Welcome to The List, where I rank the Top 100 SP for Fantasy Baseball every single Monday of the year. It was Tuesday this week because of Memorial Day. Hope you had a great holiday!
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 Twitch 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.
- We have two tables to review before the notes and rankings. First is an injury table that outlines where players would be relatively ranked if 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. Tier 10 is likely going to underperform those in Tier 11 across a full season, but it’s in your best interest to chase Tier 10’s ceiling vs. settling for Tier 11’s floor.
- 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:
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 – oftentimes pitchers 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.
Now let’s take a look at the pitchers I considered for the Top 100 but didn’t quite make the cut:
I added something new to The List this 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. 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 ASAP. Some guys aren’t here (DL Hall and Gavin Stone for example), 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 = Most excited about. Yellow = Solid but not as urgent. Orange = Will likely take some time.
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 45,000+ Top 300 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.
- 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: Michael Soroka (58)
- Removed: Eduardo Rodriguez (48)
- Net Gain Inside Top 60: (+0)
I’ve changed the notes this year to have a small blurb on everyone. Much easier to write and follow along in my view and it matches the formatting of the streamers. Please leave your feedback on this change – is it better or worse?
Tier 1 – The Workhorses
1. Gerrit Cole – I know, I know. One more week. The home runs shouldn’t be as high as they have been the past week. Also, the slider is improving.
2. Spencer Strider – He may be #1 next week. Just one more week, y’all. Let’s see where we’re at.
3. Shane McClanahan – He’s still awesome.
4. Shohei Ohtani – He’s still awesome.
5. Kevin Gausman – He’s still awesome.
6. Luis Castillo – He’s st—okay, Castillo has increased his velocity lately and that’s a cool thing. Still wild to me that I haven’t seen Castillo ever harness all of his weapons in the same night.
7. Zack Wheeler – Wheeler just took down Atlanta looking like the best version of himself. He didn’t get the bad luck that haunted im prior + the whiffs are returning. He looks like that guy again.
Tier 2 – AGA Without The UNREAL factor
8. Zac Gallen – He’ll return to the top tier when he has his four-seamer command back.
9. Cristian Javier – The strikeout rate has dipped the last three starts because of his slider, but I imagine its strike rate will go back up shortly.
10. Joe Ryan – Still great, even without the splitter and slider coming to fruition.
11. Max Scherzer – Injury risk is the big fear here. Still can’t deny 20 whiffs in Coors.
12. Corbin Burnes – The worry of the cutter isn’t there, it’s more about finding at least one secondary pitch to trust on a given night. I’ll still give him the benefit of the doubt after his past week of starts.
13. Clayton Kershaw – I’m letting him off the hook for his last two starts – he was unfortunately on the bereavement list. I won’t let him off the hook for these comments, though.
Tier 3 – Potential Aces
14. Sandy Alcantara – I see regression in his favor coming + the slider will lock in as it has before.
15. Tyler Glasnow – Despite the ratios, Glasnow returned phenomenal marks on his full repertoire against the Dodgers. Only real question is health.
16. Justin Verlander – It feels weird stripping him of the AGA label after a Coors, but it has to do more with his slider being far worse this season. He needs that pitch to click to be the man we expect him to be.
17. Pablo López – He’s two starts away from an AGA label as he faces the Guardians and Rays. Please come through, please come through…
18. Aaron Nola – He’s looking far better with his fastball, curve, and cutter, I just want some consistency now.
19. Framber Valdez – The cutter that got me so excited disappeared because life is dumb and we can’t have nice things. Get it back. He isn’t up for AGA contention without it.
20. Logan Gilbert – The splitter is legit and I’m really excited by Gilbert with his new putaway pitch.
21. Chris Sale – Sale holds a 2.91 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 27% strikeout rate across his last seven starts. The velocity has been lower, but the slider has been so good. I’ll lose any skepticism when I see him do it for a little longer + get his changeup back and sustain the 95/96 mph velocity.
Tier 4 – Stability And Excitement
22. Logan Webb – The new slider is making me super intrigued – it may turn Webb into a 25%+ strikeout arm once again and that’s the kind of arm we need these days.
23. Joe Musgrove – He hasn’t had his slider, but the curveball and cutter stepped up last time out as he settles in. He may not be an ace again, but he’s a sturdy arm for all squads.
24. Nathan Eovaldi – He’s been an absolute tear, but I don’t expect it to last the whole year. Still, when he falls, he’ll still be very much fantasy relevant. Just don’t expect these 7+ inning games forever.
25. George Kirby – He hasn’t taken the leap like Gilbert with his secondary offerings, though I don’t believe his last blowup is a sign of more to come.
26. Yu Darvish – He’s not a command guy and it leads to his ace potential being more like a “hey, he’s going to throw lots of good pitches in the zone and most of the time, he’ll survive.” Accept the truth about Darvish and blindly start him for the rest of the year.
27. Chris Bassitt – He had his first misstep since his introduction to the Jays and you shouldn’t worry about it.
28. Luis Severino – I loved what I’ve seen since his return from the IL and as long as the velocity is still 97 mph while his slider and changeup earn strikes, he could be in Tier 3 in June.
29. Hunter Brown – He’s doing the Zac Gallen with four-seamers for strikes and breakers underneath. Throw in a great situation in Houston and Hunter is climbing up The List quickly.
30. Freddy Peralta – I truly believe Peralta will stabilize soon. The four-seamer is still elite and the breakers are getting strikes. He’s a solid buy low right now, even with the health risk (his results are not a product of health!).
Tier 5 – Lots of Potential, Unknown Future
31. Bryce Miller – Even with the blowup against the Yankees, I still believe Miller’s four-seamer is truly elite and will continue to propel him throughout the season. The secondaries are sure to develop as well, making him sit atop this tier.
32. Mitch Keller – The command is still great, though he got knocked around a bit last start. Keep starting him.
33. Sonny Gray – I’m terrified about Gray at the moment and was tempted to lower him more despite the sub 2.00 ERA and high strikeout clip. His curveball and slider have been the difference makers this season and they’ve been sporadic across his last four outings. He’s not a plateau pitcher – he’s a peaks-and-valleys. Has been throughout his career and 2023 is no exception. But what if now is his valley and he’ll get the curve back? Maybe. I’d rather sell high instead.
34. Shane Bieber – The slider is everything and it has been floundering. I still see Bieber as a solid 6+ inning guy with that strikeout surge happening every so often, but the man you know across the last three years is gone.
35. Hunter Greene – He’s the premium Cherry Bomb and was ultra sweet with his eleven-strikeout game over the weekend. He could be on one of those stretches where his slider and four-seamer work in tandem, yes, even when he pitches in a hitter’s park.
36. Bobby Miller – We have a bevy of young arms at the bottom of the tier and Bobby is my favorite. Why? Because I trust his command of a full arsenal more than the rest + pitching for the Dodgers is always a plus. His high-90s velocity also masks mistakes on the four-seamer and sinker when they happen, while I don’t think we’ve seen the best of his slider yet.
37. Taj Bradley – I love the cutter/four-seamer approach, though he gets dinged some points for the short leash with the Rays. I really hope that curveball becomes a more consistent offering as its shape is glorious.
38. Jesús Luzardo – He’s been one of the more unfortunate pitchers around and I struggled with his spot this week. He has legit Top 20 potential, but will we actually see it?
39. Tanner Bibee – The full repertoire is lovely, though he oscillates between their effectiveness seemingly start-to-start. The full package and situation in Cleveland are both great, though.
40. Eury Pérez – I really dig Pérez and can’t wait to see what he’s like in two years. Looking at just 2023, though, there are clear areas of improvement needed with his command and approach. He has the potential to dazzle every night, though, and he has a reasonably good floor with his fastballs.
Tier 6 – Good But Not Elite
41. Marcus Stroman – There’s a temptation to put Stroman above someone like Eury Pérez, but I didn’t for two reasons – 1) Stroman is going to regress as a ground-ball arm with a .226 BABIP (and 120th overall hard contact. 2) He doesn’t carry the same ceiling as the youngin’s as he has never tallied more than 160 strikeouts 9or a 22%+ strikeout rate) in a season. Still, if you want the stability of Stroman (which is a bit of an illusion for now) above the younger arms, you won’t hear much argument from me.
42. Dylan Cease – How do we rank Cease? He’s obviously been terrible but it’s on the back of his slider failing to get the same number of chases as he’s tossed too many wasted sliders in starts this year. However, if Cease finds that slider rhythm again, he’ll be a Top 20 SP. Weigh that however you want, for me, I believe it’ll come to fruition in the next few weeks, keeping him inside the Top 50.
43. Merrill Kelly – I’m in absolute shock that I’m ranking Kelly (and Wells for that matter) so high, but I don’t really have a choice after Kelly fanned ten more this weekend, granting him a 2.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 27% strikeout rate for the year. That’s astounding. Do I buy that his four-seamer is a 34% CSW offering or that the changeup is going to maintain its five point gain in SwStr rate? What about the low 6.1 H/9 paired with a 10% walk rate to create a low WHIP? Probably not. But hey, the man is on a roll and he could very well stay on this path for a good while.
44. Jon Gray – The slider has found itself, but I worry about the four-seamer not being a great offering – it breaks what I call the Huascar Ynoa rule: Don’t trust pitchers with Slider/four-seamer where only their slider is elite. That said, maybe his fastball + change are good enough and he’s pulling off what Dylan Cease did in 2022.
45. Bailey Ober – The four-seamer is solid (not elite) at the top of the zone and the slider has been fantastic as a proper pairing underneath. It’s a better schedule than I expected and Ober looks to be 12-teamer relevant for a while.
46. Zach Eflin – I initially dropped him more because the cutter disappeared last start, but I corrected it as he faced the mighty Jays. I still have my questions if Eflin’s recent peak can be replicated, but he seems to be settling in a stable 12-teamer arm.
47. Tyler Wells – The man of the week. Check out Alex Fast’s 1-on-1 interview with Wells as I tell you about his four-seamer’s excellence with a .187 BAA and 14.5% SwStr mixed, mixed with a cutter and change that return a ton of effective strikes. I have some concerns about the slider and curve, but he’s gone four straight with 7+ strikeouts and it’s starting to feel like the real deal.
48. Lucas Giolito – I find it hard to discern what to expect from Giolito as he’s fluctuated his changeup/slider feel and his fastball velocity between starts. That said, even at 92 mph and a meh change, Giolito has made it work.
Tier 7 – Risks Galore + Hollys
49. Nestor Cortes – I want to believe that Cortes can ascend once again as he’s found his slider’s strike rate, but we’ll have to see his four-seamer and cutter fall into place as a result before I can confidently raise him back up The List
50. Charlie Morton – I just can’t trust the guy. It’s as simply as that. I really wish I could, but you just don’t know if his curve/four-seamer will be enough on a given day.
51. Lance Lynn – We’ve had three straight weeks of production from Lynn as we were just about out the door, but now that he has to face offenses outside the bottom tier, I have some concern. The jury is still out if he’ll be productive for the full year.
52. James Paxton – The fastball command was far worse in his third start and I’m not sure what’s next. If the four-seamer is upper third and confidently in the zone, he’ll be valued higher than his #52 rank. And imagine if the change/curve/cutter come back proper…
53. Logan Allen – He’s fresh off a ten-strikeout performance against the Orioles, flexing fantastic command of all his weapons, including his changeup that had been dormant prior. I really hope it’s a result of a tweak and not just one of those days.
54. Tony Gonsolin – Have I become “the guy who hates on Gonsolin?” I understand it’s a 1.82 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, but it’s a 20% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. His splitter doesn’t get strikes, the slider and fastball are okay, and…that’s it? There’s no way he’s holding onto a .154 BABIP and 85% LOB rate, y’all. The lack of punch in his repertoire is going to hurt soon.
55. Louie Varland – I really dig Varland’s four-seamer, I just wish he didn’t have a terrible schedule. In three weeks, I wouldn’t be shocked if I had him in the next tier simply because he would have the proper time to shine.
56. Justin Steele – I’m getting terrified of his four-seamer coming back down to Earth while the slider is still struggling to get chases out of the zone. He’s still worth rostering n all, but Steele isn’t the breakout pitcher you wanted him to be.
57. Reid Detmers – It feels like Detmers should have all the tools to soar (high whiff rates on the slider, great fastball command, a curve that should perform better), but with a barrage of tough matchups ahead (@HOU, CHC, @TEX, LAD), this may be time to move on.
58. Michael Soroka – Despite the 4 ER, Soroka pitched well against Oakland, displaying solid fastball command and a lovely change. There’s work to be done with the slider, but his situation is perfect for a legit six-inning starter who could soak up the Wins pitching for Atlanta.
Tier 8 – The Cliff Is Here
59. Drew Smyly – He took a beating, but the BSB is still intact. I think he recovers against the Padres and is still worthwhile.
60. Garrett Whitlock – I really dig Whitlock and I’m excited to see more. He has a three-pitch mix that can blossom with more starts in the bigs, I just need to see him get comfortable first.
61. Bryce Elder – I believe Elder is overperforming with his slider/sinker mix, but hey, keep rolling with this Vargas Rule. I get it.
62. J.P. France – I like his four pitch mix that opens the door for legit strikeout games while looking more like a Quality Start arm on most occasions. Wins should come easily pitching for the Astros as well.
63. Braxton Garrett – The new reliance on the cutter is a legit change that makes Garrett all kinds of appealing when not facing the toughest of matchups.
Here is where prospect pitchers would appear if they are called up as I feel those in Tier 9 and below could be off your teams next week (or now?) in 12-teamers. Debately above Garrett and even above Soroka.
Tier 9 – The Better Cherry Bombs
64. Edward Cabrera – His curve and change are so wonderful, he just needs to get more strikes with his fastballs. Who knows when that consistency will arrive.
65. Blake Snell – He took one step forward with his curve and one step back with his fastball last time out. Up to you if you want to keep chasing this, I feel as if it’ll arrive soon enough and blow us all away.
66. Michael Kopech – The four-seamer is getting whiffs again, but the command is so dang terrible. The short term schedule is worthwhile to hold on for a little longer, but you may not do so for much longer.
67. José Berríos – He’s turned to sinkers over four-seamers inside the zone and it’s done wonders for him. The jury is still out if this is a viable long-term solution, but it’s been going on for long enough that he’s back on the menu.
68. Brayan Bello – Bello’s slider and change are intriguing, but need a bit more polish…before last game when everything was working beautifully. I really hope that’s the new reality.
69. Andrew Heaney – Heaney’s slider does whatever it wants and it bothers the h*ck out of me.
70. MacKenzie Gore – Gore glistened with his slider last time out, but we’ve seen undulate all year, going from dominance to destruction overnight. I need to see consistency before he leaves this tier.
71. Alex Cobb – Where has the splitter gone? Without it, Cobb is not an arm you want to chase. He could get it back as soon as next start and produce once again, but I feel like we’ve been playing this song and dance for far too long.
72. Jack Flaherty – Flaherty dropped down to 92 mph and failed to get breaker whiffs once again (Blame it on the Guardians). But hey, it’s the Pirates and Reds next so we take the chance now and hope for the best.
73. Domingo Germán – The results weren’t pretty, but I think his stuff was similar to what we saw pre-suspension. I’m encouraged.
74. Johan Oviedo – Is Oveido actually developing fastball command? I’m excited to see what he does against the Giants on Monday as the slider is still legit.
75. Jared Shuster – Speaking of legit sliders, Shuster has had it the last two starts and now gets a fun play against the Athletics. If that works out, he could be the talk of the town.
76. JP Sears – Sears may struggle on Monday against Atlanta as he lost his whiffability last start, but as long as the fastball is up and slider is down, we’ll feel fine starting him against the Pirates next week.
Tier 10 – The Traditional Tobys
77. Michael Wacha – He’s been on a good roll as of late, but is it enough for the Cubs this week?
78. Anthony DeSclafani – The command has gotten worse across the season and now the schedule is getting rougher. Be careful.
79. Jordan Montgomery – What a disappointment Montgomery has been, failing to come through despite good matchups. There’s upside still in there, it’s just a slog at the moment.
80. Josiah Gray – I just don’t think he’s in a groove that we can trust. The cutter was supposed to be the answer to the homer-prone four-seamer, but he’s reverted to his old ways as the slider and curve aren’t dominating as we want them to. I know it’s been a good year thus far, but I have to preach caution here.
81. Martín Pérez – He’s a Toby and nothing more. Start him against middling teams and worse.
82. Patrick Sandoval – I hate that the slider and changeup have failed to be the whiff machines of the past. It feels like The Irish Panda has turned into a Toby overnight with his strikeout rate comfortably sitting under a 20% clip.
83. Michael Lorenzen – He’s a Toby and nothing more. Start him against middling teams and worse.
84. Miles Mikolas – He’s a “Toby” and nothing more. Start him against middling teams and worse.
85. Dane Dunning –He’s a Toby and nothing more. Start him against middling teams and worse.
Tier 11 – Close Your Eyes
86. Kodai Senga – The forkball isn’t reliable and the four-seamer + breakers aren’t enough to save Senga. It’s a tough play each time.
87. Luis Ortiz – I want this to work, but I question his slider’s consistency while the sinker and four-seamer dart all around the zone. He isn’t polished and doesn’t carry the whiffability on the fastballs I want him to have at his velocity (too much horizontal run).
88. Brady Singer – It’s the same Singer of old, in my view, who is destined to go on a hot stretch at some point. No idea when that will be, sadly.
89. Graham Ashcraft – He got rid of the sinker (why?) and without good command of the cutter, it’s a whole lot of “oh no, is this going to be good today?”
Tier 12 – Stream Considerations
90. Kyle Gibson – Easy matchups are worse for Gibson, somehow. If you try to predict Gibson, you’ll fail.
91. Kyle Bradish – I know, he just took down the Rangers and I’m still demonstrably out on him. I think the four-seamer gets hit too hard and the breakers aren’t reliable. He’ll have those magical nights, but it’s not worth it in my book.
92. Cal Quantrill – He’s a streamer and that’s about it.
93. Griffin Canning – He has a chance to tally the strikeouts when he can comfortably go 25-30% four-seamers and let his secondaries do the work. That’s not every night, though, opening the door to a ghastly floor.
94. Paul Blackburn – Blackburn had his curve and slider in a great place in his Still ILL and now gets a pair of good matchups. Not a bad streaming option, just don’t get too enamored.
95. Mike Mayers – He’s spotted sliders down super well and gets the Marlins. Interesting.
96. Tyler Anderson – Will get his 2022 changeup back? I sure hope so, but it’s hard to endorse streams outside of the bottom tier opponents. At least he has a long leash on those evenings.
97. Dean Kremer – Kremer doesn’t have enough firepower to make him rosterable outside of ideal opponents.
98. Luis Medina – He’s a QS option and gets the Marlins next.
99. Ben Lively – Lively has earned a ton of slider whiffs as of late, but is it enough to survive the Red Sox? There’s a just a bit outside chance it’s the start of a breakout, so why not, here you are at #99.
100. Hogan Harris – He’s a craft lefty who will get the Marlins and Pirates up next. Something to consider and a fun “who is that guy?!” pick for #100.
Honorable Mentions
Yep, you’re going to get little blurbs on everyone else I can think of. I can’t help myself.
Yusei Kikuchi – He’s too volatile and even against the Brewers I don’t want to deal with it. Long term, he’s a desperate play when in dire need, not one to actually roster.
Aaron Civale – Should return this week, I want to wait and see before jumping in.
Noah Syndergaard – He gets the Nationals and yet what are you hoping to get? Mediocre to poor ratios with a Win and three strikeouts? Yay?
Alex Faedo – Two straight eight-strikeout games, but we’ve seen the slider come and go before + it’s Texas next.
Marco Gonzales – He was just a streaming option and now it’s a bad schedule.
Zach Davies – He gets Rockie Road and maaaaybe the changeup/sinker combo is enough. I have to think there are better arms to chase.
Tanner Houck – Command was great, then it was poor. Can’t depend on it against the Rays this week.
Corey Kluber – Should come back for the doubleheader and it’s far too risky against the Rays.
Jaime Barría – I was tempted to add him as the slider looked fantastic last time and it could work against the White Sox, but that’s not enough to squeeze in this week.
Daniel Lynch – Interesting season debut, I’m curious how the slider acts later this year.
Matthew Liberatore – Couldn’t handle the Guardians as he didn’t have his curveball. Too risky for me.
Roansy Contreras – He’s a slider-first arm with a really bad four-seamer. I can’t trust him, even in good matchups.
Josh Fleming – Not enough of a ceiling and a headache to roster as a fantasy manager.
Rich Hill – Only good for a rare stream and he doesn’t have one this week.
Matthew Boyd – It’s a new slider that’s two ticks harder, but the whiffs only showed up once.
Brandon Bielak – I don’t buy that the changeup is good enough to make it work with any consistency outside of the worst lineups.
Austin Voth – Maybe he’s worthwhile against the Guardians…? We wait for now.
Alek Manoah – I’m not seeing enough gains from him to say “hey, it’s worthwhile to hold for a potential breakout in the second half.”
Clarke Schmidt – I don’t believe he offers enough in the repertoire to be in heavy consideration for 12-teamers unless it’s a terrible offense.
Mike Clevinger – Expected to return this week and face Detroit. It’s not a terrible option, but a Still ILL and I hate the ceiling.
Carlos Carrasco – Bad matchup + I don’t believe the new curveball.
Brandon Williamson – He has a chance to squeak through five frames if his cutter jams enough batters, but pitching for the Reds + a limited ceiling is all kinds of nope.
Colin Rea – I don’t dig the approach a whole lot and the schedule of @CIN + BAL has him off The List.
Ranger Suárez – He’s not there yet.
Livan Hernandez – Thank you for reading the notes. You’re the best.
Taijuan Walker – Went splitter heavy (it failed) and has eight strikeouts total across his last four starts. Yikes.
Kyle Hendricks – Gets the Rays and Padres and he doesn’t look like his old self
Tommy Henry – There’s a chance he’s streamable against Rockie Road and the Nationals, but the ceiling is too low for me to chase.
Kyle Freeland + Dinelson Lamet – Rockies pitchers are not fun plays unless they are super legit.
Ryan Weathers – Even against the Marlins, I just don’t trust the stuff.
Michael Grove – Expected to replace Gavin Stone in the rotation and I don’t think he’ll go long against the Yankees. If only he could get his breakers down and four-seamer up…
Alex Wood – Sinker/slider is fine, but he continuously underperforms despite what seems like a decent arsenal.
SCROLL BACK UP AND READ THE NOTES
| Rank | Pitcher | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerrit ColeT1 | Aces Gonna Ace | - |
| 2 | Spencer Strider | Aces Gonna Ace | - |
| 3 | Shane McClanahan | Aces Gonna Ace | - |
| 4 | Shohei Ohtani | Aces Gonna Ace | - |
| 5 | Kevin Gausman | Aces Gonna Ace | +1 |
| 6 | Luis Castillo | Aces Gonna Ace | +1 |
| 7 | Zack Wheeler | Aces Gonna Ace | +2 |
| 8 | Zac GallenT2 | Aces Gonna Ace | -3 |
| 9 | Cristian Javier | Aces Gonna Ace | +3 |
| 10 | Joe Ryan | Aces Gonna Ace | +1 |
| 11 | Max Scherzer | Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk | +7 |
| 12 | Corbin Burnes | Aces Gonna Ace | -4 |
| 13 | Clayton Kershaw | Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk | -3 |
| 14 | Sandy AlcantaraT3 | Ace Potential | - |
| 15 | Tyler Glasnow | Ace Potential Injury Risk | +8 |
| 16 | Justin Verlander | Ace Potential | -3 |
| 17 | Pablo López | Ace Potential | -2 |
| 18 | Aaron Nola | Ace Potential | -2 |
| 19 | Framber Valdez | Ace Potential | -2 |
| 20 | Logan Gilbert | Quality Starts | - |
| 21 | Chris Sale | Ace Potential | +1 |
| 22 | Logan WebbT4 | Quality Starts | +5 |
| 23 | Joe Musgrove | Quality Starts | +6 |
| 24 | Nathan Eovaldi | Quality Starts | +4 |
| 25 | George Kirby | Quality Starts | -4 |
| 26 | Yu Darvish | Quality Starts | -7 |
| 27 | Chris Bassitt | Quality Starts | -2 |
| 28 | Luis Severino | Ace Potential | +8 |
| 29 | Hunter Brown | Ace Potential | +9 |
| 30 | Freddy Peralta | Ace Potential | -6 |
| 31 | Bryce MillerT5 | Ace Potential | -1 |
| 32 | Mitch Keller | Ace Potential | -1 |
| 33 | Sonny Gray | Quality Starts | - |
| 34 | Shane Bieber | Quality Starts | -8 |
| 35 | Hunter Greene | Ace Potential | +7 |
| 36 | Bobby Miller | Ace Potential | +17 |
| 37 | Taj Bradley | Ace Potential | +13 |
| 38 | Jesús Luzardo | Ace Potential | +5 |
| 39 | Tanner Bibee | Ace Potential | +5 |
| 40 | Eury Pérez | Ace Potential | - |
| 41 | Marcus StromanT6 | Quality Starts | +8 |
| 42 | Dylan Cease | Ace Potential | -7 |
| 43 | Merrill Kelly | Quality Starts | +11 |
| 44 | Jon Gray | Quality Starts | +7 |
| 45 | Bailey Ober | Quality Starts | +7 |
| 46 | Zach Eflin | Quality Starts | +1 |
| 47 | Tyler Wells | Quality Starts | +24 |
| 48 | Lucas Giolito | Quality Starts | -3 |
| 49 | Nestor CortesT7 | Cherry Bomb | -17 |
| 50 | Charlie Morton | Cherry Bomb | -16 |
| 51 | Lance Lynn | Cherry Bomb | -10 |
| 52 | James Paxton | Injury Risk Cherry Bomb | -13 |
| 53 | Logan Allen | Quality Starts | +9 |
| 54 | Tony Gonsolin | Quality Starts | +5 |
| 55 | Louie Varland | Cherry Bomb | +8 |
| 56 | Justin Steele | Quality Starts | -19 |
| 57 | Reid Detmers | Cherry Bomb | -11 |
| 58 | Michael Soroka | Quality Starts | +UR |
| 59 | T8 | Quality Starts | -2 |
| 60 | Garrett Whitlock | Quality Starts | +UR |
| 61 | Bryce Elder | Quality Starts | +13 |
| 62 | J.P. France | Quality Starts | +3 |
| 63 | Braxton Garrett | Quality Starts | -2 |
| 64 | Edward CabreraT9 | Cherry Bomb | +3 |
| 65 | Blake Snell | Cherry Bomb | -1 |
| 66 | Michael Kopech | Cherry Bomb | +2 |
| 67 | José Berríos | Cherry Bomb | +25 |
| 68 | Brayan Bello | Cherry Bomb | +19 |
| 69 | Andrew Heaney | Cherry Bomb | -9 |
| 70 | MacKenzie Gore | Cherry Bomb | +19 |
| 71 | Alex Cobb | Cherry Bomb | -13 |
| 72 | Jack Flaherty | Cherry Bomb | +13 |
| 73 | Domingo Germán | Cherry Bomb | +15 |
| 74 | Johan Oviedo | Cherry Bomb | +12 |
| 75 | Jared Shuster | Cherry Bomb | +UR |
| 76 | Cherry Bomb | -20 | |
| 77 | Michael WachaT10 | Toby | +2 |
| 78 | Anthony DeSclafani | Toby | -6 |
| 79 | Jordan Montgomery | Toby | -24 |
| 80 | Josiah Gray | Toby | -5 |
| 81 | Martín Pérez | Toby | -5 |
| 82 | Patrick Sandoval | Toby | -5 |
| 83 | Michael Lorenzen | Toby | -1 |
| 84 | Miles Mikolas | Toby | - |
| 85 | Dane Dunning | Toby | -2 |
| 86 | Kodai SengaT11 | Cherry Bomb | +5 |
| 87 | Luis F. Ortiz | Cherry Bomb | +UR |
| 88 | Brady Singer | Cherry Bomb | -18 |
| 89 | Graham Ashcraft | Cherry Bomb | -16 |
| 90 | Kyle GibsonT12 | Streaming Option | +6 |
| 91 | Kyle Bradish | Streaming Option | +3 |
| 92 | Cal Quantrill | Streaming Option | -12 |
| 93 | Griffin Canning | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 94 | Paul Blackburn | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 95 | Streaming Option | +UR | |
| 96 | Tyler Anderson | Streaming Option | -18 |
| 97 | Dean Kremer | Streaming Option | -2 |
| 98 | Luis Medina | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 99 | Ben Lively | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 100 | Hogan Harris | Streaming Option | +UR |
Labels Legend
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
love the new format
Absolutely love this article…wait for it every week. Glad to see you like what you saw from Glasnow.
I really enjoyed the previous format. The writing and way commonalities amongst players were discussed together was more fun to read, even if occasionally the player I was interested in was glossed over or skipped altogether.
WokeList
Seriously, glad I cancelled PL+
Great list once again. I love the new format.
What did Kershaw say exactly that draws your criticism? He specifically went out of his way to say that he is not speaking out against LGBT community or a pride night, but takes issue with the platforming/honoring of a specific group (sisters of perpetual indulgence) who do things like lapdances on dudes dressed as Jesus who are bound to a cross, sexy Jesus/Mary contests, communion with dildos/mock semen, etc. Nothing to do with LGBT pride, but everything to do with making a grotesque mockery of his religion. I assume you could see how someone would take issue with a group who does sexy Muhammad contests and is entirely based on perverting and mocking Islam, right?
Couldn’t agree more Tom. I started reading this site almost daily this year, but I am glad that I didn’t sign up for premium.
Exactly, Tom. I even went back to read the tweet to see if Kershaw said anything remotely offensive aside from questioning whether a group which openly admits that they go out of their way to offend a large group of people should be feted at an event. Kershaw didn’t disparage anyone, he just questioned a group which disparages others. But simply questioning anything about a group that is part of the author’s political “team” is considered “violence” in 2023.
Well said and completely agree, Tom.
Nick, I implore you to maybe be a bit more thoughtful next time.
yeah Nick, what are you saying exactly…you can’t let Kershaw off the hook for not complying with your exact way of thinking? No diversity of thought allowed? No respecting others’ beliefs? come on.
No diversity allowed at PL must obey Nick and every single erroneous thought he and his “colleagues of experts” predict.
I’d love to be in a league where I don’t have to roster Kikuchi must be nice winning 8 team leagues lol.
This message probably won’t be seen because I went against the great messiah ?
Mikolas stands out as being particularly underrated. Most of the veterans get a two tier penalty – those should be the young guys with the penalty even though it is not what Twitter wants to hear. Greene is really high for a guy that has never been good at pitching – granted he is a star if you are sharing gifs of a radar gun readings. The chance that he blows out his arm is a lot higher than him getting better at pitching.
I am sure Kershaw is devastated you are not letting him off the hook.
If Kershaw dropped two spots, but you let him off the hook for his pitching, did he drop due to his comments (which weren’t at all offensive?)
If so, this is no longer a serious place for fantasy advice. Kershaw’s comments that you “won’t let him off the hook” for were not remotely offensive and at the bottom of the list of anti-progressive comments athletes have made over the years. It seemed mostly about one group in defense of his religion and has no relation to LGBTQ night in general.