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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! If you have questions about these offense ranks, reach out to Kyle Bland (@blandalytics).
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 – Don’t let that Cy Young slip away…
2. Zack Wheeler – Yes, there is slight worry after watching him sit 94 mph last time out, but he earned 19 whiffs to mask it. Not bad.
3. Garrett Crochet – Yeah, he’s still dope.
4. Paul Skenes – Alright Skenes, you’re a kitchen-sink arm who sits 98 mph. WE GET IT. The lower Win chance a lower volume = #4.
5. Jacob deGrom – ImNotLeaving.GIF.
Tier 2 – AGA With Something To Prove
They have the AGA tag, though they don’t have the complete elite package of ratios, volume, and strikeouts of the top tier.
6. Joe Ryan – I thought about lowering Ryan and maybe that’ll come soon with Glasnow and Snell back on the bump, but then again, he’s just been so dang reliable.
7. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Same for Yamamoto, but he’s only going once a week. Get those rookie numbers up. He’s not a rookie this year. I KNOW.
8. Bryan Woo – HRs get him here and there, but the man is healthy and the heaters are still fantastic.
9. Tyler Glasnow – If he just gets the slider working again…
10. Blake Snell – Yeah, it’s ridiculous Snell again. Just give me one or two more and you’re moving up The List. It’s dumb every single year.
11. Logan Gilbert – The four-seamer is earning whiffs! Please do it some more and have the slider in the zone a ton. Thanks.
12. Max Fried – Fried could have fallen more but I’ll give him another week. The skills are still there, but it’s getting a little frustrating to watch.
13. Nathan Eovaldi – Arguably deserving of a higher rank given how dang good he’s been.
14. Cristopher Sánchez – Sánchez too, though I can’t get out of my head how many hittable pitches he throws each game.
15. Framber Valdez – Framber’s volatility is showing with multiple poor curveball showcases over the past month. Stop that.
16. Hunter Brown – Brown isn’t overwhelming as he was in April/May, but the heater is still very much present.
17. Robbie Ray – It’s a proper four-pitch mix that shifts in usage each night based on what he has. He only needs two cooking for a strong outing.
Tier 3 – We Expect Success Every Night
They have to earn the AGA tag but are just a few starts away from it.
18. George Kirby – Kirby is leaning into the BSB with his heaters and slider and I just need to see one or two more starts.
19. Brandon Woodruff – Woody has done nothing but perform since returning from his IL stint that was supposed to be a career-ending injury. So dang cool.
20. Shota Imanaga – Everything is looking on track for the AGA tag to come in no time.
21. Ranger Suárez – He’s still producing and we keep starting him.
22. Hunter Greene – He’s expected back this week and will likely pick up where he left off.
23. Michael King – The Still ILL is out of the way and after one more start, he should be back to normal.
24. Carlos Rodón – He hasn’t been the same since the start of July and while I had to remove the AGA tag, I don’t think it’s a dramatic decline.
25. Logan Webb – Maybe I’m too low on Webb and I’m happy to see he had more of his arsenal working last time out. I get a sense he’s going to be more of the 1.20 WHIP guy than the 1.10 WHIP guy moving forward, with his sweeper and cutter usage of April and May looking like an outlier.
26. Freddy Peralta – I moved him out of the Cherry Bomb tier as despite his stumbles, he’s been relatively stable.
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.
27. Nick Pivetta – Pivetta just got hit with a major clunker and it’s too soon to get scared. You got this.
28. Eury Pérez – Pérez’s four-seamer is too dang good and the secondaries should come together around it more often than not.
29. Sonny Gray – He has been a Sonny delight after Mr. Gray overstayed his welcome. He’s never welcome.
30. Dylan Cease – Cease is trying to show more options to batters to help keep them off the slider and four-seamer and it’s worked so far.
31. Chase Burns – Four straight starts of ten strikeouts for Burns with his latest coming with an incredible display of the BSB.
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.
32. Edward Cabrera – He’s been on tear, even if I can’t help but get a little nervous watching him pitch.
33. Matthew Boyd – His four-seamer/change mix with a decent set of breakers is not as good as the results have been, but we keep rolling.
34. Trevor Rogers – Same with Rogers…? Kinda wild, isn’t it?
35. Andrew Abbott – SAME WITH ABBOTT.
36. Merrill Kelly – Okay, Kelly and Lugo and Cameron are a different mold of a wide array mixed with solid command. Expect better from Kelly after the clear exception of an outing.
37. Seth Lugo – The curveball was off in his last one and it’s unwise to bet against his signature hook returning.
38. Noah Cameron – Cameron has exhibited the rare rookie skill of command with many pitches dotted delicately around the zone without much of a hitch.
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.
39. MacKenzie Gore – Yes, he just struck out ten batters and it was AWESOME. It was also against the Giants and they sent far more LHB to the plate than Gore normally gets to see. He’s still in the second tier of Cherry Bomb arms, but hopefully jumping back up next week.
40. Ryne Nelson – Ryne has been consistently productive with his stellar four-seamer and I hope his experiementation with secondaries will help him take another leap before the end of the year.
41. Spencer Strider – I don’t know where to place Strider. Part of me feels he should be lower, the other part says dude, it’s Strider. His heater just isn’t what it used to be and he’s far too reliant on his 86 mph slider earning double-digit whiffs on a given night.
42. Jesús Luzardo – We just saw a game without his changeup (oh no) and I want to believe he’s a Cherry Bomb and not a “Hipster”. I think he is. Probably.
43. Gavin Williams – Williams may not be the best arm to chase this week after getting pushed over 120 pitches in his bid to no-hit the Mets (why did they leave him in?!), though the outing was a culmination of many added skills this season, including a resurgence in his extension that has me all amped. Here’s to hoping he has found his thing and can keep it consistently.
44. Jack Flaherty – He just had a start with 33% strikes with his slider and that just can’t be what we normally get.
45. Ryan Pepiot – Pepiot has flexed all the skills individually across the season (usually two of his three pitches on a given night) and while the overall production has been worthwhile save for a start or two, I’m still waiting for him to find a rhythm with all three and take the next step.
46. Sean Manaea – We still like Manaea, right? He’s like the guys in Tier 5, but it just hasn’t worked lately. Ain’t great seeing his velocity in the low 90s vs. mid 90s.
47. Kodai Senga – Same with Senga. He’s really been off his game lately and I’m sitting here poking him avatar. Come ooooonnn, do something.
48. Will Warren – Warren’s four-seamer and sinker are a great foundation + the sweeper is looking better. Now get the dang changeup in order.
Tier 7 – At The Edge Of The 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 happen.
49. Zebby Matthews – He has the stuff you want with good enough command. It’s all about finding a feel for location at this point, and it feels like the upside play to make.
50. Max Scherzer – Scherzer is still productive and finding strikeouts. It’s hard to deny him a spot on rosters.
51. Emmet Sheehan – Sheehan hasn’t gone 80 pitches in an outing since reclaiming a rotation spot and I have to hold back his ranking until he goes six strong.
52. Spencer Arrighetti – I was heavily encouraged by The Pasta Pirate during his Still ILL despite the final line and if you were waiting for one more start before jumping in, you may want to test the waters early with the Red Sox in town this week.
53. Cristian Javier – He’s back and literally starting right when this gets published. It’s a Still ILL for the first one, while I’m holding my breath for his spark of old to return.
54. Cam Schlittler – This rank doesn’t seem right relative to the lack of overwhelming domination in his recent outings, but hot dang is he close to a double-digit strikeout explosion. His heater is fantastic at 98 mph and he just needs to get those breakers down. Just give me one start of it, Cam. JUST ONE.
Tier 8 – Riding The Magic Bus
Here are your Frizzle and Cherry Bomb 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.
55. Luis Castillo – How long can the four-seamer and sinker keep the ship afloat while we can hear the bones of his slider and changeup creak with each pitch?
56. Yu Darvish – It was a day of classic Darvish that got me amped for more followed by another day of sadness and a feeling of being back at square one. I’ll continue to be optimistic that he’ll figure it out, but I understand if you’d rather go with someone in Tier 9.
57. Luis Gil – The Still ILL is out of the way and despite the lower vert than I was expecting, I’m encouraged that Gil is throwing a considerable number of strikes out of the gate.
58. Lucas Giolito – Boy was that last start terrible. How did they leave him in to walk four in a row?! At the very least, he was okay until then and it’s another exception for the books.
59. Nestor Cortes – I don’t want to ignore the upside we’ve seen from Cortes in the past, especially now that he can get his feet planted in San Diego with a good team around him. I debated heavily if I wanted him at the end of Tier 8 or the start of Tier 10 and I don’t blame anyone wanting to chase someone else below.
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.
60. Casey Mize – He bounced back in his last one and this should be fine moving forward.
61. David Peterson – The WHIP is always in question but the Win chance is strong (usually).
62. Brayan Bello – He’s a high-end Toby who needs a few more strong outings to turn into a Holly. I love that he’s found his approach now and is in the “polishing” phase of his career.
63. Cade Horton – Horton has had some great matchups and taken advantage of them for a sparkling run, but the pitches themselves aren’t flashy enough, nor is the command precise enough to demand a rank inside the Top 50, while the three above in this tier have longer leashes and a bit longer track record.
64. Joey Cantillo – Boy do I love his changeup. I was terrified of his massive velocity dip previously and now I’m very much on board, even after a tepid start against the CrySox.
65. Justin Verlander – Verlander didn’t have his slider feel and it burned him against the Nationals. Maybe be careful against LHB-lineups? Otherwise, I see a better Verlander than his May/June self.
66. Chris Paddack – Paddack is very much like Mize with a touch lower of a floor. Good heater and split-change with a developing #3.
67. Drew Rasmussen – The guy is going five regularly with solid marks. That’s fine. I wonder where he’ll go in drafts for 2026 and what people will expect from him, volume-wise. More due to a shorter leash! Less because of injury history! If that’s the argument, I want him – higher production per start, to which he gets replaced on the IL vs. the same innings without the replacement of his current short leash.
68. Bailey Ober – He’s still not wielding the heater upstairs as he used to. That makes him okay.
69. Matthew Liberatore – He’ll get Rockie Road this week as he’s due for a little more volume after being limited heavily as of late.
70. Michael Wacha – Wacha is your textbook Toby with a good changeup and a variety of offerings to support it. Don’t hold on too tightly.
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?
71. Shane Baz – He feels so close and yet, he’s still hurting many teams. Part of me wants to be aggressive and throw him around #50, but the wise thing to do is wait for it to properly click. I’LL BE HERE WHEN IT DOES.
72. José Soriano – He’s a HIPSTER as you hope the sinker is thrown for strikes and batters aren’t ready for it. It’s always fun when the curve and slider help, too.
73. Quinn Priester – We just saw the humbling of Priester and you have to ask, is his “I didn’t do it” moment coming to an end?
74. Kevin Gausman – He has the splitter. He doesn’t have the splitter. It’s almost like it’s a volatile pitch. YOU’RE A VOLATILE PITCH.
75. Cade Cavalli – His return after one start in 2022 was awesome. 97-100 mph heaters early in the game with mid-to-upper 80s curveballs is HOT. He was a little wild, though, and I’m hoping it was just adrenaline while I’m crossing my figners we still get 85 mph curveballs and 96 mph heaters. This has Shag Rug written all over it.
76. Charlie Morton – The curveball is still cooking (save for the rare hanger) and ignore the ERA from last game. We’re still riding this Vargas Rule for a little longer.
77. Shohei Ohtani – It’s time to bring Ohtani back into the ranks following his four inning outing and seven strikeouts, even if he’s still under 60 pitches. He can’t be far now and this weighs the potential value to achieve in limited time vs. the production now from streamers.
Tier 11 – The Babbling Brooks
These are streaming options this week who could be off The List next week. I believe you’re better off streaming than hoarding low ceiling six-inning arms or deep fliers who don’t provide value now.
78. Jose Quintana – He gets the Pirates and he’s looking ready to steal six boring frames for you.
79. Joey Wentz – The extension and cutter is still there with a date against the Guardians circled in my calendars.
80. Jacob Lopez – He just peaked on Thursday, though he feasted on a high number of LHB arms. He may get more of them against the Rays this week, leading to more success.
81. Colin Rea – Rea has been a steady streamer and Pittsburgh makes him an easy play in lineups.
82. Michael McGreevy – It’s Rockie Road, though McGreevy will still need to rely on his defense (and Koufax) to come through.
83. J.T. Ginn – Ginn was awesome in his last outing, but it’s unclear how sustainable that command is.
84. Shane Smith – I dislike the matchup against the Tigers, though Smith’s skills are a bit better than most in this tier.
85. Jack Perkins – I wasn’t sold on Perkins previously, but the cutter has me raising an eyebrow. I’m super curious how this plays out against the Angels.
86. Hurston Waldrep – Same goes with Waldrep. That heater is too hittable, but the curve, splitter, and cutter have me intriguied. It looks like he’ll get at least one more start this week against the Guardians, and who knows, maybe he’s a hold past that (even though I doubt it with his questionable command).
87. Yusei Kikuchi – Kikuchi can give you strikeouts, but the ratio floor is a tough pill to swallow. I don’t know where to rank him, so he’s here inside the streamers.
88. Jason Alexander – George just looked like peak Keuchel against the Yankees with sinkers and changeups teasing swings just under the zone. I’m eager to see if he can replciate it against the Orioles and Angels this week.
89. Jeffrey Springs – We’ve seen our fair share of sunshine and rainbows from Springs. If you need a coin flip, he’ll do.
90. Troy Melton – This looks like a spot start for Melton against the White Sox as they wanted to give Skubal extra rest. Don’t expect a long leash, but he could take full advantage.
91. Mitch Keller – He heads to pitcher-friendly Milwaukee (great for strikeouts!) and if you’re in need of a QS, Keller can do that.
92. Chris Bassitt – Same with Bassitt, who can also give you a dub, but has been all over the place.
93. Logan Allen – He’ll get the Marlins this week and that’s…fine.
94. Tomoyuki Sugano – Sugano just had a great outing showcasing stellar command against both LHB and RHB. Maybe it’s worth a shot against the Mariners in Camden.
Tier 12 – Patience Is A Virtue Apparently
These arms have tested your patience. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do.
95. Eric Lauer – He’s a Vargas Rule that failed to dominate RHB with his heater over the weekend. The Rangers may be better, but I get the sense he’ll get replaced when Bieber returns instead of a six-man rotation. That is, Lauer will make it easy for the Jays to “Go in a different direction”.
96. Slade Cecconi – I’m not a fan, y’all. It’s just so…meh.
97. Adrian Houser – Houser couldn’t take advantage of @TEA (though it was a rough first and cruise control after) and I have to wonder how long his “breakout” campaign will last.
98. Clay Holmes – The Mets are limiting him inside starts a touch, while The Adobe doesn’t do a whole lot to justify the lower volume.
99. Zac Gallen – It’s possible the introduction of more sinkers will help Gallen plenty moving forward.
100. Tanner Bibee – He still gets whiffs, but the command is just so wonky. That’s what you said in 2023 and 2024 when you didn’t like him, yet he performed well. It’s why he’s still on The List, y’all.
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.
Anthony DeSclafani (ARI) – Arizona is going to go Dancing With The Disco, but it’s at 4:00am and the “disco” looks like a random 24 hour laundromat.
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) – He just struggled against the Rockies away from Coors and now he needs to go a mile higher? Naaaaah.
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – Like Pfaadt, it’s Coors this week and he’s not worth holding onto.
Luis Morales (ATH) – We saw him open and feature 97 mph velocity with a whole lot of chaos in under three frames. Let’s not.
Bryce Elder (ATL) – Absolutely not.
Carlos Carrasco (ATL) – Atlanta traded for him because what else are they going to do?
Erick Fedde (ATL) – Remember kids, Don’t Trust The Feddes. New team, same blegh experience!
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?
Cade Povich (BAL) – Povich has had two starts now and there are some lovely signs
Dean Kremer (BAL) – He’s back to the volitle stuff and I’d try something else.
Dustin May (BOS) – The Red Sox are pushing more cutters and trying to work on his command, which may actually work. That would be rad. Let’s see it work instead of assuming it will, yeah?
Kyle Harrison (BOS) – He was traded to the Red Sox 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.
Richard Fitts (BOS) – He was sent back down to the minors. Why can’t we have nice things?
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. Yes, I noticed he has a different windup (from the stretch now). I’m not sold yet.
Ben Brown (CHC) – The Cubs have still needed Brown in the rotation here and there and sadly his Huascar Rule breaking arsenal is not for me.
Tyler Alexander (CHW) – T-Lex doesn’t go long like his buddy the brontosaurus. Those don’t actually exist. YOU DON’T ACTUALLY EXIST.
Nick Lodolo (CIN) – He has a blister and it’s unclear if he’ll need an IL stint.
Nick Martinez (CIN) – He’s a questionable streamer when he gets the chance, nothing more.
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!
Zack Littell (CIN) – His Vargas Rule has come to an end. Probably.
Luis L. Ortiz (CLE) – MLB is investigating if he participated in sports betting and it’s unknown if he’ll return in the near future. Even if he does, his production is highly questionable.
Anthony Molina (COL) – You know the drill.
Antonio Senzatela (COL) – Senz-A does what Senz-A does.
Austin Gomber (COL) – Coors + 89 mph heaters = Nooooope.
Bradley Blalock (COL) – A BB in Coors? No thanks.
Carson Palmquist (COL) – Another Rockies arm who we don’t care for in fantasy because he’s on the Rockies.
Chase Dollander (COL) – Sent to the minors.
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.
Bailey Falter (KCR) – Falter hasn’t been traded to the Rays yet… he was traded to the Royals instead and started experimenting with the slider. Hmm…
Michael Lorenzen (KCR) – Lorenzen was placed on the IL with an oblique strain. I wonder if the Royals will have another SP solidified in his spot when he returns (probably not).
Ryan Bergert (KCR) – I really wanted to add Bergert to The List this week, but he’s likely out of the rotation now with Michael Lorenzen returning. Yeah. I KNOW.
Stephen Kolek (KCR) – He was traded to the Royals. This still ain’t it.
Colton Gordon (HOU) – Consider Gordon as a cheap Win arm, but he may be replaced soon with the trade deadline approaching.
Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) – Even if he gets a good matchup, you have no idea if he’ll be productive. The floor is just too terrible.
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) – Ah yes, a streamer without a good matchup this week.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) – Wasn’t that a fun duel with Scherzer? Welp, can’t trust the slider to carry the burden every start, you know? But he has a sub 3.50 ERA! I can’t buy it, alright? He’s the former TATIAGA! He gets the Padres now, that doesn’t seem fun at all. FINE.
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.
Janson Junk (MIA) – There’s a chance he can pull off his JunkBaller approach against HOU this week, but it’s probably not worth risking it.
Ryan Gusto (MIA) – Gusto has a touch of intrigue and if the Marlins were to give him runway, I’d consider him for a stream here and there. I don’t see a regular spot for him at the moment. Maybe over Quantrill…
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) – Sigh. I just can’t. I was hoping he would get traded and something would change but…we can’t.
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – If he’s returning from the IL this week, I’d have him the late 20s given the questions of his volume per start moving forward.
José Ureña (MIN) – If you start José, Ureña boatload of trouble.
Mick Abel (MIN) – The Twins traded for him and I assumed he’d take a starter spot right away. NOPE! CHUCK TESTA! I think he has legit skills and I just want him to get comfortable innings in 2025 so he has a clear spot heading into 2026.
Pierson Ohl (MIN) – He’s starting, no his he’s reliever, no he’s starting, no it doesn’t matter whichever he does for now.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – He’s dealing with a stomach bug and shouldn’t be considered when he returns.
Taj Bradley (MIN) – Traded to the Twins and still in the minors for now.
Frankie Montas Jr. (NYM) – A desperate streamer for a Win chance.
Aaron Nola (PHI) – Boy do I hope we see him return this week. He’d be around the 30s.
Andrew Painter (PHI) – He won’t be up until post-ASB. At least his last start was better than the previous disasters. You may want to stash him now…He’d be around #50 if he got the call today.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) – He’s in the bullpen now. FOR GOOD. Finally. Walker lone, Ranger starting. JUST KIDDING. He might get one more. AGAIN. He can’t keep getting away with it.
Andrew Heaney (PIT) – Heaney has his moments but save for starts against the weakest of teams, he’s not worth chasing – and it’s no lock he performs well there (the White Sox burned him, after all).
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – There is some fun here, but he’s not stretched out enough and I’m not ready to chase it.
Bubba Chandler (PIT) – Is now the time to start stashing Bubba? I’d say so. This should be the week he gets the call and given everything we’ve seen and read, he’ll be a Top 60ish starter with potential for much more.
Johan Oviedo (PIT) – He’s a Young Gun who we need to see more from before jumping in.
Mike Burrows (PIT) – Burrows has improved this season, but we’re not in a place to lean into him.
Logan Evans (SEA) – He’s in for Hancock and doesn’t do enough for us to chase.
Andre Pallante (STL) – He doesn’t do enough with a cut-fastball and unreliable breakers.
Miles Mikolas (STL) – Don’t walk Miles in his shoes.
JP Sears (SDP) – He’s on the Padres now and his first start wasn’t ideal, followed by a demotion to the minors. Yeah…
Carson Whisenhunt (SFG) – Whisenhunt is making his debut the night this is published and I have very low expectations, let alone the fact that we don’t start pitchers for MLB debuts.
Kai-Wei Teng (SFG) – We’ll see him until Landen Roupp returns and despite a fun set of secondaries last time, I’m not interested against the Padres.
Joe Boyle (TBR) – It’s really hard to believe he’s suddenly going to click.
Jack Leiter (TEX) – There’s too much still left to fix.
Jacob Latz (TEX) – I wonder if we’ll see more Latz in the second half. There’s a great fastball/change approach here if he can throw the latter for strikes.
Kumar Rocker (TEX) – He’s been relegated to the bullpen after deadline acquisitions.
Patrick Corbin (TEX) – Corbin is still a decent shot for 3 ER or fewer on a given night and that’s about all I can give him.
José Berríos (TOR) – It’s the Cubs now and is The Great Undulator really worth the stress?
Shane Bieber (TOR) – When he gets the pearl again, I’d have Bieber in the 40s and a possible quick jump if his secondaries are alive and the velocity is better than 91/92 mph.
Brad Lord (WSN) – You’ve forgotten who he is and that’s fine.
Jake Irvin (WSN) – He’s not in the groove you remember from last season.
Mitchell Parker (WSN) – Parker is leaning into his slider more often and maybe there’s something to that. I sure hope so.
| 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 | - |
| 4 | Paul Skenes | PIT | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 5 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 6 | Joe RyanT2 | MIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 7 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 8 | Bryan Woo | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | - |
| 9 | Tyler Glasnow | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 10 | Blake Snell | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +6 |
| 11 | Logan Gilbert | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +3 |
| 12 | Max Fried | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus Injury Risk | -2 |
| 13 | Nathan Eovaldi | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk | +6 |
| 14 | Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +4 |
| 15 | Framber Valdez | DET | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -2 |
| 16 | Hunter Brown | HOU | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | -5 |
| 17 | Robbie Ray | SF | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 18 | George KirbyT3 | SEA | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -1 |
| 19 | Brandon Woodruff | MIL | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +3 |
| 20 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Ace Potential Injury Risk | +1 |
| 21 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 22 | Hunter Greene | CIN | +UR | |
| 23 | Michael King | SD | +UR | |
| 24 | Carlos Rodón | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -9 |
| 25 | Logan Webb | SF | Ace Potential Quality Starts | +5 |
| 26 | Freddy Peralta | NYM | Ace Potential Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 27 | Nick PivettaT4 | SD | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 28 | Eury Pérez | MIA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 29 | Sonny Gray | BOS | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 30 | Dylan Cease | TOR | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -4 |
| 31 | Chase Burns | CIN | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +10 |
| 32 | Edward CabreraT5 | CHC | Holly Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 33 | Matthew Boyd | CHC | Holly Quality Starts | -4 |
| 34 | Trevor Rogers | BAL | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 35 | Andrew Abbott | CIN | Holly Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 36 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | Holly Quality Starts | -2 |
| 37 | Seth Lugo | KC | Holly Quality Starts | -6 |
| 38 | Noah Cameron | KC | Holly Quality Starts | -1 |
| 39 | MacKenzie GoreT6 | TEX | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 40 | Ryne Nelson | ARI | Cherry Bomb Ratio Focused | +8 |
| 41 | Spencer Strider | ATL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -13 |
| 42 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | - |
| 43 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +15 |
| 44 | Jack Flaherty | DET | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 45 | Ryan Pepiot | TB | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 46 | Sean Manaea | NYM | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -13 |
| 47 | Kodai Senga | NYM | Cherry Bomb Wins Bonus | -9 |
| 48 | Will Warren | NYY | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 49 | Zebby MatthewsT7 | MIN | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 50 | Max Scherzer | TOR | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 51 | Emmet Sheehan | LAD | Frizzle Wins Bonus | +4 |
| 52 | Spencer Arrighetti | HOU | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +10 |
| 53 | Cristian Javier | HOU | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +UR |
| 54 | Cam Schlittler | NYY | Cherry Bomb Frizzle Team Context Effect | -8 |
| 55 | Luis CastilloT8 | SEA | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -6 |
| 56 | Yu Darvish | SD | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -12 |
| 57 | Luis Gil | NYY | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +4 |
| 58 | Lucas Giolito | SD | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -11 |
| 59 | Nestor Cortes | SD | Cherry Bomb Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +7 |
| 60 | Casey MizeT9 | DET | Toby Wins Bonus | -8 |
| 61 | David Peterson | NYM | Toby Wins Bonus | -10 |
| 62 | Brayan Bello | BOS | Toby Wins Bonus | -12 |
| 63 | Cade Horton | CHC | Toby Wins Bonus | +4 |
| 64 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | Toby Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 65 | Justin Verlander | DET | Toby Wins Bonus | -11 |
| 66 | Chris Paddack | MIA | Toby Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 67 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | Toby Ratio Focused | +6 |
| 68 | Bailey Ober | MIN | Toby Quality Starts Injury Risk | +4 |
| 69 | Matthew Liberatore | STL | Toby Quality Starts | +1 |
| 70 | Michael Wacha | KC | Toby Quality Starts | +1 |
| 71 | Shane BazT10 | BAL | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -11 |
| 72 | José Soriano | LAA | Hipster Quality Starts | -13 |
| 73 | Quinn Priester | MIL | Hipster Vargas Rule Strikeout Upside | -20 |
| 74 | Kevin Gausman | TOR | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -10 |
| 75 | Cade Cavalli | WSH | Frizzle Stash Option | +1 |
| 76 | Charlie Morton | SD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +19 |
| 77 | Shohei Ohtani | LAD | +UR | |
| 78 | Jose QuintanaT11 | COL | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +10 |
| 79 | Joey Wentz | ATL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus Stash Option | +2 |
| 80 | Jacob Lopez | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +2 | |
| 81 | Colin Rea | CHC | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +5 |
| 82 | Michael McGreevy | STL | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 83 | J.T. Ginn | Streaming Option | +UR | |
| 84 | Shane Smith | CWS | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 85 | Jack Perkins | Streaming Option | +UR | |
| 86 | Hurston Waldrep | ATL | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 87 | Yusei Kikuchi | LAA | Hipster Streaming Option | -22 |
| 88 | Jason Alexander | HOU | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 89 | Jeffrey Springs | Streaming Option | +UR | |
| 90 | Troy Melton | DET | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 91 | Mitch Keller | PIT | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -13 |
| 92 | Chris Bassitt | BAL | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 93 | Logan Allen | LAD | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 94 | Tomoyuki Sugano | COL | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -4 |
| 95 | Eric LauerT12 | TOR | Vargas Rule Strikeout Upside | -21 |
| 96 | Slade Cecconi | CLE | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | -21 |
| 97 | Adrian Houser | SF | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | -4 |
| 98 | Clay Holmes | NYM | Hipster Wins Bonus | -4 |
| 99 | Zac Gallen | ARI | Hipster Quality Starts Stash Option | -1 |
| 100 | Tanner Bibee | CLE | Hipster Quality Starts | -4 |
Labels Legend
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
