The List 6/6: Top 100 Starting Pitchers – Week 10 Fantasy Baseball 2023

Welcome to The List, where I rank the Top 100 SP for Fantasy Baseball every single Monday of the year. It’s Tuesday this week because I was traveling home from Asheville. We’re back to the regular schedule moving forward.

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:

1. This is 5×5, 12-teamer, H2H format focused. It generally is the same as roto as well, but make sure you adjust accordingly.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Updated 6/6 – I am now adding an “Honorable Mentions” at the end of The List to cover all the other SP who are off The List. It replaces the “Others I Considered” table.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

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: Triston McKenzie (31), Andrew Abbott (59)
• Removed: Chris Sale (21), Nestor Cortes (49), Justin Steele (56), Michael Soroka (58)
• Please understand how this affects movement across The List. Someone could gain two spots simply due to removals.

 

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

 

0. Jacob deGrom – Let’s take a moment for everyone who drafted deGrom this season and for the fact we’ll likely have to wait until 2025 to watch the best pitcher on the planet.

 

Thank you.

 

1. Gerrit Cole – He’s still barely holding onto the top spot as I imagine he gets better as the season goes on. The slider is coming back.

2. Spencer Strider – Four walks ain’t gonna get you to the #1 spot, Strider.

3. Shane McClanahan – He’s still phenomenal and you love to see it.

4. Shohei Ohtani – There have been some recent ERA concerns, but I don’t see them as a legit issue moving forward.

5. Kevin Gausman – He’s been a rock even with the splitter usage falling.

6. Luis Castillo – His four-seamer is heating up and the closer we get to the summer, the better Castillo gets.

 

Tier 2 – AGA Without The UNREAL factor

 

7. Zack Wheeler – I still see Wheeler as a rock for the full year, but I had to pull him out of the top tier given the volatility. It’s all kinds of frustrating, but I still expect success.

8. Zac Gallen – Gallen is making small gains, but he’s not quite back to the peak yet. The Arizona defense does wonders for him, though, ranking as the only team in the Top 6 for outfield and infield Outs Above Average.

9. Cristian Javier – The slider still hasn’t come back in full…and yet he’s produced. Imagine when it returns.

10. Joe Ryan – The splitter and slider aren’t doing what we want, and yet Ryan’s heater is still working wonders.

11. Max Scherzer – As long as Scherzer is on the bump, he’s produced. We keep starting him and donating our right arms whenever possible.

12. Corbin Burnes – I can’t say I believe in him to return to the upper tier again as he’s struggled to find a rhythm with his secondaries, but that cutter is still fantastic.

13. Clayton Kershaw – He’s still TATIAGA. No issues of health so far…

14. Framber Valdez – Welcome to the AGA tier, Valdez. The cutter has improved while the sinker has earned more strikes this season. He’s been a rock for your fantasy teams and it’s about time he got the label.

 

Tier 3 – Potential Aces

 

15. Sandy Alcantara – It’s just been one inning that’s messed up Sandy continuously and you have to believe his 58% LOB rate will improve. That’s just laughable. His changeup is the other major factor as he’s allowed far fewer grounders in favor of liners to both lefties and righties with the pitch. I did some digging and my takeaway was sample size, believe it or not. Line drives are the least stable of a all batted ball types and considering the movement, whiff rates, locations, etc. are all looking normal, it points to this getting normalized over time.

16. Tyler Glasnow – His skills are looking as good as we hoped and he’s more stretched out now. Get ready.

17. Justin Verlander – He had his best start of the year with an excellent slider and four-seamer separation against the Jays. I want to believe he’s back, we just need a few in a row first.

18. Pablo López – The change has been worse for PabLó recently, though the sweeper and four-seamer are legit. He’s not a 4.54 ERA guy, y’all.

19. Aaron Nola – Nola’s four-seamer was brilliant in his last start and I wonder if it’s a transition to more four-seamers over sinkers. It would make sense given their large hard contact disparity.

20. Logan Gilbert – He got rocked by the Yankees. It happens, we move on.

 

Tier 4 – Stability And Excitement

 

21. Logan Webb – Webb’s changeup has been on fire. If it came with the slider that got me excited, I’d consider him moving him up a tier. We’ll see.

22. Joe Musgrove – I’m a little concerned that Musgrove hasn’t found his slider yet, but the rest of his repertoire is working well together.

23. Nathan Eovaldi – He’s been on a tear and I wish I could move him up higher. Maybe I will if he keeps it up, though at the end of the day, I can’t imagine Eovaldi as a Top 15 SP from now until the end of the year. Some regression is bound to come and he won’t have the strikeouts to keep the AGA title.

24. George Kirby – The four-seamer is still great and his breakers get strikes. He’s the same guy we expected and that’s fine with me.

25. Yu Darvish – He just had a brilliant game and yet, I can’t move Darvish up. Why? Because that’s why he was here in the first place as we endured weird start after weird start. Command is not his asset, holding him back from an AGA label.

26. Bobby Miller – Our featured pitcher today has looked dominant on the bump, even flexing an 11 whiff slider the other night. He’s the real deal, though there will likely be some stumbles along the way. All young arms go through it.

27. Chris Bassitt – Bassitt is the stable arm that will hover a 3.30 ERA all year with a solid WHIP and good Win chances as he pitches for the Jays. Just start the man and forget about life.

 

Tier 5 – Some Stability, Some Potential

 

28. Hunter Brown – I absolutely dig Brown’s approach, though I question if his 2023 comes with a high enough ceiling to flirt with an AGA label.

29. Freddy Peralta – Peralta hasn’t gotten you the results, but you can’t expect his 9.0 Hits-per-nine to stick around as he’s still a phenomenal hard contact mitigator. The sub 70% LOB rate is silly as well, making him a solid buy-low in my book.

30. Hunter Greene – We’ve been waiting for the Greene streak to show up and like an Irish Rainbow, it’s soaring above the sky right now.

31. Triston McKenzie – McKenzie returned from the IL and was as good as I’ve ever seen him. I expected to place him in the lower tier, but 50%+ CSW marks on both breakers mixed with his heater sitting upper half of the zone is everything I’ve dreamed for him for years. It’s hard not to buy into that.

32. Marcus Stroman – The man keeps cruising, using the Cubs’ Top 5 infield defense to his advantage with a 60%+ groundball rate. Even with the great defense, his BABIP should come up a bit given the propensity for the groundball, but he should still be productive despite it when the regression comes.

33. Bryce Miller – Two starts against the Yankees and Rangers have dramatically lowered the flames on Bryce, though he still features an elite four-seamers nearly 70% of the time. Don’t let your confidence get shattered after a young pitcher’s first stumble. They are always better when they get redemption and I believe Bryce’s four-seamer will carry him throughout the year as the breakers become more dependable.

34. Mitch Keller – He’s been roughed up in his last two outings and while the command is a little worse, the new cutter is a gamechanger that should keep him fantasy relevant.

 

Tier 6 – Legit Ceiling With Questions

 

35. Dylan Cease – The slider came back! Great, now do it again.

36. James Paxton – Paxton had a misstep last week, forcing me to drop him below the Holly arms. Now that he recovered and had more evidence to show that as a fluke instead of a new norm, we’re back up here. I’m starting to believe it’s real.

37. Jesús Luzardo – The WHIP will get better, y’all. He’s part of the “First Team, All-Unlucky Stars”.

38. Luis Severino – I was so amped for Severino…until he had a massive dip with his velocity, lost movement on his slider, and looked terrible in his last outing, where I think there’s an injury. I have to move him down until we see him pitch and look normal again.

39. Tanner Bibee – It’s really tough to rank these three prospects as they each have their pros and cons. The positives for Bibee are: longest leash, full repertoire, stable ceiling potential if he’s able to consistently toss strikes with his slider and curve and keep the four-seamer elevated.

40. Eury Pérez – With Eury, I think his overall package is akin to peak Sandy and we see moments of it during his starts. There’s still polish to be had as he tosses a fair number of waste pitches inside at-bats, preventing him from going six frames given his ~90 pitch limit. It’ll come.

41. Taj Bradley – His four-seamer profiles similarly to Bryce’s, though he throws it over 20% points less. His curve and cutter command is highly suspect as well, though if both become strike machines, there’s a strong path forward. I’m most skeptical about Bradley’s command of the three, though, preventing him from going six with the Rays.

 

 

Tier 7 – Hollys + A Little Risk

 

42. Jon Gray – Gray is on a hot streak and you have to keep starting him. I worry about the four-seamer for the long-term, but forget about that for now. Just keep starting him.

43. Tyler Wells – He’s become a unique arm as PLV’s off-season darling. Four-seamers are putaway pitches, changeups are vicious down, and the rest earns him the strikes he needs. It likely won’t last the full way, but hey, maybe it does.

44. Merrill Kelly – Same goes for Kelly who can’t be denied even by Atlanta. The Arizona defense is a wonderful thing and we keep starting Keller.

45. Zach Eflin – It’s an O-swing focused sinker, a 22% called strike cutter, and a 34% CSW curveball leading the way for Eflin as he comfortably tosses six frames on a regular basis for a winning squad. Works for me.

46. Shane Bieber – You may be shocked at this, but it’s time. Bieber isn’t harnessing the same breakers of the past and his cutter/fastball are susceptible to damage. I’m not calling Bieber “waiver wire fodder” as he’s still ranked at #46, but those ahead of him have clearer paths to consistent success as I wonder if Bieber keeps struggling. But the strikeouts! He has a 17% strikeout rate this season, averaging just 4.3 strikeouts per game. Yikes.

47. Sonny Gray – We had a wonderful time rostering Gray for the first month of the season and it hasn’t been so pretty lately. His curve + slider were the money makers that have been far worse over the last three weeks. Keep in mind, Sonny has a 3.74 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and 15.5% strikeout rate across his last four starts.

48. Tony Gonsolin – The Dodgers have the best outfield defense in baseball and Gonsolin’s 41% groundball rate is 111th in the majors. It could explain his .155 BABIP for the year…or you could be smart about this and realize that’s 100 points too low. Still, even at a .255 BABIP, I think Gonsolin can be effective as long as that splitter continues to earn strikes. He may be a prime sell-high, though. Generally when pitchers face regression when they have 2.00 ERAs, it’s not “oh we just add one more run to it”. It’s normally “Oh, that’s a 4.75 ERA now.” It’s a dam-breaking, not one stick of a broom.

49. Lucas Giolito – I wrestle with where to place Giolito and Morton every single week. Giolito has us stuck in purgatory with his fastball velocity and changeup and we keep moving forward with him on our squads.

50. Charlie Morton – With Morton, he’s fully capable of six frames each night, leaning on the hope that his near 50% curveballs are excellent and the four-seamer doesn’t get smacked around inside the zone.

 

Tier 8 – The Last Stand Before The Cliff

 

51. Bryce Elder – Look, you’ve heard endlessly how Elder is a sell high and I’m here to tell you yeah, that’s obvious. That said, we’re at #50, as you peer over the cliff of legit holds in 12-teamers and realize that you’re not letting go of Elder until that regression arrives. He’s the most legit Vargas Rule of the season as others have outgrown it.

52. Braxton Garrett – It may look weird to see Garrett jump this much after allowing 4 ER in five frames, but everything else was lovely against the Royals and now he has a beautiful schedule ahead with a fantastic repertoire of 25% SwStr sliders, cutters with tons of strikes, sinkers with an 89th percentile called strike rate, a solid “show-me” curve, and a changeup that has gained over two inches of drop in his last two starts. There’s something legit here.

53. Logan Allen – He’s a reasonably good floor with his three-pitch mix and fastball command, but save for a surprise start here and there, Allen isn’t a pitcher to win you your week. And that’s cool with us.

54. Louie Varland – I’d have Varland higher if he weren’t facing the Rays and Jays across his next two starts. But after that…his four-seamer is great in the top half, but I adore his cutter and slider locations on top of it, elevating the fastball’s performance. There’s a proper pitcher here, not just a thrower.

55. J.P. France – Speaking of guys who legit pitch, France’s four-pitch mix has me excited to watch him quietly produce for the Houston Astros all season long with many six-inning starts and a bucket of Wins under his belt. It’s not the most impressive cache of weapons, but his fastball/sinker/breaker situation is spotted more often than not, opening the door to fun sequencing.

56. José Berríos – I’m a believer in his new approach that tosses his four-seamer into the attic (it’s all massively upstairs now!) in favor of sinkers and curveballs galore. Don’t look now, but he’s held a 2.48 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across his last 61.2 innings with a 5-2 record. Incredible.

57. Michael Wacha – You know who has also had a ridiculous stretch as of late? Michael h*ckin’ Wacha who has returned a 1.23 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 34 strikeouts across his last six starts. Keep in mind, 19 of those strikeouts came in just two starts but his changeup is all kinds of legit this year with a 46% o-swing, 45% zone rate, and 23% SwStr rate. There’s more – it carries a 70% strike rate is 94th percentile, and a 13% hard contact rate is bliss as he throws his changeup 10th most of any pitcher in the majors. We’ve seen Wacha have these runs before and it doesn’t last, but who cares right now. You hold.

58. Bailey Ober – Oberizzi does a wonderful job of painting the top of the zone red, though I have some concerns about the legitimacy of his changeup and slider, while I don’t think he’s quite as hot as some of the others above. Still dig him, though.

 

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 Cherry Bombs To Chase

 

59. Andrew Abbott – While it was good for those who streamed him, I’m selfishly upset he faced the Brewers in Cincy for his first start. Why? Because 1) the camera angle is terrible for LHP and 2) the Brewers are a terrible team to judge effectiveness. I broke down the whole start on YouTube and I think he’s worth the stash based on his minor-league numbers and a general sense of the zone that could spell great sequencing in the future. The four-seamer and curve each had their moments as well, though it’s hard to tell how effective they are quite yet. For a guy with 90 strikeouts in under 60 minor league innings this year, you want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

60. Blake Snell – Look, Snell has done well as of late, but it’s been all over the place. The changeup has stepped up at a time when he desperately needed it to and until the four-seamer is earning 65%+ strikes while the breakers are getting the whiffs they used to get, I’ll be here, twiddling my thumbs. It feels like a matter of time (it happens every year), but for now, we wait.

61. Edward Cabrera – He’s done a better job finding strikes as of late and he could continue to improve throughout the year. The floor is still super low given his propensity for walks, though.

62. Lance Lynn – He had a great stretch against poor offenses, and when Lynn faced a proper opponent, he floundered. I’m terrified again and I imagine you are too with the Yankees + Dodgers up next. That said, maybe he comes through and soars when the schedule opens up again. Can’t rule it out and his ability to go six strong for a Win and double-digit strikeouts can’t be overlooked.

63. Alex Cobb – I’ve been back and forth on Cobb and I’m landing on the position that he’s still a Cherry Bomb, but his splitter should be present in more starts than it’s not. That makes him belong here as opposed to Tier 11.

64. Reid Detmers – His time will come, but likely not for a few weeks at the earliest with a rough Cubs + @ TEX + LAD schedule ahead. It’s tough, I know, and you can drop him if you need help now. That said, I still have Detmers this high as there are four months left of the year. The slider still gets whiffs, the curve is a 40% CSW pitch, and he’s still up in velocity. It’s all there.

65. Jack Flaherty – Flaherty can be more trusted than before, but he hasn’t clicked in quite yet, forcing us to maneuver around matchups each week.

66. Domingo Germán – He’s looking unaffected by the suspension and could be a strong strikeout arm + Wins guy for the year. The curve is elite + the fastball and changeup aren’t highly detrimental.

 

Tier 10 – Oh Hey, More Cherry Bombs (But They’re Cool)

 

67. Michael Kopech – He has a great start lined up against the Marlins and then it’s a tough choice between hold or waiver wire with tough teams ahead. Maybe the strikeout upside is worth it to you as the fastball has clearly improved as of late. It’s a tough situation.

68. Drew Smyly – Smyly hasn’t been as sharp with his curveball lately as there’s a sense he’s fading after a wonderful start to the season. Keep an eye on this – if the curveball effectiveness returns, he may still be a solid arm for a while.

69. Garrett Whitlock – I like what Whitlock does with his sinker/change/slider, and he just needs more time on the bump to sort it all out. It’s not a great time to roster him, though.

70. Brayan Bello – Bello has these flashes where everything clicks…and then it falls apart. He’s young and it’s expected, making it tough for us to gauge when he’s a good play on a given night. It’s a fun shot to take, just not one I’m rushing to get.

71. MacKenzie Gore – We saw eleven strikeouts, then we saw a bit of chaos, but high whiffs and CSW. The slider and curve are trying to become legit secondaries and I want it to work out so badly. Consistency is everything, though, and Gore doesn’t have it quite yet.

72. JP Sears – I love his next start against the Brewers as the whiffs returned last time out (though the walks did too…). I’m more tepid than before on Sears as he pitches for the Athletics, but is also struggling a bit with pitch separation.

73. AJ Smith-Shawver – Who knows? Atlanta promoted him aggressively and when a team does that, good things often follow. He’s expected to start on Friday and I’m all for picking him up and seeing what we get.

74. Bryan Woo – Don’t judge Woo too harshly on his start against the Rangers – that’s as rough of a debut situation you can imagine, debatably more than Coors. Give him another shot with a four-seamer that should have success in the bigs.

75. Yusei Kikuchi – He’s turned into a curve + slider arm all of a sudden and there could be some merit to it. He has my attention.

 

Tier 11 – The Traditional Tobys

 

76. Miles Mikolas – Those two strikeout games were a weird thing as he came back down to just two strikeouts last time out. That’s more like it.

77. Michael Lorenzen – He’s been great as a streamer and I imagine he’ll stay that way the rest of the year as a proper Toby.

78. Dane Dunning – Things have gone Dunning’s way and while I’m skeptical of their longevity, feel free to ride this for as long as it lasts.

79. Martín Pérez – Yep, that’s a Toby.

80. Jordan Montgomery – It’s been disappointing watching The Bear fight his repertoire all season, but there’s still enough in the tank to squeeze out 5-6 frames on a given night.

 

Tier 12 – The Actual Cherry Bombs

 

81. Matthew Boyd – He just earned a whole lot of strikeouts on the back of a precise four-seamer and not his slider. I don’t quite believe that’s real, but I also think the harder slider should return more than two whiffs on a given night.

82. Brady Singer – He’s the same Cherry Bomb he’s always been.

83. Andrew Heaney – Do you want to trust Heaney on a given night? I didn’t think so.

84. Kodai Senga – He lives and dies by the forkball, which is unfortunately a sub-50 % strike rate pitch for the season. It’s a desperate play for upside when he starts.

85. Johan Oviedo – When Oviedo nails the edges with his four-seamer and lives down with the slider, he’s incredible. We rarely see it, though, making him more of an upside streamer.

86. Griffin Canning – I kinda dig Canning, but I can’t rely on him to go 25-30% four-seamers consistently, not to mention the ceiling isn’t that high when he pulls it off.

87. Jared Shuster – The slider has been better as of late, even if the results haven’t fully been there. The man we dreamed of in March could come out soon as he’s in a great situation in Atlanta.

88. Luis Ortiz – I don’t think he commands his stuff well and the fastballs are too susceptible. But hey, he could fire them in the zone on a given night and earn whiffs on the slider for a wonderful outing out of nowhere.

 

Tier 13 – Stream Considerations

 

89. Aaron Civale – You know who he is. If you’re chasing a QS or Win or really just something, Civale could do it.

90. Mike Clevinger – He had a 40%+ CSW on both his four-seamer and slider in his return from the IL and I just don’t buy that as a long-term reality.

91. Dean Kremer – Sure, he’s fine. The Orioles win games and Kremer has these moments of six-inning bliss.

92. Brandon Bielak – The changeup is stupid good and the Astros give him a chance for Wins.

93. Kyle Gibson – Who knows. Really. It’s so random.

94. Clarke Schmidt – I hate his sinker, plain and simple. The slider is a good called strike pitch, the cutter can be good, and the curve comes and goes. He’s unreliable, sadly.

95. Patrick Sandoval – We have yet to see dominance with both the change and slider on a given night, making me turn elsewhere for my rosters.

96. Kyle Bradish – Bradish can’t put all of it together in his repertoire and it makes for erratic success and failure.

97. Hogan Harris – He’s a crafty lefty who often gets opened for by the Athletics. If it’s a good matchup, it can work.

98. Paul Blackburn – He didn’t have his curve and slider in his second start, but the Brewers are next and Oakland will let him go six if he’s not at 100 pitches already.

99. Julio Teheran – It’s stupid and dumb and it’s three starts of success now for Teheran. Do whatever you must.

100. Reese Olson – I dig what I saw from Olson in his debut, with four-seamers and sinkers moving one way and sliders moving the other + some lovely changeups. Super small sample and questionable ceiling have him down here, but he could rise out of it.

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Yep, you’re going to get little blurbs on everyone else I can think of. I can’t help myself. This is not in ranking order.

 

Ben Lively – The slider is gone and the schedule is tough.

Graham Ashcraft – So. Many. Runs. No command.

Michael Soroka – He’s in the minors now.

Jhony Brito – If the Yankees call him up, I’m still out as the ceiling is too low.

Ronel Blanco – He may be a streamer for the Astros if the right spot starts arrive. Nothing more.

Daniel Lynch – If the new slider is legit, then I’ll add him to The List. Time will tell.

Trevor Rogers – He’s expected back after his next rehab start and I’m excited to see what he does. What does that do for Eury? No idea. We’ll worry about that then. Maybe a six-man?

Luis Medina – Medina failed to come through against the Marlins and we move on.

Mike Mayers – The low slider and change weren’t there and the fun ends.

Hayden Wesneski – I want to see him dominate once before I get excited again. Keep your eye on him as he replaces Steele in the rotation.

Anthony DeSclafani – His command has been wonky and the schedule is far worse now.

Kutter Crawford – I wonder what he looks like as he gets stretched out with the Red Sox trusting him over Kluber in the rotation.

Josiah Gray – The command just isn’t good enough and the fastball/cutter situation isn’t what we want it to be. Too risky without enough reward.

Randy Vásquez –The Yankees are calling him up to replace Nestor and I didn’t see enough in his debut to get me amped.

Ranger Suárez – He did well as a streamer, but the schedule gets tough now.

Sean Manaea – He’s throwing a loopier slider and it could be what he needs. Sit back and monitor.

Taijuan Walker – The splitter tried to be the answer. Narrator: It wasn’t.

Matthew Liberatore – The four-seamer/curve aren’t enough. We need the slider to wake up.

Michael Grove – He had a great start against the Yankees and I’m curious if he can replicate his four-seamer and slider locations. Dodgers aren’t starting him over Thor…yet.

Carlos Carrasco – The schedule is blegh and Carrasco doesn’t do enough.

Kyle Hendricks – I need to see the curve come back in full + changeup whiffs before trusting Hendricks again.

Marco Gonzales – He’s hurt and I’ll need to see the same command when he comes back before returning to The List.

Alek Manoah – He’s been demoted to their Florida complex. Honestly, it’s about time.

David Cone – Apparently Alex Fast is his pitching guru now and that’s awesome. Thanks for reading the notes.

Patrick Corbin – Ha, that was a fun four start ride, wasn’t it?

Brandon Williamson – The cutter makes for some nights of survival, but you want a better life.

Jaime Barría – Slider and change can be good, but the ceiling feels awfully low.

Tommy Henry – Hey, maybe the change and curve can be there for a stream in front of the great Arizona defense?

Tylor Megill – I need to see something new in his repertoire before signing on again.

Adam Wainwright – He hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a while.

Noah Syndergaard – He hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a while.

Ryne Nelson – The secondaries let him down each time. Wait for them to return before jumping in.

Roansy Contreras – I hate his four-seamer even if it’s still a solid slider.

Tanner Houck – He had his command on point against the Angels and has been far worse after that.

Colin Rea – He has these ridiculous nights out of nowhere. There are worse dart throws.

Rich Hill – He has those moments and maybe you can stream him against the worst offenses. You really don’t want to risk the floor, though.

Chris Murphy – He got called up by the Red Sox and may start. It’s a wait-and-see situation.

Zach Davies – If you want to bet on his changeup being at the top of its game on a given night, by all means.

Yonny Chirinos – He hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a while.

Austin Voth – He didn’t come through against the Guardians and we pass for now.

Joey Wentz – Fantasy relevance isn’t really his thing.

Zack Greinke – Greinke does what Greinke does.

Jordan Lyles – He’s come through once when the matchup was good. ONCE.

James Kaprielian – When he has his four-seamer and slider in the zone, things can actually work for those needing a desperate stream.

Dylan Covey – I wonder who the Phillies will replace him with at the deadline.

Jake Irvin – The stuff just isn’t good.

Trevor Williams – He hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a while.

Dinelson Lamet – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Connor Seabold – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Chase Anderson – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Austin Gomber – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Kyle Freeland – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Ryan Weathers – Absolutely not.

 

 

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	-
6	Luis Castillo	Aces Gonna Ace	-
7	Zack Wheeler T2	Aces Gonna Ace	-
8	Zac Gallen	Aces Gonna Ace	-
9	Cristian Javier	Aces Gonna Ace	-
10	Joe Ryan	Aces Gonna Ace	-
11	Max Scherzer	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	-
12	Corbin Burnes	Aces Gonna Ace	-
13	Clayton Kershaw	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	-
14	Framber Valdez	Aces Gonna Ace	+5
15	Sandy Alcantara T3	Ace Potential	-1
16	Tyler Glasnow	Ace Potential Injury Risk	-1
17	Justin Verlander	Ace Potential	-1
18	Pablo López	Ace Potential	-1
19	Aaron Nola	Ace Potential	-1
20	Logan Gilbert	Quality Starts	-
21	Logan Webb T4	Quality Starts	+1
22	Joe Musgrove	Quality Starts	+1
23	Nathan Eovaldi	Quality Starts	+1
24	George Kirby	Quality Starts	+1
25	Yu Darvish	Quality Starts	+1
26	Bobby Miller	Ace Potential	+10
27	Chris Bassitt	Quality Starts	-
28	Hunter Brown T5	Ace Potential	+1
29	Freddy Peralta	Ace Potential	+1
30	Hunter Greene	Ace Potential	+5
31	Triston McKenzie	Ace Potential	+UR
32	Marcus Stroman	Quality Starts	+9
33	Bryce Miller	Ace Potential	-2
34	Mitch Keller	Quality Starts	-2
35	Dylan Cease T6	Ace Potential	+7
36	James Paxton	Ace Potential Injury Risk	+16
37	Jesús Luzardo	Ace Potential	+1
38	Luis Severino	Ace Potential	-10
39	Tanner Bibee	Ace Potential	-
40	Eury Pérez	Ace Potential	-
41	Taj Bradley	Ace Potential	-4
42	Jon Gray T7	Quality Starts	+2
43	Tyler Wells	Quality Starts	+4
44	Merrill Kelly	Quality Starts	-1
45	Zach Eflin	Quality Starts	+1
46	Shane Bieber	Quality Starts	-12
47	Sonny Gray	Quality Starts	-14
48	Tony Gonsolin	Quality Starts	+6
49	Lucas Giolito	Quality Starts	-1
50	Charlie Morton	Quality Starts	-
51	Bryce Elder T8	Quality Starts	+10
52	Braxton Garrett	Quality Starts	+11
53	Logan Allen	Quality Starts	-
54	Louie Varland	Quality Starts	+1
55	J.P. France	Quality Starts	+7
56	José Berríos	Quality Starts	+11
57	Michael Wacha	Quality Starts	+20
58	Bailey Ober	Quality Starts	-13
59	Andrew Abbott T9	Cherry Bomb	+UR
60	Blake Snell	Cherry Bomb	+5
61	Edward Cabrera	Cherry Bomb	+3
62	Lance Lynn	Cherry Bomb	-11
63	Alex Cobb	Cherry Bomb	+8
64	Reid Detmers	Cherry Bomb	-7
65	Jack Flaherty	Cherry Bomb	+7
66	Domingo Germán	Cherry Bomb	+7
67	Michael Kopech T10	Cherry Bomb	-1
68		Cherry Bomb	-9
69	Garrett Whitlock	Cherry Bomb	-9
70	Brayan Bello	Cherry Bomb	-2
71	MacKenzie Gore	Cherry Bomb	-1
72		Cherry Bomb	+4
73	AJ Smith-Shawver	Cherry Bomb	+UR
74	Bryan Woo	Cherry Bomb	+UR
75	Yusei Kikuchi	Cherry Bomb	+UR
76	Miles Mikolas T11	Toby	+8
77	Michael Lorenzen	Toby	+6
78	Dane Dunning	Toby	+7
79	Martín Pérez	Toby	+2
80	Jordan Montgomery	Toby	-1
81	Matthew Boyd T12	Cherry Bomb	+UR
82	Brady Singer	Cherry Bomb	+6
83	Andrew Heaney	Cherry Bomb	-14
84	Kodai Senga	Cherry Bomb	+2
85	Johan Oviedo	Cherry Bomb	-11
86	Griffin Canning	Cherry Bomb	+7
87	Jared Shuster	Cherry Bomb	-12
88	Luis F. Ortiz	Cherry Bomb	-1
89	Aaron Civale T13	Streaming Option	+UR
90	Mike Clevinger	Streaming Option	+UR
91	Dean Kremer	Streaming Option	+6
92	Brandon Bielak	Streaming Option	+UR
93	Kyle Gibson	Streaming Option	-3
94	Clarke Schmidt	Streaming Option	+UR
95	Patrick Sandoval	Streaming Option	-13
96	Kyle Bradish	Streaming Option	-5
97	Hogan Harris	Streaming Option	+3
98	Paul Blackburn	Streaming Option	-4
99	Julio Teheran	Streaming Option	+UR
100	Reese Olson	Streaming Option	+UR

 

Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)