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: Jesús Luzardo (30), Paul Skenes (31), Brayan Bello (47), Cristian Javier (60)
- Removed: Ryan Pepiot (38)
- Net Change Inside Top 60: (-3)
- Please understand how this affects movement across The List.
Tier 1 – The Remaining Aces
You know they are aces.
1. Tyler Glasnow – He’s the new #1 with both Burnes and Wheeler putting up clunkers. Injuries are a thing, but everyone is getting injured without much warning. Pretty wild.
2. Zack Wheeler – He almost had the #1 spot but then he had to stumble against the Marlins. The Marlins!
3. Corbin Burnes – Burnes is safe. Not overwhelming, but safe.
4. Tarik Skubal – Skubal is getting it done with his sinker and changeup. I’m still a little weirded out by his four-seamer and slider, but the results are there and that’s wonderful.
5. Luis Castillo – He’s looking like his normal self.
6. Pablo López – López has recovered recently, though I have some trepidation about his overall command.
7. Cole Ragans – Another clunker for Ragans as the ratios aren’t nearly as sparkling as his skills would suggest. Once the cutter and slider click, it’ll be lights out for weeks on end.
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.
8. Max Fried – The changeup is improving and there’s no sign of injury.
9. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – HE ACTUALLY ELEVATED HIS FOUR-SEAMER AND IT WAS GREAT.
10. Jared Jones – I’m a bit surprised to see Jones in the Top 10 myself, but is there an argument outside of “how many innings will he throw?” to hold him back? The strikeouts are just too absurd.
11. Shota Imanaga – He’s done nothing but succeed this season. Displaying more from his slider and curve would make me feel a little more comfortable about the ROS outlook as there are sure to be days where his four-seamer isn’t working nearly as well.
12. George Kirby – Is his knee okay? We’re in this weird moment of purgatory and I hate it.
13. Freddy Peralta – Peralta looked like the best pitcher on the planet for a moment and has since struggled to find a rhythm. Still a legit four-seamer, of course.
14. Logan Webb – You’re worried about the super high hit rate. I’m worried that his slider isn’t what it used to be. He’s a step up from Tier 3 given the volume and consistent changeup.
15. Zac Gallen – Gallen doesn’t have a locked-in blueprint that he follows each night, which makes me a touch more concerned than other aces.
16. Kevin Gausman – It’s awfully frustrating watching the volatility of Gausman. I believe in the skills for the most part, but hot dang, that fastball just gets clobbered some nights.
17. Aaron Nola – Nola is featuring volatile curveball command but he’s going every five days and giving you some kind of production, from Wins to strikeouts. He’s helpful far more than not.
18. Chris Sale – Sale went legit BSB with a precise four-seamer upstairs in his last start and I LOVE it.
19. Joe Ryan – The secondaries aren’t quite what I want them to be yet, but Ryan’s heater is too good and will always be there.
20. Logan Gilbert – Just after giving him the AGA tag, he had to put egg on my face. Whatever, I still believe in the new cutter to prevent nights like those…most of the time.
Tier 3 – We Expect Success Every Night
They don’t have the AGA tag and could earn it before June.
21. Kyle Bradish – Just another start or two until an AGA tag. Please keep that 20%+ curveball usage and minimal four-seamer approach.
22. Sonny Gray – He was on a direct path to AGA before stumbling last week. He’ll get back on path.
23. Dylan Cease – Cease looked incredible in his last outing, mostly with sliders landing inside the zone for strikes far more than usual. I wonder if that’s a legitimate shift or not. Probably not.
24. Bailey Ober – Ober gave us brilliance with a ten strikeout performance and just one hit allowed, fueled by classic Ober – four-seamers delicately spotted upstairs with changeups falling underneath. The difference this year? A slider and cutter that actually complemented the one-two punch.
25. Framber Valdez – So, do you have a slider and cutter or not? MAKE UP YOUR MIND.
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.
26. Yusei Kikuchi – Kikuchi continues to flourish with his four-seamer, curve, and slider. There are more whiffs to unlock with his heater, too, and I’ve been happy to watch him continue to resist fastballs from landing low in the zone. Incredibly important for his elite 1.8 HAVAA.
27. Justin Steele – I expected to have Steele in Tier 3, but his first two starts back from the IL have come with uncharacteristically poor command. It’s abnormal and I expect it to return.
28. Ronel Blanco – Blanco continues to produce and the only blemish against the Yankees has a high heater pushed just over the short porch. Blanco is great.
29. Yu Darvish – Darvish has been solid since returning from the IL and just demoralized the Dodgers. We’re going for it.
30. Jesús Luzardo – Luzardo earned himself a Gallows Pole by spotting sliders as well as he has all season in his return from the IL. I sure hope that sticks.
31. Paul Skenes – He’s here! And had a disappointing debut! Don’t fret, debuts are notorious for being wonky as rookies are filled with emotion in this first moment on the big stage. Skenes’ fastball command is sure to be better in subsequent starts.
32. Zach Eflin – He’s been solid, just not an arm squeezing the most out of his full arsenal like he was in 2023.
33. Michael King – After plenty of confusion and disarray, King stepped up with absolutely dominance against the Dodgers. It was the man we’ve wanted to see all year, but is it here to stay?
34. Kutter Crawford – It’s a 1.75 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with a 24% strikeout rate with legit stuff that suggests more strikeouts in the future. Then why isn’t he higher? Because I question his pitch efficiency once the 4% HR/FB rate and sub 7 hit-per-nine stabalize.
Tier 5 – So Dang Close To Greatness
I trust all these pitchers to produce this season while they also carry the ability to be more than an SP #3. Ryan Pepiot would be in this tier if he was activated at the time of publication.
35. Christian Scott – Yeah, it’s time to get on the train if you still can. The four-seamer is monstrous and comes with an above-average ability to locate it upstairs, while his sweeper is sure to keep his head above water. The only concern at this point is if he has enough to deal with LHB as his splitter and slider still have work to do.
36. Walker Buehler – It’s weird to have Buehler this low, but he hasn’t looked sharp in the slightest during his first two starts back from TJS. These things can take time and the raw stuff is still legit in my eyes. Just needs to focus more on approach and how to attack batters effectively with elite weapons.
37. MacKenzie Gore – Gore is doing what we asked of him – 97 mph heaters upstairs with secondaries below for strikes – and I just wish he pitched for a different crew. Once he’s done with his gauntlet of a schedule, he’s sure to impress many managers across your leagues. Get in while you can.
38. Garrett Crochet – I’m a little surprised Crochet has focused on four-seamer/cutter and let his slider + changeup fall to the wayside as of late. That said, his elite extension + elite velocity has haunted batters with ease. As long as one of those secondaries are coming through regularly, he’ll continue to produce.
39. Bryce Miller – The four-seamer is still ridiculous, though he looks too similar to his 2023 self than I’d like. Bryce needs a stronger #2 pitch to play off the heater to make the leap into the Top 25 starters.
Tier 6 – Celebrating The Holly Days
This has stability among arms who are all kinds of fun. Joe Musgrove and Nathan Eovaldi would be in this tier if they were activated at the time of publication.
40. Ranger Suárez – I know, I know. He should be in the Top 20! He’s certainly pitched like it so far. Sadly, I don’t expect Suárez to pitch at this level for the next four months, let alone past the next single month. His curve has earned far more strikes this year and while that could stick, the stupid low ICR marks across his changeup, four-seamer, and sinker are sure to regress over time. This is a man in a fantastic rhythm at the moment and has deserved the success he’s had so far. That doesn’t mean he’ll pitch the same way moving forward and deserve the same success – we’ve seen these Ranger runs before.
41. Tanner Houck – Houck has been solid, though I think he’s gotten away with a fair number of poor sliders, while his sinker/splitter are hit-or-miss on a given night. The overall production is great, I just don’t see this lasting forever, nor a massive leap up the ranks.
42. Nick Pivetta – I wouldn’t be shocked if I raised Pivetta into the higher tier next week, I just need to see a start to confirm that he’s fully healthy and good to go once again. It was a Still ILL against Atlanta, but it also wasn’t the best showcase of ability, too, and we’ve seen Pivetta be hot/cold in his past.
43. Justin Verlander – Let’s applaud Verlander for doing everything he could to erase the effect of his horrendous first start in his two-step. I wonder if we can rely on him being a strikeout guy at all this year, but he should have solid enough ratios to hold throughout the year. He’s not going to have ten four-seamer whiffs often.
44. John Means – After a fantastic debut from TJS, Means was mortal in his second outing. I still dig what he brings to the table, though, and I think we’ll see more of the former than the latter, especially with the Orioles offense helping his Win potential.
45. Seth Lugo – Hot dang has been on a stretch. 34 strikeouts across four starts, including this weekend’s twelve strikeout affair. I don’t believe his slider is suddenly at 74% strike pitch to RHB, but I’m not going to try to big-brain this one. You hold onto Lugo and ride this out as long as it goes.
46. Jack Flaherty – Flaherty’s biggest weakness has been his four-seamer and he’s rectified that over his last trio of outings. Let’s hope he continues to resist hittable 93 mph heaters over the plate moving forward.
47. Brayan Bello – Bello’s return from the IL wasn’t flashy, but he got the job done just under 70 pitches. He should be closer to 80 next time out and settle into the QS darling we know and love.
48. Reynaldo López – The man continues to produce, though he’s mostly faced weak opponents. I question if his four-seamer is enough to carry the inconsistent breakers through a full season.
49. Nestor Cortes – You’re seeing a massive dip from Cortes, but don’t be alarmed. It’s more of a re-ordering with other names looking like potential aces merged with continued success of other Holly types. Cortes did need a small dip after displaying more of the command issues that had us worried early on, but the large negative drop is mostly based on others leap-frogging him.
50. Chris Bassitt – He’s Bassitt. Sinkers are still getting called strikes and he’s going to find a way to be a solid ratio arm with double-digit Wins by the end of the year.
51. Reese Olson – Hey you. Go pick up Olson. Why are you letting him sit on your 12-teamer waiver wire? He’s rostered in fewer than 20% of leagues right now. His slider and changeup each have a 20%+ SwStr rate and his 0-4 record is ridiculously unfair.
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.
52. Carlos Rodón – His slider is cooking lately and his heater, while not sitting at 96 mph, is more consistent than in April. I sure hope it means a legit arm to hold all season.
53. Cristopher Sánchez – Sánchez looked far better in his last start, though there is still some concern about what the Phillies are doing with their rotation. As long as Sánchez has the changeup working and they don’t remove him, he’ll be gold throughout the season.
54. José Berríos – After showing signs of degradation, Berríos collapsed against the Phillies as he fully entered the trough of his undulation. Normally these stick around for a bit (mostly rooted in his curveball command) and it makes him a frustrating arm to roster at the moment. I could be over-reacting, but I also see many solid pitchers above who aren’t creating the same anxiety.
55. Nick Lodolo – He has a dope curveball that will continue to catalyze strikeouts. I worry about the ratios a bit, though, and I’m not sure we’ll ever get to a place of comfort here.
56. Bryan Woo – No, I don’t know what to do here. Woo returned from the IL and was pulled with forearm tightness, you know, the injury that put him on the IL in the first place. However, he’s still expected to pitch on Wednesday…? WHY. I don’t quite understand and this could be a case where he has a little pain but it doesn’t affect him and he pitches through it at an elevated level for far longer than we expect. I don’t know, he’s here in the purgatory tier and we’ll figure this out together.
57. Tanner Bibee – Bibee’s command is letting him down. The slider and changeup can take over games and keep the strikeouts alive, but the high four-seamer gets battered far too often. This feels like a HIPSTER to me.
58. Luis Gil – Gil has showcased better command of his arsenal lately, though there is still more polish left to add. As long as he’s earning 70%+ strikes on his four-seamer and his changeup + slider don’t leave him hanging, he can soar. Big risk/reward gap here.
59. Taj Bradley – It’s just as risky with Bradley. He had a fantastic initial outing, though I don’t trust that he has his command in order after 2023’s rollercoaster of emotion. Be careful investing too heavily into Bradley and all I can do is hope he’s able to locate his cutters and curveballs well enough to support the high velocity & iVB four-seamer.
60. Cristian Javier – I was a huge fan of Javier before his IL stint and in his Still ILL outing, the man had zero feel for his pitches. This is a temp rankings as he figures it out. Please do.
61. Hunter Greene – After being excited for Greene last week, Hunter had one of the worst four-seamers I’ve seen from him, carrying two inches less vertical break and just 95/96 mph velocity. That’s not the Greene we know and have complex emotions about.
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 moreso than Tier 9.
62. Jordan Montgomery – He’s a Toby. A sturdy one at that, but not a league-winner and full of disappointment throughout the year.
63. Casey Mize – I may be too high on Mize. This ranking is based on my expectations of development for his slider and splitter as the four-seamer is set up to be a legit whiff pitch that can earn confident strikes in the zone. In the meantime, he’s a solid Toby to pad your 12-teamer rotation.
64. Jordan Hicks – We saw the floor of Hicks and all we can do is hope for the splitter or sweeper to earn enough strikes to prevent batters from focusing on barreling his sinker.
65. Marcus Stroman – The secondaries have let him down as of late. That shouldn’t be the case for much longer.
66. Gavin Stone – He still has a regular spot for a winning ballclub and that’s a cool thing. If the changeup is working, Stone is productive.
67. Matt Manning – With Maeda dealing with a viral infection, Manning is in the rotation and gets the Marlins to ease back into his role. We’re at the point of The List were a solid six frames merged with a tinge of upside is what you’re looking for and Manning has both in spades. Please sit 95 mph…
68. Clarke Schmidt – I’m still waiting for that breakout start where Schmidt comes into his own with his cutter against LHB, but he’s been great at silencing RHB and has kept his head above water otherwise.
69. José Soriano – He throws hard with a solid curve. As long as those bowling ball sinkers earn enough strikes, he’ll produce.
70. Robert Gasser – Gasser returned a gorgeous line in his MLB debut (better than Skenes!), but it was against the Cardinals. It’s a flat four-seamer and whiffable sweeper, but is that enough? I’d give this a try against the Pirates and Marlins at the very least.
71. Javier Assad – It’s a clear Vargas Rule that I don’t expect to last for much longer. There’s not much electricity here.
72. Jameson Taillon – I almost had him in Tier 10, but I do believe that Taillon is a step above a streamer after this week’s expected outing against Atlanta. Just be careful starting him there – I anticipate a shorter leash than usual as he’s returning from another back flare-up.
Tier 9 – But This Time, I Promise!
We understand how each of these arms could be great, but good luck figuring out when these Cherry Bomb arms will pop off for a stud outing.
73. Andrew Heaney – He’s had the BSB cooking for a few starts now. Let it ride as long as the matchups are still in his favor.
74. Brady Singer – It’s just sinker/slider but at least he’s going more armside against RHB. Maybe that’s enough to make him more than a HIPSTER this year.
75. Aaron Civale – Civale has been rough as of late and it’s unclear if he’s simply lost his command or if he just had a rough spell. I’d avoid him until it clicks again.
76. Triston McKenzie – He’s finding a way to make it work despite returning just one curveball whiff last time out. It’s so weird.
77. Brandon Pfaadt – Pfaadt doesn’t do much outside of featuring a great sweeper. And that should scare you.
78. Dean Kremer – Kremer just fanned ten and has been on a remarkable run that can be seen a Vargas Rule. I don’t think he’ll continue to steal strikeouts with sneaky sinkers for backward Ks or have his splitter reliably enough to make this a long hold for your roster, sadly.
79. Alek Manoah – The man went six innings under 60 pitches, if you can believe it. I don’t think this is real, but maybe there’s something different that is apparent over a large sample?
Tier 10 – Fine, You Need Some Streams & Other Randos
This is the butterfly meme where we’re staring out our teams long enough, hoping one of them can save us from our IL-riddled squads. These are the young arms we hope will blossom into a legit fantasy starter across the summer.
80. Griffin Canning – Canning has done a great job avoiding the heart of the plate with his four-seamer. I’d let it fly one more time against the Cardinals before going back to the wire.
81. Reid Detmers – The command has been terrible for a while now and it’s hard to tell when that will come back.
82. Mitch Keller – I want to say he’s a Cherry Bomb, but he’s more of a “I guess I’ll try this for six frames.”
83. Spencer Arrighetti – I still think there’s a great pitcher in his arsenal despite getting bombarded by the Yankees. With the Athletics and Brewers ahead, he take off his TIARA.
84. Mitchell Parker – Parker debuted as a two-pitch arm and after four starts, is a clear four-pitch southpaw. I wonder what comes out against the CrySox.
85. Jon Gray – It’s a great slider and questionable heater. Good luck against the Guardians.
86. Charlie Morton – He should get a huge bump after his last start! Maybe. It’s also a healthy Cubs squad for two straight now and we’ve seen ebbs-and-flows from Morton in the past.
87. Erick Fedde – He gets the Nationals and Fedde has shocked us a bit over the last few weeks. Not a bad stream to chase.
88. Kyle Gibson – Gibson does what he wants. Hopefully the sweeper and change are enough for the Red Sox.
89. James Paxton – Want a cheap Win? Try Paxton, who was able to pull off the BSB well enough to secure his fifth of the year over the weekend. Hosting the Reds in Los Angeles could very well work.
90. Zack Littell – It’s not a fun start at Fenway this week, though Littell has flexed a bit more ability than the rest of this tier. I’m fine chasing something else.
91. Cooper Criswell – With a cutter and changeup, Criswell has been a strong five-and-dive for the Red Sox. The Nationals aren’t much of a threat this week.
92. Braxton Garrett – He was able to fan eight in his first start back from the IL, but he only flexed sinkers and sliders, leading to rough ratios for whoever took the dive. Maybe he finds the changeup and cutter against the Mets this week.
93. Alec Marsh – Marsh has flexed some strikeout upside to my surprise and a pair of starts against the Mariners and Royals across the next two weeks ain’t so bad.
94. Sean Manaea – It’s a questionable two-step with the Phillies (bleeegh) and Marlins (hmmmm). Up to you if you want to go for it, I’d prefer not.
95. Kyle Harrison – It’s hard to justify rostering Harrison given his four-seamers inability to routinely dominate batters. That said, he has his moments and Rockie Road could be one of them.
96. Andrew Abbott – I was excited for Abbott, but he took a large step back in his last start against the Giants. Now facing the Diamondbacks, I’d prefer to try something else. However, if he comes through, we may be back on track toward his summer fling of 2023.
97. Logan Allen – He came through against the CrySox, can he do it one more time against the Twins? The potential is there if he separates his four-seamer, slider, and changeup well.
98. Luis Severino – A date with the Marlins seems safe enough, right?
99. Cole Irvin – Irvin’s curve is the catalyst for success and with the Jays’ offensive struggles, you may have a Win to snag. I hate the floor, though.
100. Chris Flexen – It’s shocking to see Flexen perform as well as he has lately (four-seamers and cutters gloveside all day) and there are worse spins of the wheel than a start against the Nationals.
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, I hate that he has the Dodgers this week. Let’s just wait for a good matchup and a display of his cutter working well.
Slade Cecconi (ARI) – This ain’t it. Slade is far too raw to consider.
Bryce Elder (ATL) – It’s a Win chance. Take that as you want.
Ben Brown (CHC) – Displaced with Steele returning and Wesneski getting a leash in the rotation. Brown needs to add a cutter or a different #3 pitch to become a notable fantasy arm. He’s out of the rotation for now and I wonder when (or if) he’ll get another shot.
Hayden Wesneski (CHC) – With Taillon and Hendricks returning, Wesneski is out of the rotation. Womp womp.
Kyle Hendricks (CHC) – He’s back from the IL and you should completely ignore it.
Michael Soroka (CHW) – He could very well turn into a Toby as the year progresses. Right now, he doesn’t have the command to justify the low Win gamble.
Mike Clevinger (CHW) – You can do what you want. I personally don’t want anything to do with him and it’s not like his skills make that decision hard to make.
Frankie Montas (CIN) – He’s awfully pedestrian. You can do better.
Graham Ashcraft (CIN) – I don’t trust his command enough.
Ben Lively (CLE) – The Vargas Rule hath come to an end. I don’t expect a good start ahead.
Carlos Carrasco (CLE) – It was 93 mph in his previous outing, then a relapse to 91 mph. Sigh. We had a fun moment.
Cal Quantrill (COL) – COL story, bro.
Dakota Hudson (COL) – COL story, bro.
Austin Gomber (COL) – COL story, bro.
Peter Lambert (COL) – COL story, bro.
Ryan Feltner (COL) –COL story, bro.
Kenta Maeda (DET) – He’s a Cherry Bomb who is currently out with a viral infection. I hope he’s alright.
Hunter Brown (HOU) – He’s been ousted from the rotation. For now.
Michael Wacha (KCR) – I don’t expect Wacha to be off The List for long. His command should return + the changeup is still performing well. I don’t think he’s worth the spot over a streamer for now.
Patrick Sandoval (LAA) – Sandoval was displayed some life across the last few weeks, though it’s not enough to justify a hold through a date with Texas.
Tyler Anderson (LAA) – He’s been a solid Toby, which means you don’t need to hold onto him for a start against the Rangers.
Ryan Yarbrough (LAD) – The Dodgers are insistent on a six-man rotation, which gives The Fratty Pirate an opening to “start” here and there. This may be a vulture Win opportunity, but don’t forget. It’s still Yarbrough.
Roddery Muñoz (MIA) – I think there’s some intriguing stuff here, but he’s been displaced in the rotation.
Ryan Weathers (MIA) – Not a bad matchup this week, I don’t trust his ability enough, let alone the poor Win chance.
Sixto Sánchez (MIA) – He’s not stretched out, nor looking anything like his old self.
Trevor Rogers (MIA) – Even with two great matchups, Rogers failed to come through. It’s weird, I actually think his command is good, but he’s still getting crushed. So it goes.
Bryse Wilson (MIL) – The Brewers are still rolling with Wilson. That doesn’t mean you have to, too.
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) – There is some desperate streamer value in here with his sinker/slider approach.
Chris Paddack (MIN) – The CrySox gave him a moment of bliss and now we move on.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – He’s nearly Amish with his lack of electricity.
Adrian Houser (NYM) – Likely returning to the rotation this week and it should not be of your concern.
José Buttó (NYM) – He’s a Toby and you don’t need to hold those when facing the Phillies.
Jose Quintana (NYM) – He just allowed 8 ER against the Rays. It’s possible he rebounds, but he’s on the wire this week.
Tylor Megill (NYM) – Not officially returning yet = Off the list. That said, is he that good? He used more splitters in his last Triple-A start, but his four-seamer is still struggling to land up in the zone. Until he’s able to fully harness his command to get the most out of his extension and iVB, Megill will be a frustrating player to roster.
Alex Wood (OAK) – This isn’t the life you want for your teams.
JP Sears (OAK) – He’s too volatile, even if the sweeper is adding more reliability over the plate.
Joey Estes (OAK) – He may take Boyle’s place in the rotation, and he carried a near 16% SwStr on his heater last season. However, the shape isn’t great and requires pristine precision to get the same results. I wouldn’t bother.
Osvaldo Bido (OAK) – He’s somehow taking the rotation spot instead of Estes and I don’t understand.
Ross Stripling (OAK) – Stripling doesn’t have enough upside.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) – He allowed one run in six, I know. He’s also sitting 90/91 mph and holding on for dear life.
Bailey Falter (PIT) – It was a week of great matchups and Falter wasn’t able to come through. Why chase it?
Martín Pérez (PIT) – This Vargas Rule has come to an end. Rules are rules.
Quinn Priester (PIT) – He’s holding onto dear life as Skenes keeps banging on the door. Sliders and curves were great last time out, but it feels far too precarious.
Joe Musgrove (SDP) – It’s very possible Musgrove returns this week as he was expected to miss the minimum time on the IL, though without confirmation, he remains off The List. Expect him around Verlander upon return.
Matt Waldron (SDP) – Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer.
Randy Vasquez (SDP) – He doesn’t go long into games and it’s not exciting enough.
Keaton Winn (SFG) – YOOOOO, I know you’re upset. I get it. It was a rainy day! He gets Coors + The Dodgers next. The back third of The List is super schedule dependent and a guy like Winn is not worth a two-week stash. Just how it is.
Mason Black (SFG) – I need to see more from Black before entrusting him moving forward. Hopefully a third pitch to better deal with LHB.
Lance Lynn (STL) – He just doesn’t do enough anymore.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) – Pitch count is low and the command is questionable at best.
Miles Mikolas (STL) – There’s so little to chase here. You can do better.
Emerson Hancock (SEA) – He’s subbing in for the hurt Bryan Woo, sporting a sinker/slider/change approach. It can work, though Hancock doesn’t look fully warm for the season yet. I’d take this slow and consider him as a potential Toby.
Tyler Alexander (TBR) – If the Rays could actually score runs, maybe T-Lex can vulture some Wins for you.
Jack Leiter (TEX) – He hasn’t displayed production yet despite featuring a legit four-seamer and slider. Wait for him to showcase sustainability before you continue gambling with Leiter.
Michael Lorenzen (TEX) – He’s a Toby, nothing more.
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – We’re unclear if Eovaldi starts this week or not yet. If he does face the Angels, I think you’re safe letting him fly.
Jake Irvin (WSN) – Yes, he just had a magnificent game. I just can’t squint enough to make it look sustainable.
Patrick Corbin (WSN) – There’s a new cutter for both RHB and LHB that may actually make a difference this season. Sleeper for NL-Only..? Crazy, I know.
Trevor Williams (WSN) – #NeverTrevor.
SCROLL BACK UP AND READ THE NOTES
Enjoy these rankings? Support my work and Pitcher List by getting PL+ or PL Pro! You’ll get an Ad-Free website, access to our incredible, inclusive baseball Discord community, my weekly PL Pro exclusive SP FAAB Forecast podcast, a full suite of fantasy baseball tools, and much more. Get 10% off PL Pro yearly with code THELIST here.
| Rank | Pitcher | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler GlasnowT1 | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +2 |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 3 | Corbin Burnes | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 4 | Tarik Skubal | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 5 | Luis Castillo | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 6 | Pablo López | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 7 | Cole Ragans | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 8 | Max FriedT2 | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +3 |
| 9 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 10 | Jared Jones | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 11 | Shota Imanaga | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 12 | George Kirby | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused Injury Risk | -3 |
| 13 | Freddy Peralta | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -5 |
| 14 | Logan Webb | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -1 |
| 15 | Zac Gallen | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | +1 |
| 16 | Kevin Gausman | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -6 |
| 17 | Aaron Nola | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 18 | Chris Sale | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +2 |
| 19 | Joe Ryan | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 20 | Logan Gilbert | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -1 |
| 21 | Kyle BradishT3 | Ace Potential Wins Bonus Injury Risk | - |
| 22 | Sonny Gray | Ace Potential Ratio Focused Injury Risk | - |
| 23 | Dylan Cease | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 24 | Bailey Ober | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +3 |
| 25 | Framber Valdez | Ace Potential Quality Starts | - |
| 26 | Yusei KikuchiT4 | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 27 | Justin Steele | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -4 |
| 28 | Ronel Blanco | Ace Potential Team Context Effect | +1 |
| 29 | Yu Darvish | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 30 | Jesús Luzardo | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 31 | Paul Skenes | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 32 | Zach Eflin | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -1 |
| 33 | Michael King | Ace Potential Quality Starts | - |
| 34 | Kutter Crawford | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 35 | Christian ScottT5 | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +17 |
| 36 | Walker Buehler | Spice Girl Wins Bonus | -12 |
| 37 | MacKenzie Gore | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 38 | Garrett Crochet | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 39 | Bryce Miller | Spice Girl Strikeout Upside | +10 |
| 40 | Ranger SuárezT6 | Holly Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 41 | Tanner Houck | Holly Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 42 | Nick Pivetta | Holly Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -12 |
| 43 | Justin Verlander | Holly Quality Starts | -9 |
| 44 | John Means | Holly Wins Bonus | -3 |
| 45 | Seth Lugo | Holly Quality Starts | +9 |
| 46 | Jack Flaherty | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 47 | Brayan Bello | Holly Quality Starts | +UR |
| 48 | Reynaldo López | Holly Team Context Effect | -6 |
| 49 | Nestor Cortes | Holly Wins Bonus | -14 |
| 50 | Chris Bassitt | Holly Quality Starts | -5 |
| 51 | Reese Olson | Holly Quality Starts | +7 |
| 52 | Carlos RodónT7 | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect Injury Risk | +1 |
| 53 | Cristopher Sánchez | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +7 |
| 54 | José Berríos | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -10 |
| 55 | Nick Lodolo | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -4 |
| 56 | Bryan Woo | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -24 |
| 57 | Tanner Bibee | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -18 |
| 58 | Luis Gil | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +14 |
| 59 | Taj Bradley | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 60 | Cristian Javier | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | +UR |
| 61 | Hunter Greene | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -11 |
| 62 | Jordan MontgomeryT8 | Toby Quality Starts | -7 |
| 63 | Casey Mize | Toby Quality Starts | +1 |
| 64 | Jordan Hicks | Toby Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 65 | Marcus Stroman | Toby Quality Starts | -9 |
| 66 | Gavin Stone | Toby Team Context Effect | +5 |
| 67 | Matt Manning | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 68 | Clarke Schmidt | Toby Wins Bonus | -6 |
| 69 | José Soriano | Toby Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 70 | Robert Gasser | Toby Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 71 | Javier Assad | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | -8 |
| 72 | Jameson Taillon | Toby Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -11 |
| 73 | Andrew HeaneyT9 | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 74 | Brady Singer | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -6 |
| 75 | Aaron Civale | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | -18 |
| 76 | Triston McKenzie | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -6 |
| 77 | Brandon Pfaadt | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | -8 |
| 78 | Dean Kremer | Cherry Bomb Wins Bonus | +14 |
| 79 | Alek Manoah | Cherry Bomb Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 80 | Griffin CanningT10 | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 81 | Reid Detmers | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 82 | Mitch Keller | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 83 | Spencer Arrighetti | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | -10 |
| 84 | Mitchell Parker | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 85 | Jon Gray | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 86 | Charlie Morton | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 87 | Erick Fedde | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +6 |
| 88 | Kyle Gibson | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +7 |
| 89 | James Paxton | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 90 | Zack Littell | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -5 |
| 91 | Cooper Criswell | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 92 | Braxton Garrett | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 93 | Alec Marsh | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 94 | Sean Manaea | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -3 |
| 95 | Kyle Harrison | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -13 |
| 96 | Andrew Abbott | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -30 |
| 97 | Logan Allen | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -13 |
| 98 | Luis Severino | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 99 | Cole Irvin | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -2 |
| 100 | Chris Flexen | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +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)
Are you high on Baz?
Just FWIW Ryne Nelson has the Tigers on Friday and the Dodgers not until Wednesday the 22nd (presumably), so maybe some hope for a decent showing this week.