Have questions? My “office hours” are on Playback 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday – Friday + I stream the creation of this article LIVE at 1:00pm ET Monday afternoons.
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.
- Since this is a 12-teamer, I heavily weigh upside in the back-half of the rankings. The HIPSTER 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 two labels 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 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.
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 John Villavicencio, 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.
As I do my rankings, I thought it would be helpful to showcase a table of how we’re ranking offenses, granted by our PLV powered Projections (in alphabetical order by tier):
Remember, these offensive rankings are based on each offense’s Process+ so far this year and how we project their lineups moving forward. It means you’re going to see a little different offensive rankings than you may see elsewhere and there will always be some surprises. This is based on skills, not purely results!
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 reading 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.
New note: If you would like more detail about a specific pitcher, you can view all my thoughts of their previous starts on their player page. Just click their name, head to the game log, and tap on any row. You’ll see my thoughts on that start and extra pitch details.
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: Seth Lugo (31), Sawyer Gipson-Long (54) , Mick Abel (56), Bryce Miller (58)
- Removed: Nathan Eovaldi (15), Corbin Burnes (27), Jackson Jobe (46)
- Net Change Inside Top 60: (-1)
Please understand how this affects movement across The List.
Tier 1 – The True Aces
These pitchers are dope and make us feel dope.
1. Tarik Skubal – You don’t need me.
2. Zack Wheeler – He had an off day and y’all know it doesn’t matter.
3. Paul Skenes – Yep, he’s still really really good.
4. Garrett Crochet – Crochet gets the nod back over deGrom after incessant whiffs + the extension climbing back up. Pretty awesome to see as that was the biggest worry I’ve had, even if it could disappear next time out and it still is sub seven feet.
5. Jacob deGrom – The strikeouts have disappeared suddenly in his last two outings and yet the stuff and ability is still fantastic.
6. Max Fried – Fried finally got bamboozled…by the Dodgers. Okay.
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 May.
7. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – The splitter was terrible against the Yankees and that doesn’t mean much of anything.
8. Joe Ryan – He’s back at 94 mph and he’s too dang good, even without the secondaries cooking.
9. Logan Webb – Not much to report here from Webb. No reason to not expect him to keep cruising.
10. Chris Sale – The changeup is still shelved and Sale is still killing it.
11. Bryan Woo – Woo hasn’t added much to his fastballs and it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t come with the same strikeout explosion as Sale but with a higher floor than Ray and Rodón.
12. Robbie Ray – He’s been an ace since embracing his arsenal and not leaning on 60%+ four-seamers per game.
13. Carlos Rodón – Rodón has been a rock with a 32% strikeout rate and it stems back to his adjustment to a wider arsenal back in late 2024.
Tier 3 – We Expect Success Every Night
They have to earn the AGA tag but are just a few starts away from it.
14. Hunter Brown – I don’t understand Hunter and I also grasp that he’s continued to produce in fantasy. I have less faith than those in Tier 2 with Brown’s lack of repeatability merged with his need for a whiff-heavy secondary pitch.
15. Hunter Greene – Greene has the velocity and vert, but we haven’t seen his slider feel return to the same 65-70% strike levels as we had pre-injury.
16. Pablo López – Things are good, but not overwhelming. I wonder if he’ll ever quite take the leap to AGA status.
17. Jesús Luzardo – 12 ER, eh? Maybe don’t throw fastballs away to Hoskins? The velocity is still there and it was a bad game that got out of hand.
18. Kris Bubic – He just keeps going. And it’s wonderful. The four-seamer was at its very best in this past week and here’s to riding this as long as it’ll go – hopefully the whole year.
19. Spencer Schwellenbach – It’s so strange to watch Mr. Crescendo act like the anti-thesis of last season. Then, it was a secondary focus as he tried to avoid getting beat on the four-seamer. Now? It’s four-seamer THIS, four-seamer THAT. I wonder what he’ll be in August.
20. Spencer Strider – It isn’t Strider yet. The velocity is down and his slider isn’t generating the same whiffs.
Tier 4 – So Dang Close To Greatness
I trust all these pitchers to produce this season while they also have heightened nightmare potential on a given night.
21. Dylan Cease – He’s a quintessential Cherry Bomb. With a large track record, we know his ebbs-and-flows at this point and it’s best to hold with confidence of domination ahead.
22. Freddy Peralta – Yes, we’ve seen more of Professor Chaos than we like and that’s how it is with Peralta. He is who we thought he was.
23. Framber Valdez – Valdez is the perfect example of what I wrote for Cease. Valdez was horrid in most of April and has since been incredible. The Cherry Bomb tier does that.
24. MacKenzie Gore – The strikeouts are flowing as he’s improving his ability to get the four-seamer upstairs. I wish there was a little more growth in the secondaries after displaying a new slider early in the year and we could see it with more time on the bump.
25. Jack Flaherty – It was strange to see the four-seamer take over in his last start as the slider and curve fell to the wayside. Here’s to hoping he can have stellar breakers and a whiff-heavy fastball in the future.
26. Sonny Gray – The sweeper feel hath returned and the days have been littered with sunlight.
Tier 5 – Ole Reliable
These are premier Holly types, but they aren’t as exciting as the ones above. You should be fine with them, there’s just a little more risk.
27. Drew Rasmussen – The breaking balls aren’t doing a whole lot, but the fastballs and cutter have allowed Raz to go six frames for three straight.
28. Cristopher Sánchez – He’s annoyingly hittable with his sinker (even at 95/96 mph) and hopefully that can get fixed over time.
29. George Kirby – Kirby hasn’t impressed in his first two outings of the year and I’m willing to bet he’s just shaking off rust.
30. Kodai Senga – I love the focus on a slider in his last outing, stemming away from the traditional three-pitch focus.
31. Seth Lugo – The Still ILL is out of the way and we can welcome back a steady Holly to the team.
32. Ranger Suárez – Suárez is commanding as well as we ever see him.
33. Clay Holmes – He’s not going to serve up the strikeouts his stuff suggests, but he’s shockingly good at limiting damage.
A QUICK NOTE ABOUT THE LIST
This week I had to fundamentally change how I approached the rankings. It’s the typical time of the season when the exciting arms from earlier in the season are either becoming real (Ray, Bubic, etc.) or are looking like a HIPSTER (Meyer, REB, May, Roupp, etc.). In addition, prospect and injured arms aren’t ready as reinforcements to replace quality arms on the IL, which drains the depth of the landscape to make typical Toby types a bit more appealing than usual.
That means the ranks of pitchers from 30-50 are a bit more aggressive than I’d normally place them. As always, the conversation should never be “This guy is too high/low because of past results.” It should be “This guy should be closer to these guys because of this skill/attribute, etc.” This List is forward thinking as much as possible.
That’s all. I’m legit surprised by many ranks this week, too. I always am. Is that why you repeated this text for another week? SURE IS!
Thanks for reading this, here’s 20% of PL Pro Yearly (normally 15% off!) as a token of my thanks: IREADTHENOTES.
Tier 6 – I Guess We’re Doing This
Some of the more controversial rankings are found here and it comes down to skills vs. results. I completely understand if you feel differently. In most cases, I’m weighing what I think their arsenal and ability dictate rather than what their results have been thus far.
34. Ryan Pepiot – The slider has become more like a cutter and I’m all for it. Pepiot’s four-seamer and changeup can aim more for whiffs if the slider is a reliable strike pitch.
35. Kevin Gausman – After a pair of double-digit splitter whiff games, I was amped for Gausman moving forward. What we got was…another double-digit splitter whiff game, but his four-seamer command was exceptionally poor over the plate. Don’t worry, you should still be amped.
36. Will Warren – It was the Dodgers and his stuff is still nasty. Brush it off.
37. Nick Pivetta – I’m a little worried that the ball will start leaving the yard more often now that temperatures are rising.
38. Nick Lodolo – Lodolo has been able to start regularly and we’re beginning to see a positive impact on his reliability. I love watching him consistently locate the changeup and heater.
39. Ryan Weathers – Weathers didn’t get the results we wanted against the Giants, but the four-seamer is still a beast of a pitch. I’m so in.
40. Gavin Williams – The cutter is here to stay and it is glorious. His last outing was fantastic, but it sure was strange seeing the 70%+ strike cutter with a ton of whiffs paired with a sub 45% strike four-seamer. The two are BOTH supposed to dominate dangit!
41. Lucas Giolito – His velocity was 92/93 mph and the changeup + slider wasn’t quite where we want them to be. I’m in it for the longhaul, though, as I’m a believer in Giolito getting his footing with the three-pitch mix with a long leash.
42. Andrew Abbott – I’m still perplexed that none of Abbott’s pitches hold a 15%+ SwStr rate, while he has a 92%+ LOB rate and half the home run rate of previous seasons. Still, he has a sub 36% ICR on his three main offerings that speak to a fair amount of pitchability despite the lack of clear explanation for sustainability. We ride this until it falls apart, just like in his debut summer.
43. Luis Castillo – Among my doom and gloom, Castillo increased his fastball velocity and earned plenty of whiffs on his slider. I don’t love his changeup’s degradation and the sinker’s questionable performance, though we’re holding on for now and hoping the warm weather is all Castillo needs.
Tier 7 – You’re Helping. I Think. Yeah.
These are arms who are either trending in the right direction or aren’t fading enough for me to be heavily concerned about dropping them far down the list in the upcoming weeks.
44. Matthew Boyd – The slider hasn’t been an overwhelming offering and its disappearance holds him back from higher tiers. The changeup + great defense + high Win/QS chance makes him a sturdy volume arm.
45. Bailey Ober – Ober has been inefficient as of late and the 2024 version came with a harder four-seamer and better #3 pitch (slider or cutter, take your pick). It makes me a little worried he’ll be a Toby all season.
46. Michael Wacha – The changeup is elite and Wacha has a wide enough arsenal to fill in the gaps on most nights.
47. David Peterson – How can you lower Peterson so much after he just came through?! I know, I know. I think I had him a little too high last week and didn’t weigh his consistently high WHIP enough, while a number of arms deserved to be vaulted into Tier 6 this week.
48. Matthew Liberatore – Liberatore is fine. He does enough to give his elite defense a chance and we shouldn’t expect the world from him. Be cautious if his velocity begins to hover around 93 mph, though.
49. Merrill Kelly – Like Liberatore, the Arizona defense allows Kelly to work the edges and strand runners constantly. He’s such a Toby.
50. Jameson Taillon – Taillon has been on an incredible run and the schedule will do him wonders in the short term. The sweeper was its worst over the weekend, though, and I hope it was a temporary blip.
51. Tyler Mahle – Mahle’s cutter has been a welcome addition and it’s a standard “Whole is bigger than the sum of its parts.” We’ll continue with this Vargas Rule until the construct deteriorates.
52. Zach Eflin – Now back from the IL and removed from some rugged outings, Eflin should find the sixth constantly and provide a steady floor for 12-teamers.
Tier 8 – At The Edge Of The Cliff
Now that we’re past the “Hey, this is legit value I’m unlikely to drop this season”, it’s time to shift to pure upside. It’s why these rankings are more aggressive than projections or likely other rankings you’ve seen elsewhere. It’s a 12-teamer and you should be embracing the burn-and-churn of your starting pitchers.
53. Zebby Matthews – You can see how he becomes a guy like Schwellenbach – lots of strikes, a hard heater, and multiple secondaries to feature with confidence. I worry that the slider isn’t that filthy and the curve + change need more work, and yet, I want him everywhere. He’s too fun to watch, even with that stupid first inning against the Mariners.
54. Sawyer Gipson-Long – I debated a long time to figure out where to land SGL and eventually pulled him down to Tier 8 given 1) We haven’t seen him properly pitch yet, 2) He’ll likely need two starts to get going and 3) Is his velocity going to be okay? What I see is an arm who will cement himself in the Detroit rotation with Jobe out indefinitely who has an approach that speaks to quick, efficient outs, with whiffability. I’m stoked to watch 100th percentile extension cruise through six regularly.
55. Edward Cabrera – This is the best version we’ve seen of Cabrera. I implore you to watch his last few starts and you’ll see a man very much in control of his arsenal. The sinker is more reliable than the four-seamer of old, the slider is a great offering to RHB, and the change + curve does wonders to LHB. This may be it and I don’t want to miss it.
56. Mick Abel – I absolutely adored Abel in his MLB debut and he’ll return this week with Taijuan Walker officially in the pen. We don’t know how long Abel will stick for, though, as Aaron Nola could be back as soon as his next start. The upside is incredibly high, though, and if Abel dominates, I wonder if they’ll work in a six-man rotation to give their squad more rest overall. Throw in Andrew Painter making a debut shortly after the All-Star Break and you have seven weeks of Abel being the #6 SP. An opening is sure to come.
57. Shane Baz – His last two starts have come with less hittability on his four-seamer and curve, though it seems as though he needs a strong third pitch to take the leap into the Top 30. It’s definitely not the current slider that has allowed four HRs in its last 40 thrown.
58. Bryce Miller – I’d have Bryce higher if it weren’t known that he’s pitching through a bone spur. It doesn’t mean he can’t be effective, it just creates a lower probability for 1) Consistent success and 2) Legit development we’ve been hoping to see this season.
59. Grant Holmes – The slider is still excellent and I’m waiting for the curve and/or cutter to be a proper complement + the four-seamer to return to landing along the edges instead of feeling the need to land well over the plate.
60. Cade Horton – His cut-fastball makes me believe he can be a Holly over time, especially with the solid defense behind him. I don’t think Horton gets replaced in the rotation over Rea or Brown when the time comes.
61. Landen Roupp – The trio of San Francisco arms are hard to figure out, each with their own strengths and warts. Roupp’s curve can be filthy and the sinker a quick out-earner, though I want to see the changeup and cutter continue to grow, while his command can be erratic.
62. Hayden Birdsong – Speaking of erratic command, it’s hard watching Birdsong and his inability to execute a gameplan during an at-bat. However, his stuff is working well enough that he’s produced more often than struggled, making me inclined to believe he’ll stick in the rotation…
63. Kyle Harrison – …and not Harrison when Verlander returns this weekend. Oddly enough, I believe Harrison is the best arm of the three due to the strongest four-seamer of the lot at 100th percentile HAVAA and 94/95 mph velocity. He’s improved its command in the upper half of the zone as well and I have to ask, does Verlander really have to return? Can’t we just wait another week or so?
Tier 9 – Fine, You Need Innings
I expect them to be rostered in your 12-teamers in the short term, but don’t feel like you have to hold them.
64. Chris Paddack – Maybe he belongs higher up the rankings, but I didn’t feel comfortable slotting him above Zebby and SGL and I prefer these tier groupings. Feel free to place him around Miller/Holmes if you must. Anyway, Paddack’s rhythm has been fantastic lately and I love the shift toward a tighter slider that he can command better. I hope it sticks at 87/88 mph and becomes the strike pitch to set up high heaters and low split-changeups.
65. Clarke Schmidt – I dig the situation but I wish I had more confidence in his efficiency. The WHIP should be a little higher than his contemporaries.
66. Casey Mize – Mize didn’t look so hot in his return from the IL and I hope we get 95+ mph back with an improved slider and/or curve in his next performance.
67. Dustin May – The cutter is getting more love and the whiffs have followed. The sinker command under 95 mph is still more iffy than I’d like, while the over-reliance on sweepers to LHB isn’t a sustainable approach.
68. Griffin Canning – It feels wrong to demote Canning so far after a poor outing in the rain, but he has to deal with the Dodgers this week and understand that this ranking includes benching Canning for that one.
69. Brandon Pfaadt – I was finally in on Pfaadt because the curve and changeup were present against LHB across April. Now the curve is gone and he gets bamboozled by the LHB-exclusive Nationals. Please get it back.
Tier 10 – They Will Drive You Up The Wall
I’m willing to bet this tier will upset people the most. I see them as HIPSTER arms who could potentially smooth out into stable arms or make you wish in August that you never drafted them. Who knows when they’ll perform at their potential?
70. Lance McCullers Jr. – We just saw 12 strikeouts and the Pirates are ahead. I love that single start and I have to remind y’all that he is as volatile as they come. A textbook HIPSTER.
71. Jack Leiter – I want to believe Leiter is on the path toward figuring out his full arsenal. The potential is there and I can’t wait to remove the PEAS label once he proves he can spot his heater upstairs and return both sliders and changeups for strikes.
72. Tanner Bibee – The cutter isn’t working. The changeup is floating. The sweeper has some moments. IT’S ALL A MESS.
73. Zac Gallen – Gallen is doing whatever he can to adapt, from a BSB to more sliders than usual to Canibal McSanchez. I want to believe the vet will figure something out in time but who knows at this point.
74. Taj Bradley – Two great starts from Bradley in two different ways. You know this won’t last but sure, ride it for one more in a good matchup.
Tier 11 – Riding The Magic Bus
Here are your Frizzle arms who could be something more than what they are right now. Some of these will rise, others will disappear. Take chances, make mistakes, get messy.
75. Shane Smith – I may be too low on Smith after the rainy start in Citi Field, though I can’t ignore the low Win chance + lack of consistency on his slider and changeup.
76. Ryne Nelson – He has a firm spot in the rotation now that we anticipate Corbin Burnes to miss significant time. He’s a solid start without Elly in the lineup this week in Cincy, though I wish the four-seamer could stay upstairs and some secondary could take a step forward to become a reliable #2 offering.
77. Richard Fitts – I initially expected a low pitch count for his second outing after going under 50 in his first, but with a 75-80 pitch range, Fitts is an interesting option. You likely don’t want him for the Yankees, though.
78. Ben Casparius – I hope the Dodgers are keeping Casparius in the rotation after this week’s “bridge” spot start – he certainly has the tools to be a productive arm for 80+ pitches.
79. Noah Cameron – Same goes for Cameron – we expect Cameron is out of the rotation after Cole Ragans returns, which could make Noah’s next outing his last. They really should move on from Lorenzen though…
80. Tylor Megill – The Mets are going to have a logjam in the near future and Megill’s ability has dwindled across the last month. It’s not a great schedule ahead, either, and I’d rather move on now than hold out.
Tier 12 – WannabeTobys
I like their matchups and they could be productive for a week before we let them go back to the wire.
81. Tomoyuki Sugano – He’s a command arm with a long leash on a team that should Win more games.
82. Michael Soroka – Soroka’s curveball is solid paired with a decent pair of fastballs and potential for more if Soroka can find his classic command.
83. Walker Buehler – I’m still waiting for Buehler to unlock his four-seamer feel and pitch to his strengths. For now, we’re hoping for a low WHIP outing across 5-6 frames for a Win.
84. José Soriano – He’s a bit of a PEAS but can find the sixth quickly if his sinkers are on point and find the zone frequently.
85. José Berríos – You know the deal you’ve made. He is The Great Undulator.
86. Nick Martinez – He has his moments against middling-to-poor teams, but he doesn’t pack enough punch to be rostered against tougher squads.
87. Brady Singer – The slider whiffs have vanished and I’m worried he’ll decline quickly without them.
Tier 13 – I Need A Purpose
These arms could return a fantastic start and you’re desperate to chase something more than a boring streamer. You want to risk it all to get the next big thing.
88. Sandy Alcantara – READ THIS. He gets Rockie Road next, alright? That’s all, if you really don’t want to do that and hope it gives him the confidence to get his command back, then don’t touch it. But it’s the lineup of arguably the worst team in baseball history.
89. Ryan Yarbrough – I can’t believe this Vargas Rule from the Fratty Pirate, but do you really want to chase two starts home + road against the Red Sox?
90. Ben Brown – He needs more than the four-seamer and curve. Yes, I’m happy he was able to get revenge against the Reds as he strolled down the Reds Carpet, but this isn’t worth the hold in 12-teamers.
91. Luis L. Ortiz – Ortiz has gotten more whiffs than expected this year, but his overall command hasn’t caught up. We don’t know what we’ll get each night.
92. Mitch Keller – If you’re in QS or points leagues, Keller can be of value. Sadly, these rankings are for 5×5 Win leagues, where Keller has a horrible 1.30 WHIP, 20% strikeout rate, and a sub 4.00 ERA that is likely to go up once his HR/9 isn’t 89th percentile.
Tier 14 – Double-Bubbles
I like their matchups and they could be productive for a week before we let them go back to the wire.
93. Chad Patrick – The cutter is cool and it can allow him to go more than five frames at times.
94. Colin Rea – We have about one more good matchup left until our time has come to an end.
95. Zack Littell – He just pitched nine frames…for a 3.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. At least it’s the Marlins next.
96. Davis Martin – I love the introduction of the cutter, but it’s a Toby at best here for a low-Win team.
97. Cade Povich – He’s a Toby in the making. It’s a tough bet that he’ll improve with each start.
98. Adrian Houser – I love the extension and harder fastball, making for a great 15-teamer play for the year and a decent stream against the Royals this week.
99. Max Meyer – I’m awfully annoyed with Meyer, but at least it’s Rockie Road this week – it’s the perfect time to find his signature slider once again.
100. Ryan Bergert – The Padres are giving him a start and he’s kinda interesting? It’s 94 mph at 18″+ vert and a flat attack angle (1.4 HAVAA!). Sadly nothing else as far as I can tell, but there could be something to this. He’ll get two decent matchups ahead, making him the perfect pick #100 for The List. Who knows?
Honorable Mentions
Here is every pitcher who is not on The List and currently has a rotation spot. If I’m missing someone, it’s likely because I removed them from The List last week and forgot to add them here, or I meant to add them to The List and I got crossed up somewhere. Let me know if I’m missing someone, please, just understand it’s never a slight to their ability! EVERYONE SHOULD BE HERE.
Corbin Burnes (ARI) – While it’s not confirmed he’s on the IL as I’m writing this, we all know. Sigh. I hope it’s not TJS. It’s probably TJS, but I hope not.
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – Erod is returning from the IL this week and his healthy volatility merged with Still ILL makes him an arm I’d wait and see before committing to.
Gunnar Hoglund (ATH) – I don’t know why he’s throwing more sinkers than four-seamers to RHB and it’s kinda maddening.
J.T. Ginn (ATH) – He could return this week and he’s not worthwhile to stash before the outing. Pretty interesting with increased velo at first and more sink. Keep an eye on him for deeper leagues, but definitely not in 12-teamers.
Jacob Lopez (ATH) – There’s a touch of intrigue with good extension and maybe he can make it work against the Twins and Orioles, but the Shag Rug is too scary for me to consider.
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) – It’s hard to tell when this will be sunshine and rainbows across June.
JP Sears (ATH) – Sears is a week-to-week arm if there’s a great matchup and nothing better.
Luis Severino (ATH) – Is the juice worth the squeeze? I dig the cutter getting used more, but the overall performance just isn’t worth holding over a streamer.
Bryce Elder (ATL) – He’s in with AJSS out and there’s a small chance it can work against meh lineups.
Charlie Morton (BAL) – Morton had a strong game and that’s cool! The curve is better and I still don’t want to give this a shot.
Dean Kremer (BAL) – He’s Dean Werewolf and if that’s your jam, go ahead and give it a shot.
Trevor Rogers (BAL) – He was optioned back to Triple-A after his spot start and I’d hold off stashing him. Spec add if you like when he does get the opportunity, though the velocity is just 93 mph.
Brayan Bello (BOS) – You can’t trust Bello these days. It’s as simple as that. Here’s to hoping he gets into a groove with his changeup, slider, and sinker that makes me regret this.
Hunter Dobbins (BOS) – The third Hunter doesn’t have enough electricity to risk the Shag Rug.
Bryse Wilson (CWS) – You’re always here. Somewhere else, but always here.
Jonathan Cannon (CWS) – This has moments of being cool and then failing to locate the very next inning.
Sean Burke (CWS) – His fastball velocity is still down and he’s working on putting it all together again.
Logan Allen (CLE) – You’re seeing some decent results from Allen but the arsenal doesn’t speak to viability.
Chase Petty (CIN) – Sent back to Triple-A after walking six batters in his second MLB outing. He’ll get over the jitters at some point (dominated in his Triple-A game over the week with three walks) and you shouldn’t call it a fluke when he does.
Rhett Lowder (CIN) – Hurt and we’ll take a look when he returns.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) – He had an impressive return to the rotation and now would get a rough schedule if he’s sticking. Let’s not go for this.
Antonio Senzatela (COL) – Senz-A does what Senz-A does.
Carson Palmquist (COL) – Another Rockies arm who we don’t care for in fantasy because he’s on the Rockies.
Chase Dollander (COL) – No, I didn’t want to add Dollander to the IL table. It’s Coors + the Shag Rug and he’s not as filthy as you think. The velocity is there for a rare peak moment, but the fastball isn’t as electric as other young arms and the secondaries are still in development. Maybe he’s worth a play on the road, but even that’s risky.
Germán Márquez (COL) – COL
Kyle Freeland (COL) – Story
Tanner Gordon (COL) – Brooooo. Oh hey, another Colorado pitcher, this time with two first names. DOUBLE WHAMMY.
Brant Hurter (DET) – He may be getting a start as SGL and Reese make their way back to the rotation, though haven’t they learned he works best as a follower? If that’s the case, you may steal a Win with Hurter against the CrySox this week. Pay attention.
Keider Montero (DET) – Montero’s fastball has shown some extra life in a few games this year. The slider can miss bats, too, but the overall package is too meh and comes without security in the rotation once Mize is ready to return.
Colton Gordon (HOU) – The Astros may call up Gordon for a spot start this week to help rest their arms for a long stretch of games. He’s a low-90s southpaw with a meh fastball + big sweeper and 83/84 mph change he can throw for strikes. If the control is there, it’s possible he performs against the Royals. We don’t start MLB debuts, though.
Ryan Gusto (HOU) – We can’t trust that he’ll have his best fastball and enough in his secondaries to make it worthwhile.
Cole Ragans (KCR) – It was expected to have just one rehab start and a return this week, though it was a poor rehab start. I personally wouldn’t care but who knows, maybe they want one more before returning. When he does, put him into Tier 3, needing a a few starts to get back into Tier 2 or hopefully Tier 1 and the AGA tag. Dems the rules.
Michael Lorenzen (KCR) – Oh right, Lorenzen. You’re making a Grave Mistake without the ratios you want on most nights.
Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) – The Jack of One Trade is now the Jack of NO Trade with the sinker feel disappearing. No thanks.
Kyle Hendricks (LAA) – He’s not the worst AL-Only streamer. At least he’s able to go six.
Tyler Anderson (LAA) – If Anderson were getting a decent matchup, he’d be on The List. Sadly, it’s the Dodgers and you don’t have to hold him through it.
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) – Kikuchi had a good outing and I still have zero confidence in him. There are better plays to make.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) – We got a TATIAGA sighting this weekend and it was the classic feeling of “Don’t meet your heroes.” Here’s to hoping that changes in time.
Landon Knack (LAD) – He could get us a cheap Win and the kick-change is kinda cool, but the schedule is rough and even if he faced a weak team, he could get pulled before the end of the fifth.
Roki Sasaki (LAD) – He’s not on the IL table for the same reason he wasn’t on The List before he hit the IL. Sasaki doesn’t have a third pitch, his splitter doesn’t get enough strikes, and his heater is under 95 mph. He isn’t a hold for 12-teamers.
Tony Gonsolin (LAD) – It’s not a great schedule ahead and he doesn’t have overwhelming stuff to suggest it’ll be far better than expected.
Cal Quantrill (MIA) – He’s getting the second game of the year for the Marlins. Yup. It’s possible the splitter is cooking…?
Eury Pérez (MIA) – Y’all should consider stashing in your IL spots soon if you still can. He’s expected to come back NEXT WEEK.
Aaron Ashby (MIL) – Hurt and we’ll take a look when he returns.
Aaron Civale (MIL) – The breakers are not as good as they’ve been in the past. I’ll wait until then.
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) – We’re still waiting for confirmation of Woodruff’s first start of the season. Let’s say he’s not flexing absurd metrics on his offerings, I’d like have him in the 50s or so, hoping to push him up higher when he see velocity and command improve.
DL Hall (MIL) – We saw him in the rotation briefly, but with the Brewers getting healthy, Hall looks to be the odd man out. Sigh. Why couldn’t you have been healthy. WHY. I loved the flat attack angle with 95 mph instead of the blegh we saw in April 2024.
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – I’m 100% down to stash Les Mis. I’m impressed by Misiorowski’s ability to get his four-seamer in the zone across his last few Triple-A games and when promoted, he’s in the first Frizzle tier on The List. Here’s to hoping the walk rates aren’t stupid high.
Jose Quintana (MIL) – He performed well in his return but the schedule isn’t kind to him.
Logan Henderson (MIL) – He’s back in Triple-A. Womp womp. Not a bad play when he gets the chance again with his four-seamer + changeup combo.
Quinn Priester (MIL) – Priester is getting his shot and I’m not seeing enough to hold onto him for the moment.
Tobias Myers (MIL) – Optioned to the minors. Bummer.
David Festa (MIN) – He’s back in the minors with the return of PabLó. The command is still an issue and I don’t think he’s worth a stash.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – He’s off the minors with Zebby taking his place. My loud CAPS in these notes actually worked, YOU’RE WELCOME.
Paul Blackburn (NYM) – Apparently he’s going to start again and that’s…something.
Andrew Painter (PHI) – He won’t be up for a few weeks with some Triple-A games under his belt, likely around the start of June. He’ll be in the 60s at that time.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) – He’s in the bullpen now. FOR GOOD. Finally. Walker lone, Ranger starting.
Andrew Heaney (PIT) – He gets into a groove at times, but it’s Arizona + Padres this week.
Bailey Falter (PIT) – He had fun on the Reds Carpet and now waits until he gets traded to a legit team.
Bubba Chandler (PIT) – Is now the time to start stashing Bubba? I’d say so. It feels about two weeks away and given everything we’ve seen and read, he’ll be a Top 60ish starter with potential for much more.
Mike Burrows (PIT) – THIS ISN’T BUBBA. I don’t think he does enough to risk the Shag Rug. I’ll let you know if he does something dope.
Emerson Hancock (SEA) – I’m glad he’s had a moment of decency on the bump. Definitely not a believer, sadly.
Logan Evans (SEA) – He’s taking Gilbert’s spot in the rotation and there isn’t enough for us to chase at the moment. Maybe the command is better post-debut, though the stuff doesn’t seem overwhelming. Surely there are better options.
Justin Verlander (SFG) – It’s possible he returns from his pec injury this week, though I would likely not have him on The List even if that were the case. I need to see him flirt with 95 mph on the heater with high location + nail the slider down for whiffs. You can do it.
Andre Pallante (STL) – The stuff is…eh. I’d rather not, even if he’s throwing 95 mph.
Erick Fedde (STL) – We can’t rely on him for the moment. Maybe he’ll return later.
Miles Mikolas (STL) – His four-seamer was one of the worst pitches in baseball last year and is now two ticks slower.
Steven Matz (STL) – Looks like he’ll get a start to give the team a break across many consecutive games. Who knows how long he’ll go.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) – I don’t dig his overall approach. There’s nothing that speaks to production in 12-teamers.
Stephen Kolek (SDP) – He’s stepping in for a moment and he’s not a 12-teamer streamer you want to chase.
Kumar Rocker (TEX) – He’s expected to return to the rotation with Nathan Eovaldi out and I’m personally not chasing it. If you want to take a spec add, go for it. Personally, I see him as a PEAS who isn’t stretched out and we haven’t seen a consistent approach to both sides of the plate this year.
Patrick Corbin (TEX) – Corbin hath returned and no, he’s not a new man you can trust. But maybe you can in deeper leagues…
Bowden Francis (TOR) – Francis’ four-seamer can get him through games, but I don’t like the rest of the arsenal enough.
Chris Bassitt (TOR) – The curve isn’t there and he’s a step below a Toby at the moment.
Eric Lauer (TOR) – You didn’t just ctrl-F Lauer, did you?!
Spencer Turnbull (TOR) – He signed with the Jays and he could get a shot at some point. That’s not to say he’ll be just as good as he was during that lovely early run with the Phillies, but let’s keep an eye on it. Not an auto-add to The List when he gets a chance in the rotation.
Jake Irvin (WSN) – He’s too risky to chase at the moment.
Mitchell Parker (WSN) – I kinda dig his potential, but y’all see the downside clear as day. It was the best version of his heater in his last start as he peppered the pitch in the upper half consistently, but the supporting cast needs to do more.
Trevor Williams (WSN) – #NeverTrevor
SCROLL BACK UP AND READ THE NOTES
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarik SkubalT1 | DET | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | - |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | - |
| 3 | Paul Skenes | PIT | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 4 | Garrett Crochet | BOS | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 5 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -1 |
| 6 | Max Fried | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 7 | Yoshinobu YamamotoT2 | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 8 | Joe Ryan | MIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 9 | Logan Webb | SF | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | +1 |
| 10 | Chris Sale | ATL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 11 | Bryan Woo | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | -2 |
| 12 | Robbie Ray | SF | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 13 | Carlos Rodón | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 14 | Hunter BrownT3 | HOU | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 15 | Hunter Greene | CIN | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -1 |
| 16 | Pablo López | MIN | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 17 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | - |
| 18 | Kris Bubic | KC | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 19 | Spencer Schwellenbach | ATL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 20 | Spencer Strider | ATL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -2 |
| 21 | Dylan CeaseT4 | TOR | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 22 | Freddy Peralta | NYM | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 23 | Framber Valdez | DET | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -1 |
| 24 | MacKenzie Gore | TEX | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 25 | Jack Flaherty | DET | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 26 | Sonny Gray | BOS | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 27 | Drew RasmussenT5 | TB | Holly Ratio Focused | +5 |
| 28 | Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | Holly Wins Bonus Injury Risk | -2 |
| 29 | George Kirby | SEA | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | -1 |
| 30 | Kodai Senga | NYM | Holly Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 31 | Seth Lugo | KC | Holly | +UR |
| 32 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | Holly Wins Bonus | +10 |
| 33 | Clay Holmes | NYM | Holly Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 34 | Ryan PepiotT6 | TB | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 35 | Kevin Gausman | TOR | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | - |
| 36 | Will Warren | NYY | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 37 | Nick Pivetta | SD | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 38 | Nick Lodolo | CIN | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 39 | Ryan Weathers | NYY | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 40 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +7 |
| 41 | Lucas Giolito | SD | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts Injury Risk | -1 |
| 42 | Andrew Abbott | CIN | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +15 |
| 43 | Luis Castillo | SEA | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +13 |
| 44 | Matthew BoydT7 | CHC | Toby Quality Starts | - |
| 45 | Bailey Ober | MIN | Toby Quality Starts | -6 |
| 46 | Michael Wacha | KC | Toby Quality Starts | +4 |
| 47 | David Peterson | NYM | Toby Wins Bonus | -11 |
| 48 | Matthew Liberatore | STL | Toby Quality Starts | - |
| 49 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | Toby Quality Starts | +2 |
| 50 | Jameson Taillon | CHC | Toby Wins Bonus | +12 |
| 51 | Tyler Mahle | SF | Toby Wins Bonus | +7 |
| 52 | Zach Eflin | BAL | Toby Quality Starts | +9 |
| 53 | Zebby MatthewsT8 | MIN | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +10 |
| 54 | Sawyer Gipson-Long | DET | Frizzle Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +UR |
| 55 | Edward Cabrera | CHC | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +10 |
| 56 | Mick Abel | MIN | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 57 | Shane Baz | BAL | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 58 | Bryce Miller | SEA | Hipster Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +UR |
| 59 | Grant Holmes | ATL | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | - |
| 60 | Cade Horton | CHC | Frizzle Rotation Spot Bonus | +9 |
| 61 | Landen Roupp | SF | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | -9 |
| 62 | Hayden Birdsong | SF | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 63 | Kyle Harrison | MIL | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 64 | Chris PaddackT9 | MIA | Toby Quality Starts | +19 |
| 65 | Clarke Schmidt | NYY | Toby Wins Bonus | -5 |
| 66 | Casey Mize | DET | Toby Wins Bonus | +7 |
| 67 | Dustin May | STL | Toby Ratio Focused | +5 |
| 68 | Griffin Canning | SD | Toby Wins Bonus | -25 |
| 69 | Brandon Pfaadt | ARI | Toby Quality Starts | -20 |
| 70 | Lance McCullers Jr.T10 | HOU | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +21 |
| 71 | Jack Leiter | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +10 |
| 72 | Tanner Bibee | CLE | Hipster Quality Starts | -19 |
| 73 | Zac Gallen | ARI | Hipster Quality Starts | -18 |
| 74 | Taj Bradley | MIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +20 |
| 75 | Shane SmithT11 | CWS | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 76 | Ryne Nelson | ARI | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 77 | Richard Fitts | STL | Frizzle Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 78 | Ben Casparius | LAD | Frizzle Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 79 | Noah Cameron | KC | Frizzle Quality Starts Rotation Spot Bonus | -12 |
| 80 | Tylor Megill | NYM | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -9 |
| 81 | Tomoyuki SuganoT12 | COL | Toby Quality Starts | -7 |
| 82 | Michael Soroka | ARI | Toby Quality Starts | -6 |
| 83 | Walker Buehler | SD | Toby Wins Bonus | -8 |
| 84 | José Soriano | LAA | Toby Quality Starts | -2 |
| 85 | José Berríos | TOR | Toby Wins Bonus | - |
| 86 | Nick Martinez | TB | Toby Quality Starts | -9 |
| 87 | Brady Singer | CIN | Toby Quality Starts | -3 |
| 88 | Sandy AlcantaraT13 | MIA | Hipster Ratio Focused | -10 |
| 89 | Ryan Yarbrough | NYY | Vargas Rule Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 90 | Ben Brown | CHC | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 91 | Luis L. Ortiz | CLE | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 92 | Mitch Keller | PIT | Hipster Quality Starts | +UR |
| 93 | Chad PatrickT14 | MIL | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 94 | Colin Rea | CHC | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -7 |
| 95 | Zack Littell | WSH | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 96 | Davis Martin | CWS | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -8 |
| 97 | Cade Povich | BAL | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +2 |
| 98 | Adrian Houser | SF | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 99 | Max Meyer | MIA | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -19 |
| 100 | Ryan Bergert | KC | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
Labels Legend
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
