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: Brandon Woodruff (28), Ranger Suarez (34), Carlos Rodón (36), Connelly Early (41)
Injured Pitchers Added To The List: Logan Henderson (36)
Automatic Bump/Fall For Pitchers In The Top 60: (+3 Spots)
Tier 1 – How Is He Still Doing This
1. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – He gets his own tier now. You know he deserves it.
Tier 2 – The Other Aces
2. Chris Sale (ATL) – I didn’t like any specific arm for #2, so I went with the guy sitting 96+ and has been fantastic for a while.
3. Cam Schlittler (NYY) – He just got bamboozled with all the HRs and 0/36 whiffs on first-inning pitches. That feels like a massive outlier start.
4. Paul Skenes (PIT) – Yeah, he’s throwing a little softer. He’s also still filthy with a lot of offerings and going through the first rough patch of his career. It’ll be fine.
5. Chase Burns (CIN) – As much as I want to raise him more, it’s still just two pitches. There’s no one else doing that at this level.
6. Joe Ryan (MIN) – He’s at 94/95 mph with the best secondaries of his career.
7. Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) – I saw today’s shellacking against the Royals and counted it in this week’s rankings. It’s a floor that the others don’t have.
8. Tarik Skubal (DET) – His AGA tag has returned, now show me more than one elite outing.
Tier 3 – You’re Dope But Not Dope. Yet.
9. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – I’m shocked to tell you that Yamamoto is tied for 12th in the majors in innings before today’s games. It’s a lower ceiling than others without the same strikeout rate, but he’s absurdly helpful each week.
10. Shohei Ohtani (LAD) – He’s okay….right? Please be okay. I wouldn’t be shocked if they skipped his next start due to his biceps injury.
11. Zack Wheeler (PHI) – He’s still got it. Not Top 5 SP, but still reliably productive.
12. Jacob deGrom (TEX) – Nothing to report here. He’s deGrom, y’all. AND STILL HEALTHY.
13. Drew Rasmussen (TBR) – We didn’t get the strikeouts, fine, but he’s still doing great things.
14. Logan Gilbert (SEA) – The four-seamer is flooding the zone and he’s cruising with it. It’s good to have a dominant Gilbert on the bump.
15. Bryce Miller (SEA) – I’m absolutely enamored with Miller and his elite four-seamer that is now thrown under 40% of the time, trusting the best set of secondaries he’s ever had. Enjoy it. But his velocity was down last start! A little, yeah, we don’t care after one game.
16. Max Meyer (MIA) – He passed all the tests and despite how strange it seems to have him ranked this high, his four-seamer is great + the slider/sweeper are still so tough to hit.
Tier 4 – Far Sweeter Than Sour
17. Bryan Woo (SEA) – He’s getting closer to regaining our trust and I trust him to get there shortly.
18. Logan Webb (SFG) – It was Coronation Day and…he waffled. He stumbled on the velvet carpet and failed to sit on the throne. As long as he bounces back in the next week or two, he’ll get it.
19. Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – It was a solid start against the Nats, but not quite worthy of the AGA title. Who cares, he’s a stable arm.
20. Kyle Harrison (MIL) – My fears were realized on his potential Coronation Day, with the changeup disappearing and the curve failing to be a strong complement to the heater. At least the fastball wasn’t leaking low too often.
21. Dylan Cease (TOR) – You saw his last start and demand him to be in Tier 3. Then you’ll experience his next start and stop yelling at me.
22. Jesús Luzardo (PHI) – Luzardo’s first month was shaky, but he’s since calmed the seas. Don’t think about it, just start him.
Tier 5 – This Should Be More
23. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – The HR problem is a little strange for a guy with great command and four solid pitches. I have to believe it’ll get corrected over time.
24. Payton Tolle (BOS) – He’ll look like a beast one game, then fail to do enough with his four-seamer to mask a weak “cutter” (it’s slider, dangit). There’s just a little extra polish needed on his secondaries before I can trust he can take the leap to AGA.
25. George Kirby (SEA) – Kirby finally did the thing! – DOWN and away sweepers that actually returned whiffs. It was AWESOME. Now do it again. And again. Indefinitely.
26. Hunter Greene (CIN) – That was a Still ILL, y’all. It’s why I didn’t have him in the Top 10 where he belongs. Now if he struggles again, then we have an issue. I highly doubt that as the problem was four-seamer strikes, not slider strikes.
27. Hunter Brown (HOU) – Speaking of failing with a four-seamer, Hunter’s signature offering has been way off lately. I hope I don’t have to keep lowering him each week, but he needs to get it back to a 65%+ strike rate.
28. Gerrit Cole (NYY) – Cole’s command was finally better last time out, but he’s still not getting the four-seamer upstairs like he used to, nor is the cutter a part of the equation anymore. I’m hoping we get a sparkling start soon.
29. Kevin Gausman (TOR) – See? Even with two terrible starts in a row, you should keep letting the Gauze Man fly.
30. Nolan McLean (NYM) – McLean is still figuring out what works best in his arsenal, electing to steer toward curveballs to LHB last time out when the sweeper failed to do its job. It’s a developmental period and let’s be thankful he’s giving us results during it.
Tier 6 – You’re Generally Safe. Ish.
31. Sonny Gray (BOS) – His sweeper feel has been excellent lately, but as y’all know, he’s both Sonny and Gray. I hope it lasts a while this time.
32. Gavin Williams (CLE) – This may seem high for Gavin given his recent failures, however I love that he split his four-seamer and sinker usage to RHB. If not for the rain delay, he’d like have given you a PQS. And if not for a horrible sweeper above the zone on his very last pitch, he’d have zero ER last time out. JUST SAYING.
33. Shota Imanaga (CHC) – The HR problems are a thing, definitely. He’s still a solid strikeout arm with a good WHIP, and those HRs should come down over time.
34. Foster Griffin (WSH) – He’s been absurdly solid and I can’t do anything but tell you to keep starting him until it breaks. The best Vargas Rule of the year, truly.
35. Parker Messick (CLE) – Messick may deserve to be dropped a few spots, but I want to give him an outing to showcase if he can flirt with 95 mph again and retain the SWATCH approach of high heaters and low changeups to RHB.
36. Logan Henderson (MIL) – He’s expected to return this week and boy do I dig that lovely four-seamer. If you want to follow Still ILL this week, that’s fine. I think you’re okay to slot him into your lineup with an expected 70 pitches or so.
37. Shane McClanahan (TBR) – He’s still at 96 mph and acting like a solid Holly.
38. Nick Lodolo (CIN) – Lodolo is starting to find consistency with his changeup and fastballs. It’s what we saw last year.
39. Kyle Bradish (BAL) – Bradish’s breakers are finding strikes more often and holding their boosted velocity.
40. Sandy Alcantara (MIA) – Sandy is going deep into games and has learned new tricks like cutters to LHB to pair with the sinker. He’s getting hot at the right time for Miami, eh? I wonder here he’d land at the deadline…
Tier 7 – I Think You’re On To Something
41. Griffin Jax (TBR) – He tossed 88 pitches, and followed that start with six frames. It’s time.
42. Troy Melton (DET) – Melton is starting to earn whiffs and paired with his stable ratio floor, it could mean a second-half breakout.
43. Trevor Rogers (BAL) – Rogers is nailing the top of the zone with 94/95 mph four-seamers (not 92/93!) and mixing slowballs and sweepers down. It’s working again like it did last year.
44. Jake Bennett (BOS) – We have our latest SWATCH poster boy with Bennett’s 92 mph amplified by its 7.1 feet of extension and impressive command upstairs in concert with changeups underneath. It’s lovely.
45. Eury Pérez (MIA) – He tossed seven perfect frames. It was really cool and he should have thrown more. Now I wonder if this is the Eury we expected all along or just a good little stretch of results.
Tier 8 – Everyone Who Sees This Wants It Ranked Differently
46. Jared Jones (PIT) – I fail to believe that Jones is trapped at four frames and unable to return whiffs. If you want him slotted at the bottom of this tier, go right ahead. I’m holding my expectations of dopeness in the second half.
47. Emerson Hancock (SEA) – Hancock is still making it work. Piggyback, shmiggyback, that’s all over, and Hancock, even with his weirdness, should be started until further notice.
48. Emmet Sheehan (LAD) – I still find it strange that his ratios haven’t been better. The velocity crept toward 96 mph last time out, too.
49. Robbie Ray (SFG) – He went sinker-heavy and shelved the four-seamer last start, if you can believe it. He’s doing everything he can to survive and when it returns, it’ll be solid.
50. Justin Wrobleski (LAD) – What an awesome run Wrobo Cop has been on to start the season. He’s commanding well with 95 mph heaters now, too.
51. Sean Burke (CHW) – He’s boasting a 30%+ strikeout rate across his last eight games. I have no choice, y’all, even if I question the legitimacy of his breakers.
52. Gage Jump (ATH) – We saw Jump get burned twice now and I’m still down as his four-seamer and slider are consistently getting strikes.
53. Reid Detmers (LAA) – Detmers’ slider is still awesome and as long as that’s down, I’m down.
54. Landen Roupp (SFG) – Roupp hasn’t been the same since Pride night. I bet he’ll find his groove again and perform with flying colors in due time.
Tier 9 – WHAT DO I DO WITH YOU
55. Ryan Weathers (NYY) – Weathers is awfully frustrating, but it just seems so unlucky. I’m going to keep starting the fella and believe in his whiffability.
56. Casey Mize (DET) – Mize’s slider was the missing piece for ages and he’s continued to flex great feel for the pitch with heaters open for whiffs up and splitters churning outs down.
57. MacKenzie Gore (TEX) – I think I like Gore? Maybe? I just want to get to a place where we say “Okay! You’re able to do this each time, that’s great!” It feels like he’s right there.
58. Michael King (SDP) – King’s changeup was a lot better last time out and I’m holding onto that hope for the moment.
59. Will Warren (SEA) – We just saw Warren finally lean heavily into his changeups to LHB again. We want more of that.
60. Freddy Peralta (NYM) – He can’t be this bad forever, right?
61. Framber Valdez (DET) – WHAT HE SAID. Both Valdez and Peralta are known to go through patches and it’s up to you to decide if you want to hold for that upside or want to exchange it for something that helps now on the wire.
62. Joey Cantillo (CLE) – It wasn’t a third straight start of dominance, but Cantillo is still throwing harder and leaning more into his curve.
63. Trey Yesavage (TOR) – Yesavage’s command is highly suspect, and I hope he can go 65%+ strikes with his slider every game.
64. José Soriano (LAA) – He’s a lot more like 2025 than April 2026. We even saw the sinker return sub-50% strikes last start as his control issues are still an issue.
Tier 10 – It’s Something. It’s A Toby.
65. Dustin May (STL) – Even with the Cardinals mindful of his workload and limited in his next outing, May’s ability has vastly improved this year. I like him for the second half.
66. Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – How long will this Vargas Rule last?
67. Connor Prielipp (MIN) – I’m finally back on the Prielipp train after he adjusted to feature a ton of curveballs and return 20 whiffs. Now I patiently wait for validation in his next start…
68. Ian Seymour (TBR) – Seymour’s last two starts are great, but the skill set isn’t as strong as other SWATCH arms.
69. Nick Martinez (TBR) – What a Vargas Rule this has been, though the strikeout rate isn’t doing a whole lot.
70. Walbert Ureña (LAA) – Ureńa’s changeup is excellent and he’s been productive in a heavy majority of his outings.
71. Davis Martin (CHW) – He’s a Toby. It’s the tier, after all.
72. Matthew Boyd (CHC) – Boyd is shaking off rust. I wonder if the 20 whiffs games to start the year will come back.
73. Andrew Abbott (CIN) – Abbott has been solid even if it doesn’t quite make sense, just like the good ole days.
74. Peter Lambert (HOU) – He’s a proven Toby at this point.
75. Michael Wacha (KCR) – Wacha does what Wacha does. The changeup is good and the ktichen sink arsenal makes him competitive for six frames each time out.
76. Shane Baz (BAL) – Baz’s sinker to RHB and BSB approach to LHB is encouraging, but not enough for me to believe he can produce high upside outings.
Tier 11 – What Will They Become?
77. Cade Cavalli (WSH) – If only Cade’s Sunday start came with the same velocity uptick and cutter adoration as his absurd game in Fenway. Sigh.
78. Brandon Sproat (MIL) – Sproat had two strong games against the Reds, but took a step back against the Sneks. I need to see more consistency before launching him further.
79. Jack Flaherty (DET) – One start was dope, the next was without the slider. I’m worried the floor will appear shortly.
80. Christian Scott (NYM) – Scott has the ability to become a Holly, but he has to figure out how to best use his arsenal. It’s almost there.
81. Taj Bradley (MIN) – Bradley is still as chaotic as ever. Fortunately, he gets a good matchup and could produce.
82. Roki Sasaki (LAD) – Sasaki had four great outings, then four duds. I think he’s more like the latter than the former after his strong outings came with a different approach each time.
83. Tanner Bibee (CLE) – After featuring some of the best command he’s had, Bibee just had some of the worst. It isn’t meant to be.
84. Tatsuya Imai (HOU) – Imai either gets a lot of whiffs or destroys your ratios. It’s such a strange approach that I’m more inclined to avoid it completely
Tier 12 – Arms To Consider This Week
85. Reynaldo López (ATL) – He’s throwing 95 mph (not 93/94) and now gets the Mets. Maybe he still has some magic left.
86. Shane Drohan (MIL) – Drohan left The List last week and he came through despite my worries. Love to see it, I hope he can go six innings with a strikeout per inning in the future.
87. Merrill Kelly (ARI) – Kelly’s command is back where we want it to be. He should be a Toby in due time, but you can take it slow if you like.
88. Jack Perkins (ATH) – Perkins’ home park is shifty and it’s risky to trust him without consistent upside.
89. Zebby Matthews (MIN) – He’s able to throw strikes, but they are hittable strikes. It creates the poor floor we’ve seen often.
90. Noah Schultz (CHW) – I hope Schultz can get the time in the rotation to find a consistent approach that works for him. The cutter has potential inside to RHB, and the sweeper has whiffability.
91. Andre Pallante (STL) – Pallante has done well and the results suggest a higher spot on The List. I don’t see much upside here and it’s not a sustainable run. If you want to Vargas Rule him, that’s fine, though the floor is terrible.
92. Stephen Kolek (KCR) – Kolek’s last start came shortly after he rushed to the hospital where his wife was in labor. There were plenty of emotions and it certainly affected him. Expect better soon.
93. Anthony Kay (CHW) – The ratios have been alright, but I don’t trust his ability to locate his arsenal consistently.
94. Kumar Rocker (TEX) – He just went cutter and slider heavy and nearly made it work over five innings. I still dislike the fastballs, but 65%+ secondaries can work.
95. Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) – It looks like we’re getting Grayson back this week and who knows, maybe his 96 mph fastball with a great changeup will appear?
96. Robert Gasser (MIL) – Gasser doesn’t have the changeup we normally see from southpaws, but his fastballs and sweeper can get it done.
97. Eric Lauer (LAD) – It’s Rockie Road this week and, sure, why not, let’s get a cheap Win, right?
98. Colin Rea (CHC) – Rea has proven himself to be a solid streamer for Wins. A date against the Orioles is…fine.
99. Owen Murphy (ATL) – Atlanta is calling up Murphy, who could make a start this week. Hs 92 mph four-seamer doesn’t seem impressive, though he has a fair amount of vert and a 1.3 HAVAA with intent to elevate. His secondaries look to be nothing special, but reliable strike pitches, which could make for a decent Win stream or two.
100. Erick Fedde (CHW) – I know this looks bonkers. Fedde just sat 2+ ticks up on his fastballs and 3/4 ticks up on his cutter, at 94 mph. I just had to make a note of it here.
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) – The Sneks are giving Pfaadt a shot with two major hits to their rotation. I’m curious if he displays anything new to make us interested again.
Jose Cabrera (ARI) – I don’t hate Cabrera, his ceiling is still too much of an unknown. His best skill is throwing strikes (so far) and I hope he keeps doing so.
Zac Gallen (ARI) – Gallen has not been worth your time.
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) – A tough matchup this week and with lower velocity, I’m not interested in holding through it.
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.
Bryce Elder (ATL) – It’s time to move on after failing to come through against the Giants. It was a, uh, time. It was a time.
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.
Hurston Waldrep (ATL) – It’s very possible we see Waldrep entering the rotation in the near future after showing up after ReyLó, but the quality was awfully blegh. I’m not throwing darts at this with a number of decent streaming options out there.
JR Ritchie (ATL) – He’s back in the rotation and I have such little interest.
Brandon Young (BAL) – I know it’s a quick hook after the 23 whiff game, but his follow-up sure felt like a Double Bubble.
Dean Kremer (BAL) – It’s a wait-and-see with Kremer in his Still ILL this week.
Trey Gibson (BAL) – There is far too much left to polish.
Brayan Bello (BOS) – He’s in the minors now. I wonder if he’ll have an opener.
Patrick Sandoval (BOS) – Wait, FOR REAL THIS TIME?! I wonder if “The Irish Panda” has any more magic left.
David Peterson (CHC) – He’s a Toby at best. I don’t trust him, even if he has a better defense behind him now.
Jameson Taillon (CHC) – It’s unclear if he actually returns this week, and I sure hope he does. It’ll be good to see the fella on the bump again.
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.
Rhett Lowder (CIN) – Lowder has moments with great command of fastballs, sliders, and changeups. I’ll let you know when they pop up.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) – I’m waiting for Cecconi to produce a string of starts to force me to consider him again.
Gabriel Hughes (COL) – It’s possible the Rockies give him a spot start. The Rockies. A spot start.
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.
Sean Sullivan (COL) – He got the pearl and it’s absolutely not what you want.
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
Zach Agnos (COL) – Who are you and why did you need to know what I thought about Agnos? I’m Agnos-tic. THAT’S NOT WHAT THAT MEANS.
David Sandlin (CWS) – He’s back in the minors.
Justin Verlander (DET) – Is he actually returning this week? Really? I kinda imagined this was, you know, it. Update: He didn’t. And who knows when.
Keider Montero (DET) – Montero doesn’t do enough to justify a 12-teamer roster spot.
Kai-Wei Teng (HOU) – Naaaaaah. The breakers can be cool, but it’s really not it, let alone the major question of his length.
Mike Burrows (HOU) – The command simply isn’t there yet.
Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) – I think we need to let the Pasta Pirate cook a little longer before we serve him a spot on our teams.
Luinder Avila (KC) – How long will he even go in this rotation?
Mitch Spence (KC) – Oh snap, he’s a thing again! A THING thing? Nah, just a thing. Dang.
Noah Cameron (KC) – The ceiling hasn’t shown itself enough to endure the high chance of mediocrity.
Seth Lugo (KC) – Lugo hasn’t been a good option for a while.
Alek Manoah (LAA) – Oh dear. Please don’t.
Caden Dana (LAA) – Will he establish himself as a Toby at some point?
Ryan Johnson (LAA) – He showed up again and it was rouuuuugh. Don’t do this.
Sam Aldegheri (LAA) – He doesn’t pack enough of a punch to be a proper SWATCH.
Braxton Garrett (MIA) – I thought we’d get Garrett soon. Guess not.
Janson Junk (MIA) – Junk, you rascal. Once I feel confident he can command his stuff well, I’ll add him.
Ryan Gusto (MIA) – There may be something of interest here, but let’s wait and see.
Tyler Phillips (MIA) – As much as I want this to work out, it’s not working out.
Bailey Ober (MIN) – He’s now on the IL with elbow inflammation.
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.
Mike Paredes (MIN) – This ain’t it.
Jonah Tong (NYM) – Sent back down to the minors. Sigh.
Kodai Senga (NYM) – I gave him an honest try. Now we wait.
Sean Manaea (NYM) – Manaea’s velocity isn’t at 92 mph and the overall arsenal is meh. Not worth the gamble.
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.
Elmer Rodríguez (NYY) – We expect Elmer to come up in Carlos Rodón’s spot and we’ve yet to see him give us a productive start across the board.
Aaron Nola (PHI) – Nola’s velocity ebbs and flows. I’ll add him again once I feel we can trust him.
Alan Rangel (PHI) – I’m curious how this goes. There’s a chance he’s a decent arm to target for a vulture Win.
Brian Keller (PHI) – He’s not it, y’all.
Ranger Suarez (PHI) – I elected to pull him given his adductor tightness that ended Sunday’s outing early. If he’s just fine, he’d be around Tier 4/5.
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.
Bubba Chandler (PIT) – I can’t believe we’re at this point. He’s not getting whiffs on his four-seamer. It’s been three months and nothing’s changed. I can’t do this.
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.
Jhony Brito (SDP) – Looks like Brito will return soon and it’s not something to jump on early.
JP Sears (SDP) – He’s been given a chance to start again and I’m not interested until he wows me.
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.
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.
Trevor McDonald (SF) – McDonald is a sinkerballer with an elite slider, but the sinker isn’t landing low and the slider can’t find strikes.
Adrian Houser (SFG) – A 15-teamer Toby when he proves he can handle weak opponents.
Tyler Mahle (SFG) – Not the worst play with Rockie Road ahead, but not the one to chase right now.
Hunter Dobbins (STL) – The Cardinals gave it a shot, and he’ll get another for their doubleheader…who knows when he gets the next.
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) – His command isn’t good enough. He can be a 15-team Toby option, but nothing more.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – It’s just too blegh. A groundball arm with few strikeouts who has recently had the cold shoulder from Koufax.
Cal Quantrill (TEX) – THE UNQUANTRILLFIABLE. Actually, we can quantify that he’s not worthwhile. Yeah, but that, you know, ruins it.
Tyler Alexander (TEX) – He may open for Winston Santos a game or two. As always, T-Lex has too short of a reach for your fantasy teams.
Max Scherzer (TOR) – I can see Scherzer actually performing well in his next start or two, but he hasn’t proven it yet. Update: Annnnd he’s scratched again.
Patrick Corbin (TOR) – No, this is not the time to restart your PC. You can’t make that joke everytime. YES I CAN.
Shane Bieber (TOR) – He’s not looking like his old self and I don’t have any interest holding. I’d be floored if he suddenly killed it next time out.
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. The Nats haven’t let him go five frames yet, after all.
Miles Mikolas (WSN) – You actually CTRL-F’d Mikolas?!
Zack Littell (WSN) – I know he has his moments, but I don’t trust his Dancing With The Disco approach.
Good luck, everyone!
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Badges | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob MisiorowskiT1 | MIL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | - |
| 2 | Chris SaleT2 | ATL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 3 | Cam Schlittler | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 4 | Paul Skenes | PIT | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 5 | Chase Burns | CIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 6 | Joe Ryan | MIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 7 | Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Quality Starts | -4 |
| 8 | Tarik Skubal | DET | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 9 | Yoshinobu YamamotoT3 | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | - |
| 10 | Shohei Ohtani | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 11 | Zack Wheeler | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 12 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 13 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 14 | Logan Gilbert | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 15 | Bryce Miller | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 16 | Max Meyer | MIA | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 17 | Bryan WooT4 | SEA | Ace Potential Ratio Focused | +4 |
| 18 | Logan Webb | SF | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -3 |
| 19 | Braxton Ashcraft | PIT | Ace Potential Ratio Focused | -3 |
| 20 | Kyle Harrison | MIL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 21 | Dylan Cease | TOR | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 22 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 23 | Nathan EovaldiT5 | TEX | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +1 |
| 24 | Payton Tolle | BOS | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 25 | George Kirby | SEA | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 26 | Hunter Greene | CIN | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +1 |
| 27 | Hunter Brown | HOU | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 28 | Gerrit Cole | NYY | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 29 | Kevin Gausman | TOR | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +1 |
| 30 | Nolan McLean | NYM | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 31 | Sonny GrayT6 | BOS | Holly Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 32 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | - |
| 33 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | - |
| 34 | Foster Griffin | WSH | Holly Quality Starts | +5 |
| 35 | Parker Messick | CLE | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 36 | Logan Henderson | MIL | Holly Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +UR |
| 37 | Shane McClanahan | TB | Holly Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 38 | Nick Lodolo | CIN | Holly Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 39 | Kyle Bradish | BAL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 40 | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | +14 |
| 41 | Griffin JaxT7 | TB | Holly Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 42 | Troy Melton | DET | Holly Ratio Focused | +4 |
| 43 | Trevor Rogers | BAL | Holly Quality Starts | +15 |
| 44 | Jake Bennett | BOS | Holly Quality Starts | +16 |
| 45 | Eury Pérez | MIA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +23 |
| 46 | Jared JonesT8 | PIT | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +4 |
| 47 | Emerson Hancock | SEA | Toby Quality Starts | +14 |
| 48 | Emmet Sheehan | LAD | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +8 |
| 49 | Robbie Ray | SF | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 50 | Justin Wrobleski | LAD | Holly Wins Bonus Team Context Effect | +12 |
| 51 | Sean Burke | CHW | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +15 |
| 52 | Gage Jump | ATH | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside Team Context Effect | -5 |
| 53 | Reid Detmers | LAA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -10 |
| 54 | Landen Roupp | SF | Cherry Bomb Quality Starts | -16 |
| 55 | Casey Mize | DET | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +2 |
| 56 | Ryan WeathersT9 | NYY | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -5 |
| 57 | MacKenzie Gore | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 58 | Michael King | SD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +12 |
| 59 | Will Warren | NYY | Hipster Wins Bonus | +10 |
| 60 | Freddy Peralta | NYM | Hipster Wins Bonus | -8 |
| 61 | Framber Valdez | DET | Hipster Quality Starts | -8 |
| 62 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 63 | José Soriano | LAA | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 64 | Trey Yesavage | TOR | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -9 |
| 65 | Dustin MayT10 | STL | Toby Quality Starts | -2 |
| 66 | Eduardo Rodriguez | ARI | Toby Quality Starts | +1 |
| 67 | Connor Prielipp | MIN | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 68 | Ian Seymour | TB | Toby Ratio Focused | +7 |
| 69 | Nick Martinez | TB | Toby Quality Starts | +8 |
| 70 | Walbert Ureña | LAA | Toby Quality Starts | +6 |
| 71 | Davis Martin | CHW | Toby Quality Starts | +3 |
| 72 | Matthew Boyd | CHC | Toby Quality Starts Injury Risk | -8 |
| 73 | Andrew Abbott | CIN | Toby Quality Starts | -8 |
| 74 | Peter Lambert | HOU | Toby Quality Starts | +UR |
| 75 | Michael Wacha | KC | Toby Quality Starts | +9 |
| 76 | Shane Baz | BAL | Toby Quality Starts | +12 |
| 77 | Cade CavalliT11 | WSH | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +9 |
| 78 | Brandon Sproat | MIL | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | - |
| 79 | Jack Flaherty | DET | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 80 | Christian Scott | NYM | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 81 | Taj Bradley | MIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +17 |
| 82 | Roki Sasaki | LAD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -11 |
| 83 | Tanner Bibee | CLE | Hipster Quality Starts | -2 |
| 84 | Tatsuya Imai | HOU | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 85 | Reynaldo LópezT12 | ATL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 86 | Shane Drohan | MIL | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 87 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 88 | Jack Perkins | ATH | Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -9 |
| 89 | Zebby Matthews | MIN | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -6 |
| 90 | Noah Schultz | CHW | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus Injury Risk | +3 |
| 91 | Andre Pallante | STL | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +4 |
| 92 | Stephen Kolek | KC | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +4 |
| 93 | Anthony Kay | CHW | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +7 |
| 94 | Kumar Rocker | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 95 | Grayson Rodriguez | LAA | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Stash Option | +UR |
| 96 | Robert Gasser | MIL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 97 | Eric Lauer | LAD | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 98 | Colin Rea | CHC | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 99 | Tyler Mahle | SF | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 100 | Erick Fedde | CHW | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
Labels Legend
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
