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It’s time for regular updates to THE LIST, where I rank the best 100 starting pitchers in baseball every week.
For each edition of The List, I have a set of rules to outline my thought process and how to best use these rankings. Please take note:
- This is 5×5, 12-teamer, H2H format focused. 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. (Spring edition: I have a few hypothetical rotation arms on The List who will be off the ranks if they leave camp out of the rotation).
- Since this is a 12-teamer, I heavily weigh upside in the back-half of the rankings. The HIPSTER players are likely going to underperform those labeled as a Toby across a full season, but it’s in your best interest to chase ceiling vs. floor in many cases. Pick the one that you need most in your situation, of course.
- I’ve made a decision to limit labels to just two labels per player, with few exceptions for a second. It streamlines the process much better and hopefully gives you a more targeted understanding of the player.
- The notes outline oh-so-much to help your team. Please read the notes if you can instead of just scrolling to the bottom.
Before we begin, here is the Top 100 List table without scrolling for those with PL Pro:
With this update of The List coming the day of Opening Night, I’ve taken all of our injured compatriots and thrown them into a separate table. Injuries are so strange (especially in spring training) and instead of shoving them at random moments on The List, I’ve elected to throw all of them into one table here for you, the wise fantasy manager, to determine if they are worthwhile to stash on your teams or not.
Injured Pitchers Who Will Be Considered When Healthy
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:
Nick’s Loose Minor League SPs to Consider Stashing
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.
Tier 1 – The True Aces
1. Garrett Crochet – Aces.
2. Paul Skenes – Gonna. (Yes, you’re still second despite opening day.)
3. Tarik Skubal – Ace. Please don’t yell at me about Skubal as #3. Just favor him if you want. I’m also shifting very few of the Top 40 after just a handful of games thus far. Don’t expect major moves here for a few weeks.
Tier 2 – AGA With Something To Prove
4. Bryan Woo – He’s Wheeler 2.0.
5. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – There’s no more six-man rotation! I’m kinda shocked and now it’s really close between him and Woo. I stand by Bryan, and I have no problem with anyone who prefers Yamamoto.
6. Hunter Brown – He’s already sitting 97 mph again with a better four-seamer. Only worry is a six-man and lack of secondary support.
7. Cristopher Sánchez – Sinker gained movement last year + tighter slider. Love that.
8. Max Fried – His ratios are absurdly safe + great win potential. Surprising to see him succeed out of the gate for once.
9. Shohei Ohtani – But he’ll be limited! How much, really? He threw 81 pitches in his final spring out, striking out eleven batters in twelve outs. I THINK HE’S OKAY.
10. Jacob deGrom – He was skipped over the weekend with a stiff neck and all we can do is hope he’s fine.
11. Logan Gilbert – Gilbert had a strain last season and I’m concerned it’ll appear again. The talent is incredible, though, and in a phenomenal situation.
Tier 3 – Just Stay On The Field
12. Logan Webb – If you’re actually judging Webb for his poor opening day outing, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe “Don’t do that”?
13. Freddy Peralta – Peralta has been oddly consistent despite his Professor Chaos nickname. Save for his Mets debut. Ignore it.
14. Chris Sale – I’m more worried about Sale being injury prone, despite the freak incidents. Not everyone fractures a rib diving for a ball.
15. Cole Ragans – Rotator Cuff strains are no joke. Y’all know I love him, but I recognize the risks. He wasn’t sharp in his first start, either, featuring lower velocity than ideal. Many are down a little now, though.
16. George Kirby – Kirby’s slider is absurd and if he wields it correctly, 30% strikeouts are coming. Correction: If he throws inside sinkers to RHB, 30% strikeouts are coming. Why? Because batters are currently laning the slider – if RHB see an inside pitch, it’s the slider going away. If they see an outside pitch, it’s a fastball coming back. You’re so close, Kirby.
17. Tyler Glasnow – Even at 130 IP, I love that in a 12-teamer when Glasnow obliterates when healthy.
18. Joe Ryan – He looked great in his first start of the year. Atta boy.
Tier 4 – So Dang Close To Greatness
19. Cam Schlittler – He’s just too good. I’m amazed I have him this high and yet, I watch him with an expanded arsenal (sinker now and better cutter!) and I can’t help myself.
20. Kyle Bradish – Slider and Curve are cooking, leaning into sinker more than four-seamer vs. RHB is a lovely thing. I wish his velocity didn’t dip in his final frame, but you can blame the cold weather for that.
21. Jesús Luzardo – I’m shocked I have him this high, but he’s gained three inches of drop on his sinker and started to use it against RHB. It’s a great plan given how poor of a four-seamer he has. Think normal Luzardo but fewer extremes if he’s suddenly a groundball guy + destroy LHBs.
22. Eury Pérez – Four-seamer is elite, and I’m expecting more growth in the TJS honeymoon season.
23. Framber Valdez – He can be oh-so-frustrating, but the curveball is looking good so far and he’ll likely be a strong force all year.
24. Nolan McLean – McLean has already improved his sweeper and curve to ridiculous levels, while leaning into a cutter to deal with LHB. I’m a believer now.
25. Nick Pivetta – I fell for him until the news of arm fatigue. Then he pitched and threw harder than last year. I’m so glad we’re past that.
Tier 5 – Quality Volume
26. Kevin Gausman – He is who he is. And that’s fine with me.
27. Shota Imanaga – Despite all the bad doom and gloom of last year, he still had a low WHIP and sub 4.00 ERA. Now his four-seamer is back up two ticks in the spring, with elite pitch separation between the four-seamer and splitter. I’m so in.
28. Nathan Eovaldi – He’s healthy and that’s all I need to see. He had a sub 2.00 ERA in 130 IP, ya’ll.
29. Trevor Rogers – The SWATCH life is real. He’s also improved his fastball since last season.
30. Sandy Alcantara – His four-seamer and sinker overpower, with a dominant changeup, and now there’s a cutter. Expect far better, though I have to put him underneath others who have been productive for longer more recently.
Tier 5.5 – The Pitcher List Hall Of Famers
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Tier 6 – Why Do I Feel So Scared?
31. Dylan Cease – That first start was something else, eh? So why is he still in Tier 6? Because who knows what tomorrow will bring. But the new changeup! Uh huh. Cease is well known as a “thrower, not pitcher,” and I’ll believe it when he executes consistently for multiple starts.
32. Jacob Misiorowski – He’s dope, and I’m intrigued that he reduced his extension to a still-elite 7.2 feet, which correlated with improved four-seamer location at the top of the zone. I’m so curious to see if that sticks.
33. Bubba Chandler – His four-seamer is 98 mph with elite vert and command. One of the best in the game. Give him time to find the rest and I find it hard to envision a season where he hurts your teams.
34. Chase Burns – I prefer Burns’ skills to Jay Mis, but his whole limited usage situation and six-man rotation that is now not six-man because of Lodolo’s injury is strange. He also returned to four-seamer/slider instead of an expanded arsenal by the end of the spring.
35. Kris Bubic – He’s at 92 mph and looking healthy. Sure, there are health concerns, but in your 12-teamers, I’m favoring quality early from healthy arms more than volume for the full season past the fifth tier.
36. MacKenzie Gore – The move to Texas will help immensely. This is the breakout season we’ve been waiting for…if he can find a little more consistency with his command. He’s testing a sinker to LHB now, though! YAY!
Tier 7 – Youngins’ with a pair of Chaperones
37. Drew Rasmussen – He’s stupid hard to hit and now gets a much better home park. Downside is just 150 IP, and a slight question of skill degradation.
38. Robbie Ray – I could have put him in the next tier down, but I highly doubt we’ll be pulling Ray out of our lineups again like we did in September of last season.
39. Michael King – He finally looked like King. The fastball command and the way he works counts…I see it again. Not totally there, but so much further along than in the spring. Phew.
40. Connelly Early – He looked solid. Not absurd stud, but solid. And for his first start in a rotation out of camp, that’s lovely. It’s a deep arsenal with an array of above-average pitches and solid command, and he could improve steadily across the year.
41. Cade Horton – Horton’s four-seamer is a legit cut-fastball and with the Cubs defense, he’s a surprise quality volume arm with more strikeout potential to find.
42. Sonny Gray – He’s Sonny and Gray. The volatility is annoying, but he’ll help in the end. The strikeout uptick lately is real with sweeper and sinker command.
43. Shane Baz – The result wasn’t pretty, but the stuff and approach was lovely. He got burned by a two-out, three-run double on a 98 mph four-seamer at the top of the zone. The quality is there.
Tier 8 – I Just Can’t Help Myself
44. Shane McClanahan – He was 93 mph then 94 mph in his first two starts, and his last outing was…fine. It’s a high risk/reward pick right now before we know more. Better than Strider given the ramp up and a better arsenal outside of the formerly upper-90s fastball. I dig the home park and his legit changeup with two solid breakers to pair with the now 94/95 mph four-seamer.
45. Ryan Weathers – He hasn’t pitched yet and faces the Mariners Monday night. You got this.
46. Tatsuya Imai – Imai has a super flat four-seamer that he couldn’t command, with a splitter that went 0/7 strikes, and a slider that helped him crawl to the finish line. That’s not the Imai we’ll see – he was a control guy in the NPB – and I think it has to do with getting acclimated. The ball, the team, the environment, etc. I’m hand-waving the first outing, but it may be a few more before he gets his feet underneath him.
Tier 9 – Innings But Are They Worth It?
47. Aaron Nola – I see last year as a lost year. His skills are still present and I’m buying back in.
48. Matthew Boyd – Boyd earned all the whiffs and had a rough frame. All good.
49. Edward Cabrera – We have yet to see a season from Cabrera where he’s fully in rhythm and consistent with his mix, and he sure didn’t look polished in the spring. I dig the situation, though.
50. Andrew Abbott – Abbott was Abbott, for the most part. Still a little uneasy about his overall feel and the home park, but we’re riding with this.
51. Zac Gallen – We’re one game down in his terrible opening schedule, and he should be a solid play in a few weeks, likely with one or two suprise starts on the way.
52. Kodai Senga – Velocity is up on the four-seamer, and I realized he should be right where the rest of these potential Holly types should go, as a guy who can earn a QS each night on the bump. Wish the cutter was a little better, though.
53. Ranger Suárez – If Suárez can find his rhythm early, he’ll be solid for another year as he goes underrated for the nth straight year. He hasn’t found that rhythm in the spring, though, and you may get some FOMO looking at Tier 10. Your call.
54. Gavin Williams – It was not a fun outing with Gavin struggling to find the timing of his lower half mechanics, as he outlined in the post-game interview. All we can do is hope he fixes it ASAP.
Tier 10 – What Did I Do?!
55. Cody Ponce – It’s the crew of “Haven’t pitched yet” and I expect them to be beneficial for your squads, like Ponce with his 96 mph heater.
56. Kyle Harrison –New changeup is dope and he’s at 94+ mph. Can he command it all? May be super difficult given the new blister caused by said changeup, and despite in spring after the injury and featuring the pitch, he displayed poor ability to put it where he wanted to.
57. Zach Eflin – Overlooked after adding a tick of velocity this spring following back surgery. Great situation in Baltimore.
58. Braxton Ashcraft – The slider is dope, but he has little experience going deep into games and the four-seamer is Empty Velocity. I worry it’s not enough, but let’s take a shot and see what happens.
59. Andrew Painter – Worth a shot given the opportunity. I’m not seeing the precision he needs, nor anything close to the 100+ velocity he had at 19 years old (he’s around 95/96 mph). Kinda love the four-seamer’s cut-action, but he needs to spot it well to take advantage against LHB, while RHB should get sinkers and a slew of secondaries instead.
60. Brandon Woodruff – Woody is in the rotation to begin the year and hopefully it’s good? His velocity was fine initially and fell plenty in his final spring outing, which likely spells limited usage early and a possible return to the IL in time. Be very cautious here.
Tier 11 – Fine, You Need Some Innings
61. Will Warren – The arsenal is back to mostly four-seamer/sinker, but he is up a tick in velocity. Here’s to hoping the secondary whiffs return.
62. Ryne Nelson – His four-seamer is still elite and the early schedule is annoying. Should be a stable arm across the season.
63. Luis Castillo – Love him at home, worry on the road, and I’m terrified that he’ll fall off across the season as the four-seamer velocity drops. Maybe the new cutter will save him?
64. Noah Cameron – I want to believe he’ll be better in his sophomore season, and yet, he’s looked ragged this spring. I’ve found myself pushing Cameron further and further down my board during drafts and realized “I don’t need to chase this.”
Tier 12 – “Take Chances, Make Mistakes, Get Messy!”
65. Tanner Bibee – Is he okay?! He was removed with shoulder inflammation after featuring over 18″ of vert – a near four inch jump from last year’s mark. That completely transformed Bibee from a deadzone heater with an inconsistent cutter and changeup to a legit fastball foundation where the cutter and change can become secondary cast members. But is he healthy…?
66. Randy Vásquez – That outing was so fun. High heaters for whiffs, a phenomenal curveball, a confident cutter, changeup, sinker, etc. Great arsenal depth mixed with solid stuff and the ability to go six frames. Sign me up.
67. Emmet Sheehan – I don’t know what they are doing with him. The velocity was once again cruising early, before plummeting in the fourth, and it’s terrifying. It’s early in the year. Sure, but do you think he’ll just keep starting and be totally fine? It’s possible and why he’s still inside the Top 70 (he’s Top 50 easily if all is okay), but it’s concerning.
68. Brandon Sproat – Well that was terrible. How dare you rank him inside the Top 70! Uhhh, do you think he’s going to have that kind of command every start?! Sure, it’s unclear if he’ll find his groove as soon as his next outing, but the stuff is still legit (even better than last season) and he has a massive runway if he locks in. I’m still a believer.
69. Mike Burrows – The new slider is great, but the changeup and fastballs were not. Like Sproat, I’m not ready to jump ship yet, but I don’t blame you if you do.
70. Max Meyer – The 90 mph gyro slider + 88 mph sweeper make one of the filthier secondary combos out there. And the changeup was cool, too! Sadly, we’ve seen the velocity drop with more starts before, while I question if his heaters are good enough.
71. Mick Abel – Since the Twins don’t need a fifth starter during their opening turn, Abel was pushed into the pen to relieve Bailey Ober and it was dreadful. At least he was on your bench for many of you and with the first game out of the way, the dominance can begin. Here’s to the Shag Rug only making that sole appearance.
72. Emerson Hancock – That Sunday night outing was AWESOME. His four-seamer was down 1-2 ticks, but had a bit extra vert and he dotted the pitcher up in the zone with ease to take down the LHB-heavy Guardians. Sadly, I don’t trust that he’ll have this peak fastball command consistently, nor do I trust consistent success with a 77/78 mph sweeper as the #2 pitch. He’ll get the RHB-focused Angels next, which will require a different approach and I worry it won’t go well. This felt like a massive outlier.
73. Parker Messick – He hasn’t started yet but will get the Dodgers and Cubs. Ugh. There’s legit potential to become a Holly.
Tier 14 – This Will Do For Now
74. Max Scherzer – He gets Rockie Road to start and we’ll take it from there.
75. Brandon Williamson – It’s the Pirates for Williamson in his first outing and I see a potential QS darling with a great cutter inside to RHB.
76. Rhett Lowder – Lowder impressed me with a solid changeup and breaker with fastballs that are somehow avoiding damage. Don’t overlook him, especially in deeper leagues.
77. Matthew Liberatore – I wasn’t impressed in his first outing and I wonder if he’ll the Spider-Man by the end of the year. Perfectly cromulent.
78. David Peterson – I don’t love the lower velocity, but it was cold out. Let’s hope he can throw enough strikes and keep the changeup + slider down.
79. Steven Matz – Not the best opening outing as a member of the Rays, but the Twins make for a good redemption start.
80. Clay Holmes – The Cardinals + Giants is too good to pass up, even if I worry about the WHIP hit from The Adobe over the full year.
81. Joey Cantillo – Many love him, I hate his four-seamer and overall command. He’ll oscillate between a lovely eight-strikeout performance and disaster in four frames, and I’m personally weighing that anxiety heavier than others. We saw it in the first outing and I’m not confident to start him against the Cubs.
82. Dustin May – Boy that was a rough first outing, though he was certainly hit with a lot of bad luck. The stuff is better than we saw last year and the situation in St. Louis is a good one.
Tier 14 – We Don’t Know Anything Yet
83. Jack Leiter – Leiter leads a tier of pitchers we have yet to see make a start this season. Cutter is cool, sinker has absurd potential, but the command and consistency are maddening.
84. Bryan Bello – Yes, the curveball is here, but the sweeper isn’t, and I don’t see a big enough difference between the two to say he’s anything different. It’s fine with a suspect WHIP.
85. Landen Roupp – Great curveball should return more whiffs this year with a stable rotation spot. I also like the cutter, change, and sinker, but he hasn’t had a spring start to display his ability to wield them all across a full outing + he has a tough opening schedule.
86. Chris Paddack – He gets the ChiSox in his first start and in the low pressure environment of Miami, Paddack chould quietly thrive. It’ll require him to take that final step forward with his slider, though.
87. Brandon Pfaadt – Pfaadt is experimenting with his approach once again, and hopefully taking steps in the right direction. The schedule is too tough to take the shot, especially after last year’s debacle.
88. Kyle Leahy – He has a rotation spot and a legit slider + wide arsenal. I worry his 93+ mph heater is too mid, even if he has excellent extension. I wish he didn’t have to get the Mets to kick off the season, and I hope to be in on him in a few weeks.
89. Jacob Lopez – We haven’t seen him yet, and I’m hoping it’s the lovely K/BB fella of summer.
Tier 15 – Am I Actually Interested In This?
90. Mitch Keller – Keller was as good as I’ve seen him in years. Extra vert and ride on both fastballs, and I want to buy in. So badly. I’ve waited ages to find something in Keller to actually latch onto and I’m begging him to replicate it a second game.
91. José Soriano – Soriano feasted against the Astros and I heavily regret missing that he was facing a RHB-heavy lineup to kick off the year. It allowed him to feast with his sinker and curveball, avoiding his biggest weakness: LHB. He also walked four batters and he’s destined to carry a high WHIP for another year.
92. Cade Cavalli – Cavalli was forced to deal with the Cubs on opening day and while it wasn’t horrific, it wasn’t rewarding. I don’t love chasing an arm with an elite curveball and nothing else – it’s Empty Velocity, sadly.
93. Taj Bradley – He dotted a lot of heaters and had a general approach you could understand against the Orioles. Do I believe he’s figured out his command after all these years? No. But there’s a chance.
94. Reid Detmers – Strikeouts flowed against the RHB-heavy Astros, though I don’t love fastball/change making up more than 80% of his approach. The splitter and curve just don’t do enough.
95. Anthony Kay – Kay was messy at first, then settled in for five Ks in eight batters during a stretch. The potential is there for the 96 mph southpaw, displaying solid intent around the edges with his wide arsenal. I can see him clicking in a few starts and soaring. Here’s to hoping…
96. Joe Boyle – I’m shocked Boyle not only went six, but walked none. Maybe his tweaks are actually working? Yeah, probably not. His fastball and slider are coming in softer, too, which makes it tough to buy into the risk without the same absurd ceiling.
Tier 16 – Good Enough? Maybe?
97. Seth Lugo – Ayyyy, he was alright against Atlanta. It wasn’t the best stuff, but at least he has a chance to perform each night…?
98. Chad Patrick – We didn’t see him go long and that may be a constant problem with Patrick.
99. Shane Smith – He’ll get the Marlins and hopefully Smith get find the same groove he had last year. Luck included.
100. Michael Wacha – Wacha thrived with his entire arsenal, not just the changeup, and while I want to believe he can do that again, it’s hard to bank that he’s suddenly a brand new pitcher. It’ll likely fade against the Brewers.
Wait. You forgot [THIS PITCHER]!
You should be able to find them below, but there are rare times that I removed a pitcher from The List and their name somehow got lost in the shuffle. If there is a super-obvious name that is somehow missing, you better believe it was in error. Simply let me know if I goofed, and I’ll make a swift update.
The following pitchers are sorted not by rank, but by team. I have written a small note on every arm who is currently inside a rotation – if they are not in a rotation, they are ineligible for The List.
Honorable Mentions
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – We just saw Rodriguez cruise through the Dodgers lineup and you’re likely upset he’s not on The List now. Maybe he should be! I see it as one of those days that Eduardo was feeling his changeup and guys like him who hope to be a Toby are always capable of finding those outs.
Michael Soroka (ARI) – He’s not going to be in the rotation long due to Kelly, nor have we seen him perform at his peak for a while. The new cutter/slider should help, though, and I’m curious how it goes against the Tigers.
Aaron Civale (ATH) – When is the last time you’ve actually been able to trust Civale?
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) – Maybe the extra vert on his four-seamer will bring more sunshine and rainbows. Probably not.
Luis Morales (ATH) – He’s far too chaotic and it’s Empty Velocity.
Bryce Elder (ATL) – He’s still here.
José Suarez (ATL) – When does Didier appear? He’s going to be a HIPSTER, Nick. Probably, but hopefully Didier learns a better breaker by then and can earn more fastball whiffs.
Reynaldo López (ATL) – He sat 94 mph after that ridiculous scare in the spring, and yet that’s still down from his 2024 excellence + he hasn’t improved his secondaries at all.
Chris Bassitt (BAL) – Maybe this is too low for an arm who has a shot to six frames for a winning team, but then again, Bassitt is so boring.
Jameson Taillon (CHC) – Taillon was working on things in the spring and should be better in the regular season in time.
Davis Martin (CHW) – He’s fine. Arguably worth your attention this week against the Marlins, but it’s too meh for me without a path for more.
Erick Fedde (CHW) – Oh, we’re back with the White Sox again? What’s your agenda?!
Sean Burke (CHW) – I hope he can gain the stamina to go 96 mph all game with better secondaries.
Brady Singer (CIN) – He’s sinker/slider and nothing else. I don’t see why we’d chase it.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) – He was two ticks down and the cutter that got me excited wasn’t anything like what we wanted it to be. Bummer.
Jose Quintana (COL) – He’s in Colorado now. Welp.
Kyle Freeland (COL) – Same ole, same ole.
Michael Lorenzen (COL) – You can’t do anything, even with all of your strength.
Ryan Feltner (COL) – This ain’t it.
Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) – I’m just happy he gets regular starts.
Casey Mize (DET) – Mize struggled to find his mechanics in the spring. It’s possible he finds them when he gets going.
Jack Flaherty (DET) – I was hoping to see something new to get me interested in Flaherty again. Nope.
Justin Verlander (DET) – Close to making The List and he could settle in as a Toby.
Cristian Javier (HOU) – The command isn’t there. The ceiling is so far away.
Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) – He lacks efficiency, even if strikeouts can appear.
Ryan Johnson (LAA) – I don’t see an exciting arm here.
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) – Kikuchi’s slider is still cool, but nothing else is there. Incredibly volatile.
Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) – Kochanowicz failed to display the gains of the spring.
Justin Wrobleski (LAD) – I may regret taking him off The List, and I was hoping we’d have some information on when we’d see him by now. At this point, you’re better off locking in starts and waiting for Wrobo to appear.
Roki Sasaki (LAD) – Until he has a proper mix, I’m very out on Sasaki.
Janson Junk (MIA) – The best version of Janson is when the Junk is odorous. I hope we see it.
Bailey Ober (MIN) – He’s sub 89 mph lol.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) – SWR was a wild card entering the year and after an unimpressive spring, it’s best to wait and see.
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.
Carmen Mlodzinski (PIT) – He’s not efficient and the heater is unlikely to return five strikeouts again.
Germán Márquez (SDP) – His curveball (it’s really a gyro slider at 85 mph) earned all the whiffs in his final spring start. Naaaaah. Don’t buy it.
Walker Buehler (SDP) – I’m not buying that the Padres fixed him.
Adrian Houser (SFG) – A 15-teamer Toby when the schedule opens up.
Tyler Mahle (SFG) – He’ll be on The List in due time, he just has a poor opening schedule.
Andre Pallante (STL) – Hopefully the cut four-seamer is jamming LHB and the sinker/slider does the trick…?
Michael McGreevy (STL) – I know, he got great results! He also did it with two ticks lower velocity. Oh dang. Not something to believe in.
Nick Martinez (TBR) – He was delayed with a hamstring issue after a horrific spring outing. Why risk it?
Jacob Latz (TEX) – He stepped in for deGrom over the weekend and doesn’t have a rotation spot, yet. If he were to take over, he’d need some time to fully stretch
Kumar Rocker (TEX) – Rocker has gone slider-heavy (not cutter heavy) and I have no idea what we’ll see next.
Eric Lauer (TOR) – He just returned 17 whiffs against the Athletics and I’m still in shock. His fastball is not this good. I don’t blame you if you want to test the waters, I see a ton of risk.
Foster Griffin (WSN) – He has potential to turn into a SWATCH, and let’s leave the potted plant by the window and return in May. Won’t it dry out? It’s a cactus. I think.
Miles Mikolas (WSN) – You actually CTRL-F’d Mikolas?!
Zack Littell (WSN) – I wonder how stretched out he is and how close he is to his peak. I think he got away with a whole lot last season and his new team context only hurts.
Jake Irvin (WSN) – Irvin was able to take down the Cubs – sweet! – and I have no faith he can keep doing so. No major changes that I’m aware of to suggest he can keep doing it.
Good luck everyone!
Labels Legend
Aces Gonna Ace
Ace Potential
Holly
Toby
Cherry Bomb
Hipster
Vargas Rule
Frizzle
Streaming Option
QS Bonus
Wins Bonus
Strikeouts Bonus
Ratios Bonus
Rotation Spot Bonus
Team Context Effect
Stash Option
Injury Risk
Playing Time Question
Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
