Have questions? My “office hours” are on Twitch 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday – Friday + the aforementioned stream of The List.
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:
Per usual, I’ve taken all of our injured compatriots and thrown them into a separate table. 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 their value on your IL or bench.
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: Eury Pérez (58)
Injured Pitchers Added To The List: None
Automatic Bump/Fall For Pitchers In The Top 60: (+1 Spots)
Tier 1 – Luke, We’ve Got Company
1. Paul Skenes (PIT) – Aces gonna hold onto the top spot again. He’s still so good.
2. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – What a month, eh? As much as I’d want to put him #1, Jay Mis doesn’t have a full season of this under his belt.
3. Chris Sale (ATL) – No reason to move him after this week.
4. Cam Schlittler (NYY) – Yep, still sturdy n all. A touch safer than Sánchez in the Win and ratio department.
5. Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) – How could I possibly have him under Schlittler after his past month?! Because it was historic. What, you think he’s going to have a historic month again?
Tier 2 – The Aces
6. Chase Burns (CIN) – He was scratched today due to an illness. Not cool, Burns. Don’t you want to reach into the top tier?
7. Jacob deGrom (TEX) – He’s allowed seven HRs across his last three games and I still believe. 1.01 WHIP with a 30% strikeout rate is oh-so-pretty.
8. Shohei Ohtani (LAD) – Shohei is absolutely unreal. Too bad it’ll never be twice in one week.
9. Bryan Woo (SEA) – It was business as usual over the weekend for Woo. Don’t undervalue the 0.96 WHIP he’s recorded this season. Fun fact: Woo has allowed 6 HRs this year – all contained within his two worst games at the end of April.
10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – He’s throwing high four-seamers these days. And guess what? He returned 30% SwStr on them in his last start. THANK YOU.
11. Zack Wheeler (PHI) – Four solo shots against the Dodgers is cruel. He’s at 95/96 mph and that’s all that really matters when looking ahead.
12. Joe Ryan (MIN) – 95 mph with his best breakers of the year?! (Maybe his career?!). Please do it again, Joe. PLEASE.
13. Gerrit Cole (NYY) – He’s earned the AGA label after two starts. Why? Did you see his last game?! Dude was angry.
Tier 3 – You’re Dope But Not Dope. Yet.
14. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – He’s the Holly at the gate, guarding the halls reserved for the elites. I don’t think he’ll get to walk them himself this year, but if he goes on one of those ridiculous runs, we may have no choice.
15. Kevin Gausman (TOR) – Same goes for Gausman, but with a little more Cherry Bomb in his veins.
16. Kyle Harrison (MIL) – Harrison had a questionable outing last time out, delaying a potential coronation day to enter Tier 2. The four-seamer wasn’t the foundational offering upstairs it needs to be, for the first time in a while.
17. Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – Ashcraft has found a phenomenal groove with his slider and curveball, allowing the good-not-elite fastballs to perform better than usual. ENO WAS RIGHT.
18. Nolan McLean (NYM) – As much as I believe in the future for McLean, he’s currently in his rebellious phase. We simply must endure. He’ll grow out of it, and regain his feel for the full arsenal.
19. Logan Gilbert (SEA) – Gilbert is not an arm equipped to showcase the same skillset each time he touches the mound. And that’s fine, though it likely means he won’t get the AGA back.
20. Gavin Williams (CLE) – He’s throwing all the strikes AND I LOVE IT.
21. Jesús Luzardo (PHI) – He had a test against the Dodgers and survived, locating his heaters well. He’s now allowed 2 ER or fewer in seven of his last eight games.
22. Carlos Rodón (NYY) – Rodón gave us his first six-inning outing of the year, and has likely found his home for the season. It will take execution of his entire arsenal (and fewer wasted fastballs upstairs) for me to consider an AGA tag.
23. Drew Rasmussen (TBR) – Rasmussen has been shockingly hittable lately. I’m not worried, just a touch concerned, given his low hit/9 was his best facet. The Ras Pack is still excellent.
Tier 4 – Quality Volume Most Of The Time
24. Parker Messick (CLE) – He’s been quietly productive, with heaters up, changeups down, and sinkers nailing their spots down-and-away. Where did that cutter go?
25. Shane McClanahan (TBR) – The fastball, breaker, and change are looking lovely. Nothing to worry about here.
26. Payton Tolle (BOS) – I would be ranking Tolle higher if he weren’t so reliant on fastballs he can’t command in the zone. His control has been good, but his at-bats aren’t surgically maneuvered.
27. George Kirby (SEA) – Kirby has all the skills he needs. I simply don’t believe he executes the right approach to squeeze the most out of it. And I just need to live with that, opening the door for higher ratios and fewer strikeouts than he deserves.
28. Shota Imanaga (CHC) – Y’all probably want me to lower him a lot more than this after eight HRs allowed in his last three games have led to 20 ER in that time. That’s 100% fair, especially with June/July bringing the worst for pitchers in Wrigley. And yet, I can’t ignore the fact that he’s still at 92 mph on his four-seamer and HR volatility comes and goes. Is he really that much different than the arm that held a 2.32 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 28% K rate, 6% BB rate through his first nine games? If I truly believe we’d get that, he’d be inside the Top 20. Wrigley’s impact is real + the current stretch creates perceived risk. So fine, if you want him in Tier 6 or lower, you do you. Given that this rank is forward-looking, I’m keeping him here. His next three starts are not going to be as poor as these.
Tier 5 – Everyone Who Sees This Wants It Ranked Differently
29. Jared Jones (PIT) – But it wasn’t a good line! It was a Still ILL and his stuff was OUTRAGEOUS. 88 mph curveballs?! 100 heater?! Legit 93 mph changeups?! This is going to be FUN. But fine, let’s see one of those ridiculously fun outings before I raise him higher.
30. Bryce Miller (SEA) – His arsenal is still above last year’s iteration and it won’t be long before he doesn’t have to piggyback with Castillo anymore – few teams last so long without an injury in their rotation.
31. Connelly Early (BOS) – We jsut saw Early dominate with his heater + changeups to RHB, with breakers getting more comfortable in the mix. His arsenal depth is legit and he looks like a Holly for the season.
32. Landen Roupp (SFG) – I say the same thing each week – Roupp is feeling his arsenal and the breakout season hath arrived. Update: I wasn’t planning on changing any ranks based on Monday’s games, but I gave a glance before publishing and…yeah, not a great one today. It was a nightmare of a second frame and the good news: Roupp is still really good at pitch separation. I’m still buying, but lowered him a few spots to this location between Early and Weathers.
33. Ryan Weathers (NYY) – The K-BB% is elite, the HR rate is not. Just gotta endure.
34. Max Meyer (MIA) – Meyer gets a drop this week after featuring erratic command with his breakers + an 18% CSW on his improved four-seamer against the Mets. I can’t shake that his recent success is a bit of a mirage given his track record of volatility, making me more inclined to lower him after rough outings.
35. Will Warren (NYY) – Warren has been awfully consistent, even if the strikeouts aren’t flowing due to his heavy lean on four-seamers and sinkers.
36. Logan Webb (SFG) – He’s back! It was a clear Still ILL and with that out of the way, Webb should be back on his feet and worth your time.
Tier 6 – I Feel Like The Guy With Too Many Limes
37. Michael King (SDP) – He’s lost his crown lately, though last outing was stellar under the wheels fell off. I still see him as a Cherry Bomb where he’ll be more often worth your time than not, and with his strikeout potential, I’d hold my nose and go for it.
38. José Soriano (LAA) – SNIP SNAP SNIP SNAP. His last six have been so much worse than his first six. In fact, he had five games of 0 ER in that initial stretch and has failed to return a goose egg since. I sure hope he stabilizes the command. Otherwise, it’s 2025 all over again.
39. Nick Lodolo (CIN) – Lodolo’s curveball was locked in for a second straight start, but against Hotlanta, the four-seamer’s sub-50% strike rate was the menace that made his Mets start look like a Dennis. The heater is easier to fix than the hook, IMO, and I think we’re going to like Lodolo a fair amount moving forward when he doesn’t get the toughest of matchups.
40. Sonny Gray (BOS) – It’s been generally Sonny as of late, including a legit feel for backfoot sweepers to LHB once again – it was the highlight of his 2024 30% strikeout rate season.
41. Kyle Bradish (BAL) – I’m twiddling my thumbs as I wait for Bradish to oblierate a lineup with both his curve and slider. In the meantime, we bow and say thanks for the decent six-inning performances. I’m inclined to believe he’ll get there soon enough.
42. Freddy Peralta (NYM) – I kept lowering Peralta until I had to catch myself from going further, but maybe I should keep going…? He’s turning into Mr. Hyde, aka Professor Chaos, and the image of Peralta dominating for 6+ frames is fading each week. In fact, he hasn’t had a single game of six frames with a WHIP better than 1.17 all season. It has led to a 1.30 mark for the year and that’s hard to swallow.
43. Michael Soroka (ARI) – I’m still a Soroka fan with his ability to locate heaters and curveballs effectively. He’s not as overwhelming as others, but I consider him a step up from Tier 7 – similar ratios, more strikeouts fueled by his stellar curveball.
45. Emmet Sheehan (LAD) – He’s a Cherry Bomb and we’re riding with this one, hoping the fastball can avoid damage upstairs at a lower velocity.
46. Emerson Hancock (SEA) – The degrading fastball vert makes Hancock’s success feel far more precarious than the results would suggest. And yet, the results are there and I won’t big-brain y’all out of rostering Hancock.
47. Framber Valdez (DET) – Valdez commonly swings between blegh and domination throughout seasons. I’m not willing to close the door on him yet.
44. Spencer Strider (ATL) – Strider. Buddy. Make me a believer. Please. I beg of you. I can’t get there if the four-seamer sits 95 mph and you’re not delicately locating your arsenal around the zone. At least you get the Pirates up next.
48. Troy Melton (DET) – We haven’t seen the whiffs appear, but the command is stellar for an arm with above-average stuff.
Tier 7 – Fine, You Need Some Innings
49. Davis Martin (CHW) – He rebounded from a poor outing and all we can do is hope he doesn’t throw sinkers down the pipe again.
50. Trey Yesavage (TOR) – He went from a 5 ER game against the Marlins to a seven-walk game with little damage. That doesn’t seem incredibly safe, does it? Then why is he so high? Because it’s still early in his career and I can imagine him ironing out the kinks in time.
51. Michael Wacha (KCR) – Wacha just got Singled Out and it may turn you away from him. Personally, I still see the same dope changeup with a good heater and supporting cast.
52. Nick Martinez (TBR) – He’s attacked far more often early in at-bats, leading to a dip in strikeouts but plenty more quick outs. It’s a Vargas Rule, and I hope it continues for a long while.
53. Ryne Nelson (ARI) – Nelson currently sports a 2.00+ HR/9, recently returning the worst outing of his season outside the Foul Rynes. That’s not enough for me to jump ship, but the lack of strikeouts is has turned him into a Toby rather than a Holly.
54. Merrill Kelly (ARI) – Kelly does what Kelly does. It’s not incredibly fun, just a standard Toby performance.
55. Bryce Elder (ATL) – We finally had a dud and we’re waiting to see if it will be repeated. He didn’t do a whole lot different, too – it was an outing of batters hitting the pitches we thought they would hit in previous games.
56. Ranger Suarez (BOS) – He returned ten strikeouts while beautifully locating his cutter inside to RHB. This looks like the good side of Suarez.
Tier 8 – WHAT DO I DO WITH YOU
57. MacKenzie Gore (TEX) – His four-seamer returned a ton of strikes, but the secondaries were lacking, leading to a low strikeout performance that has me once again waiting for a moment to get hyped. I want more.
58. Reid Detmers (LAA) – Oh how I wish Detmers were able to back up his 14 strikeout game. Sadly, we saw an outing of sub-60% strikes on both his four-seamer and slider, making me wonder if that was simply a glorious Dennis and nothing more. I sure hope not.
59. Taj Bradley (MIN) – Bradley wasn’t quite the guy we wanted to see last time out and I’m once again stuck in purgatory. Thanks, Taj. The ceiling is obviously worth holding onto.
60. Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) – When will the Pasta Pirate become the perfect Arrrr Dente? His effectively wild approach has him oscillating between losing batters and decimating them, preventing that fantastic outing to truly get us amped. It should come in time, right?
61. Robbie Ray (SFG) – What is going on with this dude? Three straight games of terrible strike rates and all we can do is hope this is an easy TIARA situation. Stash him until it’s clear he’s okay.
62. Christian Scott (NYM) – Scott is looking far better with each start, though I haven’t seen him execute his full arsenal across an outing with full confidence. It’s coming.
Tier 9 – These Could Be Holds All Year
63. David Sandlin (CHW) – That was a really fun debut after allowing a HR on a not-so-meaty low fastball on his second MLB pitch. 98 mph heat with a disgusting changeup and strong breakers should not be ignored. Update: OH JEEEEEEEEEEEZ. I didn’t see his outing til five minutes after I published. Let’s move him to the bottom of this tier, alright? Maybe Tier 11…? I’ll let you know in the Roundup.
64. Justin Wrobleski (LAD) – WroboCop has bumped his velocity in each of his last two starts and it’s time for me to properly get interested again. Hopefully he can also continue expanding his arsenal to eventually return to the six-pitch monster with a 96 mph heater we saw last year.
65. Roki Sasaki (LAD) – I’m as shocked as you are at this ranking, but the facts are facts: Sasaki has displayed growth in each of his last three starts. First it was slider command to RHB, then it was a vastly improved four-seamer, and now he went BSB to RHB with an effective splitter to LHB. Keep in mind, ignore the number and look at those ranked around him. It’s the section of “It’s not like you have better options.” Even if I get skeptical when I see a pitcher have success in three different ways (it generally means he’s volatile as opposed to having multiple paths to success, in which he’ll likely find one of them each start), this may be the blossoming of Sasaki in front of us.
66. Shane Drohan (MIL) – He’s a southpaw who’s had success in long relief for the Brewers and is now getting a proper chance to start. With SWATCH potential, I’d keep an eye on him, hoping he gets stretched out quickly (Update: 68 pitches tonight = ~75-80 next time).
67. Ben Brown (CHC) – Despite all my HE CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT, Brown has somehow continued to get away with it. In fact, I noted “He can’t return a 30% SwStr rate on his curveball every start,” and yet, he did so for three straight, then fell to just 7% (2/27 whiffs) and still had six strikeouts. It really doesn’t add up (that outing was a product of an aggressive Cardinals lineup, for whatever reason) and he breaks the Huascar Rule, but whatever, I know you want to keep starting him. I get it.
68. Griffin Jax (TBR) – Like Roupp, I initially planned to ignore the games today in full, but this ranking takes into account the shellacking he received today. The stuff is still excellent and I wonder if his back is still bothering him after last week’s comebacker at 107 mph. Keep in mind, despite the ghastly box score, he still returned 14 whiffs as he crossed 70 pitches for the first time this year.
69. Cade Cavalli (WSH) – Cavalli has been something else, though I’m concerned like I am with Brown – he breaks the Huascar Rule with a dominant breaker and two Empty Velocity fastballs. He’s also had his numbers massively inflated by great outings against poor teams (Mets, Marlins, etc.) and I don’t believe this is the absurd breakout we want it to be.
Tier 10 – Okay, This Is Fine
70. Noah Cameron (KCR) – His command is much improved and looking like its 2025 self. It may be time to jump on the ship, but feel free to wait one more.
71. Andrew Abbott (CIN) – Abbott has had a string of success lately, though his command has been awfully wonky. It sure feels like we’ve returned to the “He’s doing great and we don’t really know why,” stage of Abbott analysis. I guess that’s a good thing…?
72. Walbert Ureña (LAA) – Ureńa’s changeup has been fantastic and it’s nice to see a decent outing where the slowball didn’t do all the work. His ceiling feels limited due to his fastball inefficiency and questionable sweeper feel, but circle him as a considerable streamer.
73. Trevor McDonald (SFG) – McDonald would be higher if not for his breaking ball getting shelved for far too many sinkers as of late. I have to think that’ll change in time, but I’m not as confident in him on a given night as I was two weeks ago.
74. Seth Lugo (KCR) – He’s fine. I don’t love relying on the kitchen-sink arsenal, and consider him as a decent Toby.
75. Dustin May (STL) – May has been kinda great after crawling from the wreckage of his first two outings, living near a 3.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He’s improved his attack to LHB, leaving his sweeper’s ability to get whiffs to RHB as the last piece of the puzzle.
76. Connor Prielipp (MIN) – I was too high on Prielipp, due to a belief that his changeup would appear alongside the four-seamer and slider command. The ole “New skill vs. old skill” where the new skill of locating backfoot sliders with ease has faded before the minor-league skill of locating changeups down-and-away to RHB returned. Don’t count him out forever, but it may not be back right away. I sure hope the command we saw early on from Prielipp returns with all three pitches working (and the curve + sinker, too!) – there’s a legit Holly in here.
77. Matthew Liberatore (STL) – Libby has impressed lately, though the overall command is still suspect. I’m not a beleiver in his higher strikeout rates and would move forward with caution.
78. Foster Griffin (WSH) – A southpaw with a wide array of weapons has a chance for success each night. His early success will likely remain in April, settling in as a Toby for the year.
Tier 11 – What Will They Become?
79. Sandy Alcantara (MIA) – I’m aware of tonight’s 3 ER in 7 IP from Sandy and it doesn’t change anything here. He’s a HIPSTER who we simply can’t rely on at the moment.
80. Zebby Matthews (MIN) – Our concerns about Zebby came to a head last time out, with a bevy of HRs destroying his night. It may ultimately be an anomoly, though his hittable inside the zone was a problem last year and Matthews’ 2026 arsenal seems to be a slight step back.
81. Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) – We’re missing the excellent secondaries of yesteryear, but the four-seamer is a solid offering. Not a great one, but with enough help, GrayRod has a decent shot each night + some upside if he finds a way to get high-80s velocity back on his complementary offerings.
82. Gage Jump (ATH) – His debut was both fun and terrible (“PILOT Rule n all) and I’m generally out on him given the home park + his history of inconsistent control. That said, he sports mid-to-upper 90s velocity from the left side with generally good vert and a flat attack angle + a trio of whiffable breakers. He will have a few strikeout explosions this season.
83. Jonah Tong (NYM) – Tong has yet to prove himself as a fantasy relevant starter this season. He also just flexed the best cutter/slider he’s ever had, while the fastball and Vulcan change were trailing behind. If that new pitch is here to stay, it can be a huge leg to stand on, creating the much needed glue for his fastball and slowball.
84. Bubba Chandler (PIT) – That one eleven strikeout game was fun, wasn’t it? Can you give us another or was that just a moment in the sun?
85. Sean Burke (CHW) – Burke’s four-seamer was super fun upstairs last time out, but I can’t quite latch onto him without the breakers and changeup performing well on their own.
86. Shane Baz (BAL) – Two great starts against his former team is fun. Not seeing any visible improvement in his arsenal during those outings is not.
87. Jack Leiter (TEX) – He just gave you a ton of strikeouts. It was great! Now let me ask you this: Do you believe he’ll do it a second time? …no. Exactly.
88. Aaron Nola (PHI) – I’ve been waiting for Nola to locate his fastballs along the edges for a while, and we finally got east-west sinkers + high four-seamers last time out. If only we could believe he’s really turned the corner.
89. Trevor Rogers (BAL) – The arsenal was much better over the weekend, but we still have a ways to go.
Tier 12 – Arms To Consider This Week
90. Peter Lambert (HOU) – He’s a boring 15-team Toby at this point. Play the matchups.
91. Anthony Kay (CHW) – Kay is another case of an arm I called a sneaky play in the pre-season and have yet to buy it during his hot stretch. Nothing is exceptional and it all seems incredibly precarious.
92. Colin Rea (CHC) – Rea is a decent streamer against mediocre teams. That’s about it.
93. J.T. Ginn (ATH) – Ginn was dope. Then horrendous. Then a bit fortunate against the Yankees. I don’t know what to think at this point as he heads into Wrigley. Probably don’t start him there?
94. Brayan Bello (BOS) – Is the answer truly just giving him an opener? Seriously? I don’t see a whole lot else making the case for a rosterable Bello.
95. Joey Cantillo (CLE) – Cantillo’s upside lies in his strikeout ability, but the ratios will take a hit if you blindly start him.
96. Tatsuya Imai (HOU) – Imai’s four-seamer/slider two-pitch approach is awfully strange, especially when he’s succeeding with so few whiffs. I know this is a mercurial man who will be changing his approach constantly through the year, and it’s all too weird for me.
97. Braxton Garrett (MIA) – He’s back in the rotation with Junk’s removal and I hope round two is far better.
98. Keider Montero (DET) – Montero has been a solid WHIP performer and a matchup against the Mariners could be worse.
99. Zack Littell (WSH) – Oh no, is he really doing it again by Dancing With The Disco? I find it hard to stomach.
100. Kumar Rocker (TEX) – Speaking of hard to believe…Rocker’s slider + cutter focus is a positive, but it’s just not this good.
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
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – He gets the Dodgers this week = we’re out.
Zac Gallen (ARI) – Gallen also gets the Dodgers + he simply hasn’t been reliable.
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…
Jacob Lopez (ATH) – I’m not in on Lopez until I see a fun K/BB game from him. Update: Now in the minors.
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) – We haven’t seen a four-seamer worthy of Sunshine and Rainbows for three starts. He lost a ton of vert, y’all.
Kade Morris (ATH) – He’s getting a shot and maybe I should have added him to The List, but then again, he throws 93/94 mph from the right side without impressive strikeout rates, and calls Sacré Verde his home.
Luis Severino (ATH) – I’m not a fan of Sevy at home in Sacré Verde and his away starts aren’t so incredible.
Mason Barnett (ATH) – How much is he actually starting? Do we care?
Didier Fuentes (ATL) – We saw him for one start, then he went back to the minors as Ritchie swooped in. Now he’s in the pen. I wonder when we’ll get the Fuentes experience again.
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. The four-seamer has performed better than expected, but the rest of the approach doesn’t do enough in my book.
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.
Trey Gibson (BAL) – He’s out of the rotation again and it’s too bad. His breakers are fun and could turn him into something if he can make them the star of the show.
Edward Cabrera (CHC) – I didn’t get confirmation that he would return by next week from his blister injury. Consider him around Sandy Alcantara or maybe slightly higher when he does.
Jameson Taillon (CHC) – As much as I want to believe greener pastures are ahead, we can’t take the risk right now.
Javier Assad (CHC) – Maybe he wins the role in time and it would be super boring.
Jordan Wicks (CHC) – I’m super curious how he performs now that he’s getting the call. Let’s wait and see. Update: Welp, it was nothing.
Erick Fedde (CHW) – Oh, we’re back with the White Sox again? What’s your agenda?!
Brady Singer (CIN) – He gave us a VPQS against a poor Marlins crew. Ehhhhhhh.
Chris Paddack (CIN) – I’m not seeing a good enough version of Paddack to justify rostering him in Cincy.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) – I’m waiting for Cecconi to produce a string of starts to force me to consider him again.
Tanner Bibee (CLE) – Why are you putting yourself through the volatility?
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) – Why.
Tanner Gordon (COL) – You know better.
Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) – I’m just happy he gets regular starts. There’s a touch of value on the road
Brant Hurter (DET) – Hurter is the bulk arm for maybe another start or two before Troy Melton returns. I’d much rather stash Melton instead.
Casey Mize (DET) – It’s not clear when he returns from the IL and I just hope it’s soon. He’s finally found a slider that works for him and it’s unfair.
Jack Flaherty (DET) – He had a ten strikeout gaem that was unsustainable and returned back to…him.
Justin Verlander (DET) – Is he actually returning this week? Really? I kinda imagined this was, you know, it.
Ty Madden (DET) – He’s stepping in after a brief IL stint and I have no interest in his approach.
Jason Alexander (HOU) – He was shellacked by the Rangers and already carried a low ceiling.
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.
Mike Burrows (HOU) – The command simply isn’t there yet.
Luinder Avila (KC) – How long will even go in this rotation?
Stephen Kolek (KC) – After a CGSHO, Kolek was rough in his followup and now has a tough matchup.
Cole Ragans (KCR) – Is he returning? Let’s treat him like a Still ILL if he does.
Alek Manoah (LAA) – Oh dear. Please don’t.
Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) – I saw some terrible command from Jackie K. this weekend and I don’t like his schedule ahead. He was one of the last arms removed from The List.
Eric Lauer (LAD) – He’s on the West Coast now and is still failing to miss bats with his four-seamer.
Eury Pérez (MIA) – Why must pitchers get injured when they finally break through the wall? Because of the glass that shatters in the process. I feel like there’s something profound in there.
Janson Junk (MIA) – Junk, you rascal. Once I feel confident he can command his stuff well, I’ll add him.
Ryan Gusto (MIA) – He’s starting in Pérez’s spot. For now. No thanks.
Tyler Phillips (MIA) – He’s kinda interesting…? Let’s see how he performs in another start.
Brandon Sproat (MIL) – As much as I believe it’ll get better as the season goes on, sub 40% strikes on his cutter last time was a perfect representation of Sproat’s inability to take the next step forward.
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) – Maybe he returns this week? Who knows. I hope he’s alright.
Coleman Crow (MIL) – Crow had another shot and it was what you’d expect from a 91 mph RHP who relies too much on spin.
Bailey Ober (MIN) – He’s sub 89 mph lol. But a CGSHO! It was a night of impeccable command. That disappeared. Fiiiiine.
Kendry Rojas (MIN) – There may be times he gets the pearl, but don’t expect a whole lot of frames. He’s not a proper starter.
Marco Raya (MIN) – There’s a chance he gets a start this week and he’s barely stretched out enough. At the very best, it’s a wait-and-see for Raya and his 96 mph heater.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – SWR was a wild card entering the year and it sure is wild how wrong this has gone.
David Peterson (NYM) – He’s a Toby at best. I don’t trust him.
Kodai Senga (NYM) – I gave him an honest try. Rockie Road should be better. It wasn’t. How can we hold him after that?!
Sean Manaea (NYM) – The Mets are giving Manaea an opener and I don’t want to chase him and his sub 90 mph velocity.
Tobias Myers (NYM) – He’s not stretched out. I don’t expect the Mets to use him outside the pen or anything above 50 pitches a game.
Andrew Painter (PHI) – He just ain’t it. It’s sad, I know.
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.
Carmen Mlodzinski (PIT) – He’s been able to produce five frames of decency, allowing him to accrue a ton of Wins, but this isn’t meant to last. Update: Now on the restricted list and likely not starting again due to Jared’s return.
Mitch Keller (PIT) – It’s a tough matchup ahead and Keller is back to his old form of not being effective.
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.
Griffin Canning (SDP) – The four-seamer we saw in his season debut has dwindled since. I’m not seeing enough to pull me in.
Lucas Giolito (SDP) – I know, how COULD I?! Because he sat 90.4 mph, that’s why. I was intrigued last year when he was around 93/94 mph. In no way can I possibly endorse this if the stuff isn’t there.
Matt Waldron (SDP) – Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) – I wish he were getting the whiffs we saw in early April, but alas, he’s a 15-team Toby these days.
Walker Buehler (SDP) – I’m not buying that the Padres fixed him.
Luis Castillo (SEA) – I don’t care if he just had the best slider he’s had all year, he’s not going to get a ton of innings in his current role and his slider is unlikely to perform this well again.
Adrian Houser (SFG) – A 15-teamer Toby when he proves he can handle weak opponents. I wonder if he gets bounced for McDonald…
Tyler Mahle (SFG) – I don’t want to start him in Sacré Verde up next and despite poor luck thus far, I don’t feel the need to hold past it.
Andre Pallante (STL) – Hopefully the cut four-seamer is jamming LHB and the sinker/slider does the trick…?
Hunter Dobbins (STL) – It was an interesting start with great opening frames, then five walks across his final seven batters. No need to monitor his return to the majors for now. It’s a wait-and-see when he does.
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.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – It’s just too blegh. A groundball arm with few strikeouts who has recently had the cold shoulder from Koufax.
Jesse Scholtens (TBR) – There just isn’t enough upside here.
Steven Matz (TBR) – He hasn’t been sharp since returning from the IL.
Grant Rogers (TOR) – I don’t see a reason to grab Rogers for now, but it is his Centre, so who really knows.
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.
Spencer Miles (TOR) – He’s being used a follower in the place of Lauer and it’s not worth your time.
Andrew Alvarez (WSN) – I’m not seeing enough to chase this.
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?!
Good luck everyone!
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul SkenesT1 | PIT | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 2 | Jacob Misiorowski | MIL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 3 | Chris Sale | ATL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 4 | Cam Schlittler | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 5 | Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | - |
| 6 | Chase BurnsT2 | CIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 7 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 8 | Shohei Ohtani | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 9 | Bryan Woo | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | - |
| 10 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 11 | Zack Wheeler | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | - |
| 12 | Joe Ryan | MIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 13 | Gerrit Cole | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +2 |
| 14 | Nathan EovaldiT3 | TEX | Ace Potential Quality Starts Injury Risk | -1 |
| 15 | Kevin Gausman | TOR | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -1 |
| 16 | Kyle Harrison | MIL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 17 | Braxton Ashcraft | PIT | Holly Ratio Focused | +7 |
| 18 | Nolan McLean | NYM | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 19 | Logan Gilbert | SEA | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -1 |
| 20 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | - |
| 21 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 22 | Carlos Rodón | NYY | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -1 |
| 23 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | Ace Potential Ratio Focused | -4 |
| 24 | Parker MessickT4 | CLE | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 25 | Shane McClanahan | TB | Holly Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +2 |
| 26 | Payton Tolle | BOS | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +4 |
| 27 | George Kirby | SEA | Ace Potential Quality Starts Injury Risk | -4 |
| 28 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -6 |
| 29 | Jared JonesT5 | PIT | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +3 |
| 30 | Bryce Miller | SEA | Cherry Bomb Injury Risk | +3 |
| 31 | Connelly Early | BOS | Holly Ratio Focused | +12 |
| 32 | Landen Roupp | SF | Holly Quality Starts | -3 |
| 33 | Ryan Weathers | NYY | Holly Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +1 |
| 34 | Max Meyer | MIA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 35 | Will Warren | NYY | Holly Wins Bonus | +4 |
| 36 | Logan Webb | SF | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +2 |
| 37 | Michael KingT6 | SD | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 38 | José Soriano | LAA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -10 |
| 39 | Nick Lodolo | CIN | Holly Injury Risk | +1 |
| 40 | Sonny Gray | BOS | Cherry Bomb | -3 |
| 41 | Kyle Bradish | BAL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | - |
| 42 | Freddy Peralta | NYM | Holly Wins Bonus | -7 |
| 43 | Michael Soroka | ARI | Holly Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 44 | Emmet Sheehan | LAD | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +2 |
| 45 | Emerson Hancock | SEA | Holly Quality Starts | +5 |
| 46 | Framber Valdez | DET | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -4 |
| 47 | Spencer Strider | ATL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -2 |
| 48 | Troy Melton | DET | Holly Wins Bonus Ratio Focused Injury Risk | -1 |
| 49 | Davis MartinT7 | CWS | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +2 |
| 50 | Trey Yesavage | TOR | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -2 |
| 51 | Michael Wacha | KC | Vargas Rule Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 52 | Nick Martinez | TB | Vargas Rule Wins Bonus | +4 |
| 53 | Ryne Nelson | ARI | Toby Wins Bonus | -4 |
| 54 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | Toby Quality Starts Stash Option | -1 |
| 55 | Bryce Elder | ATL | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | -3 |
| 56 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | Toby Quality Starts | +17 |
| 57 | MacKenzie GoreT8 | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 58 | Reid Detmers | LAA | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 59 | Taj Bradley | MIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside | - |
| 60 | Spencer Arrighetti | HOU | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 61 | Robbie Ray | SF | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 62 | Christian Scott | NYM | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 63 | David SandlinT9 | CWS | Frizzle Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 64 | Justin Wrobleski | LAD | Frizzle Wins Bonus Team Context Effect | +20 |
| 65 | Roki Sasaki | LAD | Frizzle Team Context Effect | +UR |
| 66 | Shane Drohan | MIL | Frizzle Team Context Effect | +UR |
| 67 | Ben Brown | CHC | Frizzle | +9 |
| 68 | Griffin Jax | TB | Frizzle Rotation Spot Bonus | -5 |
| 69 | Cade Cavalli | WSH | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 70 | Noah CameronT10 | KC | Toby Quality Starts | +12 |
| 71 | Andrew Abbott | CIN | Toby Quality Starts | +4 |
| 72 | Walbert Ureña | LAA | Toby Ratio Focused | +2 |
| 73 | Trevor McDonald | SF | Toby Ratio Focused | -2 |
| 74 | Seth Lugo | KC | Toby Quality Starts | +12 |
| 75 | Dustin May | STL | Toby | +UR |
| 76 | Connor Prielipp | MIN | Toby Strikeout Upside | -22 |
| 77 | Matthew Liberatore | STL | Toby Streaming Option Quality Starts | +16 |
| 78 | Foster Griffin | WSH | Toby Quality Starts | -10 |
| 79 | Sandy AlcantaraT11 | MIA | Hipster Quality Starts | -12 |
| 80 | Zebby Matthews | MIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -14 |
| 81 | Grayson Rodriguez | LAA | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 82 | Gage Jump | ATH | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 83 | Jonah Tong | NYM | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 84 | Bubba Chandler | PIT | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -27 |
| 85 | Sean Burke | CWS | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 86 | Shane Baz | BAL | Hipster Quality Starts | +11 |
| 87 | Jack Leiter | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +8 |
| 88 | Aaron Nola | PHI | Hipster Quality Starts | +UR |
| 89 | Trevor Rogers | BAL | Hipster Quality Starts | +UR |
| 90 | Peter LambertT12 | HOU | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -18 |
| 91 | Anthony Kay | CWS | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 92 | Colin Rea | CHC | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -5 |
| 93 | J.T. Ginn | ATH | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +5 |
| 94 | Brayan Bello | BOS | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 95 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -15 |
| 96 | Tatsuya Imai | HOU | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +3 |
| 97 | Braxton Garrett | MIA | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 98 | Keider Montero | DET | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -6 |
| 99 | Zack Littell | WSH | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 100 | Kumar Rocker | TEX | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
Labels Legend
Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)
