The List 7/3: Top 100 Starting Pitchers – Week 14 Fantasy Baseball 2023

Welcome to The List, where I rank the Top 100 SP for Fantasy Baseball every single Monday of the year.

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 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 70, so you have context for the ranking shifts.
• Added: Carlos Rodón (15), Julio Urías (25), Eduardo Rodriguez (61)
• Removed: Shane McClanahan (5), Garrett Whitlock (40), Merrill Kelly (42)
• Net Change Inside Top 61:  (+0)
• Please understand how this affects movement across The List.

 

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 Two True Aces

 

1. Spencer Strider – He had the 13 ER back-to-back starts and he’s back to normal now.

2. Gerrit Cole – The skills are as good as ever. Expect the huge results to follow in the second half.

 

Tier 2 – AGA And We Love Them For It

 

3. Luis Castillo – The four-seamer is legit, the other stuff is more inconsistent than I’d like to admit. Why is he still throwing so many sinkers?

4. Kevin Gausman – The splitter has been surprisingly okay for the last few weeks. There are surely better days ahead.

5. Shohei Ohtani – He’s had recent success, but the sweeper isn’t dominating and it makes me a little skeptical he can keep performing at such a high level without 35-40% sweeper usage.

6. Clayton Kershaw – He’ll likely get skipped this week to keep him healthy in the second half, which made me consider lowering him to the end of the tier. However, few arms have been as consistently excellent this season, preserving his high rank.

7. Max Scherzer – We were warned he was pitching through injury and yet, he’s only produced since. What a guy.

8. Zac Gallen – His last start came with twelve strikeouts as the four-seamer overwhelmed. It’s not the typical way he dominates, though, and I’m curious about what comes next.

9. Joe Ryan – The secondaries still aren’t there and yet I have to keep him this high. His last poor outing was against Atlanta, after all.

10. Framber Valdez – It looks like he’s avoiding the IL with a sprained ankle, which is a bit shocking given the potential rest he could get by getting pushed one start past the All-Star Break. If Valdez pitches, we start him.

 

Tier 3 – Could Get Their AGA Soon

 

11. Justin Verlander – He’s not performing up to the level of a legit ace with his low strikeout numbers, but Verlander’s slider is in a great spot as he’s pounded high heaters.

12. Zack Wheeler – It gets really hard to rank SP after the Top 10, especially until the end of Tier 5. Wheeler should be far better than the results have been and given his uptick in velocity and track record of better secondaries, I have to believe from this point moving forward that he’ll be the man he’s supposed to be. That’s the line I’m using for a few guys on The List today and it’s just what it’s gonna be.

13. Tyler Glasnow – He’s a thrower, not a pitcher. That means he doesn’t locate with precision like many others on this list, while his stuff is as filthy as anyone. The highs are going to heavily outweigh the lows and turbulence is part of the deal.

14. George Kirby – Kirby is the opposite of Glasnow – he won’t get you the strikeouts (just a 21% strikeout rate) but his command is excellent and his four-seamer paves the way for success while his breakers’ only purpose is to find called strikes.

15. Carlos Rodón – He’s FINALLY making his 2023 debut and everything looks like he’s ready to be the guy we were excited about in February. Get ready.

16. Blake Snell – I’m as shocked as you are, but can you really deny Snell a Top 20 spot after he continues to earn whiff after whiff? Fun fact: Snell has a 21% SwStr rate across his last four outings.

17. Corbin Burnes – Burnes is on the path to redemption and his lack of movement in the ranks is actually a +2 given Snell and Rodón as he rises above Pablo and Musgrove. Keep getting whiffs on the curve, change, and slider please.

18. Pablo López – López has been right there for seemingly the last month or two, failing to have all of his secondaries cooking on the same night. He’ll get there and make trusting managers thrilled.

19. Joe Musgrove – Musgrove is solid and with a better slider in his last start, the worry of his elbow pain feels like a distant memory. Hopefully he uses the outing as a stepping stone.

 

Tier 4 – They Feel Like Aces

 

20. Aaron Nola – We know he’s better than the results have been. It’s just one of those moments and we have to hold on for better times ahead in the second half.

21. Jesús Luzardo – There’s still some work to be done avoiding mistake pitches inside the zone with his breaker, but the fastball and changeup command has been sublime.

22. James Paxton – It’s all about health and with Paxton returning after having some knee pain only to dominate was lovely.

23. Sandy Alcantara – Like Wheeler and Nola, Alcantara is pitching far better than the results have returned. Stick with it, the season is long and goes through twists and turns.

24. Bobby Miller – Same with Bobby. He’s way better than his last three starts have been.

25. Julio Urías – And sure, Urías as well after going through a Still ILL against the Royals that featured horrendous accuracy.

 

Tier 5 – We’re Figuring Things Out

 

26. Lucas Giolito – Giolito has been on a tear and has been a clear start for managers for a while. I’m hoping the 93/94 mph fastball velocity is here to stay.

27. Logan Webb – He’s solid. The slider is likely not going to take off like it did in 2021, but that’s okay.

28. Logan Gilbert – His four-seamer has failed to land up in the zone as of late, matching the splitter with just 13 whiffs across his last six games. Both pitches should be much better from this point moving forward.

29. Dylan Cease – We thought the slider was back and we thought wrong. I don’t think it’s definitive one way or another, of course, which means the slider could return 10+ whiffs again as soon as his next start…and hopefully stay there.

30. Hunter Brown – I think Hunter is still figuring out what works best with his arsenal. Is it high heaters or low? How does he use his curve or slider? The weapons are fantastic and more time on the bump will help him refine it.

31. Freddy Peralta – After my public skepticism of Peralta’s stuff, he came out and did all the things I called him out for not doing. His fastball got more vertical movement and his breakers earned strikes. Look. At. That.

32. Bryce Miller – The four-seamer is still elite and that’s awesome. He left his last game with a blister in his middle finger that may force him to miss a start, but with the All-Star Break ahead, I think we got a bit lucky. Update: Nope, he hit the IL after all and we DIDN’T get lucky. I’ve added Cristopher Sánchez to the end of The List at #99 (not the coveted #100 spot, of course).

33. Yu Darvish – He hasn’t pitched all week due to illness and his movement is about everyone else, not him.

34. Tyler Wells – The man just keeps producing. It’s wonderful.

35. Justin Steele – He’s back from the IL and killing it with both fastball (more like a cutter in my view) and much better slider locations this time around. That heater does a great job at avoiding hard contact by sticking around the edges and heading to the handle or ends of bats.

36. Mitch Keller – Keller isn’t getting whiffs, but his cutter/sinker/four-seamer combo is keeping batters off-balance constantly. Two straight starts of redemption after his mini-valley were a welcome sight.

37. Andrew Abbott – I discussed a lot with Twitch chat today about where to place both Abbott and Detmers. In the end, despite watching the entirety of the Padres game on stream and looking so disappointed at some of the hitting decisions and failure to hit middle-middle fastballs, I have to acknowledge a few things. First, Abbott induces more extremely high launch angles than anyone else in the majors, including his four-seamer – it would explain how the Padres failed to take advantage of so many “hittable” heaters. Second, I also acknowledge that sometimes I need to weigh the actual results a bit more than my “under-the-hood” analysis. Not entirely, but recognize the incredible production Abbott has given and how there may be more than what we’re seeing. All of that combined means inside the Top 40, but still sellable for a Top 30 SP.

38. Reid Detmers – As for Detmers, I adore what he’s doing at the moment with an improved slider, more faith in the curve, and a fastball that is finally earning whiffs with its high locations. That said, I’m aware that he’s had peaks and valleys in the past + close to the same skill set was disappointing us early in the season. I love seeing him soar and I’ve put him in the Top 40 above arms I don’t think have the same ceiling, but this run could end before the end of July.

 

Tier 6 – Hollys + Maybe There’s More

 

39. Bailey Ober – He’s been incredibly precise with his four-seamer as the changeup has come alive.

40. Braxton Garrett – Sure, it was just two strikeouts last time out, and yet Garrett still produces. He’s been so good since that blowup against Atlanta (who doesn’t Atlanta demolish?).

41. Zach Eflin – Eflin has been that rock for you all year.

42. Nathan Eovaldi – Oh hey, remember when I said I’d be shocked if Eovaldi didn’t miss his next start? HA Ha ha. Welp, he sat 96.1 mph on his heater and is seemingly normal now. The plot thickens. I’m so curious what we get in his next outing.

43. Chris Bassitt – He just fanned twelve after dropping him last week so back up he goes. Let’s hope it’s not just smoke and mirrors.

44. Shane Bieber – He’s fanned more batters as of late, but the slider and curve weren’t the tickets to dominance in his last outing and it’s a little weird. Good luck starting him against Atlanta…

45. Sonny Gray – After a rough month, Sonny has been far better lately, leaning more on the sweeper. I want to think this is Sonny on the upswing, which plants him inside the Top 45.

 

Tier 7 – Confusion All Over The Place

 

46. Cristian Javier – Oh dear. I made this ranking after watching him implode against the Rangers today, a start that I can’t judge against him too harshly because of Texas being Texas, but the fastball clearly isn’t the elite offering is was in 2022 and without that pitch, Javier isn’t a potential ace. That said, it’s not given it’s completely gone and I have to believe the smart minds in Houston can work with him over the next week or two to figure out how to get its whiffs back in order. And, you know, the whole slider command n whatnot.

47. Marcus Stroman – Stroman has come back down to Earth but is still a solid arm with low sinkers generating outs in front of a great Cubs infield defense.

48. Bryan Woo – Woo’s four-seamer is legit. I kinda want him to throw it more than 50% of the time, though, as the sinker gets more airtime than desired and his slider needs a whole lot of work. The upside is legit.

49. Brayan Bello – I want to be higher on Bello, but right now I see a sinker/changeup arm who needs his slider to be better than it currently is. It’s one glorious changeup, though.

50. José Berríos – The sinker focus is still working and we keep starting Berríos. Not much more to be said here.

 

Tier 8 – We Have To Hold On But Do We Want To?

 

51. Tanner Bibee – All of these guys are confusing to me. Bibee is at his best with high heaters, pulling off the BSB with a trio of secondaries. Thing is, we normally just see one of those options working, while the four-seamer is a hit-or-miss. Generally, he’s more good than bad, and he’s a Cherry Bomb with the potential to remove the label with more time.

52. Charlie Morton – You know Morton by now. The true HIPSTER on your roster as he oscillates between comfortable dominance and stressful ratios.

53. Eury Pérez – Ignore the start against Atlanta – it’s Atlanta and baseball is weird. I’m worried he’s about to get sent down, using the ASB as an easy way to delay his season.

54. Gavin Williams – I was incredibly impressed with Gavin’s second outing where he displayed a much higher skill set for locating high heaters and getting his breakers low. With Cal Quantrill looking mediocre and Logan Allen in the minors, Williams looks to have a firm grasp of a rotation spot, making for a Cherry Bomb who could jump up The List in a hurry.

55. Taj Bradley – He’s a worse Tyler Glasnow. The moments of bliss will be there and make him worthwhile, but those bad starts will frustrate you to no end. He’s a thrower, not a pitcher, after all.

56. Kenta Maeda – The splitter has been solid in his return and if he’s able to get his slider whiffs back, Maeda may become a Top 40 SP once again.

57. Tarik Skubal – I’m excited to watch Skubal in his Still ILL start this week. Grab him now, but you may want to stash him for the emotional return to the bigs.

58. Yusei Kikuchi – He’s still chucking curves and sliders into the zone, though we saw what happens when batters are prepared for his new approach in his last outing. Still, it could have just been a blip as we hold onto Kikuchi and hope he rebounds.

59. Lance Lynn – What do we do. Seriously, I don’t know. He earns a Gallows Pole and yet it doesn’t matter. He even got his slider back and it didn’t matter. But hey, you have strikeouts galore and at least you have that going for you.

60. Jon Gray – His rhythm was disrupted by a blister and I’ve been waiting for him to find his four-seamer command once again. That said, he likely just needs time, which means every healthy start is potentially closer to another ace-like stretch.

 

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.

 

Tier 9 – The Tobys You’re Rostering

 

61. Eduardo Rodriguez – It’s “return from the IL” week and Eduardo gets the nod to start against the Athletics on Wednesday. It’s a Still ILL (like Skubal), but I’d add him where I could. Eduardo’s command was marvelous before the finger injury.

62. Jordan Montgomery – We’ve seen The Bear on a fantastic seven-game stretch and while I don’t think it lasts much longer, you’re starting him until the change and curve slow down.

63. Bryce Elder – Same goes for Elder as he’s recovered from his poor outing against the Nationals. Just ride the guy for as long as it lasts.

64. Emmet Sheehan – I see Sheehan as a solid sinker/slider guy for a winning ball club with a good defense. Works for me.

65. Michael Soroka – Soroka had a better slider last time out and I wonder if he slides into his ultra-command rhythm once again.

66. Jack Flaherty – He’s the odd-man out in this tier as I felt he should be rostered above the back-half of this tier, but isn’t so special to vault into Tier 8. The slider and curve were much better against the Yankees but we haven’t seen consistency from Flaherty for a long time. I hope he finds it.

67. J.P. France – He’s (generally) a strike-throwing arm with a variety of pitches on a good team. It works.

68. Alex Cobb – Cobb returned from the IL featuring more sliders, which saved him on a night where his splitter was far from its best self. I hope that breaker returns, even when the splitter is working.

69. Seth Lugo – It’s all about fastballs and curveballs from Lugo in front of one of the best defenses in baseball. Need a decent outing? Lugo is your guy.

70. Michael Wacha – Is the shoulder okay? He was down two ticks over the weekend and I wonder if the Padres will give him a rest this week.

71. Taijuan Walker – Dude, I don’t know. Walker is so enigmatic to me with splitters one start, cutters another, inconsistent velocities, and yet…success?

72. Kyle Hendricks – His sinker and change are killing it while I want the curve to appear before he has an off night.

73. Tony Gonsolin – The splitter isn’t getting strikes anymore, the fastball has never been good, and the slider/curve are questionable. Please recover.

74. Ranger Suárez – After a string of wonderfully precise outings, Suárez struggled across the board and I wonder if it’s the conclusion of his Vargas Rule. Let’s try one more first against the Marlins.

 

Tier 10 – The Actual Cherry Bombs

 

75. Kodai Senga – As long as Senga fails to have an elite pitch in his arsenal, he’ll continue to be ultra-dependent on his splitter. That’s not a fun time.

76. Andrew Heaney – Heaney suddenly had his slider command against the Astros, propelling a phenomenal outing as he pulled off the BSB. And yet, we can’t trust it’ll happen again. Fun.

77. Griffin Canning – I actually like what Canning is doing a lot, but he gets the Dodgers next before the break, then likely doesn’t start again until the end of the rotation after the break, which means I wouldn’t consider starting him for two weeks. And then we’ll see if he’s actually worthwhile.

78. Domingo Germán – He just threw a perfect game, but if you watched my breakdown of the entire performance, I wasn’t too impressed. Don’t worry about post-perfect-game fatigue – he just tossed 99 pitches and should be fine against the Orioles.

79. Kyle Bradish – Speaking of the Orioles, Bradish doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me as the fastballs are kinda meh. If he’s able to go slider + curve a ton, then I’d be more excited.

80. Luis Severino – Yeah. His four-seamer command is actually kinda good, but the slider/cutter/change are horrendous at the moment. He really needs the breaker to step up and without it, he’s not the greatest location specialist, which makes for laborious nights each time out. Note: the 0 ER game against Texas was not good. Seriously.

81. MacKenzie Gore – We know the potential and we know the volatility. Get him out of D.C. and we’ll talk (not gonna happen, sadly).

82. JP Sears – Yep, that’s 2022 Eric Lauers, alright.

83. Reese Olson – I kinda dig what he does and hope he starts again this week after taking a comebacker to the knee. Keep an eye on him.

84. Kutter Crawford – Crawford’s four-seamer is great and I loved seeing his larger emphasis on sliders and sweepers in his start against the Jays. If he becomes fastball/slider, there’s legit upside here.

 

Tier 11 – The Tobys On The Brink

 

85. Clarke Schmidt – He’s fine. I know the ERA has been low as of late, I just don’t think his repertoire is all that special. At least not enough for me to lean into picking him up save for a great matchup.

86. Aaron Civale – The cutter and curve are getting utilized 70% of the time and I love that. It makes for a Toby you can feel fine starting when the matchups are right.

87. Tommy Henry – The new slider is making a major difference, but how long will it stick around?

88. Wade Miley – He throws cutters inside to right-handers super well, paired with a changeup that gets outs. It’s as boring as it gets.

89. Martín Pérez – Pérez got rocked by the Astros today, but does that matter? He’s a Toby and we don’t start those against strong offenses, after all.

 

Tier 12 – Stream Considerations

 

90. Brady Singer – He just returned 12 slider whiffs and 12 sinker called strikes – the Singer special – and yet I have no idea if he’ll do that again.

91. Ryne Nelson – I wonder if Nelson’s new focus on changeup is actually real. I don’t think so, but there’s a chance it’s the answer to his inconsistencies.

92. Dean Kremer – He’s a four-seamer/cutter guy who can get fastball whiffs at times. When he doesn’t things fall apart quickly.

93. Josiah Gray – The sinker could be the answer. I have my doubts, but he’s done decently well with it.

94. Johan Oviedo – Sure, he just got blown up by the Brewers. It happens. He’s still a considerable streamer as he generally performs well when the four-seamer is able to find the zone.

95. Kyle Gibson – I dunno, start Gibson if you want.

96. Jake Irvin – The fastball has gone up two ticks and if he can add a dependable secondary offering to match it, Irvin could become something more than a streamer. I can’t say I’d bank on that happening, though, especially with the Nationals on his side.

97. Graham Ashcraft – He had a phenomenal game with his slider, but the cutter command is still a major problem.

98. Dane Dunning – Some want to buy into Dunning. Me? I see a meh sinker and slider and not much else. Even with eight whiffs on the slider in his last start (against the Tigers, no less), the pitch still carries a sub 14% SwStr for the year.

99. Michael Lorenzen – Fine, Lorenzen gets a spot as he’s not the worst streaming option out there. He’s just so boring as he chucks a ton of sliders and hopes everything will be fine.

100. Cristopher Sánchez – With Bryce’s injury coming out as I was finishing these notes, Sánchez gets a spot even though I don’t want to stream him against the Rays this week. He’s a sinker/slider/change guy with a decent slider, a changeup that can be filthy at times, and a sinker that he’s hoping won’t get crushed with each pitch.

101. Keaton Winn – I was shocked to see Winn begin his first start with back-to-back splitters inside the zone for strikes at 89 mph, followed by a 96 mph four-seamer upstairs. It feels like there’s something kinda legit here with more time on the bump, but it’s fully dependent on that splitter and getting whiffs with it below the zone, not inside it.

 

Honorable Mentions

 

You’re getting little blurbs on everyone else I can think of. I can’t help myself. This is not in ranking order.

 

Drew Smyly – Literally the last person removed. He’s still considerable as a streamer but is so middling that you don’t need to roster him – especially after failing again today versus the Brewers.

Garrett Whitlock – I know, I broke the rules. Whitlock isn’t technically on the IL today as we wait for his MRI results…but I’d be absolutely shocked if he’s allowed to pitch before the All-Star Break, at the very least. I think it makes it all simpler just to remove him for now and note that if healthy, he’d be around Tier 9.

Julio Teheran – The Vargas Rule has run its course. I was removing him before today and now that he was getting battered by the Cubs this afternoon, he’s a very clear drop.

Patrick Sandoval – It brings me no joy to remove The Irish Panda. He’s too inconsistent with his change and slider failing to take over games.

Paul Blackburn – He could return if he’s able to string together a few starts and give us confidence again starting him when he faces weak teams.

Logan Allen – Demoted to the minors. He’ll be back at some point and be a Toby once again. I hope he has his slider back by then.

Brandon Pfaadt – He was served up to the Rays in his return from the minors because baseball is a cruel, cruel sport. Wait until something clicks.

Drey Jameson – He could be taking over for Merrill Kelly and it’s best to wait until he’s stretched out and showing us something special.

A.J. Smith-Shawver – Demoted to the minor leagues. I’m not the biggest fan of what he brought to the table, but I’m curious how he develops over the years.

Louie Varland – Demoted to the minor leagues. It’s unfair as he was given one of the worst schedules you’ll ever see. He’ll be back and become a solid pickup when he does.

Rich Hill – He didn’t come through against poor teams and now he has tougher teams.

Joey Wentz – Welp, the nine strikeout game wasn’t real. We move on.

Randy Vásquez – He’s dancing with Jhony Brito for the #5 spot and he’s not worth the stash

Jhony Brito – Ditto with Vásquez.

Alex Wood – Not stretched out nor showcasing legit upside.

Tanner Houck – He’s hurt and on the cusp of the Top 100 right when he returns. Would likely take a few weeks before he gets stretched out + hints at the same command.

Zach Davies – The changeup was good against the Guardians and yet disaster arrived. It’s hard to pick your spots well.

Osvaldo Bido – You’re looking for something stable and Bido is far from it. There will be brief moments, but he’s not the arm you need.

Hogan Harris – Was a fun moment, but the craft lefty was shaky against the Marlins and has a bad schedule ahead.

Jared Shuster – He failed to earn a single strikeout against the Nationals. Yeah.

Matt Manning – He returned and is showing a slightly better slider and still not enough fantasy-wise.

Mike Clevinger – He doesn’t have an elite pitch and the schedule is getting harder.

Miles Mikolas – It’s just so boring. He had two great outings and regressed to his normal self after.

Cole Irvin – He went sub 70 pitches in his second outing. It may be a moment before we circle his start for a stream.

Ronel Blanco – Blanco may be a 50% slider guy and I wonder if he’ll get more chances in the future, especially if Valdez’s ankle injury persists.

Daniel Lynch – If the new slider is legit, then I’ll add him to The List. Time will tell. He’s going fastball/change now and it’s all kinds of weird.

Trevor Rogers – He’s expected back soon(ish) and I’m excited to see what he does.

Luis Medina – Medina is a desperate PQS option and nothing more.

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

Jeff Samardzija – He destroyed my team one year when I let him pitch the whole year in a roto league, absorbing his 1.34 WHIP. He sunk ships. Thanks for reading the notes, here’s 25% off PL PRO or PL+ yearly as a thank you from me. Join our 1,500 member large baseball Discord community! Use code LOOSELIPS at checkout.

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.

Sean Manaea – He’s throwing a loopier slider and it could be what he needs, but the Giants aren’t letting him start. Sit back and monitor.

Matthew Liberatore – The Cards are moving on from Liberatore and rightfully so with less velocity and a worse slider.

Michael Grove – There’s potential and it’s best to wait until he showcases it. He just needs to elevate the four-seamer!

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

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 – Let’s wait until he’s back in the bigs, then we’ll talk.

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.

Tylor Megill – I need to see something new in his repertoire before signing on again, yes even after his start against the Cardinals.

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

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

Roansy Contreras – I hate his four-seamer even if it’s still a solid slider, and now he’s out of the rotation.

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

Tyler Anderson – His changeup looks good, but I’m not ready to jump back in.

Yonny Chirinos – He’s been on a solid stretch, but the sinker/slider combo is sooooo mediocre. At least the splitter is waking up…?

Austin Voth – He’s not in the rotation.

Zack Greinke – Greinke does what Greinke does.

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

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

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

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.

Matt Strahm – Is he stretched out? Are the Phillies actually going to lean on him? Highly unlikely and sadly I don’t think he’s a guy to chase.

Ryan Weathers – Absolutely not.

Trevor Richards – Not stretched out and would be off The List even if he were.

Jesse Scholtens – Not stretched out and holds a super low strikeout rate.

Jonathan Heasley – Please.

Hunter Gaddis – The Guardians may turn to him to replace Triston McKenzie and there maaaay be a world he comes through against the Athletics if his cut-fastball is legit. I’m not a fan of it.

Ross Stripling – He’s not firmly in the rotation and if he does get there, it’s a wait-and-see situation.

Adrian Houser – Naaaaaaah.

David Peterson – He isn’t doing enough with his repertoire.

Touki Toussaint – Yes, he’s pitching again. No, he’s not fantasy relevant.

Brandon Walter – The Red Sox are letting him pitch in games and that’s all there is to say about him.

Chris Murphy – The Red Sox are letting him pitch in games and that’s all there is to say about him. Hey, you just wrote that? Is it wrong?

Cooper Criswell – The Rays are kinda featuring him in bullpen games and it’s not something to chase.

Cal Quantrill – He returned from injury and it wasn’t pretty.

Zach Logue – Absolutely not.

Austin Cox – Any excitement I had about Cox after going 8/24 four-seamer whiffs went out the window when he followed it up with 1/40 whiffs. Womp womp.

Alec Marsh – I’ve seen worse arms with the Royals but this isn’t the time to suddenly get in on a young Royals arm.

Brandon Bielak – He should return this week for the Astros and unless he has the greatest changeup around, he’s best to avoid.

Kyle Muller – He’s throwing harder, but Muller’s approach with mediocre secondaries makes for a poor fantasy option.

Kolby Allard – I know, he just fanned eight batters. And yet, it’s still Dralla, who isn’t showcasing any new skills. No, the four-seamer isn’t a new-and-improved pitch.

Bryan Hoeing – He’s a sinkerballer that can squirm his way through five frames on a given night.

Brett Kennedy – He’s a 92 mph fastball/changeup arm who the Reds could call up this week. Nothing to see here.

Steven Matz – The Cardinals are giving Matz a chance again, that doesn’t mean you need to, too.

 

 

SCROLL BACK UP AND READ THE NOTES

 

Rank	Pitcher	Badges	Change
1	Spencer StriderT1	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
2	Gerrit Cole	Aces Gonna Ace	-1
3	Luis Castillo T2	Aces Gonna Ace	-
4	Kevin Gausman	Aces Gonna Ace	-
5	Shohei Ohtani	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
6	Clayton Kershaw	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	+2
7	Max Scherzer	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	+2
8	Zac Gallen	Aces Gonna Ace	+2
9	Joe Ryan	Aces Gonna Ace	+3
10	Framber Valdez	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	+1
11	Justin Verlander T3	Ace Potential	+2
12	Zack Wheeler	Ace Potential	-5
13	Tyler Glasnow	Ace Potential	+1
14	George Kirby	Ace Potential	+5
15	Carlos Rodón	Ace Potential Injury Risk	+UR
16	Blake Snell	Ace Potential	+7
17	Corbin Burnes	Ace Potential	-
18	Pablo López	Ace Potential	-3
19	Joe Musgrove	Ace Potential	-1
20	Aaron Nola T4	Ace Potential	-4
21	Jesús Luzardo	Ace Potential	+5
22	James Paxton	Ace Potential Injury Risk	+10
23	Sandy Alcantara	Ace Potential	-2
24	Bobby Miller	Ace Potential	-2
25	Julio Urías	Ace Potential	+UR
26	Lucas Giolito T5	Quality Starts	+8
27	Logan Webb	Quality Starts	+1
28	Logan Gilbert	Ace Potential	-8
29	Dylan Cease	Ace Potential	-4
30	Hunter Brown	Ace Potential	-3
31	Freddy Peralta	Ace Potential	-2
32	Yu Darvish	Quality Starts	-2
33	Tyler Wells	Quality Starts	-
34	Justin Steele	Quality Starts	+7
35	Mitch Keller	Quality Starts	+2
36	Andrew Abbott	Ace Potential	+17
37	Reid Detmers	Ace Potential	+23
38	Bailey Ober T6	Quality Starts	+5
39	Braxton Garrett	Quality Starts	-1
40	Zach Eflin	Quality Starts	-4
41	Nathan Eovaldi	Injury Risk Quality Starts	+3
42	Chris Bassitt	Quality Starts	+7
43	Shane Bieber	Quality Starts	+3
44	Sonny Gray	Quality Starts	+10
45	Cristian Javier T7	Cherry Bomb	-21
46	Marcus Stroman	Quality Starts	-11
47	Bryan Woo	Cherry Bomb	+4
48	Brayan Bello	Quality Starts	-
49	José Berríos	Quality Starts	-4
50	Tanner Bibee T8	Cherry Bomb	+2
51	Charlie Morton	Cherry Bomb	+4
52	Eury Pérez	Ace Potential Playing Time Question	-13
53	Gavin Williams	Cherry Bomb	+8
54	Taj Bradley	Cherry Bomb	-7
55	Kenta Maeda	Cherry Bomb	+1
56	Tarik Skubal	Cherry Bomb	+UR
57	Yusei Kikuchi	Cherry Bomb	-7
58	Lance Lynn	Cherry Bomb	-1
59	Jon Gray	Cherry Bomb	-
60	Eduardo Rodriguez T9	Toby	+UR
61	Jordan Montgomery	Toby	+20
62	Bryce Elder	Toby	+1
63	Emmet Sheehan	Toby	-1
64	Michael Soroka	Toby	+UR
65	Jack Flaherty	Injury Risk Cherry Bomb	+6
66	J.P. France	Toby	+1
67	Alex Cobb	Toby	+UR
68	Seth Lugo	Toby	-
69	Michael Wacha	Injury Risk Toby	-4
70	Taijuan Walker	Toby	+12
71	Kyle Hendricks	Toby	+14
72	Tony Gonsolin	Toby	-6
73	Ranger Suárez	Toby	-9
74	Kodai Senga T10	Cherry Bomb	-2
75	Andrew Heaney	Cherry Bomb	+1
76	Griffin Canning	Cherry Bomb	+2
77	Domingo Germán	Cherry Bomb	+7
78	Kyle Bradish	Cherry Bomb	+2
79	Luis Severino	Cherry Bomb	-21
80	MacKenzie Gore	Cherry Bomb	-11
81		Cherry Bomb	-11
82	Reese Olson	Cherry Bomb	-3
83	Kutter Crawford	Cherry Bomb	+11
84	Clarke Schmidt T11	Toby	+3
85	Aaron Civale	Toby	+3
86	Tommy Henry	Toby	+UR
87	Wade Miley	Toby	+3
88	Martín Pérez	Toby	+1
89	Brady Singer T12	Streaming Option	+2
90	Ryne Nelson	Streaming Option	+UR
91	Dean Kremer	Streaming Option	+1
92	Josiah Gray	Streaming Option	+UR
93	Johan Oviedo	Streaming Option	-10
94	Kyle Gibson	Streaming Option	+3
95	Jake Irvin	Streaming Option	+5
96	Graham Ashcraft	Streaming Option	+UR
97	Dane Dunning	Streaming Option	+UR
98	Michael Lorenzen	Streaming Option	+1
99	Cristopher Sánchez	Streaming Option	+UR
100	Keaton Winn	Streaming Option	+UR

 

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