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 Playback 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.
- Before the notes and rankings, an injury table outlines where players would be relatively ranked if they were 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. The Cherry Bomb players are likely going to underperform those labeled as a Toby across a full season, but it’s in your best interest to chase ceiling vs. floor in many cases. Pick the one that you need most in your situation, of course.
- 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. Injuries are so strange (especially in spring training) and instead of shoving them at random moments on The List, I’ve elected to throw all of them into one table here for you, the wise fantasy manager, to determine if it’s worthwhile to take the injury discount and when.
(OFS) = Out For Season. They usually went under TJS or a similar procedure.
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 – pitchers often 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 last 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, and this rank will likely conflict with our weekly SP To Stash article from Rudy Ropp, though we will be conferring each week.. 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 as spec adds at the very least. 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 = Worthy of a stash right now in 12-teamers.
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 75,000+ word Top 400 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.
- Pitchers in the Top 40 (or so) move less drastically than those from 40-100. Yes, I’m reiterating the last bullet point because I get comments about it each week. The back-half of the List has a ton of movement constantly due to the nature of 12-team leagues. It’s in your best interest to get value now vs. holding onto a fringe arm as a stash for 10 days while you sit them against a tough offense. Yes, this means you’ll see dramatic +15/-20 moves a lot. It’s how it works.
- 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: Zach Eflin (41)
- Removed: None
- Net Change Inside Top 60: (-1)
- Please understand how this affects movement across The List.
Tier 1 – The Remaining Aces
You know they are aces.
1. Zack Wheeler – There’s really no other choice.
2. Tyler Glasnow – Despite the fewer Wins, Glasnow’s strikeout ability and Win potential make him #2.
3. Tarik Skubal – 102 mph. Lol.
4. Chris Sale – Sale vs. Fried is an interesting debate and I’m electing to go with Sale’s improved slider and strikeout history.
5. Max Fried – Fried has been absolutely bonkers since his third start of the year.
6. Corbin Burnes – Burnes is having a stupid good ratio season, though he has only had two games above six strikeouts all season.
7. Cole Ragans – Pew Pew Pew. His slider and cutter looked much better against the Mariners.
8. Luis Castillo – I can feel the ire of lowering Castillo after just one game and I understand it. Ragans and Fried deserved the love.
9. Shota Imanaga – He still has the same elite fastball and splitter.
10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Is he actually going to elevate the dang heater or not?!
Tier 2 – AGA With Something To Prove
They have the AGA tag, though they all have a quirk that could mean they lose it by June.
11. Joe Ryan – All is well here with Ryan. I’m still waiting for an elite #2 pitch to arrive, though his four-seamer seemingly improves with each start.
12. Aaron Nola – He’s boasting a 2.73 ERA at the moment. Sigh. What a guy.
13. Paul Skenes – Skenes could move into Tier 1 soon enough. It’s just a matter of career starts to prove it, first.
14. Garrett Crochet – Crochet could do the same, though I’d feel a little more confident doing so if his slider or change became more of his game.
15. Kyle Bradish – He just dominated without his curve doing much of the heavy lifting. I kinda want to see more from the hook, but the slider and sinker are doing great work.
16. Jared Jones – Jones hasn’t been the overwhelming stud we want to see as of late and I’m giving him one more outing to prove he should still be expected to rack up the strikeouts each night.
17. Freddy Peralta – Peralta has looked a bit more like Professor Chaos and it’s starting to question if he should carry the AGA tag.
18. Sonny Gray – His 30%+ strikeout rate keeps him as an AGA, but if that fades…
19. Logan Webb – Webb is a ratio darling, though the WHIP hasn’t been ideal and it’s a 20%+ strikeout rate. He may be more of a Tier 4 arm than an AGA in time, but he’s still a regular arm to trust each week, of course.
Tier 3 – We Expect Success Every Night
They don’t have the AGA tag and could earn it before July.
20. Grayson Rodriguez – We have a crew of arms on the verge of AGA, leading with Grayson. Just get the dang secondaries down ya dingus.
21. Tanner Houck – Houck’s splitter is the real difference maker this year and his routine command of it armside is putting him on the precipice of AGA.
22. George Kirby – Kirby has moved more sinker over four-seamer and recently featured a harder slider that stays down-and-gloveside more often. Just take care of the Rangers and AGA is yours.
23. MacKenzie Gore – Gore stumbled against the Mets (That’s Baseball, Suzyn) and dominated Atlanta. Give us one more game of domination and it’ll be difficult to resist the AGA tag.
24. Logan Gilbert – Gilbert’s cutter is seemingly returning to form and I hope he demands his AGA tag back soon.
25. Luis Gil – It’s getting difficult to hold Gil back from Tier 2 and even against the Dodgers, managers were able to salvage a solid WHIP and strikeouts.
26. Kevin Gausman – Yes, he had a marvelous game against the Athletics, but he can’t be trusted against tough opponents like the Orioles. It puts him down into Tier 3 without the AGA tag. Blame the heater if you want, I wonder if it’s a product of his reduced SwStr on his splitter.
27. Jack Flaherty – Flaherty’s lower back has given him fits, but he’s scheduled to pitch against Houston on Friday, followed by Atlanta. If the breakers are spotted and his 94+ mph four-seamer avoids damage, I’m sure to get pitchforks if I don’t grant him the AGA tag. Wild how far we’ve come.
28. Ranger Suárez – Suárez was dealt a tough hand and survived the London Series. He hasn’t been as sharp as of late and I’m curious how he’ll perform in a routine but difficult matchup against the Orioles.
29. Dylan Cease – Cease’s command has improved this year, but we haven’t eradicated all of the volatility this season. It’ll stick around until he has a true third pitch he can trust for strikes.
30. Ryan Pepiot – I don’t expect to raise Pepiot into the next tier for a moment, but his trajectory sure looks to land there. That heater is elite with a legit change and slider to boot.
31. Pablo López – We didn’t expect Pablo to come away from a start against the Yankees unscathed and I don’t see him in a place far too different from last week. The path of redemption is ahead with Rockie Road and the Rays on the docket. Let’s see if he can regain the confidence in his changeup from there.
Tier 4 – Hard Rock Café
I don’t think they’ll get the AGA tag this year, but hot dang are they stable 6+ inning arms for all-around production.
32. Justin Steele – His command is improving and hopefully he can leap into Tier 3 soon enough.
33. Framber Valdez – Valdez just had a ridiculous game with his curveball looking like its pre-2023 self. If that sticks, he’ll be flirting with Top 20 once again.
34. Carlos Rodón – Rodón has been a welcome surprise as a consistent arm for weeks now. He’s back to the old fastball/slider ways with some surprise changeups in the mix, too.
35. Nick Pivetta – His cutter hasn’t been a major part of his post-IL stint arsenal, but he hasn’t needed it as of late. I wonder if it will appear again in due time.
36. Nathan Eovaldi – Eovaldi has looked sharp since returning to the bump, sitting 97 mph in his last outing for the first time in ages. All I want for Christmas is to reflect on the season with joy about Eovaldi’s velocity sticking at 97 mph.
37. Bailey Ober – I debated slotting Ober further down as he’s had a few weeks of disappointment. However, watching his last outing didn’t come with the typical concerns I see in other arms and I’m sticking with Ober, especially with his cushy schedule ahead against the Athletics and…Athletics. Then Diamondbacks, Tigers, White Sox, and Giants. Yep.
38. Bryan Woo – I’m a touch worried both about his forearm health and his lack of reliable secondaries, but the fastballs have been phenomenal.
39. Michael King – He’s finally looking like the sturdy six inning arm you envisioned in March.
40. Ronel Blanco – It’s been a bit of a step back with Blanco lately with his changeup, forcing more four-seamers over the plate. I’m expecting the slowball to return and be on the lookout in his next starts.
41. Zach Eflin – He’s back from the IL and may be a bit limited in the short term to ease back in. He’s not squeezing the most out of his arsenal like in 2023, but he should still be a solid play each week.
42. Seth Lugo – Don’t get too caught up by the 5 ER line against the Guardians. That was a clear Careful, Icarus and not an indication of a conclusion to his magnificent 2024 run.
43. Reynaldo López – The man just keeps producing with four-seamers and a pair of strong breakers for a winning team. Gotta love it.
44. Cristopher Sánchez – His velocity is up and as long as the changeup is cooking (which is usually is), Sánchez is very much worth your roster spot.
45. Gavin Stone – He just passed his major test against the Yankees and it’s harder to deny Stone, even if I’m not the biggest fan of his entire arsenal as a whole.
Tier 5 – The Firecrackers
We can all see how these pitchers become aces, though they still have questions to answer before then.
46. Yusei Kikuchi – I was relieved to watch Kikuchi dominate the Orioles, though the slider still has a little bit of polish left to be its former self. I want to wait one more week before promoting Kikuchi back into the fourth tier.
47. Jesús Luzardo – He exposed himself as a Cherry Bomb and I’m honestly upset with myself a little that I didn’t have Luzardo down here earlier. I think he’ll live here most of the season, even if he’s dealt to a competitive team before the deadline.
48. Walker Buehler – Buehler still doesn’t look like the guy we want him to be, though the stuff is still good. He’ll get there.
49. Bryce Miller – Miller was pummeled over the weekend. I’m still waiting for Bryce to find a reliable secondary to help him navigate starts.
50. Kutter Crawford – Crawford has a tough two-start week ahead. His arsenal is good enough to survive, but he hasn’t had the level of command we want to see.
51. Tanner Bibee – It’s been a better run for Bibee as of late, though the repertoire isn’t firing on all cylinders. The lower release point is helping the heater and I hope he’ll harness both the change & slider soon.
52. Hunter Greene – He is what he is. A strikeout fiend with Cherry Bomb ratios. At least we know.
53. Nestor Cortes – Cortes can dominate with heaters up and cutters + sliders for strikes, though it goes in and out. I want to put him in Tier 4 but I need to see more consistency first.
Tier 6 – Brown Suits
These are the Toby types who aren’t as elite as those in Tier 4, but are far safer than the waiver wire.
54. Justin Verlander – Verlander dominated some weak teams, then got trounced when he wasn’t pristine with sliders and fastballs. I think he’s just a Toby at the end of the day.
55. Reese Olson – I feel as if Olson doesn’t belong in the same tier as the top of Tier 4 and maybe belongs near the top of Tier 5, but ultimately, he needs to prove he’s stable after a pair of disappointing starts.
56. Marcus Stroman – He’s the foundational Toby and y’all understand. Sinkers are his game and we hope at least one secondary is around per start to keep him in the green.
57. José Berríos – He’s the Great Undulator and the curve is more consistent this year than previously. Still not as electric as others.
58. Chris Bassitt – Just had a great outing with all the sinker called strikes + breakers coming through more than usual. That’s cool, as long as we don’t expect it every start.
59. Brayan Bello – Bello hasn’t had his changeup for a few starts, but I’m not willing to believe the slowball is destined to be unreliable. This has been the pitch for him for a long time. It’ll return.
Tier 7 – The Wobbly Guardrails
We’re at the edge of the Cliff where it’s heavily in your interest to grab guys who have the potential to lock themselves firmly inside the Top 40/50 SP for the season.
60. Mitch Keller – His command has been absurd as of late, propelling his Vargas Rule that mimics his absurd first half of 2023. It’ll come back to Earth soon enough, but we’re starting him until then.
61. Nick Lodolo – I’m not sure where to rank Lodolo. I’m worried about his low floor, especially as the curveball goes in-and-out throughout the season, but I also recognize that he’s likely never dropped from your squads. Welcome to the Cherry Bomb tier.
62. Jake Irvin – Irvin has been on a stupid good Vargas Rule with his curveball leading the charge as his fastballs and cutters have earned competitive strikes constantly. Surely this can’t last through the end of June…right?
63. Matt Waldron – The knuckleball left us for a start, then returned and I’d be willing to chase Waldron while the schedule isn’t against him.
64. Taj Bradley – He’s only had one truly bad outing (5 ER against the Sawx came with 10 strikeouts!), even getting his revenge against the Orioles over the weekend. I still get massively anxious watching him pitch and fail to believe he can iron out the kinks, but maybe over time I promote him to Tier 5 if the bumps and bruises become distant from each other.
65. Hunter Brown – Brown has allowed just 4 ER and tallied 25 strikeouts across his last three starts, though I’m skeptical he’s figured out how to harness his repertoire, and moreso benefitted from a collection of weak lineups.
66. Jordan Hicks – His sinker does a great job of earning strikes (most of the time) and inducing weak contact, but the sweeper and splitter are missing more often than I’d like.
67. Andrew Heaney – After a small valley, Heaney’s command has looked far better in his last two starts. Let’s hope it sticks.
68. Jon Gray – He’s back from the IL and I understand grabbing Gray to see if he can pick up where he left off. He’s “penciled in” to start later this week, though we’re not sure how long he’s going to go.
Tier 8 – Thin Blankets
It’s a mini-tier of guys who don’t warm you like the soaring upside of Tier 7, but get the job done to go six full frames without devastation. The final bastion to save you from the cold of the wire.
69. Tyler Anderson – Anderson’s changeup has been great and as long as he doesn’t face a legit lineup, he’ll find his way through six frames.
70. José Soriano – Soriano fluctuates between 0/1 ER games and 4 ER games. I want to believe his sinker and curve should develop as he starts more games, eliminating the chaos as he’s been hovering around rosters all year.
71. Javier Assad – He’s still surviving on your teams, even if you’re not feeling great about it after his 5 ER outing. The pair of Rays + Giants matchups ahead are too juicy to pass up.
72. Kyle Gibson – I’ve overlooked Gibson’s improved sweeper this year and he’s become more of stable arm than usual.
73. Patrick Sandoval – Outside of poor performances against tough lineups, The Irish Panda has come through as a proper Toby.
74. Mitchell Parker – With two great matchups this week and a solid four-pitch mix, Parker is looking more like a dependable arm than expected.
75. Erick Fedde – Fedde has come through with his command (Sinkers, sweepers, splitters, and cutters all around the zone) and pulled himself out of a poor stretch. Wins are a little tougher to come by, though.
76. Brandon Pfaadt – Is the four-seamer getting better? It had a 1.3 HAVAA in his last start – above average! – instead of the 50th percentile mark it held prior at 1.0. If that’s an actual legit pitch to pair with the sweeper + the greater reliance on the sinker reduces HRs, Pfaadt could be a dependable arm. I still think he needs one more strong secondary, though.
Tier 9 – The ABBA Jukebox
You can settle for a streamer just for the week or you can “Take A Chance On Me” and hope for the best.
77. JP Sears – Sears just had the best command I’ve seen from him possibly ever, with full pitch separation across all four offerings. I wonder if that sticks.
78. Spencer Arrighetti – He has a cushy two-step ahead and the tools to be a legit starter. He just has to locate the four-seamer better upstairs while earning strikes with his vast array of secondaries.
79. Drew Thorpe – He’s making his MLB debut this week and why not, spec add the guy. I generally don’t go for changeup-first prospects, but Thorpe does seem to have a deeper mix than most.
80. Hurston Waldrep – The MLB debut was terrible (they typically are!), but the splitter is legit. I have my doubts that his slider and four-seamer can avoid punishment, but it may be enough to provide value inside Atlanta’s rotation. Why not, take a shot.
81. Tylor Megill – If Megill can just locate his dang arsenal…that four-seamer has potential upstairs with the slider & cutter earning strikes + occasional splitters for strikeouts.
82. Ben Brown – I don’t call myself a Brown believer as he breaks the Huascar Rule. That said, he did add a changeup in his last outing (not a great one) and it’s possible he takes a step forward with his four-seamer or curve. In addition, does Jordan Wicks take his spot? If so, I’d have Wicks in this tier as well, possibly in the same spot, if not higher.
83. Hogan Harris – It feels weird to include Harris among the other options, but his four-seamer has looked great and his changeup + curve backing it up may turn him into a proper starter out of nowhere.
Tier 10 – Fine, You Need Some Streams & Other Randos
More streaming options here, but a slight drop from the previous tier.
84. Jordan Montgomery – He gets the Angels. I know it’s been terrible, but Monty should be able to handle the Angels.
85. Keaton Winn – Winn returned from the IL and showcased splitter whiffs once again. Here’s to hoping the pitch can continue to miss bats while the fastballs aren’t nearly as detrimental against the Angels.
86. Griffin Canning – He’s fine against the Diamondbacks, right? Not a bad strikeout play as long as the four-seamer doesn’t have to do too much.
87. Mitch Spence – His cutter and slider make for a decent ratio play on a given night and the Twins aren’t too intimidating.
88. Braxton Garrett – A matchup against the Mets is fine. I wish he had more than sinker/slider, though.
89. Simeon Woods Richardson – He just went six frames and I don’t expect it to happen much more often. That said, he does get the Athletics and it’s worthy of stream consideration.
90. Luis Severino – Sevy is fastball/sweeper and it’s all kinds of weird. But who cares, it’s the Marlins.
91. Zack Littell – Is Atlanta that scary anymore? I’m not sure and Littell’s splitter + slider have looked better lately.
92. Chris Paddack – It’s a two-step of Rockie Road + Oakland. I’m no Paddack advocate, but that should be fine.
93. Joey Estes – With two starts against the Padres and Twins, Estes makes for a decent play this week. He doesn’t have electric stuff, though, and I’d avoid it if I didn’t need the volume.
94. Bailey Falter – He’s a coin flip, even if it’s the Cardinals.
95. David Peterson – The Marlins. But the slider is the only good pitch? THE. MARLINS.
96. Charlie Morton – You really don’t know how this will go, even against the Rays.
97. Jameson Taillon – I know it’s the Rays, but he just stumbled against Tampa Bay. At least he has a long enough leash.
98. Cal Quantrill – He struggled against the Dodgers + the splitter failed to come through in both of his last two starts. Hopefully it was just a blip.
99. Sean Manaea – Ehhhhh, maybe he has enough in the tank for the Padres?
100. DJ Herz – I don’t trust the command, but the Marlins could find strikes for him. There’s upside here but he can’t locate that four-seamer well.
Honorable Mentions
You’re getting little blurbs on everyone else with a rotation spot this week. This is in alphabetical team order, not rank. If a pitcher has a rotation spot and is not listed here, it’s an error on my part after crafting The List and forgetting to add them here. Feel free to let me know if someone isn’t listed here and I’ll add them – it’s usually a fringe guy I removed and lapsed when ensuring they had a blurb!
Ryne Nelson (ARI) – I dig his heater and there is a ceiling to hit one day. He’s a Young Gun.
Slade Cecconi (ARI) – I don’t love what Slade is putting down. Far too risky.
Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) – He gets Baltimore this week and I’d rather wait to see if he even sticks around for a better matchup after. The skills are good enough to become a solid Toby in Atlanta.
Tommy Henry (ARI) – With Gallen on the mend, Henry may get some bulk innings and we really don’t want that.
Albert Suárez (BAL) – He’s fine, but it’s a start against Atlanta. No need to hold him.
Cade Povich (BAL) – Same with Povich.
Cole Irvin (BAL) – …and same with Irvin.
Cooper Criswell (BOS) – Criswell goes about five frames at best and doesn’t have enough of a ceiling to chase + the Yankees this week. Yikes.
Jordan Wicks (CHC) – We saw Wicks follow Ben Brown over the weekend and it’s unclear if that’s what we should expect moving forward or if Wicks would take Brown’s spot or I DON’T KNOW. If it’s Wicks and Brown goes back to the pen, just swap their spots in the rankings. I like Wicks more as a proper starter, FWIW.
Chris Flexen (CHW) – Hey, he’s actually been decent the last two starts! And we can’t trust it!
Jonathan Cannon (CHW) – Oh dang, he’s getting another shot. There is a decent Toby hidden in there and I’ll let y’all know if there’s something to confidently chase here.
Andrew Abbott (CIN) – I just can’t figure out Abbott and now with a date against the Brewers, I’d prefer just to ignore it.
Frankie Montas (CIN) – He’s awfully pedestrian. You can do better.
Graham Ashcraft (CIN) – Demoted to the minors. Yikes.
Nick Martinez (CIN) – I’m thrilled he’s getting another chance to start, I want to see him nail down the changeup approach and get a solid matchup first.
Ben Lively (CLE) – Lively went back to Cleveland for an undisclosed injury, making him unlikely to make a start this week. I wouldn’t target whoever replaces him in the rotation.
Carlos Carrasco (CLE) – He’s only of consideration if you have a dire need for six frames.
Logan Allen (CLE) – He’s an unreliable streamer.
Triston McKenzie (CLE) – His pitch quality has certainly taken a hit as he endures a torn ligament in his arm. The upside isn’t worth the massive explosion that feels around the corner, even if he’s returned more curveball whiffs than expected as of late.
Austin Gomber (COL) – COL story, bro.
Dakota Hudson (COL) – COL story, bro.
Ryan Feltner (COL) – COL story, bro.
Ty Blach (COL) – COL story, bro.
Casey Mize (DET) – I can see the fun in his four-seamer, but he hasn’t commanded it well, nor has his slider turned into the whiff pitch it needs to be. We wait for now.
Kenta Maeda (DET) – Why chase Maeda? The ceiling is too low to justify the floor.
Alec Marsh (KCR) – He’s facing the Yankees this week and isn’t worth the hold.
Brady Singer (KCR) – Singer gets the Yankees and Dodgers. He is not worth the two-week stash, y’all.
Daniel Lynch IV (KCR) – There’s little to latch onto with Lynch, sadly.
Chase Silseth (LAA) – We’re not sure if Silseth gets a start this week, but that would be a Still ILL should it happen.
José Suarez (LAA) – With Detmers in the minors, Suarez may get a start until Sileth returns. He isn’t stretched out, though, and I’d consider other options.
Bobby Miller (LAD) – I hope we get the return of Bobby 100 this week. Treat him like a Still ILL of course.
James Paxton (LAD) – He’s a desperate Win chance guy with a floor that just too low to justify chasing.
Max Meyer (MIA) – With Weathers on the IL, the Marlins could turn to Meyer to return to the rotation. It’s not confirmed yet, but if he were to get the call, he likely wouldn’t go very deep against the Nationals having thrown just 57 pitches on June 7th in Triple-A.
Roddery Muñoz (MIA) – I think there’s some promise in Muñoz, but he’s too much of a wild card to trust. I considered putting him near the end of The List with a start against the Mets.
Trevor Rogers (MIA) – There are hints of success here and there, but the full arsenal hasn’t come together yet.
Bryse Wilson (MIL) – The Brewers are still rolling with Wilson. That doesn’t mean you have to, too.
Carlos F. Rodriguez (MIL) – He’s making his MLB debut this week against the Jays and I’m skeptical he has enough electricity to turn heads.
Colin Rea (MIL) – He’s been surprisingly decent with just one poor start this year. However, it’s a limited ceiling and with just a single start this week, Rea doesn’t push the needle enough.
Joe Ross (MIL) – Ross may be returning this week and it’s a clear wait-and-see.
Tobias Myers (MIL) – He just went eight innings of production and I don’t trust it at all. Not the best command and his changeup had moments, not dominance. There’s more polish needed before I’d trust him.
Caleb Boushley (MIN) – He’s a 90mph sinker command pitcher who could get a start this week to give the team some rest.
Jose Quintana (NYM) – I’m not seeing enough to latch onto Quintana.
Cody Poteet (NYY) – I dig Poteet as a potential streaming option and I’d wait one more week to make sure he settles into the rotation. The Royals are a little too threatening.
Luis Medina (OAK) – His second outing showcased the volatility and its unwise to put yourself in harm’s way.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) – I’m happy he survived in London with a near 30% called strike rate. No way I’m leaning into this.
Luis L. Ortiz (PIT) – He has another opportunity with the Pirates, though I question how much they’ll actually use him and if his new cutter can stabilize an arsenal with notoriously poor control.
Adam Mazur (SDP) – Two starts into his big league career and he’s not flashing electric stuff, nor comfort on the bump at the grand stage.
Randy Vasquez (SDP) – I don’t trust the command, nor the overall stuff of the arsenal. He can find his way through 5+ frames at times, but it’s not worthwhile to chase, even if he gets the Athletics this week.
Kyle Harrison (SFG) – I’m not seeing gains this year to suggest he’s an impact 12-teamer arm. With the Astros and Angels ahead, I think he’s an okay stream for the Angels, but the addition of Houston has me pass him completely.
Spencer Howard (SFG) – The stuff just isn’t good enough.
Andre Pallante (STL) – I’m glad he took advantage of Rockie Road, but the cut fastball and curve are awfully mid.
Lance Lynn (STL) – He just doesn’t do enough anymore.
Miles Mikolas (STL) – There’s so little to chase here. You can do better.
Aaron Civale (TBR) – It was tough removing Civale, but he hasn’t come through with his arsenal this year. Once the curve begins to be a major factor again, then we can jump back in.
Dane Dunning (TEX) – I’m okay with the Mariners stream, but he gets the Dodgers first and I’d rather just avoid this in full.
Michael Lorenzen (TEX) – He’s set to get the Dodgers. Don’t hold through it.
Bowden Francis (TOR) – He’s back! And going against the Orioles. I wonder if he’ll show enough to make us trust him against the Athletics later in the week.
Patrick Corbin (WSN) – This isn’t working out. Shocking, I know.
SCROLL BACK UP AND READ THE NOTES
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| Rank | Pitcher | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack WheelerT1 | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | - |
| 2 | Tyler Glasnow | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 3 | Tarik Skubal | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 4 | Chris Sale | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 5 | Max Fried | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +5 |
| 6 | Corbin Burnes | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 7 | Cole Ragans | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 8 | Luis Castillo | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 9 | Shota Imanaga | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 10 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 11 | Joe RyanT2 | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 12 | Aaron Nola | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 13 | Paul Skenes | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 14 | Garrett Crochet | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 15 | Kyle Bradish | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +2 |
| 16 | Jared Jones | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 17 | Freddy Peralta | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -4 |
| 18 | Sonny Gray | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 19 | Logan Webb | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | +1 |
| 20 | Grayson RodriguezT3 | Ace Potential Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +1 |
| 21 | Tanner Houck | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 22 | George Kirby | Ace Potential Quality Starts | - |
| 23 | MacKenzie Gore | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 24 | Logan Gilbert | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +4 |
| 25 | Luis Gil | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 26 | Kevin Gausman | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 27 | Jack Flaherty | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -2 |
| 28 | Ranger Suárez | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 29 | Dylan Cease | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | - |
| 30 | Ryan Pepiot | Ace Potential Team Context Effect | +1 |
| 31 | Pablo López | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 32 | Justin SteeleT4 | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 33 | Framber Valdez | Holly Quality Starts | -1 |
| 34 | Carlos Rodón | Holly Team Context Effect | +6 |
| 35 | Nick Pivetta | Holly Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 36 | Nathan Eovaldi | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +5 |
| 37 | Bailey Ober | Holly Quality Starts | -1 |
| 38 | Bryan Woo | Holly Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +13 |
| 39 | Michael King | Holly Quality Starts | +3 |
| 40 | Ronel Blanco | Holly Ratio Focused | -6 |
| 41 | Zach Eflin | Holly Quality Starts | +UR |
| 42 | Seth Lugo | Holly Quality Starts | -4 |
| 43 | Reynaldo López | Holly Team Context Effect | - |
| 44 | Cristopher Sánchez | Holly Quality Starts | +10 |
| 45 | Gavin Stone | Holly Team Context Effect | +13 |
| 46 | Yusei KikuchiT5 | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 47 | Jesús Luzardo | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -12 |
| 48 | Walker Buehler | Cherry Bomb Wins Bonus | -3 |
| 49 | Bryce Miller | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 50 | Kutter Crawford | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 51 | Tanner Bibee | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 52 | Hunter Greene | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 53 | Nestor Cortes | Cherry Bomb Wins Bonus | -3 |
| 54 | Justin VerlanderT6 | Toby Quality Starts | -15 |
| 55 | Reese Olson | Toby Quality Starts | -11 |
| 56 | Marcus Stroman | Toby Quality Starts | -3 |
| 57 | José Berríos | Toby Quality Starts | - |
| 58 | Chris Bassitt | Toby Quality Starts | +1 |
| 59 | Brayan Bello | Toby Quality Starts | -3 |
| 60 | Mitch KellerT7 | Vargas Rule Strikeout Upside | - |
| 61 | Nick Lodolo | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +1 |
| 62 | Jake Irvin | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +10 |
| 63 | Matt Waldron | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | -2 |
| 64 | Taj Bradley | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 65 | Hunter Brown | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | +1 |
| 66 | Jordan Hicks | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -11 |
| 67 | Andrew Heaney | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 68 | Jon Gray | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 69 | Tyler AndersonT8 | Toby Quality Starts | +2 |
| 70 | José Soriano | Toby Strikeout Upside | -6 |
| 71 | Javier Assad | Toby Ratio Focused | +3 |
| 72 | Kyle Gibson | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 73 | Patrick Sandoval | Toby Quality Starts | +4 |
| 74 | Mitchell Parker | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 75 | Erick Fedde | Toby Quality Starts | +8 |
| 76 | Brandon Pfaadt | Toby Team Context Effect | +4 |
| 77 | JP SearsT9 | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +20 |
| 78 | Spencer Arrighetti | Spice Girl Team Context Effect | -2 |
| 79 | Drew Thorpe | Spice Girl Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 80 | Hurston Waldrep | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 81 | Tylor Megill | Spice Girl Quality Starts | -16 |
| 82 | Ben Brown | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 83 | Hogan Harris | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 84 | Jordan MontgomeryT10 | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -9 |
| 85 | Keaton Winn | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 86 | Griffin Canning | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 87 | Mitch Spence | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +8 |
| 88 | Braxton Garrett | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -7 |
| 89 | Simeon Woods Richardson | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +1 |
| 90 | Luis Severino | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +6 |
| 91 | Zack Littell | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | +8 |
| 92 | Chris Paddack | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 93 | Joey Estes | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -2 |
| 94 | Bailey Falter | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 95 | David Peterson | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 96 | Charlie Morton | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -11 |
| 97 | Jameson Taillon | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -10 |
| 98 | Cal Quantrill | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -29 |
| 99 | Sean Manaea | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 100 | DJ Herz | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
Labels Legend
I’ve updated the tags for 2024, now allowing myself to tag a player in one three groups.
Overall Label
Aces Gonna Ace
Ace Potential
Holly
Toby
Cherry Bomb
Spice Girl
Vargas Rule
Streaming Option
Bonus Stat
QS Bonus
Wins Bonus
Strikeouts Bonus
Ratios Bonus
Rotation Spot Bonus
Team Context Effect
Special Tag
Stash Option
Injury Risk
Playing Time Question
A quick legend for those unfamiliar with our odd terms at Pitcher List:
Holly = Solid ratios, constant 6 IP & a 20-25% strikeout rate
Toby = Borderline arm for your 12-teamers who has a 20% or lower strikeout rate. They barely do enough.
Cherry Bomb = A volatile starting pitcher. Usually with strikeout upside and low ratio floor.
Spice Girl = Young arms who have massive ceilings or could be off your team in a few weeks.
Vargas Rule = A pitcher we’re picking up now given he’s on a roll, but we drop once he stumbles again.
Team Context Effect = Either ranked higher or lower due to team context (Coors, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta, Cincy, etc.)
Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)
Nobody:
Nick Pollack: “ReAd tHe NoTeZ”
the rays are a terrible organization now. they totally screwed up Civale.
i have to use a vpn because nick banned me
Thanks for the List Curse on Fried
Zack Littel’s K%-BB% is 40th in MLB (among starters) and his PLV (Pitcher’s List statistic) is 40. I know he’s “weird” (sliders up in the zone) but why not trust the numbers if you have them?
Zero reason for Waldron to drop in the List this week. He has done everything he needs to do to actually climb. The List is getting more and more arbitrary tbh
I’m a little surprised Nola didn’t move up this week considering he typically gets better as the season goes on and he has looked great lately. He is currently tied for 4th in wins, tied for 9th in WHIP, tied for 10th in QS, is 8th in IPs and 13th in ERA. Although he is only 27th in Ks, he has been getting more lately. Of course, I’m biased since he is on my team.
I don’t know where to rank Lodolo, either, but I will say that I trust him more than Luzardo, Verlander, and Olson – three SP on my team that you have ranked ahead of him.
i would trust Lodolo more even tho i like Olson
you can’t really go wrong with any of them. it’s a good rotation. stay firm
Nick, any way that you could add an estimated ETA on the injured pitchers (the way you do on the prospects)? That would be super helpful when considering stash options. Thanks for the best pitching coverage and analysis around.
you make money making lists like this what a joke
if you paid money for this advice you got ripped off
You should share your list with the class, larry.