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 this as 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:
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: Joe Ryan (14), Hunter Greene (20), Griffin Jax (25)
Injured Pitchers Added To The List: Blake Snell (24), Michael Soroka (53), Nick Lodolo (55),
Automatic Bump/Fall For Pitchers In The Top 60: (None)
Tier 1 – It’s Nice To Not Worry
1. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – Yep. Still dope and makes us feel dope.
2. Tarik Skubal (LAD) – Not so dominant with the Dodgers thus far, bad for your fantasy teams, good for baseball.
3. Chris Sale (ATL) – Sale “balked”, but he also didn’t feature enough high heaters.
4. Cam Schlittler (NYY) – What was it, 15 whiffs on four-seamers alone last outing?! Unreal.
5. Zack Wheeler (PHI) – Five walks in an anomaly, especially with a 60%+ strike rate. Just weird
Tier 2 – The Other Aces
6. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – Fewer high heaters = fewer strikeouts and an overall meh showing, but still helpful because it’s Yamamoto.
7. Drew Rasmussen (TBR) – We’re seeing him move from the cutter to LHB in favor of more four-seamers and it’s clearly working.
8. Jacob deGrom (TEX) – He’s not getting the whiffs on four-seamers like he used to, but he’s also locating them lower than usual. I considered shuffling the 8-13 rankings a bit, too, but in the end, deGrom is a safe starter the rest of the way.
9. Logan Gilbert (SEA) – Gilbert is a bit frustrating still, and a bit like Cease and Luzardo in that we don’t know what we’ll get from his arsenal each time out.
10. Dylan Cease (TOR) – I understand wanting to push Cease higher and yet…I know the floor. You know the floor.
11. Jesús Luzardo (PHI) – Luzardo had his one kerfuffle after getting the AGA tag, then settled back into being dope. I really hope you didn’t sell low after his first month.
12. Gavin Williams (CLE) – The strikes are still flowing, which means we’re all glowing.
13. Gerrit Cole (NYY) – Cole’s four-seamer has taken off lately, even if he oddly did a reverse BSB to LHB with his curve and fastball last time out. Of course they returned just one whiff between them.
14. Chase Burns (CIN) – I had to lower Burns for a few reasons: Fewer four-seamer whiffs, shorter leash, and a dip in velocity as of late.
Tier 3 – You’re Dope But Not Dope. Yet.
15. Max Fried (NYY) – Fried is progressing quickly and could be in the next tier in a week.
16. Logan Henderson (MIL) – Henderson has two tests remaining: LAD and ATL. Knock em out, and the AGA is yours.
17. Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) – Sánchez is still a threat to your WHIP without consistent changeup strikes. It should turn around.
18. Paul Skenes (PIT) – I’m flabberghasted that we just saw Skenes record a sub-50% strike rate on his four-seamer. I also wonder if he should bring the splinker back into action as batters aren’t fearful of his breakers.
19. Sean Burke (CHW) – Burke’s phenomenal stretch hit a bump against the super hot Red Sox. He obviously deserves a mulligan at this point, even if his breakers did little to help when his fastball failed him.
20. Troy Melton (DET) – His increased whiffs after four starts easily correlate with a heavier lean on his cutter, and I don’t see why that would go away.
21. Payton Tolle (BOS) – Fourteen strikeouts is AWESOME. I dig the curveball getting into the action a bit more, even if I think it’s kinda…meh.
22. Kyle Harrison (MIL) – It was a Still ILL for Harrison, who made me look foolish after hurling five innings with ten punchouts. That heater is a fantastic foundation and he didn’t even need his peak changeup.
23. Sandy Alcantara (MIA) – I won’t deny the absurd run of Quality Starts we’ve seen over the last two months. I will tell you that his command is still a bit off and I can’t help but question if it’ll last through the end of the year.
Tier 4 – Far Sweeter Than Sour
24. Blake Snell (LAD) – We’re watching Snell return TONIGHT in a Still ILL, and I’m expecting the skills to be good enough for him to be a staple for your teams down the stretch…but around 80 pitches next time out.
25. Eury Pérez (MIA) – Pérez is still figuring out the right mix of four-seamers and sinkers to go with his secondaries. The stuff is there and the command is better than we’ve seen all year.
26. Hunter Brown (HOU) – The four-seamer stuff is there, but the feel is weird again. Fortunately, the curveball is getting back into form and we’re almost at full strength again.
27. Parker Messick (CLE) – We just saw 95 mph with a SwStr heavy changeup. That’s what’s up.
Tier 5 – Everyone Who Sees This Wants It Ranked Differently
28. Nolan McLean (NYM) – McLean still lacks a refined approach to organize his stuff into a strong, reliable performance each night. He should get there in time, but he’s not at the same level as before.
29. Bryan Woo (SEA) – I really want to put the home/road splits to rest, but he hasn’t been properly tested yet. We’ll see when he faces the Yankees in the Bronx.
30. Cade Cavalli (WSH) – The velo and cutter have both stuck. It’s real, even with a VPQS this past week. Trust the skills.
31. Shota Imanaga (CHC) – Rumors of his decline have been greatly exaggerated. The velocity is still 91/92 mph and he’s cruising.
32. Kevin Gausman (CHC) – Gausman’s new club is a perfect fit. I’m down the rest of the way.
33. Logan Webb (SFG) – Webb’s changeup is looking exactly as it should. Now if everything else could be at their peaks…
Tier 6 – This Should Be More
34. Reid Detmers (LAA) – We saw Detmers reclaim his lost velocity and the slider was solid. I’m rolling with him, but I feel his success is more fragile than others.
35. Kyle Bradish (BAL) – Bradish had the legit slider last time out and a decent enough curveball while doing his best to keep the four-seamer around the zone.
36. Trevor Rogers (BAL) – We saw a great outing and then 95 mph with a 31% strike changeup and two HBP in the fourth. Yikes. The velocity matters more for the future, honestly.
37. Sonny Gray (BOS) – We just saw a Sonny result with a Gray skillset. I hope the sweeper is a bigger part of his attack next time out to prevent overcast skies.
38. George Kirby (SEA) – I’m always happy to see Kirby locate the sweeper effectively to RHB, and it’s clear he’s still valuable for fantasy teams. He could be so much more if he located the sinker better and came with a better arsenal to LHB.
39. Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – Ashcraft has been far worse over the two months and even if I believe he should be more effective with his two breakers, I have to push him down a touch. It’s very possible he’s getting gassed in his first full season as a starter.
40. Jared Jones (PIT) – The ceiling is a bit capped for Jones with the Pirates limiting him often below 85 pitches, and it was tough watching him struggle to locate his always-hard pitches. Given the solid string of success prior to the recent failures, I’m inclined to hold and expect better. Feel free to place him in Tier 7 or 8 if you like, I struggled to find the right spot that weighs the upside and floor.
Tier 7 – You’re Generally Safe. Ish.
41. Peter Lambert (HOU) – It wasn’t the strongest showing, but far from an outing that would shift our thoughts on Lambert.
42. Walbert Ureña (LAA) – Ureña had a bad third inning. It happens. We move on.
43. Joey Cantillo (CLE) – He tossed one inning due to a rain delay. Whatareyagonnado.
44. Ryan Weathers (NYY) – Weathers had navigated the dark waters and steadied the sails lately. Gotta keep riding it while it lasts.
45. Dustin May (MIL) – May’s new squad is sure to embrace the cutter some more and possibly figure out how to get more whiffs with his sweeper. Either way, he’s a good mix of floor with possible upside.
46. Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – This has been an incredible rebound of a season, eh? After spotting his four-seamer and changeup beautifully against the Dodgers, I can’t imagine y’all dropping Erod.
47. Jackson Jobe (DET) – Jobe had his season debut after spending a whole bunch of time recovering from elbow surgery and even if I expect the velocity to come down, which may bring fewer whiffs than we like, the absurd four-seamer command is awfully endearing. I hope the big curve gets a bit more attention in the future, too.
48. Ian Seymour (TBR) – We’ve all had our doubts about Seymour, but the SWATCH lifestyle still works for many. He may come across more Wins than most if the Rays continue to grant him an opener.
49. Michael King (SDP) – I’m still not sure what to make of King. He deserved some love this week after throwing strikes with all four of his main pitches, and all we can do is hope he’s found a groove.
Tier 8 – What Will They Become?
50. Robbie Ray (SDP) – The Padres are sure to tinker with Ray and I have to wonder if we’ll see RHB face a four-seamer + slider + change approach again. The sinker can come too, just rarely, not frequently.
51. Taj Bradley (MIN) – Oh look, another start of sub 50% strikes on his cutter and an erratic splitter. At least the four-seamer still finds enough strikes and has great stuff. I have no idea how the next two months will go.
52. Bryce Miller (SEA) – Same with you, Bryce. Are you just a guy to start at home or will you have a feel for your secondaries more often than not?
53. Michael Soroka (ARI) – I wasn’t impressed by Soroka’s Still ILL where he featured 48% strikes on his signature curveball. My adoration is rooted in that hook and is amplified when he separates it from his fastballs. I saw neither, and don’t want to test it against the Dodgers. But after…
54. Roki Sasaki (LAD) – I’m still trying to get a true understanding of Sasaki. I don’t think any of his pitches are truly excellent on their own, but when he can return a ton of splitters for strikes, the four-seamer and slider can do the rest. I’m skeptical he’ll hit a stride where he get a string of legit starts in a row before the season ends.
55. Emerson Hancock (SEA) – He’s still surviving despite all the doom and gloom I’ve provided for months. Atta boy…?
56. Landen Roupp (SFG) – It’s been a trio of frustrating games for Roupp, but this one had a legit changeup to LHB with a curveball down to RHB that oddly failed to return more strikes. The lack of sinker or cutter feel was a major factor, and considering how the slowball is still stellar, I expect Roupp to find the bottom of the rainbow soon enough.
57. MacKenzie Gore (TEX) – It was a Golden Goal for Gore on Monday, though it was a product of the most successful changeup performance he’s ever had. A bit of Blame it on the Angels and I didn’t love the questionable heater and curve. He’s still rocking the slider to LHB, though. That’s lovely.
58. Nick Lodolo (CIN) – He’s returning from the IL and I’m not sure I want to go for it. Lodolo’s success comes when he’s able to start routinely for weeks and we all know how that’s gone.
Tier 9 -WHAT DO I DO WITH YOU
59. Sean Manaea (NYM) – I really wrestled with Manaea’s ranking. On one hand, he should be at the end of Tier 7 with his absurd hot stretch, peaking with a 93 mph velocity heater after showcasing 89/90 mph at the start of the year. On the other, that velocity could fall down overnight and his fastball is the pitch leading the entire charge. If your worst arm is in Tier 8, I’m 100% cool making the swap. If you’re trading in a deeper league, I’d be careful.
60. Jacob Lopez (ATH) – Ditto with JLo. I wanted to push him higher, but we all know he could fall out of his rhythm overnight and display a terrible floor in Sacré Verde. That said, it’s five starts straight of replicating his ace-like approach from the middle of summer 2025, with a 2.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 29% strikeout rate. Hot dang.
61. Ranger Suarez (BOS) – Three starts of 70 pitches or fewer as Suarez is not locating as well as we normally see. He could turn it around as soon as his next outing, but I’d also consider making a swap if I could.
62. Shane Baz (BAL) – I’ve been asking Baz to show me a third pitch and his cutter was that offering last time out, while the curve was lagging behind. He’s been solid. I can’t tell you it’ll continue to be for the next seven weeks, but this feels good right now.
63. Matthew Boyd (CHC) – Boyd isn’t getting the same whiffs he was at the start of the year, but he’s still going deep into games, granting a high Win chance each time with the pearl in his hands.
64. Noah Cameron (KCR) – Cameron almost pulled off a 6 IP, 2 ER effort against the Dodgers and still carries 93+ mph fastballs. He’s in a much better place than early 2026.
Tier 10 – It’s Something. It’s A Toby.
65. Justin Wrobleski (LAD) – Wrobo Cop is still at 95 mph, but he’s been a disaster for three straight now. I want to give him a little longer given the velo and overall stuff, but the command is waning slightly as regression is here and it hurts.
66. Connor Prielipp (MIN) – He’s putting up the lines we see from an exciting prospect who just needs a little more time before he puts it all together. I hope the curveball is more of the equation soon.
67. José Soriano (TOR) – Soriano is throwing fewer four-seamers and more curveballs with the Jays, and that makes sense…but also is what he did in 2025. His April success was throwing more four-seamers and better four-seamers, too. Something to keep in mind.
68. Tyler Mahle (ATL) – Mahle has been 93/94 mph for a few games now and is locating well. He’s a strong Toby with a case for more.
69. Will Warren (NYY) – I may be too low on Warren as a Win option, but I still dislike his heaters. They aren’t the dominant offerings of last year.
70. Freddy Peralta (TBR) – Peralta just endured the “Green Mile” to begin his short tenure with the Rays. They’re having him throw more changeups and that can work…if he gets his four-seamer upstairs again.
71. Framber Valdez (DET) – Valdez just went seven shutout but needed four double-plays to do so. No, it wasn’t a product of him “fixing things”.
72. Foster Griffin (CLE) – Even before the trade deadline, we saw a SwStr dip in Griffin and it wasn’t any better in his debut for the Guardians. I may bring him back up next week if he has a proper redemption outing, but I get the feeling he’s just a Toby at the end of the day.
73. Michael Wacha (KCR) – Wacha is exactly that. A Toby who you may be dropping with a start against the Dodgers this week.
74. Tanner Bibee (CLE) – There’s a larger focus on lateral movement from Bibee these days and I’m kinda intrigued by it. Throw in some improved changeup command and he has my attention.
Tier 11 – You Really Don’t Have To Do This
75. Nick Martinez (TBR) – This Vargas Rule is kinda bonkers. I’m super happy for him, but a sub-15% strikeout rate?! Really?!
76. Clay Holmes (CHC) – It wasn’t a fun premiere in a Cubs uniform, but The Adobe should get more favors from Koufax in the future.
77. Cody Bradford (TEX) – Bradford still gave us whiffs on his four-seamer at 89 mph in his return from TJS. If he can get the changeup underneath consistently, he’ll be the coolest SWATCH in town once again.
78. Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) – Pfaadt’s Vargas Rule took him through the Dodgers, bolstered by fantastic four-seamer/changeup pitch separation to LHB.
79. Christian Scott (NYM) – If Scott found a way to attack the bottom of the zone consistently, I’d be more interested. Until then, I believe he’ll still get hit around a bit.
80. Cristian Javier (HOU) – Javier hasn’t found the strikeouts yet, but his cutter addition in concert with more strikes across his arsenal have me wondering if they’ll appear before September.
81. Anthony Kay (CHW) – Kay has been on a lovely, quiet stretch that I don’t blame anyone from holding onto as long as the matchups stay friendly.
82. Gage Jump (ATH) – Jump’s success is latched to his ability to return strikes with his slider and four-seamer. The Red Sox RHB couldn’t handle the 96+ mph fastball up-and-away last start, propelling an eleven-strikeout extravaganza. That upside is hard to find down here.
83. Brandon Young (BAL) – I’ve been underrating Young’s four-seamer, even if he didn’t have his strongest performance across the past week. I blame the slew of RHB, who get to deal with his mediocre slider, rather than the four-seamer/splitter approach he constantly nails down to LHB.
Tier 12 – Arms To Consider This Week
84. Dean Kremer (MIN) – He impressed in his revenge game against the Orioles and I wouldn’t rule out a string of positive starts now that he tapped into 93/94 mph velocity with better splitters and cutters.
85. Bubba Chandler (PIT) – Chandler hasn’t been nearly as destructive as of late, but I’m still looking for an outing where he surgically takes down batters with fastballs and sliders. There’s always too much chaos for me to be convinced he can reliably find success.
86. Andrew Abbott (CIN) – Abbott is Abbott. It’s pretty boring, but he has a chance for six frames with every start.
87. Kyle Leahy (STL) – Leahy has returned more strikeouts than expected, though he remains super hittable with far too many pitches landing well over the plate in a struggle to find the edges consistently.
88. Keider Montero (DET) – Montero has been a successful WHIP arm across the year, even if the overall upside is limited.
89. David Peterson (CHC) – The shocking command we saw from Peterson for a pair of starts dissipated last outing, but the great defense behind him is still there.
90. Jake Bennett (BOS) – The strikeouts have dwindled like the days of the MLB season as he’s failed to go BSB with his heater and changeup consistently after doing so regularly for a few outings.
91. Casey Mize (SDP) – After a horrible debut for the Padres, Mize had a productive evening, but did so under 93 mph and without his splitter obeying his command. With a date against the LHB-exclusive Guardians up next, that’s putting a whole lot of pressure on Mize to find the pitch this week, let alone finding his lost velocity.
92. Merrill Kelly (ARI) – Kelly was able to take down the Dodgers without much hoopla. Surely that warrants a stream against Rockie Road?
93. Andrew Painter (PHI) – I hope we see more of Painter turning to his fastballs under 30% of the time and nailing the outside corner with breakers to RHB. Just get that changeup down to LHB, alright?
94. Martín Pérez (ATL) – Pérez has been kind of amazing lately and if not for a rain delay, he may have had two sparkling outings in a row. Not a bad option for a cheap Win.
95. Hayden Wesneski (HOU) – I wasn’t as impressed as I wanted to be by his start in Oracle Park, and I worry it’s just a good sweeper and not much else.
96. Blade Tidwell (SFG) – Speaking of which, Tidwell just had a field day against the RHB-heavy Astros lineup, returning 12 whiffs on his sweeper alone. Thing is, he’s unlikely to get such an uneven lineup in the future, and there isn’t much else outside of the breaker.
97. Eric Lauer (LAD) – This may be Lauer’s last week in the rotation and y’all may have already dropped him after his nightmare start. However, it’s the Royals and surely he can muster one more Win for us, right?
98. Zac Thornton (NYM) – I debated leaving Thornton off The List again, simply because I don’t see more than his four-seamer and cutter taking over games + it’s Atlanta up next. At the same time, he’s found a way more times than not and I don’t blame you for trying.
99. Adrian Houser (SFG) – Here’s a real sneaky one. Houser may have an opener for his outing against the RHB-favoring Astros, while Houser is now sitting 96+ mph on his heaters at near seven feet of extension. I’m not saying it’s excellent, I’m saying you could find 5+ innings of production for the price of free.
100. Jackson Kent (WSH) – Kent is getting called up by the Nationals and I see him as a discount Prielipp with a worse fastball and curveball, but similar slider and better changeup.
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
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.
Kohl Drake (ARI) – There may be something here in time, but Drake needs more polish first.
Mitch Bratt (ARI) – I’m not into this at all. All I can think of is Mitch looking at the strikezone and throwing baseballs like paint with childish “Brrrrrrraaaat”.
Zac Gallen (ARI) – Gallen has not been worth your time.
J.T. Ginn (ATH) – I’m terrified of his home park and the stuff just isn’t good enough.
Jack Perkins (ATH) – I see starts ahead in Sacré Verde and I’m not interested.
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.
Mason Barnett (ATH) – Barnett is kinda interesting, but I need to be blown away to take a shot on him and the home park
AJ Smith-Shawver (ATL) – He wasn’t nearly impressive enough in his 2026 debut with just two whiffs despite throwing 97 mph heaters. The secondaries need to be a whole lot more, too.
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.
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.
Owen Murphy (ATL) – The velocity dropped in his second game and I wonder when we’ll see him again. There is promise in that four-seamer.
Reynaldo López (ATL) – After sitting 94/95 mph in his first few starts, ReyLópez fell down to 92 mph and much lower by the end of the game. That’s not the kind of arm you want to chase.
Cade Povich (BAL) – The Orioles are finally giving Povich another shot and I hope he can be the effective kitchen-sink southpaw he’s destined to become.
Chris Bassitt (BAL) – Oh, Bassitt is coming back, too. I wonder if he’s over 91 mph.
Trey Gibson (BAL) – There is far too much left to polish.
Eduardo Rivera (BOS) – He’ll be opening for Bello. Ignore this.
Patrick Sandoval (BOS) – I wonder if “The Irish Panda” has any more magic left. It was kinda interesting last time out…?
Braxton Garrett (CHC) – It’s a fun trade to the Cubs and let’s see how he looks whenever they push him into the rotation.
Colin Rea (CHC) – He’s out of the rotation and it feels wrong. WRONG.
Javier Assad (CHC) – I don’t think we’ll see much more of Assad after Gausman and Holmes were added at the deadline.
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.
Davis Martin (CWS) – He’s not longer pitching like the opening months, and Martin can’t get away with his mistakes over the plate.
Erick Fedde (CWS) – Fedde’s cutter came in HOT, and I’m glad he’s throwing more of them. Sadly, it’s not enough.
Jonathan Cannon (CWS) – I truly wish I could blast the 1812 overture again.
Luis Castillo (CWS) – I nearly added him to The List, but it’s not the same home park now and he hasn’t looked particularly sharp.
Noah Schultz (CWS) – How cruel is it to accidentally remove Schultz in the first inning due to the manager’s mistake of two mound visits in the first, then demote him right after?
Drew Anderson (DET) – I was really tempted to add him last minute after the report came out that he’s going to transition into the rotation, but it’s likely safe to see how stretched out he is and if he can consistently produce. He’s not like a Jax in waiting.
Jack Flaherty (DET) – When are we going to see Flaherty back again?
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.
Ty Madden (DET) – Madden is the option until Anderson is fully ready, and I have no interest here.
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.
Ronel Blanco (HOU) – He’s back! And I’m so curious what we get in this Still ILL.
Tatsuya Imai (HOU) – He moved to the pen, which could mean some sneaky vulture Wins as long relief, but who knows what version of Imai we’ll get when that happens.
Daniel Lynch IV (KCR) – The Royals are giving Lynch a shot at starting and are still stretching him out.
Luinder Avila (KCR) – He’s getting TJS after his last outing. Poor guy.
Mason Black (KCR) – Totally forgot you were on the Royals now. That’s cool n stuff.
Mitch Spence (KCR) – Oh snap, he’s a thing again! A THING thing? Nah, just a thing. Dang.
Randy Dobnak (KCR) – Dobnak has been productive twice, slinging sinkers and changeups, and it’s not meant to last.
Seth Lugo (KCR) – Lugo hasn’t been a good option for a while.
Stephen Kolek (KCR) – He’s out for the year with TJS now. What a rough summer. Poor guy.
Alek Manoah (LAA) – Oh dear. Please don’t.
Caden Dana (LAA) – Will he establish himself as a Toby at some point?
George Klassen (LAA) – I was tempted to find a place for Klassen on The List after higher strike rates in the minors leading up to his return, but those control marks were nowhere to be found. Maybe they come back.
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) – There’s nothing to get excited about with his four-seamer and changeup. I hope the breakers get better.
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.
Emmet Sheehan (LAD) – The Dodgers acquired Skubal and sent Sheehan to the minors. It’s kinda wild. I was hoping they’d send Sheehan in the Skubal package so he could hit the reset button, and maybe this will help him heal up to be 95/96 mph again. I’d love that.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) – He’s indefinitely removed from the rotation as he rests up for the playoffs. Stupid knees barking like a dingus.
Janson Junk (MIA) – I’d be thrilled if the Marlins dealt Junk to a place that let him toss 90 pitches an outing and properly figure out how to get the most out of his above-average stuff. It’s not like he can’t find the zone.
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.
Brandon Sproat (MIL) – I’m not sure he starts again this week, though it may be a six-man to get everyone in a proper routine after Harrison and May join the rotation. There’s one spot in a five-man rotation between Sproat, Gasser, and Drohan, and I think Drohan gets it. If he does start, I haven’t been sold by his arsenal and approach to be confident he’ll produce if he even gets the chance.
Robert Gasser (MIL) – Ditto for Gasser.
Shane Drohan (MIL) – He’s gotten blasted a bit lately and with a tight rotation in Milwaukee, I’m not even sure how much longer he lasts.
Bailey Ober (MIN) – He’s back from the IL and still struggling to hit 90 mph.
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.
Zebby Matthews (MIN) – He’s now in the minors, even after a ten-strikeout game. Wild, I know. Blame Kremer.
Jonah Tong (NYM) – Sent back down to the minors. Sigh.
Kodai Senga (NYM) – I gave him an honest try. Now we wait.
Robert Stock (NYM) – That was awesome. I hope he’s worth our time when weak opponents come his way.
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.
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.
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.
Carson Whisenhunt (SFG) – I want him to be great, but he’s not there yet. Changeup is pretty cool.
Trevor McDonald (SFG) – McDonald is a sinkerballer with an elite slider, but the sinker isn’t landing low and the slider can’t find strikes.
Andre Pallante (STL) – I just don’t see an arm I want to trust on a regular basis. Feel free to stream if you must, but the risk/reward value isn’t there in my opinion.
Hunter Dobbins (STL) – As much as I love that Dobbins is leaning into cut-fastballs now, his start over the weekend came with far worse command and a two-tick drop in velocity. Not great, Bob.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) – His command isn’t good enough. He can be a 15-team Toby option, but nothing more.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – McGreevy’s added velo fell and it’s awfully boring now.
Quinn Mathews (STL) – He was demoted after his debut and once I learned he had a 40-degree arm angle, I became less impressed by the 17″ vert four-seamer. I’m not confident he can go BSB with heaters and changeups to RHB effectively, and that has me a little tepid on him when he returns.
Mason Englert (TBR) – I’m not convinced he’s the next hot thing from Tampa Bay, but I’m at least curious.
Shane McClanahan (TBR) – He hit the IL with a back injury and I’m incredibly sad.
Cal Quantrill (TEX) – THE UNQUANTRILLFIABLE. Actually, we can quantify that he’s been decent lately. That’s true! Going Canibal McSanchez. He’s going to be replaced in all likelihood, though, and it’s not sustainable.
Jordan Montgomery (TEX) – He returned! And it was mediocre!
Kumar Rocker (TEX) – I was more encouraged by Rocker early last week with 17″+ inches of horizontal run on his sinker, but that fell to 15″ and he has a tough schedule ahead. Bummer.
Jameson Taillon (TOR) – I’m so glad he’s with Toronto now, and let’s see if he can be a streamer in 15-teamers before going after this. Update: And now he’s hurt. I’m so sad.
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. Update #2: And he’s back! And even after a good start, I can’t endorse it.
Patrick Corbin (TOR) – No, this is not the time to restart your PC. You can’t make that joke every time. YES I CAN.
Shane Bieber (TOR) – Pretty wild to see him off The List, eh? Bieber isn’t doing enough with his arsenal consistently, and I’m not going to give him a glance until I feel confident he can come through on a given night.
Spencer Arrighetti (TOR) – I think we need to let the Pasta Pirate cook a little longer before we serve him a spot on our teams.
Spencer Miles (TOR) – He’s being used a follower in the place of Lauer and it’s not worth your time.
Andrew Alvarez (WSH) – The Nationals gave him another shot and he was pulled in the sixth with sub-80 pitches. His curve is cool, the fastballs are not.
Carson Palmquist (WSH) – He’s with the Nats now, eh? That’s cool. Welp, see ya later.
Connelly Early (WSH) – He’s with a new team and I have no idea when he returns at this point.
Jake Irvin (WSH) – Irvin is throwing a harder cutter and that’s kinda fun. Not fun enough to trust until he actually proves it’s worth your time, of course.
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 | Tarik Skubal | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 3 | Chris Sale | ATL | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 4 | Cam Schlittler | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | - |
| 5 | Zack Wheeler | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | - |
| 6 | Yoshinobu YamamotoT2 | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 7 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | +1 |
| 8 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 9 | Logan Gilbert | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 10 | Dylan Cease | TOR | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 11 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 12 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 13 | Gerrit Cole | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 14 | Chase Burns | CIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -8 |
| 15 | Max FriedT3 | NYY | Ace Potential Wins Bonus | +4 |
| 16 | Logan Henderson | MIL | Holly Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +7 |
| 17 | Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -1 |
| 18 | Paul Skenes | PIT | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 19 | Sean Burke | CHW | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 20 | Troy Melton | DET | Holly Ratio Focused | +2 |
| 21 | Payton Tolle | BOS | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +5 |
| 22 | Kyle Harrison | MIL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +19 |
| 23 | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | Holly Quality Starts | +7 |
| 24 | Blake SnellT4 | LAD | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +UR |
| 25 | Eury Pérez | MIA | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 26 | Hunter Brown | HOU | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +1 |
| 27 | Parker Messick | CLE | Holly Quality Starts | +8 |
| 28 | Nolan McLeanT5 | NYM | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -10 |
| 29 | Bryan Woo | SEA | Cherry Bomb Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 30 | Cade Cavalli | WSH | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +12 |
| 31 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Holly Quality Starts | +14 |
| 32 | Kevin Gausman | CHC | Holly Quality Starts | - |
| 33 | Logan Webb | SF | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 34 | Reid DetmersT6 | LAA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 35 | Kyle Bradish | BAL | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 36 | Trevor Rogers | BAL | Holly Quality Starts | +1 |
| 37 | Sonny Gray | BOS | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 38 | George Kirby | SEA | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 39 | Braxton Ashcraft | PIT | Cherry Bomb Ratio Focused | -10 |
| 40 | Jared Jones | PIT | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -7 |
| 41 | Peter LambertT7 | HOU | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 42 | Walbert Ureña | LAA | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 43 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 44 | Ryan Weathers | NYY | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 45 | Dustin May | MIL | Holly Quality Starts | +7 |
| 46 | Eduardo Rodriguez | ARI | Holly Quality Starts | +10 |
| 47 | Jackson Jobe | DET | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Stash Option Injury Risk | +17 |
| 48 | Ian Seymour | TB | Holly Ratio Focused | +10 |
| 49 | Michael King | SD | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +18 |
| 50 | Robbie RayT8 | SD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 51 | Taj Bradley | MIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 52 | Bryce Miller | SEA | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -2 |
| 53 | Michael Soroka | ARI | Hipster Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +UR |
| 54 | Roki Sasaki | LAD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 55 | Emerson Hancock | SEA | Holly Quality Starts | -2 |
| 56 | Landen Roupp | SF | Hipster Quality Starts | -1 |
| 57 | MacKenzie Gore | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +12 |
| 58 | Nick Lodolo | CIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +UR |
| 59 | Sean ManaeaT9 | NYM | Frizzle Ratio Focused | +30 |
| 60 | Jacob Lopez | ATH | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Team Context Effect | +26 |
| 61 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | Hipster Quality Starts Injury Risk | -10 |
| 62 | Shane Baz | BAL | Toby Quality Starts | +16 |
| 63 | Matthew Boyd | CHC | Toby Quality Starts Injury Risk | -4 |
| 64 | Noah Cameron | KC | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +16 |
| 65 | Justin WrobleskiT10 | LAD | Hipster Wins Bonus Team Context Effect | -11 |
| 66 | Connor Prielipp | MIN | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -1 |
| 67 | José Soriano | TOR | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -4 |
| 68 | Tyler Mahle | ATL | Toby Quality Starts | +24 |
| 69 | Will Warren | NYY | Toby Wins Bonus | -7 |
| 70 | Freddy Peralta | TB | Hipster Wins Bonus | -4 |
| 71 | Framber Valdez | DET | Hipster Quality Starts | -1 |
| 72 | Foster Griffin | CLE | Hipster Quality Starts | -15 |
| 73 | Michael Wacha | KC | Toby Quality Starts | -2 |
| 74 | Tanner Bibee | CLE | Toby Quality Starts | +7 |
| 75 | Nick MartinezT11 | TB | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +1 |
| 76 | Clay Holmes | CHC | Streaming Option Team Context Effect Injury Risk | -1 |
| 77 | Cody Bradford | TEX | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 78 | Brandon Pfaadt | ARI | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +21 |
| 79 | Christian Scott | NYM | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 80 | Cristian Javier | HOU | Frizzle Wins Bonus Stash Option | +5 |
| 81 | Anthony Kay | CHW | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | +13 |
| 82 | Gage Jump | ATH | Frizzle | +UR |
| 83 | Brandon Young | BAL | Frizzle Ratio Focused | +13 |
| 84 | Dean KremerT12 | MIN | Streaming Option | +UR |
| 85 | Bubba Chandler | PIT | Hipster Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 86 | Andrew Abbott | CIN | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +1 |
| 87 | Kyle Leahy | STL | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | +3 |
| 88 | Keider Montero | DET | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | - |
| 89 | David Peterson | CHC | Streaming Option Team Context Effect | -12 |
| 90 | Jake Bennett | BOS | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -18 |
| 91 | Casey Mize | SD | Streaming Option Wins Bonus Injury Risk | -18 |
| 92 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | Streaming Option Quality Starts | +UR |
| 93 | Andrew Painter | PHI | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +5 |
| 94 | Martín Pérez | ATL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 95 | Hayden Wesneski | HOU | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 96 | Blade Tidwell | SF | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | -12 |
| 97 | Eric Lauer | LAD | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | -4 |
| 98 | Zac Thornton | NYM | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 99 | Adrian Houser | SF | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 100 | Jackson Kent | WSH | Streaming Option Team Context Effect Stash Option | +UR |
Labels Legend
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
