Category Power Rankings: Week 13

Time for your weekly dose of CPR!

 

Batting Average (AVG)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–
2	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	–
3	Michael Brantley	HOU	OF	–
4	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	–
5	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	–
6	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
7	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	–
8	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	+1
9	Jorge Polanco	MIN	SS	+1
10	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF	+5
11	Justin Turner	LAD	3B	-3
12	Whit Merrifield	KC	1B/2B/OF	-1
13	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	-1
14	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS	–
15	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	+1
16	DJ Lemahieu	NYY	2B/3B	+1
17	Jeff McNeil	NYM	2B/3B/OF	+1
18	Jean Segura	PHI	SS	-5
19	David Dahl	COL	OF	+1
20	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	-1
21	David Peralta	ARZ	OF	–
22	Tommy Pham	TB	OF	+2
23	Juan Soto	WSH	OF	Unranked
24	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/3B/SS	-1
25	Francisco Lindor	CLE	SS	–

Off the List: Austin Meadows

Charlie Blackmon has been on another planet the past two weeks. The hottest hitter in baseball right now, Blackmon has seen his average jump from .299 to .338 since returning from the injured list on June 8. He is looking like the guy we were taking within the top three picks of fantasy drafts in 2018.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	David Fletcher	LAA	2B/3B/SS/OF	+1
2	Miguel Cabrera	DET	1B	+1
3	Scott Kingery	PHI	3B/SS/OF	Unranked
4	Josh Reddick	HOU	OF	-3
5	Howie Kendrick	WSH	1B/2B/3B/OF	–
6	Jose Iglesias	CIN	SS	–
7	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF	–
8	Avisail Garcia	TB	OF	-4
9	Nick Markakis	ATL	OF	-1
10	Gio Urshela	NYY	3B/SS	-1

Off the List: Leury Garcia

Finally getting regular at-bats, Scott Kingery has made the most of them. He doesn’t qualify for the batting title just yet, but if he did he would be fifth in the majors in batting average. While it would be foolish to expect that average to stay where it is, he should still remain a very solid fantasy option and needs to be owned.

 

Runs (R)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–
2	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	–
3	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	–
4	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	–
5	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
6	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF	+1
7	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	+1
8	Whit Merrifield	KC	1B/2B/OF	+2
9	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	+5
10	Kris Bryant	CHC	2B/OF	+2
11	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS	+5
12	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	+1
13	Trevor Story	COL	SS	-7
14	Jean Segura	PHI	SS	+2
15	George Springer	HOU	OF	-6
16	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	-1
17	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/3B/SS	+1
18	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	-1
19	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	–
20	Lorenzo Cain	MIL	OF	–
21	Rafael Devers	BOS	3B	–
22	Francisco Lindor	CLE	SS	–
23	Edwin Encarnacion	NYY	1B	+1
24	Carlos Santana	CLE	1B/3B	Unranked
25	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	SS	Unranked

Off the List: Mitch Haniger, Paul Goldschmidt

Carlos Santana is really enjoying his return to Cleveland. He is almost walking at a higher clip than he ever has, and this is coming from a guy who has a career 15% walk rate. He is consistently batting third in the Indians lineup and is on a 112-run pace.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Leury Garcia	CHW	OF	–
2	Nick Markakis	ATL	OF	+3
3	Adam Eaton	WSH	OF	–
4	Daniel Vogelbach	SEA	1B	-2
5	David Fletcher	LAA	2B/3B/SS/OF	-1
6	Kyle Schwarber	CHC	OF	+1
7	Kole Calhoun	LAA	OF	+2
8	Ramon Laureano	OAK	OF	+2
9	Howie Kendrick	WSH	1B/2B/3B/OF	Unranked
10	Jorge Soler	KC	OF	Unranked

Off the List: Brandon Lowe (ownership), Gregory Polanco

Over his last 31 ballgames, Ramon Laureano is hitting .314 with seven HRs, 21 RBI, five SBs, and 19 R. His plate discipline is abysmal. But you could do a lot worse if you are in need of some instant offense in deeper roto leagues.

 

Home Runs (HR)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–
2	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	+1
3	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	-1
4	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
5	Edwin Encarnacion	NYY	1B	–
6	Pete Alonso	NYM	1B	–
7	Gary Sanchez	NYY	C	+1
8	Khris Davis	OAK	OF	-1
9	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B/OF	–
10	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/3B/SS	–
11	Mike Moustakas	MIL	2B/3B	+4
12	Marcell Ozuna	STL	OF	–
13	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	+1
14	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	+2
15	Francisco Lindor	CLE	SS	+2
16	Paul Goldschmidt	STL	1B	-3
17	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	+6
18	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	+2
19	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	+2
20	Matt Chapman	OAK	3B	-2
21	Trevor Story	COL	SS	-10
22	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	-3
23	Eddie Rosario	MIN	OF	+1
24	Hunter Renfroe	SD	OF	Unranked
25	Joey Gallo	TEX	1B/OF	–

Off the List: George Springer

Freddie Freeman had 23 home runs in 707 plate appearances last season. He has 21 dingers in 339 plate appearances this year. Freeman’s power had been frustrating last season after such a hot start, but he has certainly regained his stroke in 2019. He remains one of the elite hitters in all of fantasy and real-life baseball.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Hunter Renfroe	SD	OF	+2
2	Franmil Reyes	SD	OF	-1
3	Jorge Soler	KC	OF	+1
4	Daniel Vogelbach	SEA	1B	-2
5	C.J. Cron	MIN	1B	–
6	Miguel Sano	MIN	1B/3B	–
7	Kyle Schwarber	CHC	OF	Unranked
8	Kole Calhoun	LAA	OF	–
9	Derek Dietrich	CIN	2B/3B/OF	Unranked
10	Renato Nunez	BAL	1B/3B	-3

Off the List: Gregory Polanco, Justin Smoak (injury)

Jorge Soler is sporting a 27% HR/FB rate, which is eighth-highest in the majors. We always knew he had the pop; it was just a matter of time before he put it all together. While his plate discipline remains lackluster, Soler should remain a very solid source of power.

 

Runs Batted In (RBI)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	–
2	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	–
3	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–
4	Edwin Encarnacion	NYY	1B	+1
5	Marcell Ozuna	STL	OF	+1
6	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B/OF	-2
7	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	+2
8	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	-1
9	Jose Abreu	CHW	1B	-1
10	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	+1
11	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	+1
12	Khris Davis	OAK	OF	-2
13	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	–
14	Pete Alonso	NYM	1B	+2
15	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/3B/SS	–
16	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	+2
17	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	Unranked
18	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	–
19	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	-5
20	Eddie Rosario	MIN	OF	-1
21	Gary Sanchez	NYY	C	Unranked
22	Eduardo Escobar	ARZ	3B/SS	+2
23	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS	–
24	Juan Soto	WSH	OF	-4
25	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	–

Off the List: Trevor Story (injury), Adalberto Mondesi (injury)

It can be argued that Gary Sanchez is in the mix for AL MVP. He has been an offensive force for the injury-riddled, but first-place, Yankees. We really have not seen such an offensive juggernaut come from the catcher position in a long time. Where are all those J.T. Realmuto truthers now?

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Jorge Soler	KC	OF	–
2	Daniel Vogelbach	SEA	1B	–
3	C.J. Cron	MIN	1B	–
4	Dansby Swanson	ATL	SS	–
5	Hunter Renfroe	SD	OF	Unranked
6	Franmil Reyes	SD	OF	Unranked
7	Miguel Sano	MIN	1B/3B	–
8	Howie Kendrick	WSH	1B/2B/3B/OF	–
9	Colin Moran	PIT	2B/3B	Unranked
10	Renato Nunez	BAL	1B/3B	-1

Off the List: Brandon Lowe (ownership), Gregory Polanco, Justin Smoak (injury)

While he may not be having an outstanding season, Colin Moran does deserve a little more love in fantasy leagues. The former first-round pick is on a 94-RBI pace for the last-place Pirates and at the very least should be owned in any roto leagues with corner infield and middle infield spots.

 

Stolen Bases (SB)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Mallex Smith	SEA	OF	+1
2	Adalberto Mondesi	KC	2B/SS	-1
3	Jose Ramirez	CLE	2B/3B	+1
4	Tim Anderson	CHW	SS	-1
5	Billy Hamilton	KC	OF	–
6	Whit Merrifield	KC	1B/2B/OF	–
7	Jonathan Villar	BAL	2B/SS	–
8	Trea Turner	WSH	SS	–
9	Jarrod Dyson	ARZ	OF	+1
10	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	+1
11	Starling Marte	PIT	OF	-2
12	Dee Gordon	SEA	2B/SS/OF	+1
13	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF	+1
14	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	+1
15	Victor Robles	WSH	OF	-3
16	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	+1
17	Francisco Lindor	CLE	SS	+2
18	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	–
19	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	+1
20	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SD	SS	+5
21	Lorenzo Cain	MIL	OF	–
22	Tommy Pham	TB	OF	–
23	Andrew Benintendi	BOS	OF	–
24	Kevin Kiermaier	TB	OF	–
25	Trevor Story	COL	SS	-9

Off the List: None

The recent IL trip for Adalberto Mondesi dethrones him from the top spot…for now. He has such a good sized lead on the rest of the field that even when he does return, it would be surprising if he fell out of the top five in steals.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Mallex Smith	SEA	OF	–
2	Jarrod Dyson	ARZ	OF	–
3	Kevin Kiermaier	TB	OF	–
4	Kolten Wong	STL	2B	+1
5	Delino DeShields	TEX	OF	-1
6	Ramon Laureano	OAK	OF	–
7	Amed Rosario	NYM	SS	+1
8	Leury Garcia	CHW	OF	-1
9	Danny Santana	TEX	1B/2B/OF	+1
10	Brett Gardner	NYY	OF	Unranked

Off the List: JaCoby Jones

Kolten Wong has certainly fallen from grace since his torrid start to the year, but he has made up with it with some speed. The Cards’ second baseman has 13 swipes and has yet to be caught.

 

On-Base Percentage (OBP)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
2	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–
3	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	–
4	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	–
5	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	–
6	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	+1
7	Tommy Pham	TB	OF	+1
8	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	-2
9	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B/OF	–
10	Juan Soto	WSH	OF	+2
11	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	–
12	Kris Bryant	CHC	3B/OF	+1
13	Carlos Santana	CLE	1B/3B	+3
14	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	-4
15	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	-1
16	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	-1
17	Jorge Polanco	MIN	SS	–
18	Michael Conforto	NYM	OF	–
19	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	–
20	Shin-Soo Choo	TEX	OF	–
21	Jeff McNeil	NYM	2B/3B/OF	–
22	Luke Voit	NYY	1B	+3
23	Justin Turner	LAD	3B	+1
24	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF	Unranked
25	George Springer	HOU	OF	-2

Off the List: Austin Meadows

Juan Soto is not walking at the incredible rate he did during his rookie year, but he’s still well above average—especially when you consider he is still only 20 years old. The kid is really good and has the approach of a player who has been in the league for seven or eight years.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Daniel Vogelbach	SEA	1B	–
2	Adam Eaton	WSH	OF	Unranked
3	Brandon Belt	SF	1B/OF	+4
4	David Fletcher	LAA	2B/3B/OF	–
5	Bryan Reynolds	PIT	OF	–
6	Nick Markakis	ATL	OF	Unranked
7	Josh Reddick	HOU	OF	-5
8	Miguel Cabrera	DET	1B	+2
9	Avisail Garcia	TB	OF	-1
10	Dexter Fowler	STL	OF	-4

Off the List: Justin Smoak (injury)

Adam Eaton is doing a little bit of everything, which is kind of what we expect from the veteran outfielder when he is healthy. He is walking at a 10% clip and should hit for a decent enough average to have an OBP somewhere between .360 and .380. Again, health permitting.

 

Wins (W)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
2	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
3	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	–
4	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	+2
5	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	-1
6	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	-1
7	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	+2
8	Blake Snell	TB	SP	-1
9	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	-1
10	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	SP	+1
11	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	-1
12	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	–
13	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	–
14	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	–
15	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	+1
16	Walker Buehler	LAD	SP	+1
17	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	-2
18	German Marquez	COL	SP	–
19	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	SP/RP	–
20	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	SP	–
21	Lucas Giolito	CHW	SP	+4
22	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	-1
23	James Paxton	NYY	SP	–
24	Cole Hamels	CHC	SP	Unranked
25	Mike Minor	TEX	SP	Unranked

Off the List: Kyle Hendricks (injury), Noah Syndergaard (injury)

While he may not be as dominant as he once was, Clayton Kershaw is still very much one of the elite when he takes the hill. Even after missing some time to start the year, Kershaw has already tallied seven wins and has only given up more than three earned runs in one start.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Yonny Chirinos	TB	SP/RP	–
2	Lance Lynn	TEX	SP	–
3	Zach Davies	MIL	SP	–
4	Wade Miley	HOU	SP	+1
5	Kyle Gibson	MIN	SP	+1
6	Brett Anderson	OAK	SP	+2
7	Merrill Kelly	ARZ	SP	–
8	Marco Gonzales	SEA	SP	Unranked
9	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	SP/RP	+1
10	Mike Fiers	OAK	SP	Unranked

Off the List: John Means (injury)

After a great start to the year, Marco Gonzales fell on some hard times. The lefty has bounced back recently, posting three consecutive victories, including two quality starts.

 

Earned Run Average (ERA)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
2	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
3	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
4	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	+2
5	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	+2
6	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	-2
7	Blake Snell	TB	SP	-2
8	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	SP	+1
9	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	-1
10	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	+2
11	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	–
12	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	-2
13	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	–
14	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	–
15	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	–
16	Walker Buehler	LAD	SP	–
17	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	–
18	Lucas Giolito	CHW	SP	–
19	James Paxton	NYY	SP	–
20	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	SP	+2
21	German Marquez	COL	SP	–
22	Mike Soroka	ATL	SP	+1
23	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	Unranked
24	Shane Bieber	CLE	SP	+1
25	Matt Boyd	DET	SP	Unranked

Off the List: Kyle Hendricks (injury), Noah Syndergaard (injury)

Masahiro Tanaka had been struggling heading into his last start against the Rays, but he turned things around by spinning a complete-game shutout. Tanaka’s ERA sits at 3.23, which is pretty impressive considering he had allowed four runs in each of his previous three starts.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Yonny Chirinos	TB	SP/RP	+2
2	Zach Davies	MIL	SP	–
3	Spencer Turnbull	DET	SP	-2
4	Wade Miley	HOU	SP	–
5	Trevor Richards	MIA	SP	+1
6	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SP	-1
7	Brett Anderson	OAK	SP	–
8	Zach Plesac	CLE	SP	+1
9	Dakota Hudson	STL	SP	-1
10	Merrill Kelly	ARZ	SP	–

Off the List: None

Not much change here. Zach Plesac continues to impress having now posted four good starts out of his first five. And he has done it against good lineups such as the Red Sox, Yankees, and the Rangers in Arlington. What he is doing appears to be legit and with all the injuries to the Indians rotation, he should stick. It is time for you to buy in.

 

Strikeouts (K)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
2	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	–
3	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
4	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	–
5	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	–
6	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	+1
7	Blake Snell	TB	SP	-1
8	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
9	Matt Boyd	DET	SP	–
10	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	–
11	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	–
12	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	–
13	Zack Wheeler	NYM	SP	–
14	Shane Bieber	CLE	SP	+4
15	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	–
16	James Paxton	NYY	SP	-2
17	Robbie Ray	ARZ	SP	–
18	German Marquez	COL	SP	-2
19	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	+1
20	Lucas Giolito	CHW	SP	+1
21	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	SP/RP	+2
22	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	–
23	Jack Flaherty	STL	SP	+1
24	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP	-5
25	Mike Minor	TEX	SP	–

Off the List: None

Remember when Chris Sale wasn’t striking anybody out in his first few starts of the year? Yeah, me neither. Since April 23, Sale has 124 Ks across 77.1 innings.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Lance Lynn	TEX	SP	–
2	Tyler Mahle	CIN	SP	+1
3	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SP	-1
4	Trent Thornton	TOR	SP	+1
5	Kyle Gibson	MIN	SP	+1
6	Joey Lucchesi	SD	SP	+1
7	Spencer Turnbull	DET	SP	-3
8	Tanner Roark	CIN	SP	+1
9	Dylan Bundy	BAL	SP	Unranked
10	Anthony Desclafani	CIN	SP	-2

Off the List: Martin Perez

Dylan Bundy has 46 Ks over his last 39.2 innings and a 3.86 ERA during that span. Not too bad.

 

Saves (SV)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Kirby Yates	SD	RP	–
2	Kenley Jansen	LAD	RP	–
3	Aroldis Chapman	NYY	RP	+1
4	Roberto Osuna	HOU	RP	-1
5	Felipe Vazquez	PIT	RP	–
6	Brad Hand	CLE	RP	+1
7	Josh Hader	MIL	RP	+1
8	Edwin Diaz	NYM	RP	-2
9	Blake Treinen	OAK	RP	–
10	Shane Greene	DET	RP	–
11	Sean Doolittle	WSH	RP	–
12	Jordan Hicks	STL	RP	–
13	Will Smith	SF	RP	–
14	Hector Neris	PHI	RP	–
15	Ken Giles	TOR	RP	+1
16	Alex Colome	CHW	RP	+1
17	Raisel Iglesias	CIN	RP	-2
18	Wade Davis	COL	RP	–
19	Greg Holland	ARZ	RP	–
20	Sergio Romo	MIA	SP/RP	+2
21	Craig Kimbrel	CHC	RP	-1
22	Hansel Robles	LAA	RP	Unranked
23	Luke Jackson	ATL	RP	-2
24	Pedro Strop	CHC	RP	–
25	Jose Alvarado	TB	RP	–

Off the List: Blake Parker

Sergio Romo is what he is at this point in his career. His ERA is creeping up toward 5.00, but if you need saves, he is only 44% owned in Yahoo leagues and 18% owned in ESPN. He is 14-for-15 in save chances so far for Miami.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-Team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Sergio Romo	MIA	SP/RP	+1
2	Hansel Robles	LAA	RP	+5
3	Luke Jackson	ATL	RP	-2
4	Pedro Strop	CHC	RP	–
5	Jose Alvarado	TB	RP	Unranked
6	Diego Castillo	TB	RP	–
7	Shawn Kelley	TEX	RP	Unranked
8	Jose Leclerc	TEX	RP	-3
9	Taylor Rogers	MIN	RP	Unranked
10	A.J. Minter	ATL	RP	Unranked

Off the List: Cody Allen, Joe Biagini, Matt Barnes, Blake Parker

A.J. Minter has looked pretty good since being recalled from the minors after a bit of a meltdown early on in the season. Luke Jackson has done an admirable job as the closer for the Braves, but I highly doubt he is the ideal guy they want in the role. If Minter continues to make progress, he could find himself earning save opportunities before too long.

 

WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
2	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
3	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	+1
4	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	+1
5	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	+1
6	Blake Snell	TB	SP	-3
7	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	–
8	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	+1
9	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	SP	+1
10	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	-2
11	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	–
12	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	–
13	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	–
14	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	+1
15	Matt Boyd	DET	SP	-1
16	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	–
17	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	–
18	Shane Bieber	CLE	SP	–
19	David Price	BOS	SP	–
20	Walker Buehler	LAD	SP	+1
21	Lucas Giolito	CHW	SP	+2
22	German Marquez	COL	SP	-1
23	Mike Soroka	ATL	SP	+1
24	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	Unranked
25	James Paxton	NYY	SP	-3

Off the List: Kyle Hendricks (injury)

Blake Snell has allowed 30 baserunners over his last 14 innings to the tune of a 10.29 ERA. Not what we have come to expect from Snell. Still, he has a 3.14 xFIP, so I would just chalk this up to being a rough patch for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Yonny Chirinos	TB	SP/RP	–
2	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SP	–
3	Wade Miley	HOU	SP	–
4	Joey Lucchesi	SD	SP	+3
5	Trevor Richards	MIA	SP	+1
6	Kyle Gibson	MIN	SP	-2
7	Zach Plesac	CLE	SP	+3
8	Tyler Mahle	CIN	SP	–
9	Mike Fiers	OAK	SP	Unranked
10	Zach Davies	MIL	SP	-1

Off the List: Pablo Lopez (injury)

Since April 26th, Mike Fiers has a 2.84 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP. He has reeled off eight quality starts during that time across 10 outings. Fiers is NOT a sexy name, but he is on a very nice roll.

 

Quality Starts (QS)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
2	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
3	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	–
4	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
5	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	+2
6	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	–
7	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	+2
8	Blake Snell	TB	SP	-3
9	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	-1
10	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	–
11	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	+1
12	Matt Boyd	DET	SP	+1
13	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	-2
14	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	–
15	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	SP	–
16	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	–
17	Madison Bumgarner	SF	SP	–
18	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	–
19	Shane Bieber	CLE	SP	+3
20	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	+1
21	German Marquez	COL	SP	-2
22	Lucas Giolito	CHW	SP	+2
23	James Paxton	NYY	SP	–
24	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP	-4
25	Mike Minor	TEX	SP	Unranked

Off the List: Zack Wheeler

How crazy is it to think that at this moment the top five in the AL Cy Young race could very well be Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Lucas Giolito, Jake Odorizzi, and Charlie Morton. Exactly how we thought it would pan out three months into the year, right?

 

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Lance Lynn	TEX	SP	–
2	Wade Miley	HOU	SP	+1
3	Trevor Richards	MIA	SP	+2
4	Spencer Turnbull	DET	SP	-2
5	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SP	-1
6	Zach Plesac	CLE	SP	+3
7	Mike Fiers	OAK	SP	Unranked
8	Merrill Kelly	ARZ	SP	+2
9	Brett Anderson	OAK	SP	-2
10	Marco Gonzales	ARZ	SP	Unranked

Off the List: Pablo Lopez (injury), Brad Keller

Despite falling a little on this list, Brett Anderson has turned in four quality starts over his last five outings. The veteran lefty is still pretty useful in deeper leagues, especially in good matchups at home.

 

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)