cin City, Greene feels like a must start. Don’t make us regret it.
56. Blake Snell – He’s back from the IL for round two and let’s hope he can find his footing this time. We all know the ceiling, who knows what we get.
57. Cristopher Sánchez – Sánchez had himself a solid changeup performance last week. Let’s see some more consistency before comfortably elevating him back into the Top 50.
58. Tanner Bibee – Bibee’s velocity jumped up to 96 mph out of nowhere and I sure hope that sticks. Highly suspect changeup and slider command, though.
59. Taj Bradley – Two starts in and Bradley has caught the eyes of many. His second start was a step back in skills, though, without nearly the same command as the first. I’m a little scared Bradley is still the Cherry Bomb that frustrated us constantly in 2023.
Tier 8 – Thin Blankets
It’s a mini-tier of guys who don’t warm you like the soaring upside of Tier 7, but get the job done to go six full frames without devastation moreso than Tier 9.
60. John Means – Okay fine, his eight strikeout game was an anomaly. I so wanted it to be real.
61. José Berríos – His early season success wasn’t sustainable and I’m a little surprised that I have him as low as I have him…Oh right. There are a ton of good options with promise while Berríos kinda is what he is. With a heavy number of streaming options a week, I’m more in favor taking chances on other arms taking steps forward than settling for Berríos. There isn’t much else here outside of the curve (which we hope sticks around as it is) and…sinkers? Changeups? A meh four-seamer?
62. Justin Verlander – I think we all need to reconcile with the fact that Verlander isn’t the pitcher he used to be. And that’s okay, just rely on him for quality starts and a strikeout rate closer to 20% or so.
63. Jordan Hicks – His success hinges deeply on throwing strikes and we’re not sure how much of that we’ll see. When the sweeper and splitter are cooking, it’s a barbeque, LET ME TELL YA.
64. Chris Bassitt – It feels like Bassitt has taken a step back with his secondaries this year, though he’s still able to earn an obnoxious number of sinker called strikes. He’s fine, just not someone you pump your fist about.
65. Clarke Schmidt – The cutter and curve are improving against LHB, though I have some worry it’s too small of a sample size to commit for a long hold.
66. Marcus Stroman – He does what he does. The secondaries stepped up last start and hopefully will continue to be there.
67. Casey Mize – Mize finally had a great game…and I was discouraged. I know, I know, the thing is, we saw a worse heater (just 93.7 mph, poor iVB, etc.) and without that heater acting elite, it makes his approach unsustainable. I’ll be watching his next start closely – it could have been a single game dip.
68. Brady Singer – He’s two-pitch once again and pretty much the same guy as previous years. He does go arm-side with his sinker more often, but it’s not enough to make up the difference.
69. José Soriano – Just throw strikes, like my 9th grade travel ball coach would say. Thanks Nick, so helpful. Soriano chucks 99 mph heaters and if he’s able to keep them in the zone, the curve wipes out batters trying to catch up to the heat.
70. Jordan Montgomery – It’s been a disappointing time for managers with The Bear on their squads, though he should generally be fine to roster moving forward. maybe the new slider is a gamechanger?
71. Gavin Stone – You may think this is a low ranking. Nick, he allowed 8 ER in his first two starts, then has allowed 8 ER in his last six starts! Yep. And tallied an average of 3.5 strikeouts per game. He’s a Wins play with a questionable floor if the changeup isn’t quite there. I don’t see a whole lot of potential for a major leap forward, sadly.
Tier 9 – Waiting For The Pumpkin
You’re still holding onto these arms since they are coming through on your squads, but how long will these Vargas Rule pitchers continue to excel?
72. Javier Assad – The dude keeps making it work and you’re gonna keep holding him. I did a video on Assad here, outlining how Assad’s approach doesn’t spell out a full season of success, but I get it. You’re holding as long as he produces and I’d do the same. If you think Assad is legit and deserves to be moved up higher, please join me on my morning stream and we’ll talk about it. I’m curious what you believe in, skills wise. Not past results, of course, that’s not how this works.
73. Alek Manoah – Manoah has been brilliant for two seven inning starts, fueled by an ability to deftly avoid the heart of the plate. I’m skeptical trusting command-based success, especially for a guy with such a low floor, but let’s ride this one out and hope for the best.
74. Jon Gray – So Gray has been incredible and it doesn’t quite matter how much I don’t believe in it (doesn’t he break the Huascar Rule?!), you’re gonna hold. Even against the Phillies next.
75. Dean Kremer – It’s been a mix of his sinkers, four-seamers, cutters, and splitters that have done their part across his recent stretch of success, with none of them looking like sustainable weapons over the full year. Let’s hope it sticks around for a while.
76. Tyler Anderson – His changeup is getting great results once again, but his four-seamer and cutter are still liabilities. Be careful.
77. Andrew Abbott – I’m a bit shocked Abbott has been able to suppress runs consistently this season and there isn’t a specific part of his approach that I feel an affinity for. His four-seamer + beakers are all good, not great.
Tier 9 – But This Time, I Promise!
We understand how each of these arms could be great, but good luck figuring out when these Cherry Bomb arms will pop off for a stud outing.
78. Triston McKenzie – He’s apparently pain-free, but also has a torn UCL. And his four-seamer command has been all over the place, with few curveball whiffs. But it kind works regardless…?
79. Robert Gasser – His fastball and sweeper are a good combo, but his second start came with terrible command. I hope he can replicate his first more frequently moving forward.
80. Alec Marsh – Arguably a Vargas Rule, Marsh has had flashes of brilliance with his “poor” four-seamer upstairs with secondaries underneath. It’s usually just in spurts, though.
81. Logan Allen – Allen has moments of greatness with his cutter and heater that, debatedly, makes him more than a streamer. PLV sure loves him.
82. Brandon Pfaadt – It’s a great sweeper and I still question his four-seamer’s ability to keep balls in the yard. Each night hinges heavily on finding his changeup to keep batters off the fastball and I hate spinning that wheel.
Tier 10 – Fine, You Need Some Streams & Other Randos
This is the butterfly meme where we’re staring out our teams long enough, hoping one of them can save us from our IL-riddled squads. These are the young arms we hope will blossom into a legit fantasy starter across the summer.
83. Spencer Arrighetti – He was solid until they left him in too long into the seventh. More time on the bump should equate to more success as he becomes more comfortable in the majors.
84. Michael Wacha – Hopefully Wacha’s command is back in full and he has two solid starts ahead with the Tigers and Rays.
85. Jameson Taillon – Taillon is constantly battling in his outings to locate his full arsenal effectively. It’s rarely going to be a stud outing, but there’s a Toby in here that should come out in a few weeks.
86. Griffin Canning – I’d avoid the Astros this week, but he is a small step above the typical streamer here with his array of secondaries.
87. Aaron Civale – Feel free to drop Civale, I will mention that I’m not ready to believe that his curve is completely broken forever. It’s hard to start him this week, though.
88. Andrew Heaney – Heaney has embraced the BSB but has a low floor when he doesn’t get enough pitch separation.
89. Reid Detmers – He’s a Cherry Bomb who could break out of the mold if he gets into a rhythm with his full arsenal. Likely an avoid this week with two questionable matchups.
90. Mitch Keller – Another Cherry Bomb with Atlanta on the horizon. Then again, he did locate super well last time out and there’s always a chance with Keller.
91. Mitchell Parker – Can he become a proper four-pitch arm? That would be cool.
92. James Paxton – Paxton is your Win chance streamer. He’s held on for longer than we expected and his time may be coming up soon.
93. Zack Littell – He’s fine. It was a nice run for a bit against some weak teams and he’s taken a step back in his last two, but there are nights where the slider can take over inside the zone, allowing the four-seamer to earn more strikeouts than expected – especially when the splitter shows up, too.
94. Ben Lively – He’s able to spot fastballs upstairs effectively with his elite extension, allowing him to perform better than the stuff would suggest.
95. Sean Manaea – A typical streamer against a middling Giants team this week. That’s fine.
96. Kyle Harrison – I don’t think we should expect Harrison to hit another gear after looking like the same guy for so many starts.
97. Michael Lorenzen – You need a quality start? Lorenzen is your desperate play.
98. Simeon Woods Richardson – He’s had much better command as of late and it’s a decent matchup this week.
99. Tobias Myers – I’m expecting Myers to replace Ross in the rotation and you may want to take a chance there. Likely better off chasing something else, but there is fun upside here with his great fastball and flashes of brilliant command.
100. Tylor Megill – Megill is coming off the IL this week and I’m curious if he’s learned the ability to spot his four-seamers upstairs while pairing them with cutters and splitters down.
Honorable Mentions
You’re getting little blurbs on everyone else with a rotation spot this week. This is in alphabetical team order, not rank. If a pitcher has a rotation spot and is not listed here, it’s an error on my part after crafting The List and forgetting to add them here. Feel free to let me know if someone isn’t listed here and I’ll add them – it’s usually a fringe guy I removed and lapsed when ensuring they had a blurb!
Ryne Nelson (ARI) – I dig his heater and there is a ceiling to hit one day. He’s a Young Gun.
Slade Cecconi (ARI) – This ain’t it. Slade is far too raw to consider.
Bryce Elder (ATL) – Demoted to the minors.
Darius Vines (ATL) – Called up and will get the Cubs. Not enough upside here.
Cole Irvin (BAL) – Gets bumped with Grayson returning to the rotation.
Cooper Criswell (BOS) – It’s been too middling of a ceiling, sadly.
Ben Brown (CHC) – Still out of the rotation. Brown needs to add a cutter or a different #3 pitch to become a notable fantasy arm. He’s out of the rotation for now and I wonder when (or if) he’ll get another shot.
Kyle Hendricks (CHC) – He’s back from the IL and you should completely ignore it.
Chris Flexen (CHW) – Welp, back to Flexen in front of the mirror and not the beach.
Erick Fedde (CHW) – Fedde’s Monday start concluded before publication and there’s no reason to hold for Baltimore.
Michael Soroka (CHW) – He could very well turn into a Toby as the year progresses. Right now, he doesn’t have the command to justify the low Win gamble.
Mike Clevinger (CHW) – You can do what you want. I personally don’t want anything to do with him and it’s not like his skills make that decision hard to make.
Nick Nastrini (CHW) – It could be Nastrini taking over for Brad Keller’s absence instead of Soroka. I wouldn’t focus on it.
Frankie Montas (CIN) – He’s awfully pedestrian. You can do better.
Graham Ashcraft (CIN) – I don’t trust his command enough.
Nick Martinez (CIN) – Had an opener and excelled against the Dodgers, to our surprise. Maybe there’s something fun against the Padres in a revenge game. I’m terrified to trust that, of course.
Carlos Carrasco (CLE) – It was 93 mph in his previous outing, then a relapse to 91 mph. Sigh. We had a fun moment.
Austin Gomber (COL) – COL story, bro.
Cal Quantrill (COL) – COL story, bro.
Dakota Hudson (COL) – COL story, bro.
Ryan Feltner (COL) – COL story, bro.
Ty Blach (COL) – COL story, bro.
Kenta Maeda (DET) – He’s a Cherry Bomb who is currently out with a viral infection. I hope he’s alright
Matt Manning (DET) – There’s a chance he sticks around in the rotation if Maeda isn’t back yet, but hot dang, it’s been rough.
Hunter Brown (HOU) – He’s been ousted from the rotation. For now.
Patrick Sandoval (LAA) – Sandoval was displayed some life across the last few weeks, though it’s not enough to justify a hold through a date with Texas.
Landon Knack (LAD) – We don’t know how the Dodgers will use Knack – they have a day off this week, does that mean they go five-man instead of six? – and even when he starts, it’s difficult to discern how long he’ll go.
Ryan Yarbrough (LAD) – The Dodgers are insistent on a six-man rotation, which gives The Fratty Pirate an opening to “start” here and there. This may be a vulture Win opportunity when he gets his chances (when will that be?)
Braxton Garrett (MIA) – I can imagine putting him back next week, he just needs to show up first.
Ryan Weathers (MIA) – He just went eight shutout frames (I know!) and I don’t believe he can replicate it. There were a ton of hittable fastballs and the Tigers are blegh.
Sixto Sánchez (MIA) – He’s not stretched out, nor looking anything like his old self.
Trevor Rogers (MIA) – It was a better start the past week and I can understand some wanting to take a flier here. I need to see more first.
Bryse Wilson (MIL) – The Brewers are still rolling with Wilson. That doesn’t mean you have to, too.
Colin Rea (MIL) – He’s been surprisingly decent with just one poor start this year. However, it’s a limited ceiling and with just a single start this week, Rea doesn’t push the needle enough.
Joe Ross (MIL) – I had put him on The List, but he was pulled from his game early with what seems to be a back issue. Ugh.
Chris Paddack (MIN) – Even after eight frames of delicacy from Paddack, I don’t like starting him against the Rangers this week, nor do I think he’s worth the hold.
Adrian Houser (NYM) – Likely returning to the rotation this week and it should not be of your concern.
José Buttó (NYM) – He’s off to the minors now.
Jose Quintana (NYM) – He just allowed 8 ER against the Rays. It’s possible he rebounds, but he’s on the wire this week.
Luis Severino (NYM) – He’s a Toby at best (couldn’t handle the Marlins!) and that’s not worth it unless it’s a great matchup.
Aaron Brooks (OAK) – Not the worst stream you’ve ever seen against Rockie Road. So not worth it though.
JP Sears (OAK) – He’s too volatile, even if the sweeper is adding more reliability over the plate.
Joey Estes (OAK) – He has some moments of being interesting and there’s a chance it works against Rockie Road, though the ceiling is so limited.
Kyle Muller (OAK) – I’m still waiting for Muller to do something fun to get our attention again.
Ross Stripling (OAK) – Stripling doesn’t have enough upside.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) – He allowed one run in six, I know. He’s also sitting 90/91 mph and holding on for dear life.
Bailey Falter (PIT) – It was a week of great matchups and Falter wasn’t able to come through. Why chase it?
Martín Pérez (PIT) – This Vargas Rule has come to an end. Rules are rules.
Matt Waldron (SDP) – Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer. Yes, even after his recent fantastic outing. Too much volatility.
Randy Vasquez (SDP) – He doesn’t go long into games and it’s not exciting enough.
Mason Black (SFG) – I need to see more from Black before entrusting him moving forward. Hopefully a third pitch to better deal with LHB.
Kyle Gibson (STL) – He’s too unpredictable and is just a streamer against poor offenses.
Lance Lynn (STL) – He just doesn’t do enough anymore.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) – Pitch count is low and the command is questionable at best.
Miles Mikolas (STL) – There’s so little to chase here. You can do better.
Tyler Alexander (TBR) – If the Rays could actually score runs, maybe T-Lex can vulture some Wins for you.
José Ureña (TEX) – Not only is it shocking that Ureña has an opportunity to start these days, but he also hasn’t been atrocious. Bonkers, I know. It’s not real.
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – We’re unclear if Eovaldi starts this week or not yet. If he does face the Twins, I think you’re okay with it. Feel free to Still ILL if you want.
Jake Irvin (WSN) – Yes, he just had a magnificent game. I just can’t squint enough to make it look sustainable.
Patrick Corbin (WSN) – There’s a new cutter for both RHB and LHB that may actually make a difference this season. Sleeper for NL-Only..? Crazy, I know.
Trevor Williams (WSN) – #NeverTrevor. Seriously, his arsenal is not worth your time, and the Phillies interrupted his solid run. I wouldn’t expect him to start a new one now.
SCROLL BACK UP AND READ THE NOTES
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| Rank | Pitcher | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler GlasnowT1 | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 3 | Corbin Burnes | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 4 | Tarik Skubal | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 5 | Luis Castillo | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 6 | Pablo López | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 7 | Cole Ragans | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 8 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 9 | Shota Imanaga | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 10 | Jared Jones | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 11 | Chris SaleT2 | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +7 |
| 12 | George Kirby | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | - |
| 13 | Zac Gallen | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | +2 |
| 14 | Max Fried | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | -6 |
| 15 | Aaron Nola | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 16 | Joe Ryan | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 17 | Kevin Gausman | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 18 | Logan Gilbert | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | +2 |
| 19 | Freddy Peralta | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -6 |
| 20 | Logan Webb | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -6 |
| 21 | Kyle BradishT3 | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | - |
| 22 | Grayson Rodriguez | Ace Potential Wins Bonus Team Context Effect Injury Risk | +UR |
| 23 | Bailey Ober | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +1 |
| 24 | Framber Valdez | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +1 |
| 25 | Paul Skenes | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 26 | Yusei Kikuchi | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | - |
| 27 | Sonny Gray | Ace Potential Ratio Focused | -5 |
| 28 | Dylan Cease | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 29 | Yu Darvish | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | - |
| 30 | Walker Buehler | Spice Girl Wins Bonus | +6 |
| 31 | Justin Steele | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -4 |
| 32 | Jesús Luzardo | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 33 | Nick PivettaT4 | Holly Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 34 | Jack Flaherty | Holly Quality Starts | +12 |
| 35 | Ranger Suárez | Holly Wins Bonus | +5 |
| 36 | Kutter Crawford | Holly Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 37 | Ronel Blanco | Holly Team Context Effect | -9 |
| 38 | Carlos Rodón | Holly Team Context Effect | +14 |
| 39 | Garrett CrochetT5 | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 40 | MacKenzie Gore | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 41 | Luis Gil | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +17 |
| 42 | Bryan Woo | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +14 |
| 43 | Bryce Miller | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -4 |
| 44 | Seth LugoT6 | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 45 | Tanner Houck | Holly Strikeout Upside | -4 |
| 46 | Reynaldo López | Holly Team Context Effect | +2 |
| 47 | Michael King | Holly Quality Starts | -14 |
| 48 | Brayan Bello | Holly Quality Starts | -1 |
| 49 | Nestor Cortes | Holly Wins Bonus | - |
| 50 | Joe Musgrove | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +UR |
| 51 | Reese Olson | Holly Quality Starts | - |
| 52 | Ryan PepiotT7 | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | +UR |
| 53 | Cristian Javier | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | +7 |
| 54 | Christian Scott | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -19 |
| 55 | Hunter Greene | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 56 | Blake Snell | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 57 | Cristopher Sánchez | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -4 |
| 58 | Tanner Bibee | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 59 | Taj Bradley | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | - |
| 60 | John MeansT8 | Toby Wins Bonus | -16 |
| 61 | José Berríos | Toby Quality Starts | -7 |
| 62 | Justin Verlander | Toby Quality Starts | -19 |
| 63 | Jordan Hicks | Toby Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 64 | Chris Bassitt | Toby Quality Starts | -14 |
| 65 | Clarke Schmidt | Toby Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 66 | Marcus Stroman | Toby Quality Starts | -1 |
| 67 | Casey Mize | Toby Quality Starts | -4 |
| 68 | Brady Singer | Toby Quality Starts | +6 |
| 69 | José Soriano | Toby Strikeout Upside | - |
| 70 | Jordan Montgomery | Toby Quality Starts | -8 |
| 71 | Gavin Stone | Toby Team Context Effect | -5 |
| 72 | Javier AssadT9 | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 73 | Alek Manoah | Vargas Rule Rotation Spot Bonus | +6 |
| 74 | Jon Gray | Vargas Rule Strikeout Upside | +11 |
| 75 | Dean Kremer | Vargas Rule Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 76 | Tyler Anderson | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +UR |
| 77 | Andrew Abbott | Vargas Rule Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +19 |
| 78 | Triston McKenzieT10 | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -2 |
| 79 | Robert Gasser | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -9 |
| 80 | Alec Marsh | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +13 |
| 81 | Logan Allen | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +16 |
| 82 | Brandon Pfaadt | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | -5 |
| 83 | Spencer ArrighettiT11 | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | - |
| 84 | Michael Wacha | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 85 | Jameson Taillon | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -13 |
| 86 | Griffin Canning | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -6 |
| 87 | Aaron Civale | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | -12 |
| 88 | Andrew Heaney | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -15 |
| 89 | Reid Detmers | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 90 | Mitch Keller | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 91 | Mitchell Parker | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | -7 |
| 92 | James Paxton | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -3 |
| 93 | Zack Littell | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -3 |
| 94 | Ben Lively | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 95 | Sean Manaea | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -1 |
| 96 | Kyle Harrison | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 97 | Michael Lorenzen | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 98 | Simeon Woods Richardson | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 99 | Tobias Myers | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 100 | Tylor Megill | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
Labels Legend
I’ve updated the tags for 2024, now allowing myself to tag a player in one three groups.
Overall Label
Aces Gonna Ace
Ace Potential
Holly
Toby
Cherry Bomb
Spice Girl
Vargas Rule
Streaming Option
Bonus Stat
QS Bonus
Wins Bonus
Strikeouts Bonus
Ratios Bonus
Rotation Spot Bonus
Team Context Effect
Special Tag
Stash Option
Injury Risk
Playing Time Question
A quick legend for those unfamiliar with our odd terms at Pitcher List:
Holly = Solid ratios, constant 6 IP & a 20-25% strikeout rate
Toby = Borderline arm for your 12-teamers who has a 20% or lower strikeout rate. They barely do enough.
Cherry Bomb = A volatile starting pitcher. Usually with strikeout upside and low ratio floor.
Spice Girl = Young arms who have massive ceilings or could be off your team in a few weeks.
Vargas Rule = A pitcher we’re picking up now given he’s on a roll, but we drop once he stumbles again.
Team Context Effect = Either ranked higher or lower due to team context (Coors, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta, Cincy, etc.)
Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)
ok, who wants to explain Houck at #45 to me?
Pablo’ ERA is approaching 5. He can’t remain where he is until we see some improvement and consistency.
Yamamoto’s great, and he’s absolutely gonna have a more productive MLB career overall thanks to his age, but this season Imanaga’s just straight-up better. I don’t know how many weeks he has to keep it up to get that proper ranking, he’s more than earned it.
Is this a parody list or a joke list?
Christian Scott has one bad start and drops 19 spots.
Jared Jones, who you never heard of before the season has a few cute starts; nothing special, and is ranked #10. Not one analyst had him ranked inside their top 200 SP for the year. 100% truth.
I am extremely disappointed with the product, the list and all things PL.
You told us to hold onto Varland and Puk and not to “chase” Gil and Jones because you said Varland and Puk are “dope” and they’ll help your 12 teamers. 100% this was said.
Why should anyone trust this website?
Something has to change. There’s a difference between quantity over quality. I am allowed to voice my opinion, so please take this critique into consideration.
Username checks out.
@Nick Pollack, I’m never going to forgive you for hating on Ranger Suarez, lol. I tortured myself for days on whether to pick him up, but I bought into what you were saying and left him on the waiver wire. So far it’s looking like he’s going to be a top contender for the Cy Young and I’m still amazed that you don’t have him higher than 35 on your list. He’s the #2 overall SP in my standard 5×5 league. He has 10 starts including the following: 5 starts where he’s gone 7 innings or more (including 1 complete game); 8 quality starts; 5 starts with 8ks or more; 9 wins; 1.36 ERA; .079 WHIP; 9.27 K/9. What more do you need to see at this point?
#1: 35th overall SP is a very good rank. There are ~150 rotation spots in the MLB.
#2: The list is for projected future performance, not past performance.
#3: Team-building based on season-to-date Yahoo rankings, as you seem to be suggesting, especially in May, is a losing strategy.
@Dr. Butter Butt
Jared Jones had a “few cute starts”??? You have to be trolling based on that comment, or simply don’t actually watch baseball and just look at his W-L record. Jones has looked amazing. Why does it matter where he was on preseason lists? Players develop and change, this is not new.
Scott dropped 18 spots because he doesn’t have much of a track record, but does have impressive stuff, so every start is weighed more heavily in judging him.
Puk looked great in ST, then decided to change his approach, then got hurt. You shouldn’t have been spending more than a late round pick on him or Varland anyway!
Gil has looked good but might hit an innings limit, a rotation crunch, or his control issues might end up outweighing the strikeouts.
I’m not Nick, but the money I’ve spent on this site has been an excellent investment.
@Jon Dowd – Houck is at 45 because #45 is a good ranking and Houck is a good pitcher. If you want a list that just reflects past results, go sort by player season rank on Yahoo, and while you’re at it, sign up for the money leagues I’m in.
At butter butt,
Jones has a top 5 CSW%, top 10 siera, and a top 10 K/BB. What more do you want? The guy is an ace
Charlie Morton not even in the honorable mention section?