In preparation for my annual Top 400 Starting Pitchers ranking article in February 2026, I spend the fall and winter months thoroughly reviewing every team’s rotation, taking the time to analyze every piece of the pitcher and write my analysis months in advance. I usually don’t share these publicly until then, and the last two years I elected to share them exclusively with PL Pro members.
PL Pro members get four major benefits inside these articles:
1. Early Ranking Access
As I go through each team, I rank each pitcher relative to the other pitchers I have already covered inside a Google Spreadsheet. While I often change these throughout the winter even after completing their write-up, PL Pro members have access to view the progress of those rankings before they are made public.
2. 2026 Player Projections, powered by PLV
At the start of each write-up, you can view each player’s Pitcher List player projection for 2026, powered by PLV. These projections matched hitters alongside BatX in 2025, and performed exceptionally well across the Top 200 SP. They even beat me in the daily streamer challenge by one. So close.
3. Nick’s Starting Pitcher Sheet – The One Sheet for all Pitcher Research
With the help of Kyle Bland, I have a Team SP one-sheet that provides all the relevant data on every pitcher for each team featured in these articles. Here is the example for the Arizona Diamondbacks:
It’s the ultimate resource for your personal SP research. I cannot express enough how helpful it is to have everything in one place.
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Expected Starters
Yusei Kikuchi (LHP)
2025 Stats: 178.1 IP | 3.99 ERA | 1.42 WHIP | 22.5 K% | 9.6 BB%
It was surprising to look back and see Kikuchi return three months of a sub 3.00 ERA in 2025 (early May through early August), though even during this cherry-picked peak, Kikuchi still had a 1.35 WHIP. In other words, he was awfully fortunate when it went well. That doesn’t sound encouraging. Sure isn’t.
Kikuchi has been mostly two-pitch for a while, leaning heavily on his slider and four-seamer to get things done, with the occasional bursts of higher curveball usage and the rare night where he can actually locate his changeup to RHB. This is no SWATCH – Kikuchi’s attack is based on a flat 1.5 HAVAA four-seamer with good extension at 95 mph that can be excellent upstairs, especially when he throws sliders for strikes and keeps it at 88 mph or harder. Sadly, command has never been a facet of Kikuchi’s game, turning him into a HIPSTER at best with starts of double-digit strikeouts seemingly out of nowhere, only to look inefficient and get torched in the next outing. After all, none of his pitches held a SwStr rate above 15% to LHB or RHB last year, while the fastball and slider failed to do their part to LHB and were demolished for over 45% ICR each.
Avoid the pain and anxiety. If you’re feeling lucky, pick up Kikuchi for a few starts and hope you find yourself with a hefty strikeout boon. I suggest you search for your punchouts elsewhere, unless volume is all you need. He’s roughly 170 frames in each of his last three seasons and will fan a batter per inning with a chance to hit double-digit Wins. But those ratios, oh dear.
Quick Take: Kikuchi isn’t destined to feature stellar ratios but they’ll do enough to anchor his ceiling even with a fourth straight 165+ IP season ahead. Those needing strikeouts and a flirtation with 10+ Wins should consider Kikuchi, though the start-to-start performance will be aggravating as you witness Kikuchi’s volatility first-hand. His ratio floor is too suspect for 12-teamers, and possibly 15-teamers as well.
Grayson Rodriguez (RHP)
2024 Stats: 116.2 IP | 3.86 ERA | 1.24 WHIP |26.5 K% | 7.3 BB%
It seems really silly to stick Grayson in the Top 100. I truly understand that. And yet, if he’s actually healthy, how can you not take a flier on him? But we don’t know if he is. Fine! You don’t have to draft him before your final rounds and you’ll be able to let him go before the season starts. Don’t forget what Grayson showed us when he was healthy: mid-to-upper 90s velocity with whiffable secondaries and good control. This is the ultimate dart throw and the risk is straightforward. Take. The. Shot.
Quick Take: Please be healthy and starting on opening day. There’s minimal risk snagging GrayRod with your last pick and the upside is a pitcher with mid-to-upper 90s velocity, two great secondaries, and 25%+ strikeout potential. Don’t overthink it.
Reid Detmers (LHP)
2025 Stats: 63.2 IP | 3.96 ERA | 1.30 WHIP | 30.1 K% | 9.4 BB%
Oh, how I wish this would work. Detmers settled into a reliever role with the Angels after years of battling consistency and injuries as a starter, and he dominated. Well, kinda. His ratios weren’t great, but a 30% strikeout rate with a 16% SwStr and a 5.45 PLV is remarkable and there’s hope he’s figured something out that will translate once he returns to the first inning.
The largest bump is the one you should expect: velocity. Detmers went from 94+ to 96+ mph on his four-seamer and was able to sit upstairs with ease, which was exceptional to RHB and had an, uh, 75% ICR to LHB. As a southpaw! Yeesh. That’s not great.
The slider earned plenty of whiffs n all, but the pitch flailed and wrestled with Detmers, landing in poor spots often and also was hit for horrific ICR marks, this time to both LHB and RHB. Not exactly the destroyer of worlds you want to see.
His curveball is a big fella that earns a ton of called strikes against RHB as he flips it 25% of the time for over 60% strikes (that’s a solid rate for a low-swing curve), but isn’t much use against LHB. Neither is the sinker that he barely touches.
Where does that leave us? Clearly avoiding him in drafts. Wait, really? If Detmers was the same arm, I’d be cautious with the spotty command of his time as a starter still apparent in 2025, and I wouldn’t bank on his changeup re-appearing to help him become a magical SWATCH. Factor in a terrible defense and likely two ticks less velocity, and it’s Somebody I Used To Know. I.E. The same HIPSTER song all over again.
Quick Take: Detmers seems like a fun SP/RP play to get in on a reliever making the conversion. Sadly, the fastball velocity will come back down and his time in relief featured the same command issues we saw in years prior, with little indication for growth in his slider feel or expansion of his arsenal. This has HIPSTER written all over it, and I’ll hope he comes out dealing at the very least.
José Soriano (RHP)
2025 Stats: 169.0 IP | 4.26 ERA | 1.40 WHIP | 21.0 K% | 10.8 BB%
Soriano is simple on paper. A 97+ mph sinker with true sink that induces weak contact and all the groundballs to both LHB and RHB + a curveball that is a CSW darling. Sadly, there are many nights when he loses the feel for one or the other and there is nay a backup plan, leading to all the walks and headaches for trusting managers.
There are three things that could catalyze a true breakout season for José. First, getting a feel for his slider to RHB, which had a 21% SwStr rate last season across just 11% usage, and with a little extra sweep than a standard gyro slider at 89 mph, Soriano’s slide piece will obliterate RHB if he can throw it for strikes more than 60% of the time and not hang it so dang much when it is over the plate.
To that last point is #2. Throw strikes. Not with the sinker – that thing is driving this whole bus station-to-station – but with his curveball to LHB. At a sub 55% strike rate last year (and a 51% strike rate on his splitter, but that’s a two-strike pitch so I’ll let it slide), the curve’s lack of dependability put Soriano in tougher situations to LHB and is the largest cause of his terrible 11% walk rate. And it’s not too far-fetched to believe Soriano can improve the pitch. After all, it had a 62% strike rate to lefties in 2024.
Here’s the easiest path toward a WHIP better than 1.40 and overall success for Soriano: The Angels’ defense. As the #1 groundballer in baseball (nearly 70%!), Soriano needs a proper infield defense behind him. The Angels ranked worst in baseball in Infield OAA last season and can you imagine his confidence if he were on the Royals? Or Astros? I can’t say this is going to get much better with both Neto and Moncada still on the left side of the infield (Moncada was -13 OAA) and it means the volatility is likely here to stay.
It’s hard for me to go after Soriano with the team behind him. That said, if he’s flexing more sliders to RHB and nails down his curve (and splitty?) to LHB, then the walk rate should plummet at the very least, and it may be worthwhile. I’m not willing to bank on his command improving, though, and I’d try something else.
Quick Take: The 97 mph sinker is a rarity in this day and age and if Soriano had a strong defense behind him, it may be the solution to everything. Sadly, he’s been dealt the worst infield defense, forcing him to figure out how to earn more strikes with curves and sliders, while hoping to find a way to iron out his volatile control. It’s too much randomness for me.
On The Fringe
Alek Manoah (RHP)
2024 Stats: 24.1 IP | 3.70 ERA | 1.03 WHIP | 25.2 K% | 7.8 BB%
This is it! The Manoah post-post-post-hype breakout 2.0! Please. The information we have now is far better to what we had after his sophomore year and his drop-off taught me a valuable lesson: If it seems weird to have success with a pitch, it’s likely because it is weird and unlikely to replicate. But fine, maybe Manoah has the fastball velocity back, the feel for his breaker, and maybe learns a trick or two with the Angels. Don’t they have a questionable coaching staff? It’s improved. We think. Okay, yeah, this ain’t it.
Quick Take: Sure, maybe Manoah has found some of his former magic. It’s possible! The chances are slim and I’d far rather grab him off the wire when he shows any sign of life over granting him a roster spot on the off-chance he lands.
Caden Dana (RHP)
2025 Stats: 32.1 IP | 6.40 ERA | 1.48 WHIP | 23.4 K% | 12.8 BB%
He seems like a standard guy who throws 95 mph. His slider has some extra movement at 85+ mph that can get be a proper weapon to RHB, and the changeup has moments with great drop to LHB, but in the end, it’s a meh fastball without the electricity you’re looking for. He’ll be reliant on stellar command to get your attention and here’s to hoping he does so. Given Manoah and Kochanowicz as his two competitors, I imagine we’ll see Dana soon enough and I hope he looks far better than what we’ve had so far.
Quick Take: Dana is the perfect example of a pitcher not worth your time until he does something worth your time. He’s not so far off from doing that, but he needs one more pitch to step forward + runway in the rotation to get there.
Jack Kochanowicz (RHP)
2025 Stats: 111.0 IP | 6.81 ERA | 1.75 WHIP | 14.1 K% | 11.3 BB%
How do you spell Kochanowicz? With one K. Formerly known as The Jack of One Trade, Kochanowicz’s well spotted sinker disappeared in 2025 and he spent the year experimenting with his arsenal to find a new path toward success. The good news? It doesn’t seem like he’s done tweaking after a rough campaign, lifting his arm angle and hopefully finding a new feel for his pitches. If he had his old sinker command back, I’d be so down given the elite sink on the pitch at 95/96 mph that carried over to his changeup against LHB, and what if he had a great breaker to go with it? Wouldn’t that be fun? I wonder who we’ll see this season as I’m sure he’ll get a chance at some point to reclaim a rotation spot.
Names To Know
Mitch Farris (LHP)
He has a disgusting kick-change at 77/78 mph that would make him into a SWATCH if he could command it better and if his 90 mph four-seamer wasn’t so…blegh. The slider is fine at 81/82 mph to deal with LHB and steal strikes to RHB, but he needs a better heater and more consistency on the slowball. I’m rooting for the newly 25-year-old.
Victor Mederos (RHP)
He has a ton of ride on his sinker at 94/95 mph due to his low arm-angle…and that’s about it. The command isn’t premium and the slider/sweeper doesn’t do enough. Maybe the 88/89 mph slider has enough sweep to miss some bats, but the feel isn’t there and I don’t feel the need to wishcast Mederos.
Chase Silseth (RHP)
Back when you were all jazzed about Silseth in the summer of 2022, he had an unreal two-plane slider at 84+ mph that has develoved into an 80/81 mph standard sweeper. Womp womp. At least he still has 95+ mph velocity and sometimes the splitter is cool but still volatile (Shocking! More at Eleven.), and it’s not like the sweeper is terrible. It’s just all fine. If he goes bonkers in the spring, then I’ll have some interest as the potential #5 SP. Hold off for now.
Sam Aldegheri (LHP)
He’s trying to be a SWATCH with a cut-fastball at 91/92 mph that goes gloveside to both RHB and LHB, a slider slow 82 mph slider he does a decent job of keeping down and away, and a good changeup that is made worse by the slow heater. It’s possible he can find more strikes and whiffs with the changeup over time, but if you’re looking for a SWATCH, there are so many others I’d go for before Aldegheri.
Relevant Prospects
Thanks to MLB.com and Eric Longenhagen’s work at FanGraphs for many insights into these prospects. I also used our PLV Minor League Player App for additional data I couldn’t find elsewhere.
For pitchers in Triple-A, our PL Pro MiLB app was an invaluable resource, gathering all velocity, movement, extension, and HAVAA marks with ease. For example, here’s Kohl’s Drake’s Triple-A slider card this season inside the app. Unlock this app and many more with PL Pro.
George Klassen (RHP, 24, AAA) – Watch Video
The dude throws 97/98 mph with a disgusting slider at 89+ mph with legit drop, but is it wrong for me to worry that the four-seamer has horrific movement and poor extension? It could explain the poor hit rate in the minors and his high WHIP marks, and I’d be a little hesitant to jump for him when he does get the inevitable call to the majors this season. It’s really hard to turn down upper 90s velocity with a wipeout slider, though. Think of him as a worse Chase Burns but good enough to defy the Huascar Rule.
Joel Hurtado (RHP, 25, AAA) – Watch Video
Ehhhh, there doesn’t look to be enough here to get excited. Hurtado is a sinker/slider arm without much ride on the fastball, and a slow 84/85 mph slider with a little more horizontal off the gyro center. He’s flexed the ability to go to the upper 90s before, but after a poor showing in Double-A last year and just one start in Triple-A, I’m waiting to see if there’s more in the tank before getting excited about a potential debut.
Walbert Ureña (RHP, 22, AAA) – Watch Video
Urena is similar to Hurtado, with a little more movement on the slider and a ~95 mph sinker without exceptional movement. As much as I want to get excited about these guys close to the majors, I’m just not seeing anything to focus on.
Ryan Johnson (RHP, 23, AA) – Watch Video
Well this is a weird one. Johnson was drafted in 2024 and made his MLB debut out of camp as a reliever for the Angels without pitching in the minors. Then, after getting a taste of the high life, he was sent to High-A in May, where he ramped back to a starter, peaking with a CGSHO with just one hit and 12 strikeouts at the start of July. Yeah, weird. He has a funky slide-step delivery that looks like quick-pitching out of the windup, and favors a 91 mph cutter and questionable sweeper as his main two offerings, mixing in a 93/94 mph sinker with proper sink as well. It doesn’t look to be the stuff of legends, and I imagine the success in High-A is due to the high velocity cutter and his abnormal delivery. I’m not expecting it to pan out in the bigs whenever he returns.
Chris Cortez (RHP, 23, A) – Watch Video
He throws hard with upper 90s velocity and a power slider that hovers 90 mph, but he doesn’t have depth to his mix and like many other hard throwers, control is an issue, evidenced by 84 walks in 113.2 IP of A+ in 2025. Not only does he need time to iron out the kinks, he also needs more time facing higher quality batters. The stuff can be exhilarating, but there’s a whole lot of polish left to add. After all, he had a strikeout per inning almost on the nose, indicating that his fastball doesn’t return the whiffs we normally see with this velocity.
