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.
*Note: It’s not a great time to stash SP
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: Nick Lodolo (59)
- Removed: Cristian Javier (53), John Means (59)
- 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 – Is there another starter you expect to come through more each week?
2. Tyler Glasnow – He had two poor starts after being granted the #1 spot. How could you do this to us. Yes, there’s an elevated injury risk, but who doesn’t have that?
3. Chris Sale – Sale has silenced all the detractors and been as consistent as any arm out there. He should have been in Tier 1 last week and it was an oversight on my part.
4. Corbin Burnes – Burnes isn’t demanding success like a proper SP #1 overall, but his numbers certainly speak to consistent production.
5. Luis Castillo – After floundering in his first two starts, Castillo has boasted a 2.17 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 26% strikeout rate.
6. Tarik Skubal – Skubal was off in a fun duel of southpaws last week against Ragans and we shrug and move on.
7. Shota Imanaga – Imanaga has done nothing but dominate. I have some worry for the long-haul as he hasn’t had to utilize this slider or curve a whole lot so far. Hitters are bound to force his hand eventually and I hope they stand up to the task.
8. Cole Ragans – Despite 12 strikeouts against the Tigers, it wasn’t the best showing of skill from Ragans. His cutter and slider still aren’t back to their 2023 selves and the Tigers allowed him to get away with a four-seamer/changeup focus.
9. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – He’s still expected to toss fewer frames than the rest of the crew above (well, save for Glasnow…?) and it feels as if every start comes with its own surprises. One day we’ll see a consistent fastball approach that speaks to pure dominance. I can feel it.
10. Jared Jones – His last two affairs have been more underwhelming, but the heater and slider are still absurdly dominant.
11. Max Fried – Fried now has two complete games under his belt and I’m shocked he’s been able to do it while he still finds his changeup.
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.
12. Joe Ryan – Ryan’s velocity has climbed over his last two starts, including Monday’s performance against the Royals that featured a 95.0 mph average fastball. Don’t forget – Ryan was 92.0 mph in 2022 and was exciting us with 93.5 to begin 2024. His last two starts have each showcased increased velo and it’s all kinds of exciting.
13. Aaron Nola – His curve has woken up and he’s throwing more high four-seamers this year, taking advantage of his flat attack angle. Those worried about his ratios have seen them fall massively over his last three starts, now sporting an ERA hovering near 3.00 and a 1.06 WHIP. It’s what you want.
14. Kevin Gausman – The BABIP is so high on his four-seamer at the moment (.440?!) with +10 Hit Luck on the pitch. In other words, it has been a horrible swing of the pendulum and Gausman showed with his start against the Tigers that he is very well capable of being a productive ace this year.
15. Kyle Bradish – Even without his curveball doing all the things, Bradish just went seven no-hit frames with double-digit strikeouts. He’s back.
16. Logan Webb – The sweeper got involved for 16/21 strikes in one outing, while the sinker had plenty of whiffs in the next. Changeups are looking back to normal, too, and we should all feel safe with Webb.
17. Sonny Gray – He’s fifth among all SP in CSW% and corrected his two-start slide with strong performances against the Orioles and Cubs. Welcome to the AGA crew.
18. Zac Gallen – Gallen certainly feels on the brink of implosion and it’s tough to rank. His four-seamer is getting hit hard without a supporting cast outside of a curveball that currently carries an unsustainable 50%+ O-Swing and just 20% zone rate. The change and slider have been missing for most of the season and I worry about Gallen for the next four months. However, until we see the decline, he keeps his AGA tag. Good luck, we’re all counting on you.
19. Logan Gilbert – Gilbert’s new cutter is a great addition, but watching his at-bats, he consistently makes me uncomfortable as he fails to execute constantly. It’s one of those moments I just slot him in my lineup and call it a day.
20. Freddy Peralta – He’s returned to his old ways as Professor Chaos as his four-seamer has become unruly as of late. Even in his last outing that gave you a fantastic bottom line, Peralta’s four-seamer returned a 50% strike rate. That can’t be the world we live in for the rest of the season, right?
Tier 3 – We Expect Success Every Night
They don’t have the AGA tag and could earn it before June.
21. Grayson Rodriguez – Grayson tossed 54 four-seamers + changeups, returning a sub 50% strike rate combined. Yikes. I’ll grant this once he properly clicks in.
22. Paul Skenes – Just a handful of strikeouts in his third outing, though it was a product of failing to execute with two-strikes. No worries here.
23. Pablo López – I should have lowered Pablo into Tier 2 last week and I regret that I had to make such a large move this week. I worry there is something underlying affecting him from gripping his sweeper or changeup as both pitches have taken a massive step back. He has a TIARA and I fully expect him to rebound (he always has in the past), but he doesn’t come with the confidence of others.
24. Ranger Suárez – Suárez is the antithesis of Pablo: Ranger is performing so well and we don’t expect it to last throughout the full year. Where the trend lines ultimately intersect is such a tough call and if you want Ranger higher, you do you. I personally don’t believe that his changeup will continue to perform at such a high level, nor will the elite command he’s featured over the last two months. We see these grooves from pitchers every year and it’s incredibly rare to see them last for more than three months.
25. Garrett Crochet – Crochet succeeded, went through adversity, and has come out on the other side as a legit arm. The biggest concern is his lack of faith in sliders and changeups, though his four-seamer/cutter mix is all kinds of effective on their own. Just look at his recent dominace of the Orioles in Chicago.
26. Dylan Cease – Cease still needs a third pitch, but his slider approach as of late has been far more appealing than in Chicago. We’re seeing a lot more love of the zone with his slider, allowing him to nibble more than usual with his four-seamer. Now if he had a good cutter to add to the mix too…
27. George Kirby – It’s hard to have faith that Kirby will figure out his slider and four-seamer approach as he’s been more of a Cherry Bomb than reliable stud. Like Pablo, I wish I had pulled Kirby further down last week and with so many great starting pitchers this season, Kirby’s underperformance has stuck out more than usual. I imagine he’ll quickly regain the AGA tag, but it’s not a guarantee he’ll figure out his whole approach.
28. Framber Valdez – Valdez is ultra reliant on his changeup to get out RHB…or sinkers finding gloves as he thanks Koufax for the good fortune. Just bring back the cutter and/or slider dangit.
29. MacKenzie Gore – Gore finally got a good matchup and did exactly as he should. If only he weren’t on the Nationals…
30. Justin Steele – Steele was locked in against the Brewers today and with another start of solid fastball and slider locations, I’ll raise him back up into the next tier.
31. Jack Flaherty – His breakers are still legit and as long as his four-seamer can avoid punishment (either through its increased velocity or improved locations), then Flaherty will continue to return high strikeout marks.
32. Tanner Houck – I don’t think his skills speak overpowering ace, but hot dang is he cooking right now. If he keeps landing sliders over the plate with armside sinkers and splitters, I won’t have a choice but to give him the AGA label.
33. Ronel Blanco – Blacno returned from his suspension and showcased how his success wasn’t a product of “stick stuff”. His slider and change are legit, y’all.
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.
34. Yusei Kikuchi – Kikuchi was dreadful against the Tigers with a terrifying velocity dip of 1-3 ticks across the board. However, that could be explained by an early 11:35am gametime, and without any news of injury, I’m going to call it a blip. THAT SAID, there is an orange flag in his slider’s presence disappearing over the last couple of weeks, forcing his middling changeup to pick up more slack than it should.
35. Jesús Luzardo – Like Kikuchi, Luzardo had a dip in velocity in his last outing, though Jesús paired it with a far better line and overall dominance. I’m not scared and continuing to put him in my lineups with the same fear of his low floor as always. If only he wasn’t so prone to the blowup…
36. Bailey Ober – This looks like a massive drop to Ober, but it’s actually a massive boom for everyone else. Ober is great. He’s solid, he’s sturdy, and doesn’t have ace potential. Flaherty, Gore, Crochet, Houck, etc.? They all do and they’re killing it. Just a matter of the landscape, not the individual.
37. Yu Darvish – After four dominant outings, Darvish ran into the Yankees, who obliterated him for plenty of longballs. Let’s not make this more than that and keep Darvish here while others have avoided such clunkers.
38. Nick Pivetta – Pivetta had terrible command with his breakers in his last outing and I can’t help but be a little spooked by that.
39. Kutter Crawford – He had little working for him last time out and his early success felt like an overachiever. That said, he’s still featuring an elite vert four-seamer and should have a legit kutter and sweeper to back it up.
40. Bryan Woo – It was strange watching Woo earn just one strikeout last time out and I wish I saw more from his secondaries to believe in a true leap toward AGA status. We just need more time. At least he’s seemingly past the injury scare.
Tier 5 – The Firecrackers
We can all see how these pitchers become aces, though they still have questions to answer before then.
41. Luis Gil – It’s always a joy to watch a pitcher come into their own during the season. Gil is throwing more strikes than ever and realizing how difficult it is to hit his stuff. Just throw strikes, fella.
42. Walker Buehler – Uhhhh, is Buehler alright? His first two starts were shaking off rust, the third looked great, and the fourth was…uncharacteristically poor. The stuff is still great, the overall feel is not. It sure seems like he’ll click into place and cruise, but even this may be too high of a rankings.
43. Hunter Greene – Greene deserved love after blasting more four-seamers past Dodgers batters for another start. He’s throwing more strikes with the heater and it’s clearly working. Please be the breakout season we want it to be.
44. Ryan Pepiot – Pepiot’s last two starts have been an injured outing + looking rusty after. I believe he’ll get back on track this week.
Tier 6 – Celebrating The Holly Days
This has stability among arms who are all kinds of fun. Nathan Eovaldi would be in this tier if he were activated at the time of publication.
45. Seth Lugo – Lugo has been hot as anything and I wish I could bank on his arsenal more than this. There are just too many solid arms in the SP landscape at the moment and Lugo is not this good.
46. Carlos Rodón – Rodón’s slider has come alive and his velocity is flirting with 96 mph more often. You expect a solid night each time.
47. Nestor Cortes – Cortes has been routinely pumping strikes, even flexing an uptick in four-seamer velocity at times. Enjoy the Wins.
48. Clarke Schmidt – I didn’t expect to put three Yankee starters next to each other, but Schmidt is hard to press down the ranks any further given his cutter development.
49. Joe Musgrove – Musgrove’s breakers have been better as of late as he seems to be trending in the direction of his former, reliable self. Let’s hope he gets there.
50. Reese Olson – Olson took a comebacker to the hip and despite my concerns, came out and thrived on Sunday. I expected to raise Olson higher but couldn’t get through the masses as he still pitches for Detroit.
51. Reynaldo López – ReyLó seems to be more pedestrian than the rest at the skills level, but he’s put himself in a position for Wins consistently (just two Wins is horrible luck) and gone deep into games without any sacrifices in your categories. His four-seamer and two breakers are getting the job done.
52. Justin Verlander – Verlander finally gave us a glimpse of what’s left in the tank with nine strikeouts. If his slider and curve are consistently this good, he’ll demand spots on all rosters.
53. Marcus Stroman – Stroman has found his secondaries once again, making for a protypical “good not stud” pitcher on your squad. The good ole Holly.
54. Jordan Hicks – With his destructive sinkers keeping his floor higher than most, Hicks lands in Tier 6 carrying a solid floor with moments of brilliance when the splitter or sweeper can steal 65%+ strikes.
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.
55. Tanner Bibee – I’m awfully curious in Bibee’s recent four-seamer transformation. He’s increased iVB on the pitch by two inches across his last last four games, while also releasing at a lower angle to give it a better chance for whiffs. It worked in a huge way in his last outing and all I can do is hope that it sticks.
56. Michael King – King hasn’t been the sturdy arm we envisioned in the pre-season. That said, I think he’s more of a Holly than a Cherry Bomb at the end of the day. He just needs to show it first. The changeup, sweeper, and fastballs are all good enough to be that man. Think a better version of Reese.
57. Bryce Miller – He hasn’t displayed growth in his secondaries for me to list him higher than Tier 7.
58. Taj Bradley – Even including his Sunday outing, Bradley still hasn’t convinced me that he can consistently locate during an at-bat. But hey, we ride this out for now and hope for the best, right?
59. Nick Lodolo – He returned from the Il today against the Cardinals and it came with just six whiffs. I’m still on the fence if he can be strong enough to outweigh the negative aspects of Cin City.
60. Christian Scott – Scott has uncharacteristically failed to locate his four-seamer as of late. I don’t expect it to last, but there are too many arms performing well to bank on it.
61. Blake Snell – Snell. Can you please tell us when you’re gonna become a stud again? We do this song and dance every year. K thx.
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. José Berríos – He’s the Great Undulator and you know what you’re gonna get. It’s that simple.
63. Brayan Bello – Bello didn’t have his changeup last time out and if he can be a proper sinker/change/slider arm, then he’ll break into Tier 6.
64. Chris Bassitt – Bassitt pumps sinkers and hopes one of his soldiers in his massive array of secondaries can take over on a given day.
65. Cristopher Sánchez – The changeup is seemingly working more than it’s not, though I still have anxiety each day he pitches. I wish I like his breaker more.
66. José Soriano – Soriano is the most underrated Toby as he generally throws enough sinker for strikes, with a legit CSW curve to back him up.
Tier 9 – Waiting For The Pumpkin
You’re still holding onto these arms since they are coming through on your squads, but how long will these Vargas Rule pitchers continue to excel?
67. Andrew Abbott – I watch Abbott and I still can’t quite figure out how he’s pulling off this Vargas Rule. It feels destined to come to an end soon, but maybe he breaks out of it and showcases the BSB that made his summer debut so special.
68. Brady Singer – He’s still the Cherry Bomb of old as he’s back to sinker/slider without enough of a difference to suggest otherwise. If you feel differently, I’d love to see how he’s truly different from previous years with both pitches.
69. Robert Gasser – Gasser just put on a clinic with his sweeper against the Cubs and distanced himself from an awfully strange 0 K/0 BB six inning performance. If he has enough support in his cutter and changeup, there’s something legit here as his flat four-seamer and breaker set the table.
70. Cal Quantrill – I can’t believe it either, but the facts are facts – Quantrill is dominating with his new splitter. It’s a Vargas Rule in its truest sense.
71. Mitch Keller – When Keller has his command on point, he comes through. We saw a similar stretch last year and I’m cool rolling with this until he hits the wall in proper Vargas Rule fashion.
72. Tyler Anderson – Anderson is feeling his changeup and has been fortunate to have one of his four-seamer or cutter also coming through on most nights. It doesn’t have the same air as his 2022 stint with the Dodgers, but there’s value to be had while the changeup is cooking.
73. Javier Assad – It certainly looks like we’re at the end of the Vargas Rule run for Assad, but maybe there’s one last push back on the wagon.
74. Ryan Weathers – He’s gone three straight starts of legit production, maybe he can continue to have success with his four-seamer inside the zone.
Tier 9 – You Should See The Other Guy
The Waiver Wire is a dark and scary place and while these arms can be worth dropping for good streams, they are generally a step up from the rest of what’s available on your wire.
75. Jordan Montgomery – There’s nothing new here. The Bear hopes to nibble around the zone and doesn’t have a legit offering to dazzle.
76. Braxton Garrett – Garrett just rebounded from a pair of clunkers with a Maddux. He was obviously fortunate along the way (save for a horrendous 0-2 ball call) and I need to see more before believing Garrett is destined to cruise this summer. So far, it’s mostly sinkers and sliders getting the job done and I need more.
77. Michael Wacha – The changeup is legit once again + his slider came through in a shocking guest appearance. When Wacha has the slowball and solid command, he becomes a lovely Toby, especially against middling squads.
78. Gavin Stone – Sure, chase the Wins all you want. It’s really just a good changeup and middling heaters + sliders.
79. Erick Fedde – I dig his pitch separation and play the matchups well. Don’t expect the world and he’ll be generally productive in 12-teamers.
80. Brandon Pfaadt – He has Cherry Bomb tendencies, but his sweeper is always effective. The four-seamer and change are the real influencers as they shift each start’s outcome dramatically. Just give us one of the two working and you have yourself a legit outing.
81. Zack Littell – He’s fine. I don’t love the massive slider party in the zone and his four-seamer is awfully pedestrian unless spotted perfectly. Start him against solid matchups per the Toby handbook.
82. Ben Lively – Lively is a bit of a Vargas Rule, but it’s more because of the cushy schedule served his way. Expect high heaters to perform better than the low 90s velocity given his elite extension.
83. Luis Severino – I don’t love Severino becoming a fastball/sweeper arm, but he has a long leash and has generally worked out against poor squads. That’s a Toby.
84. Cole Irvin – He has more runway in the Orioles rotation with Means’ injury and Irvin has been able to earn Wins more than most.
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.
85. Alec Marsh – He has some strikeout potential when he can locate his four-seamer upstairs with precision. The rest of the stuff needs more, though.
86. Charlie Morton – He’s awfully volatile without much in the tank outside of a great curveball (when he gets it down) and a strong offense at his back. Well, usually at his back.
87. Matt Waldron – He’s a knuckleballer. Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer…except that he’s dominated recently with a harder knuckler and who knows, maybe he’s unlocked something legit. It’s the Marlins this week, maybe that’s worth a shot?
88. Sean Manaea – He’s pretty Toby-esque but struggles to go six frames and I’d rather not.
89. Michael Lorenzen – He’s a QS guy with an array of pitches he hurls into the zone and hopes for the best. Streams only.
90. Alek Manoah – Manoah is super reliant on locating everything in his arsenal to get through starts. In other words, you can’t bank on his command regularly, though he can surprise at times, like the seven inning starts just a few weeks ago.
91. James Paxton – You’re still here?! Paxton is a desperate Win chance. Good luck.
92. Aaron Civale – Civale is sure to turn it around at some point…right?!
93. Andrew Heaney – Heaney’s BSB was cooking for weeks and suddenly hit a wall. I think it’s still in there and not a terrible dart throw.
94. Casey Mize – Blegh. I was tempted to remove him completely, but he does have a shot of redemption after two starts of looking miserable. Please turn that heater into a proper foundation pitch, k thx.
95. Tylor Megill – I’m awfully curious what we get from Megill this week. Don’t start him against the Dodgers, but maybe later in the week if the skills are good enough – can he locate his heater/slider/splitter well enough?
96. Griffin Canning – Now that he throws fewer four-seamers, Canning has a decent chance for a strikeout per inning and a QS…when he doesn’t face teams like the Yankees.
97. Reid Detmers – His command is chaotic, but he still has strikeout potential with his high iVB four-seamer and whiff-heavy slider.
98. Taijuan Walker – I don’t buy it at all but the man has a decent Win chance. You do you.
99. Kenta Maeda – Who knows, maybe Maeda has his splitter and slider working as you’re dire for strikeouts. I hate this. So do I.
100. Spencer Arrighetti – He’s getting an elongated shot in the Astros rotation and I see a world where the Pasta Pirate is able to spot high heaters and complement them with a solid crew of secondaries for strikes. In this world, are the Astros actually winning, too? Yes. Yes they are.
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.
Tommy Henry (ARI) – This isn’t the life you want to live.
Darius Vines (ATL) – Called up and will get the Cubs. Not enough upside here.
Albert Suárez (BAL) – He gets a chance now with Kremer and Means on the mend. Four-seamer has promise at the top of the zone, but we’ve seen it fluctuate between starts and his secondaries are lacking heavily.
Cooper Criswell (BOS) – It’s been too middling of a ceiling, sadly.
Ben Brown (CHC) – Still out of 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.
Jameson Taillon (CHC) – The ceiling is limited and the schedule isn’t great.
Jordan Wicks (CHC) – It’s unclear if he returns this week or next. Keep your eye on Wicks – he has an improved heater and changeup. A proper cutter/slider would compete the arsenal effectively.
Chris Flexen (CHW) – Welp, back to Flexen in front of the mirror and not the beach.
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.
Nick Nastrini (CHW) – It could be Nastrini taking over for Brad Keller’s absence instead of Soroka. I wouldn’t focus on it.
Frankie Montas (CIN) – He’s awfully pedestrian. You can do better.
Graham Ashcraft (CIN) – I don’t trust his command enough.
Nick Martinez (CIN) – He looks to be back as the long man in the bullpen with Lodolo returning. It’s too bad as he looked to be emphasizing his changeup more often and getting results.
Logan Allen (CLE) – He’s an unreliable streamer.
Triston McKenzie (CLE) – His pitch quality has certainly taken a hit as he endures a torn ligment in his arm. The upside isn’t worth the massive explosion that feels around the corner.
Xzavion Curry (CLE) – There isn’t enough upside to chase.
Austin Gomber (COL) – Originally on The List as a Vargas Rule, he was scratched from his Monday start with elobw pain and now will be pushed to the weekend against the Dodgers. That doesn’t feel like a worthy roster spot.
Dakota Hudson (COL) – COL story, bro.
Ryan Feltner (COL) – COL story, bro.
Ty Blach (COL) – COL story, bro.
Eric Lauer (HOU) – It’s possible he makes a start with Javier’s recent vacancy. This is way too much of a Hail Mary for me to chase.
Hunter Brown (HOU) – He has a spot with Javier and Urquidy out, but still possesses too much volatility to trust.
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.
Sixto Sánchez (MIA) – He’s not stretched out, nor looking anything like his old self.
Trevor Rogers (MIA) – It was a better start the past week and I can understand some wanting to take a flier here. I need to see more first.
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.
Tobias Myers (MIL) – I have some intrigue over time, but it’s better for us to wait and see it come to life before chasing it.
Chris Paddack (MIN) – Even after eight frames of delicacy from Paddack, I don’t like starting him against the Rangers this week, nor do I think he’s worth the hold.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – He needs peak command to even have a chance at six frames, let alone with production.
David Peterson (NYM) – He’s making his first start of the season this week and that’s a clear Still ILL.
Jose Quintana (NYM) – I’m not seeing enough to latch onto Quintana.
Aaron Brooks (OAK) – Not the worst stream you’ve ever seen against Rockie Road. So not worth it though.
JP Sears (OAK) – He’s too volatile, even if the sweeper is adding more reliability over the plate.
Joey Estes (OAK) – He has some moments of being interesting and there’s a chance it works against Rockie Road, though the ceiling is so limited.
Kyle Muller (OAK) – I’m still waiting for Muller to do something fun to get our attention again.
Mitch Spence (OAK) – He’s a worse version of Graham Ashcraft.
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.
Kyle Harrison (SFG) – I’m not seeing gains this year to suggest he’s an impact 12-teamer arm.
Mason Black (SFG) – I need to see more from Black before entrusting him moving forward. Hopefully a third pitch to better deal with LHB.
Andre Pallante (STL) – He could be getting a start instead of Matthew Liberatore and you shouldn’t spend time on this.
Kyle Gibson (STL) – He’s too unpredictable and is just a streamer against poor offenses.
Lance Lynn (STL) – He just doesn’t do enough anymore.
Miles Mikolas (STL) – There’s so little to chase here. You can do better.
Tyler Alexander (TBR) – If the Rays could actually score runs, maybe T-Lex can vulture some Wins for you.
Dane Dunning (TEX) – He’s a streaming option when the opportunity arises, nothing more.
José Ureña (TEX) – Not only is it shocking that Ureña has an opportunity to start these days, but he also hasn’t been atrocious. Bonkers, I know. It’s not real.
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – We’re unclear if Eovaldi starts this week or not yet. Given how cautious the Rangers have been, it seems like a Still ILL when he does return.
Mitchell Parker (WSN) – He hasn’t put it all together yet.
Patrick Corbin (WSN) – This isn’t working out. Shocking, I know.
Trevor Williams (WSN) – #NeverTrevor. Seriously, his arsenal is not worth your time and from this moment forward, he’ll hurt more than help.
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 | Zack WheelerT1 | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | +1 |
| 2 | Tyler Glasnow | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 3 | Chris Sale | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +8 |
| 4 | Corbin Burnes | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 5 | Luis Castillo | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 6 | Tarik Skubal | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 7 | Shota Imanaga | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 8 | Cole Ragans | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 9 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 10 | Jared Jones | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 11 | Max Fried | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 12 | Joe RyanT2 | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 13 | Aaron Nola | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +2 |
| 14 | Kevin Gausman | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 15 | Kyle Bradish | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +6 |
| 16 | Logan Webb | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | +4 |
| 17 | Sonny Gray | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +10 |
| 18 | Zac Gallen | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -5 |
| 19 | Logan Gilbert | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -1 |
| 20 | Freddy Peralta | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 21 | Grayson RodriguezT3 | Ace Potential Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +1 |
| 22 | Paul Skenes | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 23 | Pablo López | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -17 |
| 24 | Ranger Suárez | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | +11 |
| 25 | Garrett Crochet | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +14 |
| 26 | Dylan Cease | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 27 | George Kirby | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -15 |
| 28 | Framber Valdez | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -4 |
| 29 | MacKenzie Gore | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +11 |
| 30 | Justin Steele | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +1 |
| 31 | Jack Flaherty | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +3 |
| 32 | Tanner Houck | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +13 |
| 33 | Ronel Blanco | Ace Potential Ratio Focused | +4 |
| 34 | Yusei KikuchiT4 | Holly Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 35 | Jesús Luzardo | Holly Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 36 | Bailey Ober | Holly Quality Starts | -13 |
| 37 | Yu Darvish | Holly Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 38 | Nick Pivetta | Holly Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 39 | Kutter Crawford | Holly Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 40 | Bryan Woo | Holly Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +2 |
| 41 | Luis GilT5 | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | - |
| 42 | Walker Buehler | Cherry Bomb Wins Bonus | -12 |
| 43 | Hunter Greene | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +12 |
| 44 | Ryan Pepiot | Cherry Bomb Team Context Effect | +8 |
| 45 | Seth LugoT6 | Holly Quality Starts | -1 |
| 46 | Carlos Rodón | Holly Team Context Effect | -8 |
| 47 | Nestor Cortes | Holly Wins Bonus | +2 |
| 48 | Clarke Schmidt | Holly Wins Bonus | +17 |
| 49 | Joe Musgrove | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +1 |
| 50 | Reese Olson | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 51 | Reynaldo López | Holly Team Context Effect | -5 |
| 52 | Justin Verlander | Holly Quality Starts | +10 |
| 53 | Marcus Stroman | Holly Quality Starts | +13 |
| 54 | Jordan Hicks | Holly Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 55 | Tanner BibeeT7 | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 56 | Michael King | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -9 |
| 57 | Bryce Miller | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -14 |
| 58 | Taj Bradley | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 59 | Nick Lodolo | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +UR |
| 60 | Christian Scott | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -6 |
| 61 | Blake Snell | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 62 | José BerríosT8 | Toby Quality Starts | -1 |
| 63 | Brayan Bello | Toby Quality Starts | -15 |
| 64 | Chris Bassitt | Toby Quality Starts | - |
| 65 | Cristopher Sánchez | Toby Quality Starts | -8 |
| 66 | José Soriano | Toby Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 67 | Andrew AbbottT9 | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +10 |
| 68 | Brady Singer | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | - |
| 69 | Robert Gasser | Cherry Bomb Rotation Spot Bonus | +10 |
| 70 | Cal Quantrill | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +UR |
| 71 | Mitch Keller | Vargas Rule Strikeout Upside | +19 |
| 72 | Tyler Anderson | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +4 |
| 73 | Javier Assad | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 74 | Ryan Weathers | Vargas Rule Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 75 | Jordan MontgomeryT10 | Toby Quality Starts | -5 |
| 76 | Braxton Garrett | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 77 | Michael Wacha | Toby Quality Starts | +7 |
| 78 | Gavin Stone | Toby Team Context Effect | -7 |
| 79 | Erick Fedde | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 80 | Brandon Pfaadt | Toby Team Context Effect | +2 |
| 81 | Zack Littell | Toby Quality Starts | +12 |
| 82 | Ben Lively | Toby Strikeout Upside | +12 |
| 83 | Luis Severino | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 84 | Cole Irvin | Toby Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 85 | Alec MarshT11 | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 86 | Charlie Morton | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 87 | Matt Waldron | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 88 | Sean Manaea | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +7 |
| 89 | Michael Lorenzen | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +8 |
| 90 | Alek Manoah | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | -17 |
| 91 | James Paxton | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 92 | Aaron Civale | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | -5 |
| 93 | Andrew Heaney | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 94 | Casey Mize | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -27 |
| 95 | Tylor Megill | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +5 |
| 96 | Griffin Canning | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -10 |
| 97 | Reid Detmers | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 98 | Taijuan Walker | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 99 | Kenta Maeda | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 100 | Spencer Arrighetti | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | -17 |
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)
If you had to have one;
Baz, Springs, Ray or Jobe?
Why is it not a great time to stash SP (redraft)?
I was thinking of adding Festa.
Taijuan Walker at #98 and then also listed with the also rans below 1-100.
i’d probably go Baz, he’s young should recover to previous level. and i trust the Rays. i don’t really mind SP minor league stats as i think it’s harder to pitch there than hit. for example, much more inclined to trust pitchers doing well than hitters since minors are hitter friendly. look at some of the SP stats on rehab. Means did poorly but was his old self once ready. probably the same with other pitchers. which also says if pitchers are pitching well in the minors, it’s should translate to majors. i totally dropped the ball on Skenes. the fact he was great in the minors translates to the majors. and i’m sure the automated strikezone is chaos making it even harder to pitch. when they adopt it in the majors, Nick is going to get his wish and only pitchers that can miss bats will rule the landscape.
Baz: should be fine, the Rays have baby this guy enough. small sample but he performs. bulldog mentality. brave. that’s not to say the Rays can’t screw guys up like Civale.
Springs: who knows. it could work. with no more information see you in 2025. same with Rasmussen. control is the last thing to after injury.
Ray: he’s got a devastating inside slider down inside to righties. i wish he threw it more often. some games he doesn’t throw it at all. again see you in 2025
Jobe: i have no idea.
this is why when you see minor league hitters promoted an they don’t perform. it’s not even. even back in the day when you can pick up the Dontrelle Willis, Brandon Webb, Jose Fernandez and win your league because of it. and then the first year Bryce Harper doesn’t perform. BECAUSE THE MINORS are not even. most hitters don’t peak until they are 28 years old. the magical number.
what is the peak age year for pitchers? i’ve never even thought of that question.
i forgot what i was gonna say. i stay drunk and go play poker.
cheers.
Is Weathers still at risk to be replaced by Max Meyer?
Started the season feeling great about my SP: P Lopez, Kirby, Ragans, Steele…
Now it’s all falling apart.
We see 3 month streaks that are questionable every year? (in response to Ranger analysis). I call BS. We see non-repeatable and fluke streaks of 12 to 18 straight starts EVERY YEAR within this caliber? No. There are many reasons to still not trust Ranger or think that he will perform this way ROS, but saying that we see 3 month starter streaks like this that we consistently deem as fluke or passing glances is completely false.
Cite the streaks if I am incorrect and off-base here
i seem to remember Ranger doing this in 2022 in June, July and August. so it’s not his first Vargas run. unfortunately i failed to pick him up in any of my four teams. and my strategy is to hoard pitching and make the league suffer.
did draft Mason Miller in every league just based on skill. even tho he still has a tear in his elbow. but i punt closers. draft all hitters and 1 or 2 SP like Ragans, or Eury Perez in the 10th round.
the idea is once you have hitting, which you can’t control, you wipe out any good pitching in FA. let the other teams beat themselves trying to pick up whats left. so once they have injuries or need to steam, and you have 14 SP (4 on the IL) there’s nothing left. you’ve essentially turned a 12 team league into a 14 one for SP. and then sit back and watch them try to stream and blow up their ratios. and you have negated their pitching advantage when you drafted hitters first.
closers aren’t really worth it. you try to win one category while risk losing ERA and WHIP. it’s a dinosaur category. so hoard SP, people are stupid, let them beat themselves.
Nick,
I appreciate, enjoy, and truly value your analysis, but your website is absolute garbage.
Normally, your site is difficult to use because it is so glitchy. It’s nearly impossible to read your list linearly, as your cite inexplicably jumps all over the place.
But today, I just stopped fighting with your site and moved on — to hard to see your list under the Amazon ad that literally takes up a 3rd of the screen.
Unfortunately, I will be getting (perhaps, less sophisticated) analysis moving forward from other providers with functional sites, as your site (and user experience) is trash and just isn’t worth the wasted time and aggravation.
Please consider doing better — Your analysis deserves it!
Lopez and Valdez are killing me….and Javier has been even worse. Luckily I drafted Gore and Sale, so it balances out with picking up Lugo off waivers.