The List 4/22 – Ranking The Top 100 Starting Pitchers Every Monday

[pitcher_list_new list_id=”30293″]

 

Fringe Starters

 

 

What is happening!

It’s a new season and the weekly updates to The List have returned. I’ll be ranking the Top 100 Starting Pitchers every Monday from now until the end of the season.

Before I dive into the player notes, here are the new List features from last year’s editions:

• Previous/Best/Worst columns removed
  • These took a heavy chunk of loading time and ultimately provided very little value. The change arrows themselves are all that’s needed
• Tiers added
  • As much as I hate making tiers (When do they start and end? How big are the cliffs?), ya’ll have been asking for them and I’m here for all of you. Please understand how hard it is to accurately place them and don’t get too worked up about it.
• Labels added
  • There’s often confusion as to why a pitcher is a spot or two above or below another. These labels should help understand what each pitcher brings to the table, showing that some pitchers may be better or worse for what you need.
  • Hover over them (or tap on mobile) to see each label’s name next to the pitcher.
  • Ratio Focused = Their value lies in you chasing their ERA/WHIP more than strikeouts and Wins.
  • Toby = Boring arm that doesn’t excite you, but you stare at the waiver wire and accept that he just okay enough. You don’t like that he’s around the office, but he gets his work done.
  • Cherry Bomb = Volatile pitchers who are either “super sweet” or “blow up in your face.” Heed warning.
  • Ace Potential = I define an ace as: 3.40 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 24% K rate, 6.0 IPS. It’s why you see some surprising names as having the upside of an ace.
• Fringe Starters added
  • There are always a handful of starters I badly want to add to The List but I don’t have enough room. I’ll always have this table at the end for a collection of starters – in no order – that I also heavily considered, as well as why they could be relevant
  • This will be where IL Players will land. I’ll mention where they would slot when healthy.

Please let me know how you feel about these changes and I’m looking forward to another fun year assessing the wonderful entity that is the SP Landscape.

On to the notes! Remember, these ranks are for 12-teamers in H2H leagues.

 

Player Notes

 

• Not a whole lot of shuffling done in the Top 35 or so, just some love given to Jameson Taillon, James Paxton, Patrick Corbin, and Chris Sale (increased velocity last start –> step in the right direction despite the ER tally). Deservedly so, while Zack Wheeler fell a bit as he has yet to shed off the early rust. Still love him, but with the other arms killing it now, he needed to take a dip.
• Tier 7 is where things get stupid. This and Tier 8 are a Wild West of arms. I want all of them. I couldn’t help but give love to Carlos Rodon and his improved slider, rooted in a strong heat up/sliders down approach, while Kevin Gausman is cruising for the Braves. Domingo German’s lengthy time in the rotation mixed with legit strikeout upside deserves the push up, and the shock of Mike Soroka earning extended time in the Braves’ rotation moves him swiftly up the ranks. Poor Touki Toussaint.
• It may seem weird that Kyle Freeland fell after his strong start in Coors – the same for JA Happ and Eduardo Rodriguez! – but none of these arms are out of the woods yet and still carry their concerns while the names that jumped ahead are well deserving. Don’t look so much into it.
• The biggest questions I received entering today’s edition was “where will Luke Weaver, Sonny Gray, and Frankie Montas rank?” It’s awfully close as I think all three have improved and are shaping up to become strong assets through the year. Montas has a little more to figure out, but I’d love to roll the dice on all three as we’re just over a week away from May.
• Jerad Eickhoff has entered the fray and I’m down to take a shot as he opens Tier 9. His curveball is legit and makes for an intriguing upside play for the price of free.
• Joining The List this week is the return of Reynaldo Lopez (Still cautious, but it’s working right now), Vince Velasquez (I’d be surprised if he enters tier 7/8), Zach Davies (considerable stream option), Zack Godley (is this really going to last?), Anthony DeSclafani (I don’t really buy it, but it’s #99), and Forrest Whitley (fewer good options at the end, might as well stash).
• Yusei Kikuchi and Michael Pineda took two of the biggest hits this week. Kikuchi isn’t panning out as the Kyle Hendricks type of arm I anticipated and it’s time to lower him to the standard “good Toby” ranks. Pineda took his first stumble of the year and suggests that he may not be so far off from the Cherry Bomb of old. Keep in mind, these shifts aren’t that massive for the players themselves, but with so many options, you’re better off moving along and trying something else at this moment.
• Two other players who deservedly fell: Collin McHugh and Brandon Woodruff. I still like owning McHugh a good amount, though allowing 9 ER in one outing may be the sign of something greater. I’d pick him up if he was dropped, but I can’t ignore how poor his fastball was in this start. Woodruff, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to put it together and is running out of time to figure it out. I’d avoid until he showcases a true step in the right direction.

(Photo By Daniel Bartel/Icon Sportswire)