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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: None
- Removed: None
- Net Change Inside Top 60: (+0)
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 – This is so much fun.
2. Zack Wheeler – Wheeler is that rock.
3. Garrett Crochet – Crochet gets the nod over Skenes with a higher Win potential and strikeout performance.
4. Paul Skenes – This has nothing to do with last week’s hilarity against Jay Mis. The signs are there of a sub 30% strikeout rate arm and that’s okay.
5. Jacob deGrom – He’s up to 98+ mph now and he better get that perfect game in his next start.
6. Max Fried – The Dodgers and opening day. That’s it. The only two starts of the season where Fried has performed in any way unlike an ace.
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 – Yes, he goes just once a week. It’s one of the best floors you’ll find.
8. Logan Webb – Webb went back to the changeup focus for a game when nothing else worked. Fun to see him still have that in his back pocket.
9. Joe Ryan – Ryan may have figured out the secondaries to have a separate LHB and RHB approach these days. Now just get that heater upstairs more…
10. Hunter Brown – Welcome to the AGA club. You’ve kept the velo up and done more against LHB with your curve and changeup. Please don’t make me regret this.
11. Bryan Woo – Woo returns to the second tier after three dominating starts since his demotion. You’re welcome, everyone.
12. Spencer Schwellenbach – He FINALLY had slider dominance in his last outing. He is now swole.
13. Carlos Rodón – Rodón was on the other side of Burns’ debut and cruised through six.
14. Framber Valdez – The curveball is elite again and he’s pitching like a stud.
Tier 3 – We Expect Success Every Night
They have to earn the AGA tag but are just a few starts away from it.
15. Robbie Ray – One more start away from getting the AGA back. It has been a weird four-seamer trend as of late, though. I’d love to see a game with his secondaries taking over.
16. Logan Gilbert – He’s close to AGA and needs a massive outing to make me give it to him by next week.
17. MacKenzie Gore – The full arsenal has been a little off as of late, though the heater has continued to carry him across the season.
18. Jacob Misiorowski – His first three starts have been mesmerizing. The control concerns haven’t appeared, though they should at some point. The highs look to be heavily outweighing the lows.
19. Ranger Suárez – Suárez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball across his last ten starts. I cannot tell you it will last through September, though his command is still as good as ever.
20. Shota Imanaga – The Still ILL is out of the way and here’s to taking a step forward in his next outing.
21. Jesús Luzardo – The skills are just as good as they were in April.
Tier 4 – 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.
22. Cristopher Sánchez – Sánchez just had a phenomenal strikeout game, though there’s nothing new to signify a new plateau moving forward.
23. George Kirby – I love that he tried to go BSB with sliders down and heaters up. It didn’t work perfectly, but I hope he keeps working on it. This feels real.
24. Kris Bubic – The four-seamer continues to cruise and the changeup + breakers are still legit offerings. He’s not quite as overpowering as those in Tier 3 and above, though. Consider him a strong Holly for the year.
25. Seth Lugo – After suggesting he wasn’t capable of strikeout totals of other Tier 4 arms, he’s now had above-average strikeouts in each of his last three games. Once again, you’re welcome everyone.
26. Sonny Gray – The dude pitched one of the best games we’ve seen all year. Absurd command I don’t think I’ve ever seen from Sonny before.
Tier 5 – 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.
27. Freddy Peralta – There are some things in this world that never change. And some things do change. I still can’t believe that was a line from an actual movie.
28. Dylan Cease – He’s been stupid unlucky as of late. Don’t stress about this and keep starting him.
29. Spencer Strider – The vert on his four-seamer has dropped for two straight outings, down three inches on Sunday. It led to 1/51 four-seamer whiffs and it’s pretty dang scary. Here’s to hoping he gets it back next time out.
30. Chase Burns – I was just typing this when I noticed Burns allowed 5 ER to the Sawx at Fenway on Monday. Ho boy. Errors messed him up n all and I’ll tell you more about it in the roundup. Short answer is that I still hold by the ranking and would be valuing him highly moving forward. That’s not his destiny.
31. Ryan Pepiot – The blowup this week was baseball being baseball. Don’t do anything rash.
32. Will Warren – It’s kinda cool to see Warren have success with just his fastballs, but then again, I’d prefer to see him also have his slider and changeup working.
Tier 6 – 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.
33. Clarke Schmidt – The cutter is legit, though he does run into bouts of inefficiency more than I’d like.
34. Andrew Abbott – Abbott just had a game with a weak change and curve and still got through it. He’s on one absurd run.
35. Nathan Eovaldi – Eovaldi was limited to just under 50 pitches in his first start back and you should likely expect about 10-15 pitches extra per start. Once stretched out, he’s in Tier 4.
Tier 7 – 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.
36. Nick Pivetta – I’m still afraid of his obvious HR regression that is surely around the corner.
37. Shane Baz – Baz added a cutter to the mix and he’s finally fully equipped to be the best starter he can be.
38. Jack Flaherty – I believe the tipping issue has been resolved after going 10/21 curveball whiffs last time out. We should be good to go…but he’s a little lower just in case.
Tier 8 – At The Edge Of The Meh Cliff
The Cliff is around here where there is another tier of “safe” arms that you can’t see yourself dropping, but who knows what will happe
39. Nick Lodolo – He’s a complete pitcher now and oddly steady for a guy with a volatile track record.
40. Drew Rasmussen – The lack of volume and dwindling strikeouts due to fewer breaking balls makes him a solid Holly, but not the potential stud of the earlier tiers. He’s still earned seven Wins, you know.
41. Clay Holmes – We’ve seen a few more walks from The Adobe lately, but his last outing was less chaos and more nibbling a bit too much.
42. Noah Cameron – He’s had some rough starts against good offenses, but the skills are still present. Like everyone in this tier, be careful against the Dodgers, yeah?
43. Matthew Boyd – He’s the same guy he’s been – great changeup, well located heater that is susceptible to the longball, and a slider that does enough to LHB.
44. Merrill Kelly – Kelly’s great situation is a fantasy gold mine. Let him ride as he continues to command his pitches effectively and let his defense do the work.
45. Lucas Giolito – It’s four straight solid outings, though he’s not pitching at the level that one ER in four starts would suggest. I have yet to see that start where the heater, change, and slider all work in tandem, though he’s had peaks with each. Overall, expect some bumps along the way, but six innings on a winning team with at least a strikeout per inning should be expected.
46. Matthew Liberatore – I don’t think Liberatore has anything particularly incredible inside his arsenal, but a 94+ mph heater spotted decently well to RHB with a wide array of secondaries does enough to make him a threat for a QS each time out. Thank you, St. Louis defense.
Tier 9 – 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.
47. Eury Pérez – We’ve seen just four starts from Eury and progress has been made. He’s up to 90+ pitches, the slider and curveball have more movement than in 2023, and he’s now sitting 98 mph. He’s lost a bit of extension to 6.5 vs 6.9 of old, though I think the improved breakers + velocity + long leash means his days of pedestrian performances are coming to an end.
48. Tanner Bibee – He’s starting to put it all back together again. FINALLY. Please do it a second time, okay?
49. Gavin Williams – I had a ton of fear about Gavin losing 2+ ticks of velocity and a massive drop in extension, but my fears hath been quelled! We’ve back to 7.0 feet of extension, 96+ mph velocity, and the cutter is his most thrown pitch. Now locate the heater and breakers dangit!
50. Grant Holmes – The strikeouts are flowing based on the slider and we’re seeing a larger embrace of the cutter over the four-seamer. This is a good thing.
51. Luis Castillo – It feels like he’s hanging on by a thread. The slider and changeup are not missing bats and the four-seamer’s high locations are forcing him through games, though I question if that is a sustainable approach for a waning heater
52. Landen Roupp – He’s becoming more consistent across his three main pitches, though I’d love to see the curveball dominate a few more times.
Tier 10 – 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.
53. Michael Soroka – The curveball has been the golden pitch, though it returned just 41% strikes and 0/22 whiffs in his last start. And he still got through it. We should expect the breaker to be there moving forward and consider it a blip.
54. Michael Wacha – The changeup is still fantastic. I was surprised to see a 1.20+ WHIP last time I checked on Wacha and expect that to fall close to 1.15 as the season continues.
55. Casey Mize – He’s been a bit weird as of late, with signs of growth on his slider and curve, though touches of problems with the split-change and heater. I’m still a fan, though, and see the improved breakers as a skill that should stick.
56. Shane Smith – The sparkle is fading a touch and it’s all about the changeup and breakers turning into consistent offerings moving forward. At least the 96 mph heater is here to stay and hold the foundation intact.
Tier 11 – Am I On The Right Track?
These arms could be at the start of a trend…some good, some bad.
57. Yusei Kikuchi – He’s been on a strikeout spree and while I believe it to be fleeting, who cares? Hold on for as long as it’ll go.
58. Mick Abel – Abel didn’t pitch this week after warming up before a rain delay kept him from pitching in the bottom half of the frame. Blegh.
59. Jacob Lopez – Lopez is doing Yarbrough’s tease approach with cutters, changeups, sliders, and 91 mph four-seamers. He’s deserved the success he’s had, but the question is if he can maintain the elite command.
60. Kumar Rocker – Rocker has fully leaned into his cutter over 40% of the time and I love it. It needs a little more help than it’s received thus far, though. Hopefully he lays off the four-seamer a bit and figures out his slider and/or curveball to pair against LHB, while the sinker + breaker + cutter should handle RHB.
61. Trevor Rogers – Rogers had a fantastic BSB approach with high 94 mph heaters + low sliders and changeups against the Rangers. I haven’t seen that from him in ages and I’m crossing my fingers he’s made a tweak to locate consistently.
62. Ryne Nelson – The four-seamer is at its best. The question is: Can he find a reliable secondary to throw under it for strikes 25-30% of the time?
63. José Soriano – Soriano’s three game stretch of dominance came to a screeching halt, but the potential electricity is still there.
64. Edward Cabrera – The worries of his longevity inside outings is seemingly in the past, but will he ever find the right pitch mix that he can comfortably feature start-to-start?
Tier 12 – I Need A Purpose
I can see how they jump up to the other Toby tier or better in the future, but they need to do a little more to get there.
65. David Peterson – After I gave him praise for his extension and strong command of four pitches, Peterson has been more chaotic than usual. He’s a WHIP killer at the moment, but could bring back strikeouts with six solid frames and a Win on any given night.
66. Jameson Taillon – I’m glad to report that my biggest concern about Taillon wasn’t present in his start against Houston, with stellar cutter and sweeper command to RHB (save for his final pitch of the night to Altuve for a HR). I think he’s back to form.
67. Cade Horton – Horton’s four-seamer command isn’t what we’ve wanted it to be, while the breakers haven’t returned the whiffs we expected. Still, he could grow further this year into that steady Holly his arsenal and control suggest.
68. Chris Paddack – Paddack finally sat over 95 mph on his heater, but he lost over two inches of vert in the process and it messed up his entire start. Here’s to the velo and 18″+ vert are present moving forward.
Tier 13 – 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?
69. Kevin Gausman – I have no idea if Gausman has fixed his command issues or not and it’s maddening.
70. Jack Leiter – Leiter had a great outing, though he still lacks the ability to go BSB to RHB. I don’t think he can remove his PEAS label until he does so.
71. David Festa – Festa rebounded from a nightmare outing to succeed without the best precision across his three pitches. I’m still cautious that he’ll be fighting his arsenal more than the batter in many games.
72. Charlie Morton – Morton was on a heater and pitched fine after a laborious first inning. Update as I write this: It has come out that Morton will get extra rest with elbow tendinitis. Yeaaaah, that’s not fun at all.
73. Zack Littell – He’s a Vargas Rule as I don’t like going after pitchers with sub 18% strikeout rates who rely on Dancing With The Disco and splitters (forkballs?) that land in the zone more than out.
74. José Berríos – He is The Great Undulator, making him the most famous HIPSTER of them all.
75. Sawyer Gipson-Long – Are they still starting SGL? They let him do it once, but now we’re unclear when he next appears on the bump. They better let the man get his innings – the extension is still there and should propel him to being a Toby at the very least.
76. Sandy Alcantara – Alcantara still hasn’t found his old changeup and struggles to locate his sinker inside to RHB. In other words, he’s missing the two most important pieces to efficiently navigate an outing.
Tier 14 – WannabeTobys
These guys could fill six innings for you in some good matchups this week, but you may be done with them after that.
77. Eduardo Rodriguez – He has a solid set of matchups ahead and I expect the changeup to hold higher than a 40% strike rate moving forward, unlike his latest outing.
78. Clayton Kershaw – It’s the White Sox and Milwaukee up next. His slider precision is like the days of old, even if he has to swallow his pride while sporting a sub 90 mph heater.
79. Chad Patrick – He’ll get the Marlins and Nationals up ahead. With his cutter still cooking (and hints of four-seamer + slider whiffs), he’s worth a look.
80. Justin Wrobleski – I hate how the Dodgers obfuscate their pitching plans. I love that Wrobo is hurling 96 mph heaters and I hope the secondaries come along with more frames. His time as a follower only adds value with a higher Win chance.
81. Ben Casparius – Casper struggled in his latest outing and while I like his stuff more than Wrobo’s, he’s struggling a little more with his feel.
82. Quinn Priester – Priester executed Rockie Road and now gets the Marlins and Nationals, like his friend Patrick. The curve joined the slider last time and I hope we see it more often.
Tier 15 – Hey, It Could Happen
These guys are your PEAS with a touch of intrigue and possible reclimation over the next week or two.
83. Blade Tidwell – He’s getting a proper shot in the rotation with Canning nursing an Achilles injury. The Brewers are up first and maybe we see 96+ with decent secondaries this time around.
84. Richard Fitts – He gets the strut down the Reds Carpet this week and I see Fitts as an arm with above-average pitches, but nothing spectacular. The Shag Rug has me a little afraid.
85. Didier Fuentes – Didier was trounced in his second outing, but the extreme HAVAA four-seamer at 95+ mph is awfully appealing. If he can elevate it next time out, he’ll come through and turn a lot of heads.
86. Hayden Birdsong – We saw the floor of Birdsong in his last start. It’s unlikely to repeat itself, but you have to ask yourself: Is the ceiling worth it?
87. Max Scherzer – If Scherzer has his slider/cutter working against the Yankees, he could present 12-teamer value once again.
Tier 16 – The Babbling Brooks
These are streaming options this week who could be off The List next week. I have them ranked above the final Toby tier as I believe you’re better off streaming than hoarding low ceiling six-inning arms.
88. Brayan Bello – The cutter helps Bello plenty, but the sinker and changeup command are suspect. He’s oddly best at spotting high four-seamers than anything – and they work with his flat attack angle as surprise whiff pitches.
89. Brandon Pfaadt – Maybe the reintroduction of the cutter is the answer for Pfaadt against LHB. I’ll wait and see.
90. Brandon Walter – Both Houston southpaws are a bit precarious to chase, but they have a solid Win chance and have proven they can go six frames.
91. Colton Gordon – I prefer Walter over Gordon, with the latter having a smaller two-pitch mix of fastball/sweeper. Not the worst chases in Coors this week.
92. Tomoyuki Sugano – Sugano gets the lowly Rangers this week. That could work, though I wish I liked his approach to RHB a bit more.
93. Andre Pallante – Pallante is at 95/96 mph and gets a gift of a start against the Pirates. That’s alright, but lacks potential for a hold.
94. Erick Fedde – Fedde is a Toby in a 15-teamer and that’s good enough for a stream in Pittsburgh.
95. Dietrich Enns – He surprised us for a solid outing in his first start with the Tigers this year, but I worry that his fastball/change approach won’t work against the LHB-heavy Nationals.
96. Dustin May – It’s just sweeper-city with poor sinker command and I don’t want to deal with it. Then again, he does get the White Sox…
97. Jeffrey Springs – If his changeup is on point, then it’ll be sunshine and rainbows in Tampa Bay. I’d prefer to avoid altogether, though.
Tier 17 – Patience Is A Virtue
These arms have tested your patience. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do.
98. Zac Gallen – You’re in a position where you can’t trust Gallen and hoping he gets dealt where he flicks a switch and turns it on for the second half. And who knows, maybe he gets himself into gear as soon as next start. How long are you willing to wait?
99. Lance McCullers Jr. – He’s as volatile as any, meaning even with the Dodgers up next, McCullers could still potentially come through if he can earn enough strikes.
100. Luis L. Ortiz – You never know what Ortiz will have in the tank and I have zero interest finding out against the Cubs.
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.
J.T. Ginn (ATH) – Whenever we do see Ginn inside the rotation again, he better have a whole lot of sink and velo to go with a whiffable slider. Without that, I’m out.
JP Sears (ATH) – Sears is a week-to-week arm if there’s a great matchup and nothing better.
Luis Severino (ATH) – He’s not worth the risk regularly, especially with his home park of Sacré Verde.
Mitch Spence (ATH) – I’m not sure how long he goes and if it’s worth your time.
Bryce Elder (ATL) – Absolutely not.
Brandon Young (BAL) – With Morton needing a little extra rest, Young will step in. You don’t want to start Young. Should we start Old instead? I wish it worked that way. After all, youth is wasted on the Young. How dare you say that about Brandon. No no no, just…don’t start him okay?
Dean Kremer (BAL) – He’s actually had some successful starts, but I really don’t like the arsenal, nor his volatility start-to-start.
Hunter Dobbins (BOS) – He finally had a regular shot and his elbow started hurting. Bummer.
Kyle Harrison (BOS) – He was traded to the Red Sox Sunday night and instantly sent to the minors. I wouldn’t consider him a major stash at the moment (I think they want to work on some things with him there) and when he does get the call, make sure it’s not in Fenway. I’m awfully curious to see if he’ll have a cutter when he does return.
Walker Buehler (BOS) – I’m not saying he’s doomed. All I’m saying is he shouldn’t be rostered as he figures it out. He’s been broken down, now let’s watch him build back up.
Ben Brown (CHC) – They sent him back to the minors. I’m actually a bit shocked as he should be sent to the pen. That curve and heater combo works so much better there.
Colin Rea (CHC) – He’s a good streamer without streamable matchups ahead.
Aaron Civale (CHW) – The breakers are not as good as they’ve been in the past. I’ll wait until then.
Adrian Houser (CHW) – He’s a decent QS play, but in standard 12-teamers, there isn’t enough to chase.
Jonathan Cannon (CHW) – Off the IL and far from getting the orchestra ready for the overture.
Sean Burke (CHW) – His fastball velocity is still down and he’s working on putting it all together again.
Tyler Alexander (CHW) – T-Lex doesn’t go long like his buddy the brontosaurus. Those don’t actually exist. YOU DON’T ACTUALLY EXIST.
Brady Singer (CIN) – Ayyy Singer threw slider whiffs! And it was a decent start! But now it’s Fenway and I don’t think it’s worth your focus. But he threw cutters! And they were decent! That’s nice, Singer isn’t that guy right now.
Nick Martinez (CIN) – He got a start and flirted with a no-hitter through eight frames…and he’ll likely feel the hangover effect of the extra workload with a tough matchup and looking like much of the same guy he’s always been.
Rhett Lowder (CIN) – Hurt and we’ll take a look when he returns.
Wade Miley (CIN) – He’s back! And only worthwhile in a perfect streaming scenario in the future. If he looks okay. And he’s hurt again!
Logan Allen (CLE) – I’m not the biggest Allen fan and I’m still waiting for him to do a proper BSB with his heater and changeup.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) – I know he’s had some success, but it sure seems like Koufax is the catalyst, not Slade.
Antonio Senzatela (COL) – Senz-A does what Senz-A does.
Austin Gomber (COL) – His Still ILL has excellent against Atlanta, with a distinct changeup and splitter, each returning five whiffs. And he’s an honorable mention??? Uhhh, yeah. Coors + 89 mph heaters + it wasn’t that good.
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.
Reese Olson (DET) – It’s unclear who is starting on Wednesday for the tigers and many signs point to Olson. It’s a Still ILL in that case and he would be around the 50/60s. I hope he turns into a Holly.
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.
Ryan Gusto (HOU) – We can’t trust that he’ll have his best fastball and enough in his secondaries to make it worthwhile.
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) – We stream Anderson when he has good matchups. Now is not that time.
Bobby Miller (LAD) – His velocity has been down in the minors without good command or whiffs. Sigh. ONE DAY.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) – He’s going just one inning until…who knows? August? And if you’re in a two-Ohtani league where he takes his own roster spot, he’s essentially a minor league stash play for a month or so.
Matt Sauer (LAD) – Is he getting bulk innings again this week? Who knows and he’s not a strong arm to consider if he does.
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 and his timeline to return is unknown.
Cal Quantrill (MIA) – It’s possible the splitter is cooking on a given night. I guess.
Freddy Tarnok (MIA) – Remember the deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta? I talked with a few scouts and they mentioned Tarnok as the actual big get of that deal. Wasn’t that ages ago? Sure was. I’m curious what he looks like now…on a completely different squad. There’s a huge reason he wasn’t kept on the Athletics, y’all.
Janson Junk (MIA) – Sure, he survived. One man’s Junk is another man’s Junk. That’s not how it goes. Nah, I’m pretty sure that’s it.
Max Meyer (MIA) – He’s out for the year now. Yup. What a ride.
Aaron Ashby (MIL) – Hurt and we’ll take a look when he returns.
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.
Jose Quintana (MIL) – Quintana is a decent streamer option and not the kind of guy to go for against the Mets.
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.
Bailey Ober (MIN) – He is rough at the moment. It’s just not worth the squeeze.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – He’s back on the squad with Zebby hitting the IL and even against the Marlins, I’d prefer to chase something else.
Frankie Montas Jr. (NYM) – The ceiling isn’t high enough to justify a roll of the dice against the Yankees.
Paul Blackburn (NYM) – Are the Mets actually giving Blackburn innings? That doesn’t mean you have to.
Allan Winans (NYY) – This is a temporary play as Marcus Stroman continues to ramp up.
Marcus Stroman (NYY) – He returned and while you got a sneaky Win, Stroman made it abundantly clear that he’s not a shiny waiver add.
Ryan Yarbrough (NYY) – He’s on the IL now and we shouldn’t expect the magic to return when he’s healthy.
Andrew Painter (PHI) – He won’t be up until post-ASB. At least his last start was better than the previous disasters.
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) – Falter hasn’t been traded to the Rays yet.
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – He’s not going long in games and is way too risky to start if he were.
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) – The changeup is cool when it works. The four-seamer is cool when it’s up and the changeup is there to help. And even with both of those, he still needs a little help.
Mitch Keller (PIT) – It’s either boring production or ghastly. Not enough.
Emerson Hancock (SEA) – I’m glad he’s had a moment of decency on the bump. Definitely not a believer, sadly.
Justin Verlander (SFG) – Verlander had a good outing against the White Sox and I didn’t see enough to trust him in Sacré Verde.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – Sent back to the minors. I don’t get it, wasn’t the whole six-man thing introduced so they could get this fella more innings? What is this.
Miles Mikolas (STL) – His four-seamer was one of the worst pitches in baseball last year and is now two ticks slower.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) – I don’t dig his overall approach. There’s nothing that speaks to production in 12-teamers.
Ryan Bergert (SDP) – I kinda dig his high heater and slider combo, but it’s a tough schedule ahead.
Stephen Kolek (SDP) – He’s stepping in for a moment and he’s not a 12-teamer streamer you want to chase.
Taj Bradley (TBR) – I just can’t take his volatility any more. Maybe he belonged in the bottom tier, I’m not sure. I see him as more of a detriment than and addition to your fantasy teams.
Jacob Latz (TEX) – I wonder if we’ll see more Latz as a follower to Eovaldi later this week. He deserves a rotation spot after his absurd effort against the Orioles.
Patrick Corbin (TEX) – Corbin hath returned and no, he’s not a new man you can trust, even if he hasn’t allowed more than 3 ER in a start all year.
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) – I know, he just had a good outing! And yet, he’s more valuable in QS leagues than standard 12-teamers where the ratios often hurt more than help.
Eric Lauer (TOR) – Yeaaaaah, that heater isn’t good enough to carry everything.
Spencer Turnbull (TOR) – He’s getting a chance this week though the velocity has been down and I have super low expectations.
Jake Irvin (WSN) – It was fine against Rockie Road. Let’s not push it.
Mitchell Parker (WSN) – Parker actually did something really fun last time out – he did the BSB with four-seamers and curveballs. Thing is, he hasn’t done that before and it’s an exception, not the rule
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 | Garrett Crochet | BOS | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 4 | Paul Skenes | PIT | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 5 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 6 | Max Fried | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 7 | Yoshinobu YamamotoT2 | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 8 | Logan Webb | SF | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | - |
| 9 | Joe Ryan | MIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 10 | Hunter Brown | HOU | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +2 |
| 11 | Bryan Woo | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | +3 |
| 12 | Spencer Schwellenbach | ATL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 13 | Carlos Rodón | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 14 | Framber Valdez | DET | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -1 |
| 15 | Logan GilbertT3 | SEA | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 16 | Robbie Ray | SF | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 17 | MacKenzie Gore | TEX | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | - |
| 18 | Jacob Misiorowski | MIL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +11 |
| 19 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | +5 |
| 20 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Ace Potential Injury Risk | +2 |
| 21 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 22 | Cristopher SánchezT4 | PHI | Holly Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +1 |
| 23 | George Kirby | SEA | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | -2 |
| 24 | Kris Bubic | KC | Holly Strikeout Upside | -4 |
| 25 | Seth Lugo | KC | Holly Quality Starts | - |
| 26 | Sonny Gray | BOS | Holly Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 27 | Freddy PeraltaT5 | NYM | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 28 | Dylan Cease | TOR | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 29 | Spencer Strider | ATL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -10 |
| 30 | Chase Burns | CIN | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +8 |
| 31 | Ryan Pepiot | TB | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 32 | Will Warren | NYY | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 33 | Clarke SchmidtT6 | NYY | Holly Wins Bonus | - |
| 34 | Andrew Abbott | CIN | Holly Strikeout Upside | - |
| 35 | Nathan Eovaldi | TEX | Holly Injury Risk | - |
| 36 | Nick PivettaT7 | SD | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 37 | Shane Baz | BAL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 38 | Jack Flaherty | DET | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -7 |
| 39 | Nick LodoloT8 | CIN | Holly Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 40 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | Holly Ratio Focused | -4 |
| 41 | Clay Holmes | NYM | Holly Wins Bonus | -4 |
| 42 | Noah Cameron | KC | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 43 | Matthew Boyd | CHC | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 44 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 45 | Lucas Giolito | SD | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +3 |
| 46 | Matthew Liberatore | STL | Holly Quality Starts | +5 |
| 47 | Eury PérezT9 | MIA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -6 |
| 48 | Tanner Bibee | CLE | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +13 |
| 49 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +8 |
| 50 | Grant Holmes | ATL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 51 | Luis Castillo | SEA | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -9 |
| 52 | Landen Roupp | SF | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 53 | Michael SorokaT10 | ARI | Toby Quality Starts | +29 |
| 54 | Michael Wacha | KC | Toby Quality Starts | -2 |
| 55 | Casey Mize | DET | Holly Wins Bonus | -8 |
| 56 | Shane Smith | CWS | Toby Strikeout Upside | -7 |
| 57 | Yusei KikuchiT11 | LAA | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +12 |
| 58 | Mick Abel | MIN | Frizzle Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 59 | Jacob Lopez | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +14 | |
| 60 | Kumar Rocker | TEX | Frizzle Rotation Spot Bonus | +12 |
| 61 | Trevor Rogers | BAL | Frizzle Quality Starts | +36 |
| 62 | Ryne Nelson | ARI | Frizzle Ratio Focused | +5 |
| 63 | José Soriano | LAA | Frizzle Quality Starts | -8 |
| 64 | Edward Cabrera | CHC | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 65 | David PetersonT12 | NYM | Toby Wins Bonus | -12 |
| 66 | Jameson Taillon | CHC | Toby Wins Bonus | -3 |
| 67 | Cade Horton | CHC | Toby Wins Bonus | -17 |
| 68 | Chris Paddack | MIA | Toby Quality Starts | -4 |
| 69 | Kevin GausmanT13 | TOR | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 70 | Jack Leiter | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 71 | David Festa | MIN | Hipster Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +24 |
| 72 | Charlie Morton | SD | Vargas Rule Wins Bonus | +4 |
| 73 | Zack Littell | WSH | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +26 |
| 74 | José Berríos | TOR | Hipster Quality Starts | +7 |
| 75 | Sawyer Gipson-Long | DET | Hipster Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 76 | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | Hipster Ratio Focused | -14 |
| 77 | Eduardo RodriguezT14 | ARI | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +12 |
| 78 | Clayton Kershaw | SD | Streaming Option | +8 |
| 79 | Chad Patrick | MIL | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 80 | Justin Wrobleski | LAD | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 81 | Ben Casparius | LAD | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | -23 |
| 82 | Quinn Priester | MIL | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +10 |
| 83 | Blade TidwellT15 | SF | Frizzle | +UR |
| 84 | Richard Fitts | STL | Frizzle | +UR |
| 85 | Didier Fuentes | ATL | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | -14 |
| 86 | Hayden Birdsong | SF | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | -16 |
| 87 | Max Scherzer | TOR | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +6 |
| 88 | Brayan BelloT16 | BOS | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -28 |
| 89 | Brandon Pfaadt | ARI | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +9 |
| 90 | Brandon Walter | HOU | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 91 | Colton Gordon | HOU | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 92 | Tomoyuki Sugano | COL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -2 |
| 93 | Andre Pallante | STL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 94 | Erick Fedde | CWS | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 95 | Dietrich Enns | BAL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 96 | Dustin May | STL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -9 |
| 97 | Jeffrey Springs | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -13 | |
| 98 | Zac GallenT17 | ARI | Hipster Quality Starts | -21 |
| 99 | Lance McCullers Jr. | HOU | Hipster | +UR |
| 100 | Luis L. Ortiz | CLE | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -6 |
Labels Legend
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
