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: Max Fried (15),
Injured Pitchers Added To The List: Shane McClanahan (58), Joe Musgrove (64)
Automatic Bump/Fall For Pitchers In The Top 58: (+1)
Tier 1 – It’s Nice To Not Worry
1. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – I’m kinda incredulous that it’s mid-August and he’s still doing it.
2. Tarik Skubal (LAD) – Skubal is 0-2 in three starts for the Dodgers thus far. That’s baseball, Suzyn.
3. Chris Sale (ATL) – The dude is still dope and makes us feel dope.
4. Cam Schlittler (NYY) – Despite having a worse fastball last time out, he’s still fantastic.
Tier 2 – The Other Aces
5. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – Good ole consistency, once a week over the weekend.
6. Drew Rasmussen (TBR) – Rasmussen was down in velocity and I’m not worried about it. One start.
7. Chase Burns (CIN) – I was concerned last week that something was wrong and he responded with a return to his former velocity. Nice.
8. Logan Gilbert (SEA) – Gilbert is still pounding heaters over the plate effectively, creating a stronger floor than seasons past.
9. Dylan Cease (TOR) – Cease’s walk rate will continue to keep the WHIP higher than we like, but that strikeout rate is bonkers.
10. Jesús Luzardo (PHI) – He’s the same Luzardo you’ve seen all year.
11. Gerrit Cole (NYY) – Nothing to fear about Cole, but I wish his slider and four-seamer teamed up to be phenomenal for a game.
12. Zack Wheeler (PHI) – Wheeler had lower velocity and is giving us a little bit of anxiety.
13. Gavin Williams (CLE) – It was a clear anomaly for Gavin with fastballs failing to find strikes. He’ll bounce back.
14. Jacob deGrom (TEX) – It’s hard not to worry about the biceps fatigue, and I didn’t feel right removing the AGA tag until we heard more information. We still don’t know if he’s starting this week.
Tier 3 – You’re Dope But Not Dope. Yet.
15. Logan Henderson (MIL) – His Coronation Day potentially arrives this week against Atlanta. Yes, I’d have him over deGrom if we had more clarity of Jacob’s injury. Same goes for all of this tier.
16. Blake Snell (LAD) – It’s #HotSnellSummer.
17. Payton Tolle (BOS) – Tolle has been a stud as of late, featuring more strikes with his Ras Pack than earlier in the year.
18. Eury Pérez (MIA) – Pérez is getting more done with his slider to RHB, and I’m happy the fastballs find success, even if they need a touch more polish.
19. Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) – Sánchez is a threat to your WHIP lately, fueled by a 50% strike changeup and a 94 mph fastball. Both marks should improve in time.
20. Paul Skenes (PIT) – Skenes’ start was delayed by the Pirates to later in the week and boy do I hope it allows him to gear up to 98 mph and toss more than 70 pitches. It’s not like he’s been bad, you know.
21. Troy Melton (DET) – Melton is rock solid, but there’s one final piece missing before he can return the strikeouts required of the AGA tag.
22. Cade Cavalli (WSH) – The upped velocity and reliance on the cutter have put Cavalli on another level.
Tier 4 – Far Sweeter Than Sour
23. Reid Detmers (LAA) – Detmers is still awesome and I’m just holding onto hope he keeps it rolling for the rest of the season.
24. Parker Messick (CLE) – It’s hard not to like the SWATCH approach at 95 mph as it continues to perform.
25. Sean Burke (CHW) – Burke takes a tumble after another 4.1 inning outing of disappointment. It’s a weird moment where it feels atypical, but it’s also the same extreme happening close to each other. If the four-seamer stays up and the curve + slider support it, we should be all good.
26. Sandy Alcantara (MIA) – He’s a QS machine. It’s as simple as that.
27. Nolan McLean (NYM) – I’m watching McLean and see a young arm still trying to figure out his entire arsenal and how to wrangle it to create a reliable approach.
28. Kyle Harrison (MIL) – Say what you want about the scoring change of his last start, he still pitched badly. All I want is for him to redeem himself tonight.
29. Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – Ashcraft went the distance and efficiently for the first time, boasting an effective curveball to LHB. It’s about time we saw that again. Now fix the slider.
Tier 5 – Everyone Who Sees This Wants It Ranked Differently
30. Trevor Rogers (BAL) – It’s 94/95 mph up and changeups + breakers down. You can throw away all memories of the terrible four-inning game now.
31. Sonny Gray (BOS) – He was Sonny in lovely PNC Park and he could soar the rest of the way.
32. Carlos Rodón (NYY) – It’s a Still ILL for Rodón after tossing under 60 pitches in his last tune-up in Double-A. It’s always difficult to determine where to rank a guy fresh off the IL and he could move up The List quickly.
33. Logan Webb (SFG) – Webb is doing Webb things. It’s business per usual.
34. Shota Imanaga (CHC) – Imanaga quelled our fears with 91/92 mph velocity and ten punchouts, even if it came with a frustrating three-run HR to ruin the ERA.
35. Bryan Woo (SEA) – Despite great results, I had no choice but to lower Woo with the report of shoulder soreness. I can’t do anything until I get more information and if it means he hits the IL, Kade Anderson is sure to appear this week.
36. George Kirby (SEA) – Kirby. Buddy. You were given the Astros, where you had all the freedom to execute the approach, and you couldn’t. WHAT DO WE DO WITH YOU. Maybe move you to third base side of the rubber…
37. Kevin Gausman (CHC) – I see Gausman struggle and I shrug. It’s too good of a scenario and he’s pitching incredibly close to what we’ve always seen. It’ll even out, don’t worry.
38. Jared Jones (PIT) – Jones had some rough patches against the Red Sox, but was able to wriggle out of jams. I still question if this is too high a rank above safer plays below, but then again, Jones has all the stuff to be a Top 20 arm.
Tier 6 – What Will They Become?
39. Dustin May (MIL) – May isn’t getting the whiffs we want to see from his sweeper (yet), and is still a reliable arm for a winning team.
40. Walbert Ureña (LAA) – Ureña rarely lets us down. He’s really doing José a service.
41. Peter Lambert (HOU) – It’s the tier of fantastic pickups and Lambert has produced so regularly for managers all year.
42. Ranger Suarez (BOS) – Suarez looked much more in rhythm last start (phew) and I’m back on this train.
43. Ian Seymour (TBR) – It’s not the prettiest stuff of the lot, but the changeup is still doing plenty of work and racking up strikeouts.
44. Jacob Lopez (ATH) – He’s doing what he did last summer. It’s AWESOME.
45. Noah Cameron (KCR) – Cameron just returned a one-hit CGSHO. Yes, that is unreal. The upped velocity and reduced fastball focus is doing wonders.
46. Joey Cantillo (CLE) – The velocity and curveball are there. It’s what you want.
47. Emerson Hancock (SEA) – Hancock executed the perfect RHB approach with sinkers in and sweepers away (are you watching Kirby?!) and I hope we get it every time.
48. Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – He’s on the Vargas Rule of his career. Let it ride.
49. Ryan Weathers (NYY) – It’s interesting seeing Weathers allow far fewer HRs and hold a great ERA at the cost of a high WHIP and fewer strikeouts. Which is better? A 4.36 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 26% strikeout rate or a 2.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 22% strikeout rate?
Tier 7 – This Should Be More
50. Kyle Bradish (BAL) – Bradish is simply not getting strikeouts with his slider and curveball. It’s maddening. I don’t quite understand why and it doesn’t add up.
51. Jackson Jobe (DET) – Jobe looked great, then looked blegh. The velocity was still there in his second start, though, with a flatter HAVAA than I receall before TJS. If he can get the heater upstairs, the rest should fall into place.
52. Michael King (SDP) – The strikes are returning for King and I’m encouraged he’ll settle in for the final weeks of the year.
53. Nick Lodolo (CIN) – We’ve seen two starts of Lodolo since returning from the IL and I was impressed by his changeup feel recently. Not the rest of his approach, sadly.
54. MacKenzie Gore (TEX) – Gore had himself a lovely time with his changeup, then went to Sacré Verde where he consistently spotted four-seamers upstairs atypical to his normal self. I sure hope that returns.
55. Hunter Brown (HOU) – What is up with Brown’s fastball? It was yet another game around a 50% strike rate with his four-seamer and I’m starting to lose hope that he’ll be that guy again.
Tier 8 – You’re Generally Safe. Ish.
56. Sean Manaea (NYM) – Manaea’s last outing wasn’t as pretty as the others, but his four-seamer is still the pitch we want it to be.
57. Tyler Mahle (ATL) – Mahle is cooking right now. His command across his last few starts has been as good as anyone you’ll find in the majors.
58. Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) – This is a gorgeous Vargas Rule and you’re not stopping after he survived multiple strong offenses.
59. Shane McClanahan (TBR) – We saw fewer than 60 pitches in his Still ILL on Monday, while McShane hasn’t given us many fantastic outings across the last few months. He should still be helpful and up to 70+ pitches next time, but without great command, I’m curious how high the ceiling actually goes.
60. Christian Scott (NYM) – Scott is nailing the top of the zone effectively with four-seamers and cutters to LHB, and I sure hope he embraces the 90/91 mph “sinker” (I think it’s a changeup) to attack the bottom half of the zone consistently.
61. Brayan Bello (BOS) – Bello is a safe Win machine as long as he has an opener when he pitches. Limited upside, sadly, given his low volume.
62. Michael Soroka (ARI) – We’ve seen two starts from Soroka now and neither came with his sparkling pitch separation of the spring. I expect it to return in time, but don’t overvalue that potential.
63. Clay Holmes (CHC) – We just witnessed the perfect showcase of how The Adobe is a perfect fit for the Cubs’ defense.
Tier 9 – WHAT DO I DO WITH YOU
64. Joe Musgrove (SDP) – We haven’t seen Musgrove since 2023. His last rehab start gave us 95 mph heaters (not 91!), but deadzone four-seamer movement. The cutter had a wide movement band and should be the focus of his approach, but we should all temper our expectations and label his return a Still ILL and hope for the best. He’ll be limited to 75-80 pitches or so after tossing 70 here.
65. José Soriano (TOR) – I’m not sure what we’re going to get from Soriano. His four-seamer is effective when it gets strikes, and has for two straight, while his curveball disappeared just one start after running with it as his favorite pitch. It’s almost like he’s a volatile HIPSTER…
66. Bryce Miller (SEA) – Miller just threw more splitters than any other pitch. That’s right, more than his four-seamer. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and I’m as confused as ever. This is nothing like the dude flinging 97 mph heaters with stellar breakers before the all-star break.
67. Robbie Ray (SDP) – Give me one more start with Ray for the Padres. I’m so curious if he’s able to locate sliders to RHB again, paired with effective high heaters and low changeups.
68. Taj Bradley (MIN) – He’s the same chaotic man he’s always been.
69. Shane Bieber (TOR) – Bieber finally gave me the outing I’ve wanted with curveballs looking filthy once again. Please do that some more and retain the added four-seamer movement.
70. Emmet Sheehan (LAD) – He’s being called back up with Wrobleski’s injury and if you’re looking for a possible needle-pusher in the final stretch, Sheehan could be that guy who is hanging out on your wire right now.
71. Roki Sasaki (LAD) – It’s the same HIPSTER story with Sasaki. Good luck.
Tier 10 – It’s Something. It’s A Toby.
72. Casey Mize (SDP) – I was worried he was injured, but he sat 93/94 mph in Cleveland (sweet!), and that’s good enough for me. So wild to see a 0% CSW splitter return a high strike rate across 22 thrown.
73. Michael Wacha (KCR) – He’s such a Spider-Man.
74. Nick Martinez (TBR) – This is an incredible Vargas Rule with a sub-15% strikeout rate. I sure hope it lasts for the next six weeks.
75. Foster Griffin (CLE) – Griffin isn’t getting strikeouts and it feels as though the book is out on him. At the same time, he’s still a decent play for six frames of decent production.
76. Matthew Boyd (CHC) – Boyd got clobbered by Joshua “Dopest MLB Debut since Strasburg” Baez. He should be fine.
77. Shane Baz (BAL) – He ran into some bad luck last start and I hope his cutter returns to the fold.
Tier 11 – You Really Don’t Have To Do This
78. Landen Roupp (SFG) – We’re at the point that despite my belief that he’s better than the results have been, Roupp simply isn’t getting the results his pitch separation should produce. So we wait.
79. Bubba Chandler (PIT) – He seems so close, but cannot execute a gameplan at all. Maybe it’ll just click one day and POOF! There’s a stud.
80. Will Warren (NYY) – Warren is awfully disappointing, but still has a rotation spot with Fried’s injury, and there may be a few more cheap Wins here.
81. Robert Gasser (MIL) – I loved Gasser’s cutter last time out and I’m encouraged to give this more of a whirl with that pitch in his pocket.
82. Connor Prielipp (MIN) – That line from Prielipp was baaad. It doesn’t mean he’s that forever of course, but hot dang, I understand chasing something else. Don’t forget the fun strikeout marks before it.
83. Framber Valdez (DET) – Valdez pitched better than the line suggested last time out, with a more reliable curveball than most of his starts this year. I still cannot tell you he’ll be better in the next few weeks, but the talent is still in there.
84. Kyle Leahy (STL) – Leahy has gotten the results without enough development to justify it. By all means, Vargas Rule it, but this ranking should tell you that I don’t buy it.
85. Cristian Javier (HOU) – Javier’s cutter addition is a welcome sight and should propel far better results than the last two games we’ve seen.
86. George Klassen (LAA) – We saw Klassen feature a great strike rate in his final starts in the minors, plummet in his return to the majors, then pound the zone last time for a successful game. I’m inclined to believe that he’s shifted his approach to throw down the pipe and not the edges, which can make him a serviceable arm with a legit gyro slider and mid-to-upper 90s velocity.
87. Freddy Peralta (TBR) – Oh Peralta. I dug the high four-seamer during your first start in the Trop wearing the Rays uni, but everything else disappeared. I just want one start where at least two pitches are cooking. Just two.
Tier 12 – Arms To Consider This Week
88. Cody Bradford (TEX) – He’s fine. He had to deal with Sacré Verde and the matchups should be better, but the ceiling is limited given the 89/90 mph velocity n all.
89. Brandon Young (BAL) – Young didn’t excel as I expected in Tampa Bay (Only five splitters? Why?!) and it’s possible the secondaries are better in a repeat matchup in Camden with the four-seamer leading the way.
90. Dean Kremer (MIN) – His revenge game was dope. The follow-up wasn’t close, but he was awfully unlucky to allow a three-run HR off a high-and-tight splitter in his final frame. He may be still a worthy arm.
91. Anthony Kay (CHW) – You’re not going to get a ton of value from Kay, but there is something useful in here.
92. Keider Montero (DET) – Montero is a stellar WHIP play. Nothing more.
93. Martín Pérez (ATL) – Pérez had a terrible first inning, then settled down to grab four shutout frames. He’s still a good shot at a cheap Win with three decent matchups ahead.
94. Jake Bennett (BOS) – This seemed like a better version of Bennett, with a lovely four-seamer and changeup split and a 16% SwStr rate, but the fourth inning messed him up. At least he gets the Giants this week.
95. Gage Jump (ATH) – He’ll be in Kansas City and not Sacré Verde. It could be a strikeout explosion.
96. Hunter Dobbins (STL) – Dobbins brought the velocity back up to 94 mph, but the overall command has me weirded out a little too much to lean into him heavily.
97. Ethan Pecko (HOU) – Pecko is making his MLB debut and I’m not too convinced he’s worth your time. He’s a kitchen-sink RHP at 94 mph with some whiffability, and who knows, maybe the Astros figure something out.
98. Adrian Houser (SFG) – Houser did well against a RHB-heavy squad, but now he’ll get a slew of LHB and I’m worried his four-seamer/sinker combo won’t be enough.
99. Zac Thornton (NYM) – He’s been a great QS play, but for your standard leagues, he’s not striking enough batters out. No surprise there – it’s low-90s heaters with a cutter to jam RHB.
100. Will Dion (WSH) – This looks out of left field and I get it. I watched him against the Mets and I have a soft spot for the southpaw with 7.1 feet extension, an 89-90 mph heater, and an Estrada-esque changeup. I also hope he throws the 85/86 mph cutter a bit more to pair off the fastball. This could be a sneaky play with opener Brad Lord likely going a few frames again, setting Dion up for more potential Wins.
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.
Merrill Kelly (ARI) – He couldn’t even take down Rockie Road with a slew of LHB to serve his changeup. Yeesh.
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.
Zack Littell (ARI) – I know he has his moments, but I don’t trust his Dancing With The Disco approach.
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 endure 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.
David Peterson (CHC) – The Cubs moved him to the pen.
Javier Assad (CHC) – Assad returns with Ecab hitting the IL and he doesn’t push the needle enough.
Andrew Abbott (CIN) – He simply hasn’t been worth the play over others lately.
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.
Tanner Bibee (CLE) – I got to a point where there are enough good options on the wire to move on from the coin flip (at best) with Bibee.
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.
Hayden Wesneski (HOU) – He flashed slightly better command last game, but it’s not packaged with a bow yet.
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?
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.
Eric Lauer (LAD) – I’m glad he did well in his last outing. Now he’ll get Coors if the Dodgers actually keep him in the rotation after Wrobleski’s injury.
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.
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’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.
Andrew Painter (PHI) – He had a better stuff four-seamer with more vert (yay!) and it didn’t help a whole lot, while the slider he elegantly placed on the corner failed to earn a single whiff. There’s something else at play that prevents him from getting results.
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.
Blade Tidwell (SFG) – He had a great start due to the Astros’ enabling a ton of sweeper whiffs. He won’t get those RHB-heavy lineups enough to justify a roster spot.
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.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) – His command isn’t good enough. He can be a 15-team Toby option, but nothing more.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – Literally the last one cut. There are moments he comes through, but it’s ultimate not worth the squeeze.
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.
Cal Quantrill (TEX) – THE UNQUANTRILLFIABLE. Actually, we can quantify that he’s been decent lately. That’s true! Going “Cannibal McSanchez”. He’s still going and I was so tempted to add him. And yet, the ceiling isn’t high enough.
Jordan Montgomery (TEX) – He returned! And it was mediocre!
Kumar Rocker (TEX) – I was more encouraged by Rocker for a start 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.
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.
Jackson Kent (WSH) – I kinda dig what he does, but I need to see him do so without sub 50% strikes on fastballs first.
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?!
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 | Yoshinobu YamamotoT2 | LAD | Aces Gonna Ace Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 6 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | +1 |
| 7 | Chase Burns | CIN | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 8 | Logan Gilbert | SEA | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 9 | Dylan Cease | TOR | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 10 | Jesús Luzardo | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 11 | Gerrit Cole | NYY | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 12 | Zack Wheeler | PHI | Aces Gonna Ace Ratio Focused | -7 |
| 13 | Gavin Williams | CLE | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside | -1 |
| 14 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Aces Gonna Ace Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -6 |
| 15 | Logan HendersonT3 | MIL | Ace Potential Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +1 |
| 16 | Blake Snell | LAD | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +8 |
| 17 | Payton Tolle | BOS | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +4 |
| 18 | Eury Pérez | MIA | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +7 |
| 19 | Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | Ace Potential Quality Starts | -2 |
| 20 | Paul Skenes | PIT | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | -2 |
| 21 | Troy Melton | DET | Holly Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 22 | Cade Cavalli | WSH | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside | +8 |
| 23 | Reid DetmersT4 | LAA | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +11 |
| 24 | Parker Messick | CLE | Holly Quality Starts | +3 |
| 25 | Sean Burke | CHW | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | -6 |
| 26 | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | Holly Quality Starts | -3 |
| 27 | Nolan McLean | NYM | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +1 |
| 28 | Kyle Harrison | MIL | Ace Potential Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -6 |
| 29 | Braxton Ashcraft | PIT | Cherry Bomb Ratio Focused | +10 |
| 30 | Trevor RogersT5 | BAL | Holly Quality Starts | +6 |
| 31 | Sonny Gray | BOS | Holly Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 32 | Carlos Rodón | NYY | Ace Potential Injury Risk | +UR |
| 33 | Logan Webb | SF | Holly Quality Starts | - |
| 34 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Holly Quality Starts | -3 |
| 35 | Bryan Woo | SEA | Cherry Bomb Ratio Focused Injury Risk | -6 |
| 36 | George Kirby | SEA | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 37 | Kevin Gausman | CHC | Holly Quality Starts | -5 |
| 38 | Jared Jones | PIT | Cherry Bomb Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 39 | Dustin MayT6 | MIL | Holly Quality Starts | +6 |
| 40 | Walbert Ureña | LAA | Holly Quality Starts | +2 |
| 41 | Peter Lambert | HOU | Holly Quality Starts | - |
| 42 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | Holly Quality Starts Injury Risk | +19 |
| 43 | Ian Seymour | TB | Holly Ratio Focused | +5 |
| 44 | Jacob Lopez | ATH | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Team Context Effect | +16 |
| 45 | Noah Cameron | KC | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +19 |
| 46 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | Holly Strikeout Upside | -3 |
| 47 | Emerson Hancock | SEA | Holly Quality Starts | +8 |
| 48 | Eduardo Rodriguez | ARI | Holly Quality Starts | -2 |
| 49 | Ryan Weathers | NYY | Holly Strikeout Upside | -5 |
| 50 | Kyle BradishT7 | BAL | Hipster Quality Starts | -15 |
| 51 | Jackson Jobe | DET | Hipster Rotation Spot Bonus Stash Option Injury Risk | -4 |
| 52 | Michael King | SD | Hipster Quality Starts | -3 |
| 53 | Nick Lodolo | CIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | +5 |
| 54 | MacKenzie Gore | TEX | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +3 |
| 55 | Hunter Brown | HOU | Hipster Quality Starts Injury Risk | -29 |
| 56 | Sean ManaeaT8 | NYM | Vargas Rule Ratio Focused | +3 |
| 57 | Tyler Mahle | ATL | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +11 |
| 58 | Brandon Pfaadt | ARI | Vargas Rule Quality Starts | +20 |
| 59 | Shane McClanahan | TB | Holly Injury Risk | +UR |
| 60 | Christian Scott | NYM | Frizzle Strikeout Upside | +19 |
| 61 | Brayan Bello | BOS | Vargas Rule Wins Bonus | +UR |
| 62 | Michael Soroka | ARI | Hipster Ratio Focused Injury Risk | -9 |
| 63 | Clay Holmes | CHC | Toby Ratio Focused Injury Risk | +13 |
| 64 | Joe MusgroveT9 | SD | Hipster Wins Bonus Stash Option Injury Risk | +UR |
| 65 | José Soriano | TOR | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +2 |
| 66 | Bryce Miller | SEA | Hipster Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -14 |
| 67 | Robbie Ray | SD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -17 |
| 68 | Taj Bradley | MIN | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -17 |
| 69 | Emmet Sheehan | LAD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | +UR |
| 70 | Shane Bieber | TOR | Hipster Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 71 | Roki Sasaki | LAD | Hipster Strikeout Upside | -17 |
| 72 | Casey MizeT10 | SD | Toby Wins Bonus Injury Risk | +19 |
| 73 | Michael Wacha | KC | Toby Quality Starts | - |
| 74 | Nick Martinez | TB | Toby Quality Starts | +1 |
| 75 | Foster Griffin | CLE | Toby Quality Starts | -3 |
| 76 | Matthew Boyd | CHC | Toby Quality Starts Injury Risk | -13 |
| 77 | Shane Baz | BAL | Toby Quality Starts | -15 |
| 78 | Landen RouppT11 | SF | Hipster Quality Starts | -22 |
| 79 | Bubba Chandler | PIT | Hipster Streaming Option Strikeout Upside | +6 |
| 80 | Will Warren | NYY | Hipster Wins Bonus | -11 |
| 81 | Robert Gasser | MIL | Frizzle | +UR |
| 82 | Connor Prielipp | MIN | Frizzle Strikeout Upside Injury Risk | -16 |
| 83 | Framber Valdez | DET | Hipster Quality Starts | -12 |
| 84 | Kyle Leahy | STL | Frizzle Streaming Option Team Context Effect | +3 |
| 85 | Cristian Javier | HOU | Frizzle Wins Bonus Stash Option | -5 |
| 86 | George Klassen | LAA | Frizzle | +UR |
| 87 | Freddy Peralta | TB | Hipster Wins Bonus | -17 |
| 88 | Cody BradfordT12 | TEX | Streaming Option | -11 |
| 89 | Brandon Young | BAL | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -6 |
| 90 | Dean Kremer | MIN | Streaming Option | -6 |
| 91 | Anthony Kay | CHW | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -10 |
| 92 | Keider Montero | DET | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -4 |
| 93 | Martín Pérez | ATL | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 94 | Jake Bennett | BOS | Streaming Option Quality Starts | -4 |
| 95 | Gage Jump | ATH | Streaming Option | -13 |
| 96 | Hunter Dobbins | STL | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
| 97 | Ethan Pecko | HOU | Streaming Option Rotation Spot Bonus | +UR |
| 98 | Adrian Houser | SF | Streaming Option Wins Bonus | +1 |
| 99 | Zac Thornton | NYM | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | -1 |
| 100 | Will Dion | WSH | Streaming Option Ratio Focused | +UR |
Labels Legend
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
