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It’s time for regular updates to THE LIST, where I rank the best 100 starting pitchers in baseball every week.
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 (Wins, not QS). 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.
Before we begin, here is the Top 100 List table without scrolling for those with PL Pro:
With this update of The List coming the day of Opening Night, I’ve taken all of our injured compatriots and thrown them into a separate table. Injuries are so strange (especially in spring training) and instead of shoving them at random moments on The List, I’ve elected to throw all of them into one table here for you, the wise fantasy manager, to determine if they are worthwhile to stash on your teams or not.
It’s so hard to determine where injured arms should go, so I elected to merge the in-season List with the pre-draft rankings into one table that outlines the general area where they’d be ranked when at full strength.
I also get many questions about stashing minor league SPs and it’s not my best strength. I spend a ton of energy on SPs currently inside rotations that it’s difficult to stay on top of the budding minor league arms. That said, I have a very loose SP stash list, that is all about “If this guy were up right now, would he be an auto-add or a spec-add?”, with a sprinkle of favoring their ETA.
Treat it s a bonus table, not a proclamation of the future. It’s just a general idea and I’m sure I’m missing someone or may have one or two guys flipped in time. I have highlighted in green the guys I think who will be up before the ASB and make a solid impact:
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 HAVE MOVED IL ARMS OFF THE LIST. It’s the reason why a lot of arms have gone up.
- 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.
Injured Pitchers Removed From The List: None
Injured Pitchers Added To The List: None
Automatic Bump/Fall For Pitchers In The Top 60: (None)
Tier 1 – The True Aces
1. Paul Skenes (PIT) – He has a stupid low WHIP even including opening day.
2. Tarik Skubal (DET) – Skubal had himself a Careful, Icarus. It happens.
Tier 2 – AGA With Something To Prove
3. Bryan Woo (SEA) – Four HRs are not going to happen again. FOUR.
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – He’s still solid as any and I’m just sad it’s a six-man.
5. Max Fried (NYY) – You just saw the Fried we normally see around this time of year. Strap in.
6. Shohei Ohtani (LAD) – I know, you can’t believe in two-Ohtani leagues that you were able to get him so late.
7. Jacob deGrom (TEX) – He’s still really really good.
8. Garrett Crochet (BOS) – Things are better after pounding four-seamers all game. Not perfect, but we should be out of the woods here.
9. Chris Sale (ATL) – Yep, still a stud. Just stay healthy…
10. Cam Schlittler (NYY) – Schlittler is undeniably amazing. He’s pushing further into games, too.
11. Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) – The WHIP, y’all. It was my biggest concern entering the season and he’s returning to 2024 levels, and seeing a drop in velocity to 94 mph does him no favors.
12. Tyler Glasnow (LAD) – I’m so curious. If you didn’t draft Glasnow, which SP on your team would you trade away for him? If you drafted Glasnow, who would you trade him away for? The perception of Glasnow on April 27th vs. March 21st is staggering, even though not a whole lot as changed. Yes, he’s still likely to get hurt, but value now >>> value later.
13. Cole Ragans (KCR) – 27 whiffs with 18 on his four-seamer. I think he’s okay.
14. Logan Gilbert (SEA) – Gilbert has all the potential and is simply not putting it together as we want him to. I wonder if the AGA tag has to disappear in time…
15. Joe Ryan (MIN) – Yeah, that was a disaster in Citi Field. He’s earned a hand-wave there.
16. Nolan McLean (NYM) – He’s still fantastic, but could you do a little better against Rockie Road?
17. Shota Imanaga (CHC) – The Dodgers got to him and induced a sub 50% strike rate and single whiff four-seamer. That’s not the life he’ll live.
Tier 3 – So Dang Close To Greatness
18. George Kirby (SEA) – Maybe it’ll finally click and the sinker/slider/four-seamer will be the trio of domination they should be.
19. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – When Misiorowski can walk few batters on the regular, it’ll make it easy to schedule his AGA coronation day.
20. Chase Burns (CIN) – Burns, just do your thing for like two more starts.
21. Dylan Cease (TOR) – It’s Cease. Still a Cherry Bomb until he isn’t. That doesn’t make sense. You understand.
22. Zack Wheeler (PHI) – He’s back! And had his 2025 fastball for half the start! The heaters weren’t paired with the same command, yet, but it was still a productive outing. I wonder if he’ll stay planted here for a while as I wait for the four-seamer and sinker to take over outings with ease.
23. Freddy Peralta (NYM) – Peralta is fine. I’d be surprised if he took off to demand an AGA tag.
24. Kevin Gausman (TOR) – Gausman is too. He’ll have a few more days of volatility than others, but it’s overall solid.
25. Drew Rasmussen (TBR) – He’s kinda dope. I love the larger changeup emphasis that adds more strikeouts than before.
Tier 4 – Quality Volume Most Of The Time
26. Framber Valdez (DET) – He’s the same guy you know.
27. Jesús Luzardo (PHI) – The luck hasn’t been in Luzardo’s favor, yet the stuff is still elite.
28. Robbie Ray (SFG) – Ray is what he is. A little worse WHIP and a touch less efficient than you want, but solid.
29. Logan Webb (SFG) – Expect a far better version of Webb for the next five months. He’s still a great arm and the balls won’t bounce so terribly forever.
30. José Soriano (LAA) – I look at everyone above him and it’s impossible for me to push up Soriano with his terrible WHIP history above everyone else after just four weeks. I can’t. There are too many red flags that outline regression here.
31. Brandon Woodruff (MIL) – He’s throwing 92/93 mph fastballs with his solid cutter. It’s Woody.
32. Michael King (SDP) – King looked great in Mexico City and he’s striking out a ton. It’s all going in the right direction.
Tier 5 – It’s Worth It In The End
33. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – It’s been an incredibly shocking season thus far and watching him pitch, I don’t see a whole lot of change vs. last year. I’m holding strong.
34. Trevor Rogers (BAL) – If you watched his games, you’ll know that Rogers has pitched well. These things happen. Hold tight.
35. Eury Pérez (MIA) – Pérez is making me more and more nervous that he won’t be able to develop the ability to locate his four-seamer anywhere but down the pipe, while the secondaries are hit-or-miss. With each week he fails to display it, I have to move him slightly more down the ranks.
36. MacKenzie Gore (TEX) – Gore’s four-seamer is stellar and the new environment outlines a better path toward reaching his potential.
37. Kyle Bradish (BAL) – Lower him if you’d like, I look at the start of the season and see an arm who is walking more batters than before and still armed with the elite stuff of old. I’m not ready to throw away last year + the massive leap forward in the year before TJS just because of a slow start.
Tier 5.5 – The Pitcher List Hall Of Famers
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Tier 6 – Is There More Or Is This It?
38. Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – He’s making it work. The curveball is my favorite pitch in his arsenal and seeing him embrace it more has me more optimistic than ever. I just wish the fastballs were a little better…
39. Connelly Early (BOS) – Early is a command pitcher with a wide arsenal and more whiffability than the strikeout rate would suggest. Expect him to blossom this spring.
40. Gavin Williams (CLE) – What are we going to get out of you? Who knows. At the end of the day, I’ll say what I always say about Williams: You’re gonna like, but you’re not gonna like it.
41. Emerson Hancock (SEA) – We just saw his first start without a feel for his four-seamer or sweeper, and he adapted with sinkers and changeups well enough to hold off the Cardinals for 2 ER in six frames. It wasn’t pretty, but that’s an impressive floor.
42. Parker Messick (CLE) – Messick is putting on a show as I type this. I haven’t jumped into that one yet, but I imagine it’ll be more four-seamers up/changeups down with shockingly great command for his resume.
43. Will Warren (NYY) – He’s consistently going long enough for Wins and is rather safe inside the Yankee rotation. I may be slightly too high, though I wanted to weigh the potential for more in these ranks.
44. Landen Roupp (SFG) – Roupp is feeling it. The pitch separation is there, the schedule is opening up, and I’m stoked. I’m excited to see how the next month plays out.
45. Shane McClanahan (TBR) – After a few outings without a good changeup, he finally returned 60%+ strikes on the slowball and did a phenomenal job. I’m willing to wager that’s more of what we’ll get moving forward.
46. Randy Vásquez (SDP) – Looking for a good floor? Vásquez is your guy. The added velocity hasn’t fallen as it looks to be a product of the weight room, not momentary max effort.
47. Michael Soroka (ARI) – His command is here. The four-seamer/cutter are up-and-in to LHB with curves + changeups down-and-away, and I found it hard to put him behind bigger names given his results have been deserved. He’s pitching so well.
48. Sandy Alcantara (MIA) – Sandy…isn’t. He had those two stellar outings akin to his Cy Young self, but they were against poor offenses and his last three starts have left a lot to be desired. The changeup isn’t taking over in the way that I need to see from him.
49. Kris Bubic (KCR) – Bubic has given us moments of his high heater excellence, but I feel stuck in purgatory trying to determine how he’ll perform tomorrow. The ceiling is still there at 92 mph fastballs.
Tier 7 – “Take Chances, Make Mistakes, Get Messy!”
50. Connor Prielipp (MIN) – You may be shocked to see Prielipp favored among all these youngs arms and if you watched my Twitch stream, you would have seen me stare at these names from 45-65 for 20 minutes or more, trying to rank these. Just go with your gut – it’s why it’s a tier – and with Prielipp, I see a well-rounded southpaw at 95/96 mph who had absurd BSB command to RHB with heater/slider + didn’t even have his best changeup or curve. There’s more legs here than the high risk/reward of the other prospects.
51. Noah Schultz (CHW) – Schultz is less of the stupid good ceiling and more of the “hey, I’m hard to hit and should be solid” camp. I’d keep rolling him out there and hoping the changeup can appear frequently.
52. Payton Tolle (BOS) – That was one AWESOME outing against the Yankees, but he has a history of volatility and that start was no exception. I don’t feel he can spot his fastballs at will, nor does he feel confident in the rest of his arsenal to come through when needed. And yet, THAT WAS AWESOME. It’s an elite heater and if we do see 65-70% strikes in the upper half, he’ll be great. I just remember his first stellar start last year only to become highly inefficient in the next two.
53. Ryan Weathers (NYY) – Weathers has done a far better job earning strikes on the changeup, and it makes him highly effective, even with the lower velocity. I wonder if it’s a decision to reduce his max-effort more often.
54. Chase Dollander (COL) – This is wild. I can’t recall the last time I ranked a Colorado pitcher so high (Freeland? Márquez? Back in 2019?!), but Dollander deserves it. He’s upped his four-seamer velocity and displayed consistent ability to land it upstairs with an elite HAVAA. This is real, I just wish he didn’t have Coors for half his games.
55. Kyle Harrison (MIL) – Harrison was stupid good over the weekend, but how repeatable is it? Can he really locate his changeup and curve that well? At the very least, he’s shown he can constantly land the flat four-seamer at 94/95 mph upstairs, providing a higher floor than in the past.
56. Bubba Chandler (PIT) – I know. I KNOW. He looked so bad in that Texas start and he has to resist overthrowing so dang much. Thing is, Bubba wasn’t this inefficient pitcher in relief last year, nor was he in the minors before the second half mental whatnot that saw his numbers tank. I refuse to believe Bubba is simply a wild pitcher and won’t improve this year. The obvious question: How long do I hold for that to happen? I don’t know. It’s truly up to you.
57. Emmet Sheehan (LAD) – Sheehan barely hit 96 mph in his last start, but the slider was so much better than we’ve seen in earlier outings. He can absolutely be productive if he has that slider feel consistently, though I am worried about the velocity dip that lowers the high ceiling that made us giddy.
Tier 8 – The Banisters Before The Cliff
58. Reid Detmers (LAA) – He’s performing well with four-seamer, slider, and change, and if not for a dumb sixth inning in rainy conditions, Detmers would have had a smooth outing over the weekend. I question the longevity of his slider feel and ability to keep batters of his heater (we’ve seen three seasons of Detmers as a starter losing his slider in May/June), but I won’t deny his effectiveness thus far.
59. Matthew Boyd (CHC) – I love seeing Boyd back from the IL and he should be a safe play moving forward. Don’t expect 20 whiffs per game, of course.
60. Edward Cabrera (CHC) – I wish I had more faith in Cabrera to throw sinkers far more than four-seamers. I also wish I could believe he’d have the same skillset in the majority of his starts. At the same time, he was cruising against the Phillies before a laborious seventh frame and there’s a great case for him to be in Tier 6. Blame the ridiculous week of prospect growth for this rank. The quality of the SP pool has gotten a lot better.
61. Ryne Nelson (ARI) – And a lot worse…? Y’all are going to yell at me about this, aren’t you. Well stop that, it’s not productive. Why do I like Nelson? Because his last week was: One of the most ridiculous displays of poor BABIP luck with eight hits in one out, and a game in Mexico City where he, expectedly, allowed 2 HR that cost him 5 ER. That’s it. That’s the only issue with Nelson – two highly abnormal games. His four-seamer is still elite, he’s improved his secondaries, and he has a whole lot of runway in Arizona. I’m holding.
62. Spencer Strider (ATL) – I’m electing to rank Strider and Yesavage this week even if they are both not 100% confirmed to start at the time of writing. I know Strider has had great box score results during his rehab, but until I see him sit 97 mph and flirt with 100 + legit vert on the four-seamer, then he’s not the old Strider. But he can still be good as the new Strider! Maybe. That’s yet to be seen, especially after years of chucking over the plate with lots of hard contact, mitigated by the elite strikeout rate.
63. Trey Yesavage (TOR) – I’m not so confident Yesavage will be the man we want him to be when he returns to the bump, and I heavily suggest he’s a Still ILL. If it’s the guy we saw in the fall, then I’ll expect a discount Gausman.
64. Brandon Sproat (MIL) – Outside of the first two games to get his feet wet, Sproat has been good. Not amazing, but moving in the right direction. I still think he’s capable of a lot more and I dig his ability to go six innings each time out.
65. Tyler Mahle (SFG) – IT’S TIME. Mahle has been 93+ mph on his four-seamer in two straight starts, just took down the Dodgers, and now has a much easier schedule. The Phillies are kinda good, though. Sure, but it’s still so much better now. Grab Mahle and I don’t think you’ll let go for a while.
Tier 9 – Fine, You Need Some Innings
66. Michael Wacha (KCR) – You may believe the end of the Vargas Rule arrived last time out, but then you realize he was cruising until struck by a Careful, Icarus. I’m still interested.
67. Ranger Suarez (BOS) – Suarez isn’t quite in his classic rhythm yet and it may take another few starts to get there. He’s taking steps forward, though.
68. Seth Lugo (KCR) – What a horrendous day of getting Singled Out. It was also terrible weather by the end, but his curveball velocity was already dipping by then and I am more worried than I usually am at an obvious outlier start. He’s clearly worth the mulligan for now after such a great start to the year.
69. JR Ritchie (ATL) – He’s sticking around in Atlanta and despite my heavy skepticism surrounding his stuff, if he has the command we saw last time out, then it’s possible he can be a solid Toby. I’m curious where it leads.
70. Joey Cantillo (CLE) – Will he have his best changeup and decent enough four-seamer command? Who’s to say?
71. Peter Lambert (HOU) – Lambert has been fantastic for a pair of starts to kick off his tenure with the Astros and while I’m worried what we’ll see against RHB moving forward, it’s hard not to love his four-seamer + cutter + change approach to LHB. This could be a pickup that sticks for a while.
72. Max Meyer (MIA) – You’d think I’d be more in on Meyer, but I simply hate his heaters. The slider and sweeper are fun, sure, but Meyer can’t find a way to take over a game with the pair, leading to too much inefficiency for my taste. At the same time, the strikeout upside is oh-so-fun.
73. Justin Wrobleski (LAD) – I feel like I got the right answer pushing Wrobo Cop in the pre-season with the wrong equation. I like him because he was 96+ mph with a wide arsenal last season. What we’ve gotten now is a 6% SwStr rate with a 94 mph four-seamer and decent slider…and not much else. This is not sustainable. At all.
74. Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) – The Pasta Pirate is a Cherry Bomb type who is more dependent on his ability to execute his stuff than the opponent in front of him – such as the Yankees over the weekend. He’s a gamble each time out, but if he continues to feature an excellent feel for the yacker, then I’ll become an advocate.
Tier 10 – You Could Do Worse For Now
75. Noah Cameron (KCR) – You know, his velocity has been up for the last two starts. JUST SAYIN’. I think you’re going to see a turn-around in the next few weeks, though I don’t see a need to chase it right now vs. all the fun youngin’s with a higher immediate upside.
76. Merrill Kelly (ARI) – Yeah, the first two starts weren’t fun at all. He’s still the same stuff guy, though, and he should be a fine Toby moving forward.
77. Steven Matz (TBR) – He’s still good in teh short term, but only when the matchups are in his favor.
78. Shane Baz (BAL) – Why go for Baz when he hasn’t displayed a step forward with his four-seamer or slider/cutter?
79. Clay Holmes (NYM) – He’s become a true sinkerballer and while that can be great for efficient games, it can be a disaster for your WHIP more times than you’d like.
80. Foster Griffin (WSH) – What an awesome run he’s had with a wide arsenal at 91/92 mph. He’s not quite a SWATCH given his low reliance on changeups and splitters, and I’d consider it a streamer against mid teams or a Vargas Rule at best.
81. Davis Martin (CHW) – Speaking of a Vargas Rule, Davis has been shockingly good out of the gate and has a decent schedule ahead.
Tier 11 – Six Innings Often, But At What Cost?
82. Aaron Nola (PHI) – Nola’s curve is still elite. His four-seamer and sinker command are not. I don’t see the reason to chase it over the arms above.
83. Luis Severino (ATH) – If Severino didn’t pitch his home games in Sacré Verde, I’d be at least two tiers higher on him.
84. Luis Castillo (SEA) – Ask yourself, what do you truly expect from Castillo on a given night? His four-seamer is worse and the secondaries are a shadow of their former selves.
85. Tanner Bibee (CLE) – He can go six frames with a strikeout per inning, but not even he knows what will work each night.
86. Jack Leiter (TEX) – The purest HIPSTER there is. The stuff is stellar and it’s hard to resist, but the execution, oh, the EXECUTION!
87. Taj Bradley (MIN) – It was a fun ride until the command fully evaporated. I’m leaving him on for one more week just in case he finds it again. I doubt it.
Tier 12 – Good Enough? Maybe?
88. Mitch Keller (PIT) – He gets to stroll down the Reds Carpet this week and Keller is…fine. He did improve his slider last time out though. I wonder if that sticks.
89. Cade Cavalli (WSH) – I’m not sold that Cavalli can fan as many as he did last time out, but at least he gets to feast on the sad morale surrounding the Mets.
90. Bryce Elder (ATL) – Elder has been an absurd surprise thus far. Is he really going to be productive against the Tigers offense?
91. Andrew Painter (PHI) – Yeah, I know. Painter should be dropped in many places. I also recognize that he could throw enough quality strikes to go six against the Giants.
92. Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – He’ll get the Brewers and hopefully the changeup is at its best.
93. Casey Mize (DET) – I absolutely love that Mize threw 70% strikes on 27 sliders in his last start. It’s too bad he gets Atlanta up next.
94. Dustin May (STL) – May’s first two games were terrible and he’s been a lot better since. Not striking out nearly as many as the velocity suggests, but there is a Toby in here and the Pirates are first up this week. Ignore this for the Dodgers after…
95. Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) – Jackie K gets the CrySox and Mets this week. The improved velocity and overall stuff makes him a decent play, even if I worry about the questionable whiffability and the poor defense behind him.
96. Carmen Mlodzinski (PIT) – If he gets opened for, there’s a solid chance for a dub against the Reds Carpet. After all, he pitched three great innings before a diastreous fourth. Throw more curveballs dangit.
97. Rhett Lowder (CIN) – He’s fine. It’s the Pirates. Maybe the slider will be a whiff machine again?
98. Jesse Scholtens (TBR) – He’ll get the Giants and could steal a Win if opened for again.
99. Nick Martinez (TBR) – Martinez had his changeup working last start and now gets the LHB-heavy Guardians. It could work.
100. Hunter Dobbins (STL) – Ayyyyy, he’s okay! I wonder how this one goes. I don’t expect much, but he had overall decent stuff when we saw him last year. Could arguably be the best pitcher on the Cardinals the moment he arrives…which isn’t saying a whole lot.
Wait. You forgot [THIS PITCHER]!
You should be able to find them below, but there are rare times that I removed a pitcher from The List and their name somehow got lost in the shuffle. If there is a super-obvious name that is somehow missing, you better believe it was in error. Simply let me know if I goofed, and I’ll make a swift update.
The following pitchers are sorted not by rank, but by team. I have written a small note on every arm who is currently inside a rotation – if they are not in a rotation, they are ineligible for The List.
Honorable Mentions
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) – He’s doing a lot of the right things to LHB, but it’s still not quite working. I don’t feel incentivized to chase this. The Diamondbacks didn’t either, as he was removed for Kelly, not Soroka. Welp, see ya later.
Zac Gallen (ARI) – It’s a tough schedule + the shoulder contusion may mess him up a little more. You might as well just wait until Gallen stands up straight and you can’t help but gravitate to him.
Aaron Civale (ATH) – When is the last time you’ve actually been able to trust Civale? I did after his three starts and got burned. Do we have to update the sign? Zero days…
J.T. Ginn (ATH) – He’s dealing with arm soreness and left his game early over the weekend. Womp womp.
Jack Perkins (ATH) – He piggybacked with Ginn and I simply don’t see enough in the arsenal to give it a whirl if he ever does get a proper rotation spot.
Jacob Lopez (ATH) – I’m not in on Lopez until I see a fun K/BB game from him.
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) – We haven’t seen a four-seamer worthy of Sunshine and Rainbows for three starts.
Didier Fuentes (ATL) – We saw him for one start, then he went back to the minors as Ritchie swooped in. The four-seamer has lots of potential, while the slider can be a solid #2, but isn’t incredibly special. This will be a “Hipster” who hopefully turns into a Cherry Bomb whenever he returns this year.
Grant Holmes (ATL) – He’s not going long and he hasn’t broken the Huascar Rule. Not worth it.
Martín Pérez (ATL) – Hey. You. Why are you doing this to yourself. He was DFA’d, you know. And he came back! For six shutout frames! Very true. And who knows how much longer that will go on for?
Brandon Young (BAL) – He’s stepping in for a hurt Dean Kremer and there may be a touch of 15-team value here. I don’t like his arsenal enough to chase in 12-teamers.
Cade Povich (BAL) – Povich’s first proper outing was a success, but it wasn’t the most believable outing, even at 17 whiffs. He’s back in Triple-A now, so let’s just end this discussion here.
Chris Bassitt (BAL) – Maybe this is too low for an arm who has a shot to six frames for a winning team, but then again, Bassitt is so boring.
Brayan Bello (BOS) – You just saw how bad it was. If dropped in your deeper formats, he’s a decent add, but there’s no reason to chase it now.
Colin Rea (CHC) – With Horton out, Rea is in, and he’ll be a streaming option when the schedule eases up.
Jameson Taillon (CHC) – As much as I want to believe in Taillon, he still carries the floor of disaster frames that make it hard to trust for a full outing.
Anthony Kay (CHW) – As much as I see the path toward legitimacy from Kay, he hasn’t found the consistency yet. He’s walked too many and failed to nail the approach that should work when executed.
Erick Fedde (CHW) – Oh, we’re back with the White Sox again? What’s your agenda?!
Grant Taylor (CHW) – He’s an opener. But what if he actually started. He’d be dope. But he isn’t. He’s a reliever. BUT– HE’S NOT STARTING. But you put out that tweet—He’s likely going to ramp up to something around three frames, that’s it. Oh. Yeah. I’m disappointed, too.
Sean Burke (CHW) – Burke isn’t at 96 mph anymore, nor is he killing it with his secondaries. I wish I could buy into his recent moments of success. Womp womp.
Shane Smith (CHW) – After an eight strikeout game across just eleven outs, Smith was demoted. Their opening day starter. Demoted.
Andrew Abbott (CIN) – This is getting so hard to watch. It’s the worst month we’ve seen from Abbott as he’s struggling to find a consistent rhythm executing his pitches.
Brady Singer (CIN) – He gave us a VPQS against a poor Marlins crew. Ehhhhhhh.
Brandon Williamson (CIN) – I can see the world of Williamson being a solid SWATCH with his cutter and change. We’re not there yet.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) – Sorry Slade Brigade, I just can’t keep paying the weekly dues.
Jose Quintana (COL) – He’s in Colorado now, and has the rare moments of being a solid streamer when on the road. Rare.
Kyle Freeland (COL) – Same ole, same ole.
Michael Lorenzen (COL) – You can’t do anything, even with all of your strength.
Ryan Feltner (COL) – This ain’t it.
Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) – I’m just happy he gets regular starts. There’s a touch of value on the road.
Jack Flaherty (DET) – I was hoping to see something new to get me interested in Flaherty again. While he did have more velocity before the Boston start, it’s just not enough.
Justin Verlander (DET) – Close to making The List and he could settle in as a Toby…when returning from his hip injury.
Keider Montero (DET) – Verlander went down, and Montero stepped in. The exciting fastball from the spring has vanished.
Cody Bolton (HOU) – I don’t think he’s pitching again after walking three to start the second before getting the hook + back problems.
Colton Gordon (HOU) – He couldn’t handle Rockie Road and now he’s back to the pen.
Kai-Wei Teng (HOU) – Naaaaaah. The breakers can be cool, but it’s really not it, let alone the major question of his length.
Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) – There’s always a chance he has one of those fun games, but hot dang, the floor is so rough.
J.P. France (HOU) – BONJOUR. Oh hey, France. I said BON-JOUR. Not now, I’ll greet you when you show me something on the bump, on a team. Somewhere. D’accord.
Mike Burrows (HOU) – As much as I want to believe that Burrows will be more like the 4.2 innings of perfection and not the five baserunners that followed, he gets a terrible schedule ahead. Just wait and see.
Ryan Weiss (HOU) – He’s not nearly efficient enough to get a roster spot on your squads.
Walbert Ureña (LAA) – As much as I want this to work out, his command is simply too poor to trust regularly + I don’t trust the Angels’ defense.
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) – Kikuchi’s slider is still cool, but nothing else is there. Incredibly volatile, to the point that he reverted back to his old arm angle in his last start and barely touched his slider. You simply don’t know what he’ll do. But the new arm angle! Yeah, it could stick. Or not. And will the slider return? WHO KNOWS.
Roki Sasaki (LAD) – Until he has a proper mix, I’m very out on Sasaki. I dig the harder splitter, but can you give us one great outing first?
Chris Paddack (MIA) – The upside is too limited and now he’s sitting 92/93 mph. No thanks.
Chad Patrick (MIL) – He only tossed three frames in one game, then 6.2 in his most recent. That’s good! That’s maddening, let alone the questions I have about his quality.
Bailey Ober (MIN) – He’s sub 89 mph lol.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – SWR was a wild card entering the year and after an unimpressive spring, it’s best to wait and see.
Christian Scott (NYM) – There’s a chance he gets a call soon as the Mets get more and more desperate to fix their situation. But he was so bad last week. I know. He’s obviously not that every time.
David Peterson (NYM) – He’s a Toby at best. I don’t trust him.
Janson Junk (MIA) – I’m so sad this is where we are. He’ll get the Dodgers this week = not the time to hold on + he hasn’t displayed the ability to locate where he needs to for his legit stuff to excel.
Kodai Senga (NYM) – I gave him an honest try. Rockie Road should be better. It wasn’t. How can we hold him after that?!
Tobias Myers (NYM) – He’s just an opener, y’all. Not stretched out at all.
Ryan Yarbrough (NYY) – If the Yankees need another arm before Carlos Rodón returns, it may be the Fratty Pirate in a bullpen game.
Luis Gil (NYY) – He’s the same chaotic arm we remember and now he’s in the pen. Womp womp.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) – He’s still here and it’s kinda wild – even without his cutter leading the way in the spring despite it carrying him last season. Update: He gone.
Wilber Dotel (PIT) – He’s the follower with Ashcraft on the bereavement list. This ain’t it.
Germán Márquez (SDP) – He has those days with a good curve and I’m happy for him. I can’t risk it on a given day.
Lucas Giolito (SDP) – The Padres signed Giolito as we wait to see when he makes his first start. He spoke in an interview that he’s been training to be ready whenever the call comes, though we have no idea what the quality will be. Remember, he had elbow problems last fall.
Matt Waldron (SDP) – Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer.
Walker Buehler (SDP) – I’m not buying that the Padres fixed him.
Adrian Houser (SFG) – A 15-teamer Toby when the schedule opens up. Borderline for The List when he gets a team like the Marlins. Wait, maybe not the Marlins…
Andre Pallante (STL) – Hopefully the cut four-seamer is jamming LHB and the sinker/slider does the trick…?
Kyle Leahy (STL) – I wanted to keep him on The List, but I don’t see the value proposition being in your favor yet. His 7.2 feet of extension and 90 mph cutter are fun, but the command is not. I can see him blossoming in May/June.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) – I have yet to see a game where Liberatore has his full arsenal cooking, which isn’t as spectacular as his SWATCH peers. He has the leash for six frames, and I’m only considering him in the easiest of matchups for now.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – I know, he got great results! He also did it with a two-tick lower velocity. Oh dang. Not something to believe in.
Jacob Latz (TEX) – He stepped in for deGrom over the weekend once, and now he’s back to the pen.
Kumar Rocker (TEX) – Rocker has gone slider-heavy (not cutter heavy) and I have no idea what we’ll see next. My closest comp for him is Márquez. Blegh.
Eric Lauer (TOR) – He just returned 17 whiffs against the Athletics and I was in shock. His fastball is not this good, and it was even worse in Chicago, sitting three ticks down at 88 mph. Nooooope.
Max Scherzer (TOR) – I can see Scherzer actually performing well in his next start or two, but he just got demolished by the Twins. Can’t go for that.
Patrick Corbin (TOR) – No, this is not the time to restart your PC. You can’t make that joke everytime. YES I CAN.
Jake Irvin (WSN) – He’s had a good start or two and I’m not ready to believe he’s going to soar for the next few weeks.
Miles Mikolas (WSN) – You actually CTRL-F’d Mikolas?!
Zack Littell (WSN) – I wonder how stretched out he is and how close he is to his peak. I think he got away with a whole lot last season and his new team context only hurts.
Good luck everyone!
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul SkenesT1 | PIT | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | DET | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 3 | Bryan WooT2 | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | - |
| 4 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 5 | Max Fried | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 6 | Shohei Ohtani | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 7 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +1 |
| 8 | Garrett Crochet | BOS | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 9 | Chris Sale | ATL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +1 |
| 10 | Cam Schlittler | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 11 | Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -6 |
| 12 | Tyler Glasnow | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 13 | Cole Ragans | KC | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +4 |
| 14 | Logan Gilbert | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -5 |
| 15 | Joe Ryan | MIN | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -1 |
| 16 | Nolan McLean | NYM | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 17 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 18 | George KirbyT3 | SEA | Ace Potential Quality Starts Injury Risk | - |
| 19 | Jacob Misiorowski | MIL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 20 | Chase Burns | CIN | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | - |
| 21 | Dylan Cease | TOR | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 22 | Zack Wheeler | PHI | Ace Potential Ratio Focused Stash Option Injury Risk | +6 |
| 23 | Freddy Peralta | NYM | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | -2 |
| 24 | Kevin Gausman | TOR | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -1 |
| 25 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | Ace Potential Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 26 | Framber ValdezT4 | DET | Holly Quality Starts | -1 |
| 27 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Holly Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 28 | Robbie Ray | SF | Holly Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 29 | Logan Webb | SF | Holly Quality Starts | +6 |
| 30 | José Soriano | LAA | Holly Strikeout Upside | +11 |
| 31 | Brandon Woodruff | MIL | Holly Strikeout Upside Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +3 |
| 32 | Michael King | SD | Holly Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 33 | Nathan EovaldiT5 | TEX | Holly Quality Starts | -11 |
| 34 | Trevor Rogers | BAL | Holly Quality Starts | -8 |
| 35 | Eury Pérez | MIA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 36 | MacKenzie Gore | TEX | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 37 | Kyle Bradish | BAL | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts Strikeout Upside | -7 |
| 38 | Braxton AshcraftT6 | PIT | Holly Ratio Focused | +9 |
| 39 | Connelly Early | BOS | Holly Ratio Focused | +1 |
| 40 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -4 |
| 41 | Emerson Hancock | SEA | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 42 | Parker Messick | CLE | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 43 | Will Warren | NYY | Holly Wins Bonus | +3 |
| 44 | Landen Roupp | SF | Holly Quality Starts | +14 |
| 45 | Shane McClanahan | TB | Holly Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +5 |
| 46 | Randy Vásquez | SD | Holly Wins Bonus | +8 |
| 47 | Michael Soroka | ARI | Holly Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 48 | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -10 |
| 49 | Kris Bubic | KC | Holly Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -5 |
| 50 | Connor PrielippT7 | MIN | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Stash Option | +30 |
| 51 | Noah Schultz | CWS | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 52 | Payton Tolle | BOS | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +29 |
| 53 | Ryan Weathers | NYY | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -5 |
| 54 | Chase Dollander | COL | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +29 |
| 55 | Kyle Harrison | MIL | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +10 |
| 56 | Bubba Chandler | PIT | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | -23 |
| 57 | Emmet Sheehan | LAD | Frizzle Quality Starts Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +9 |
| 58 | Reid Detmers | LAA | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 59 | Matthew BoydT8 | CHC | Holly Wins Bonus Injury Risk | -7 |
| 60 | Edward Cabrera | CHC | Holly Wins Bonus | -9 |
| 61 | Ryne Nelson | ARI | Holly Wins Bonus | -16 |
| 62 | Spencer Strider | ATL | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +UR |
| 63 | Trey Yesavage | TOR | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +UR |
| 64 | Brandon Sproat | MIL | Toby Wins Bonus | - |
| 65 | Tyler Mahle | SF | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 66 | Michael WachaT9 | KC | Toby Strikeout Upside | -7 |
| 67 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | Toby Quality Starts | -10 |
| 68 | Seth Lugo | KC | Toby Quality Starts | +9 |
| 69 | JR Ritchie | ATL | Frizzle Quality Starts | +UR |
| 70 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -9 |
| 71 | Peter Lambert | HOU | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +11 |
| 72 | Max Meyer | MIA | Hipster Strikeout Upside | - |
| 73 | Justin Wrobleski | LAD | Vargas Rule Team Context Effect | -2 |
| 74 | Spencer Arrighetti | HOU | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 75 | Noah CameronT10 | KC | Toby Quality Starts | -1 |
| 76 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | Toby Quality Starts | -21 |
| 77 | Steven Matz | TB | Toby Ratio Focused | -17 |
| 78 | Shane Baz | BAL | Toby Wins Bonus Team Context Effect | -15 |
| 79 | Clay Holmes | NYM | Toby Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 80 | Foster Griffin | WSH | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +13 |
| 81 | Davis Martin | CWS | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +13 |
| 82 | Aaron NolaT11 | PHI | Toby Hipster Quality Starts | -29 |
| 83 | Luis Severino | Toby Hipster Strikeout Upside | +2 | |
| 84 | Luis Castillo | SEA | Hipster Quality Starts | +4 |
| 85 | Tanner Bibee | CLE | Hipster Quality Starts | +4 |
| 86 | Jack Leiter | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -16 |
| 87 | Taj Bradley | MIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -19 |
| 88 | Mitch KellerT12 | PIT | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 89 | Cade Cavalli | WSH | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 90 | Bryce Elder | ATL | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +10 |
| 91 | Andrew Painter | PHI | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -18 |
| 92 | Eduardo Rodriguez | ARI | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -5 |
| 93 | Casey Mize | DET | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 94 | Dustin May | STL | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +2 |
| 95 | Jack Kochanowicz | LAA | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 96 | Carmen Mlodzinski | PIT | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 97 | Rhett Lowder | CIN | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +2 |
| 98 | Jesse Scholtens | TB | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -1 |
| 99 | Nick Martinez | TB | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 100 | Hunter Dobbins | STL | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
Labels Legend
Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
