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. 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.
Injured Pitchers Removed From The List: Hunter Brown (6), Cade Horton (41), Matthew Boyd (48), Cody Ponce (55), Zach Eflin (57).
Injured Pitchers Added To The List: None
Automatic Bump/Fall For Pitchers In The Top 60: (+5 Spots)
Tier 1 – The True Aces
1. Garrett Crochet (BOS) – Aces.
2. Paul Skenes (PIT) – Gonna. (Yes, you’re still second despite opening day.)
3. Tarik Skubal (DET) – 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 (SEA) – He’s Wheeler 2.0.
5. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – Annnnnd the six-man rotation is back. Still love him.
6. Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) – Sinker is down to 94+ mph after flirting with 96 mph last year. Not concerned yet, of course.
7. Max Fried (NYY) – His ratios are absurdly safe + great win potential. Surprising to see him succeed out of the gate for once, save for a stumble against the Marlins. Velocity is a touch down, should be fine.
8. Shohei Ohtani (LAD) – He was dope and made us feel dope.
9. Jacob deGrom (TEX) – He was skipped over the weekend with a stiff neck and all we can do is hope he’s fine.
10. Logan Gilbert (SEA) – Gilbert had a strain last season and I’m concerned it’ll appear again. The talent is incredible, though, and in a phenomenal situation.
11. Chris Sale (ATL) – I’m more worried about Sale being injury prone, despite the freak incidents. Not everyone fractures a rib diving for a ball. Looks fantastic so far.
12. Cole Ragans (KC) – 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 and he was sub 95 mph a second time over the weekend. And he was fantastic. Yes, he was.
Tier 3 – Just Stay On The Field
13. Logan Webb (SF) – He was the Webb you know on Sunday. He’s normal.
14. Freddy Peralta (NYM) – Peralta has been oddly consistent despite his Professor Chaos nickname. Save for his Mets debut. Ignore it.
15. George Kirby (SEA) – 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.
16. Tyler Glasnow (LAD) – Even at 130 IP, I love that in a 12-teamer when Glasnow obliterates when healthy. So strange to see him thrive despite having terrible feel for his slider since August of last year.
17. Joe Ryan (MIN) – He looked great in his first start of the year. Atta boy. His velocity was down in the second one, but the weather likely was the culprit.
Tier 4 – So Dang Close To Greatness
18. Cam Schlittler (NYY) – 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.
19. Jesús Luzardo (PHI) – 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.
20. Framber Valdez (DET) – He can be oh-so-frustrating, but the curveball is looking good so far and he’ll likely be a strong force all year.
21. Nolan McLean (NYM) – 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.
22. Nick Pivetta (SD) – 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.
23. Eury Pérez (MIA) – Four-seamer is elite, and I’m expecting more growth in the TJS honeymoon season. Not great against the Yankees, but it’s the Yankees. Down slightly due to his lack of command polish on the secondaries.
Tier 5 – Quality Volume
24. Kyle Bradish (BAL) – 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 for yet another start, and I have to dock him some points for it. I’ll raise him back up when we have confirmation that he’s firing on all cylinders.
25. Kevin Gausman (TOR) – He is who he is. And that’s fine with me.
26. Shota Imanaga (CHC) – 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.
27. Trevor Rogers (BAL) – The SWATCH life is real. He’s also improved his fastball since last season.
28. Sandy Alcantara (MIA) – His four-seamer and sinker overpower, with a dominant changeup, and now there’s a cutter. You may have expected a boost after his CGSHO, and while that is awesome, it was the White Sox. My worries about Alcantara is more rooted in consistency, after all.
29. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) – He’s healthy and that’s all I need to see. He had a sub 2.00 ERA in 130 IP, ya’ll, give him so slack after being slow out of the gate.
Tier 5.5 – The Pitcher List Hall Of Famers
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Tier 6 – Why Do I Feel So Scared?
30. Dylan Cease (TOR) – That first start was something else, eh? And then there was the second one. Right. Because it’s Cease. FOREVER.
31. Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) – He’s dope, and he has a proper test against the Sawx this week. Sure hope he dominates so I can lift him up a tier.
32. Chase Burns (CIN) – 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. That said, the change was great in his second start and he certainly looks like he deserves AGA. Gonna need a little extra time, first.
33. Bubba Chandler (PIT) – 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. But he walked so many! One. Start.
34. Kris Bubic (KC) – 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.
35. MacKenzie Gore (TEX) – The move to Texas has already helped immensely. This is the breakout season we’ve been waiting for…if he can find a little more consistency with his command. He’s featuring to LHB now, though! YAY!
Tier 7 – Youngins’ with a pair of Chaperones
36. Drew Rasmussen (TB) – 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.
37. Robbie Ray (SFG) – 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.
38. Michael King (SDP) – 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.
39. Shane Baz (BAL) – The stuff and approach are lovely. This is the best I’ve seen Baz possibily since before TJS. It feels like a breakout is coming.
40. Shane McClanahan (TBR) – I’m not counting Monday’s performance against the Cubs, where he pitched inefficiently as was pulled after four frames. I see him as a SWATCH with more velocity than his counterparts, but he cannot go 42% strikes on his changeup like he did today. That’s just not him.
41. Kodai Senga (NYM) – Velocity is up on the four-seamer (even in the second start, too, save for the final frame), 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. Cutter is working in tandem, and I dig that.
42. Gavin Williams (CLE) – It was not a fun outing with Gavin struggling to find the timing of his lower half mechanics, but then he whipped them into shape against the Dodgers and he was brilliant. Go watch me break down his start here. I hope we get this command all the time.
43. Sonny Gray (BOS) – 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.
Tier 8 – I Just Can’t Help Myself
44. Connelly Early (BOS) – He looked solid. Not absurd stud, but solid. It’s a deep arsenal with an array of above-average pitches and solid command, and he could improve steadily across the year. I do not see his second start as representative of the guy we’ll get this season – his feel is far better.
45. Tatsuya Imai (HOU) – Imai wasn’t comfortable in his first outing, then found a groove with his reverse slider in the second, and it was pretty fun to watch. I’m still a little weirded out as I don’t know what to make of his flat fastball, odd slider, and decent splitter. Seems like a reliable Holly type with a Toby floor.
46. Aaron Nola (PHI) – I see last year as a lost year. His skills are still present and I’m buying back in.
47. Andrew Abbott (CIN) – Abbott is pretty much the same guy as last year. Still a little uneasy about his overall feel and the home park, but we’re riding with this.
48. Edward Cabrera (CHC) – 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, nor with his four-seamer in his last start at a 40% strike rate. Bring back the sinker please, even to LHB.
Tier 9 – Are You More Or Is This It?
49. Ryne Nelson (ARI) – His four-seamer is still elite and the early schedule is annoying. The heater looks even better and now he’s going slider to RHB, cutter + curve to LHB, and I’m seeing the elements of a stud. It’s there, I just want to stop feeling like I’m wishcasting it.
50. Brandon Woodruff (MIL) – Woody looked like last year’s Woody. 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. We ride until he gives us a good reason not to.
51. Ryan Weathers (MIA) – Two starts of premium velocity (with a down-turn once gassed) and zero results you want. I still adore the ability and I don’t think Weather’s will continue to have poor secondary feel.
52. Emerson Hancock (SEA) – 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. I doubted it. I was wrong. He lowered his arm angle to make it even more effective upstairs, and in his second outing, he spotted the four-seamer again, while pairing it with great sinkers inside, and unleashed a new cutter that was highly effective. The sweeper isn’t the #2 pitch! The cutter can be! And Seattle is his home park! I’m falling for this. That four-seamer command may be real after all.
53. Kyle Harrison (MIL) – 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 we saw that in his second outing, where the slowball returned 4/9 strikes. However, his BSB feel for stupid flat heaters up and curves down was stellar. If that sticks, he doesn’t even need the changeup.
54. Andrew Painter (PHI) –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. His debut displayed the general ability of a guy at 93 mph, but at 96+ mph, which is my way of saying he’s likely a Holly and not an electric arm. He’s good, not great.
55. Parker Messick (CLE) – It wasn’t the best first outing, but his second against the Dodgers came with classic Messick command of high heaters and low changeups. I love that.
Tier 10 – Fine, You Need Some Innings
56. Noah Cameron (KCR) – He looks like the same Cameron from last year. That’s cool.
57. Tanner Bibee (CLE) – I still wonder if he’s alright. The 18″ vert four-seamers returned last time out…half the time. It’s still in there and as long as he doesn’t get disrupted by a barking shoulder, he’ll be far better than last year’s iteration.
58. Will Warren (NYY) – 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.
59. Zac Gallen (ARI) – I really hate his schedule the next two weeks, but I’m banking on Gallen performing more consistently for the final five months than everyone below.
Tier 11 – “Take Chances, Make Mistakes, Get Messy!”
60. Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) – He’s weird. Four-seamer at 96 mph gained some vert and ride, but still struggles to find whiffs due to his inadequate command. High velocity slider also should perform well, yet it fails to dominate. But eight strikeouts! Watch all eight and tell me those are a man who dominated. They aren’t.
61. Jack Leiter (TEX) – Leiter has had two whiff explosions in the last week and it makes me encouraged, though I worry about his overall command. His pitches feature a wide band of movement across outings, and if a pitcher can’t be consistent with how his pitches move, he won’t be consistent as to where they are located. No, he’s not intentionally changing how they move pitch-by-pitch. Doesn’t work that way for a guy like Leiter.
62. José Soriano (LAA) – 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…even after a second straight solid outing. In all likelihood. So then why is he here? Because we’re past the point of guys I expect to hold all year and who knows, maybe Soriano is actually going to keep this up.
63. Janson Junk (MIA) – Junk was my #1 SP pickup this week after exhibiting A+ stuff according to PLV. New fastball with more movement, better changeup, slider, etc, all a product of working vigorously with Driveline over the off-season. It was just one start, though, and I can’t move him up more than this until I see more.
64. Joey Cantillo (CLE) – 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 he pulled it off against the Cubs in the second. I cannot tell you what comes next.
65. Landen Roupp (SFG) – I see all the signs of Roupp becoming legit, and yet I worry he won’t be able to consistently place his sinker, curve, cutter, and change where he wants to. Prove me wrong.
66. Max Meyer (MIA) – 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.
67. Reid Detmers (LAA) – 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.
Tier 12 – Innings But Are They Worth It?
68. Rhett Lowder (CIN) – Lowder impressed me with a solid changeup and breaker with fastballs that are somehow avoiding damage. Don’t overlook him, especially in deeper leagues.
69. Steven Matz (TBR) – He was great against the Twins. He’s a Toby, alright.
70. Clay Holmes (NYM) – He took care of buisness in good matchups, as Toby does.
71. Randy Vásquez (SDP) – That first outing was so fun. High heaters for whiffs, a phenomenal curveball, a confident cutter, changeup, sinker, etc. Then he lost two ticks in the second, even if he still was productive. I have to wane my expectations a bit now, though I still think he’s a clear hold in 15-teamers.
72. Luis Castillo (SEA) – Love him at home, worry on the road (see Sunday’s start against the Athletics), 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?
Tier 13 – Will You Just Do The Thing Already?
73. Mick Abel (MIN) – Since the Twins didn’t need a fifth starter during their opening turn, Abel was pushed into the pen to relieve Bailey Ober and it was dreadful. Then he got his first start in a blizzard and was three ticks down. I feel like I’m ranking him too low given the dumb circumstances he’s gone through thus far, but at the same time, how can we have confidence when he hasn’t done it yet? Welcome to Tier 13.
74. Emmet Sheehan (LAD) – I don’t know what they are doing with him. He hasn’t touched 96 mph in two starts after sitting there last year. His last start was stable around 94 mph for the full game, which feels like he was testing what is in the tank, but then again, he never hit 96 mph. How long do we hold and wait it out?
75. Brandon Sproat (MIL) – Well this has been terrible. Feel free to drop him for whatever else you like. I’m holding if I can just because I have a lot of faith in his improved stuff and the command thus far is simply not what he gave us last year.
76. Ranger Suárez (BOS) – Hey, can you just find your rhythm already? We know you will at some point, and we’d like it to be now instead of later.
77. Mike Burrows (HOU) – The new slider is great, but the changeup and fastballs were not in the first, better in the second. Like Sproat, I’m not ready to jump ship yet, but I don’t blame you if you do.
78. Taj Bradley (MIN) – 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. The second start wasn’t as good, but still decent enough with his heater as a mini Ryne Nelson.
79. Joe Boyle (TB) – His fastball and slider are coming in softer, which makes it tough to buy into the risk without the same absurd ceiling, but I’m still encouraged that Boyle is a better pitcher now than he was in previous years. He may get just one more start against the Cubs with Pepiot likely returning over the weekend, though, and that’s probably not worth it.
80. Cade Cavalli (WSH) – Cavalli was forced to deal with the Cubs on opening day and while it wasn’t horrific, it wasn’t rewarding. While the second outing was certainly better, I don’t love chasing an arm with an elite curveball and nothing else – it’s Empty Velocity, sadly. Give me more.
81. Chad Patrick (MIL) – We didn’t see him go long again and that may be a constant problem with Patrick.
Tier 14 – Good Enough? Maybe?
82. Matthew Liberatore (STL) – I’m not impressed with Liberatore’s overall schtick, and I wonder if he’ll the Spider-Man by the end of the year. Perfectly cromulent.
83. Slade Cecconi (CLE) – He’s bad. He’s good. He’s bad, now he’s 29% cutters at 87 mph and maybe he’s good? I don’t know, go with your gut. Mine is to throw up my hands and do something else.
84. Seth Lugo (KC) – We haven’t seen his best stuff, but at least he has a chance to perform each night…?
85. Reynaldo López (ATL) – His throwing softer at 94 mph (not 95/96) with a worse slider that comes with sub 60% strikes and somehow it’s working. Again.
86. Brady Singer (CIN) – He gets the Marlins this week and Singer is the same ole Toby he’s always been – sinkers, sliders, and hopefully six frames.
87. David Peterson (NYM) – Let’s hope he can throw enough strikes and keep the changeup + slider down. He has the leash for a quality start and a Win.
88. Michael Wacha (KC) – Wacha’s 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. He was pushed back due to his illness and I hope the changeup kills it against the LHB-heavy Guardians.
89. Brayan Bello (BOS) – No, I’m not seeing anything particularly new or interesting about Bello. He has a good opportunity for a winning club, though, and that may be fine for what you need.
90. Max Scherzer (TOR) – I hate that he’ll face the Dodgers, but he’s not nearly as bad as many other options you’ll find on the wire across the year.
Tier 15 – This Will Do For Now
91. Brandon Williamson (CIN) – He disappointed mightily against the Pirates and now he has another set of good matchups. You got this, Son of William.
92. Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) – The Pasta Pirate is set to return this week and you may want to consider spec-adding him. There’s a lot of potential in his high extension, flat fastball, and wide range of whiffable breakers. There’s also a really poor floor.
93. Grant Holmes (ATL) – His slider is getting whiffs, and the rest is not. Don’t break the Huascar Rule.
94. Bryce Elder (ATL) – Same for Elder, though his slider has shockingly improved. Worse supporting cast than REB, though.
95. Casey Mize (DET) – Ehhhhh he’ll get a pair of good matchups in a two-start week. I don’t think he’s pitching at his peak, though.
96. Jameson Taillon (CHC) – Two starts with the Rays (today, ignore) and Pirates. Could be an easy Win.
97. Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) – He has a history of volatility and after his phenomenal start with more reliance on a cutter, he went to Sacré Verde and was wild, unsurprisingly. Now he heads to @TEA and that could be worth your time.
Tier 16 – Am I Actually Interested In This?
98. Sean Burke (CWS) – Burke was fantastic over the weekend with an improved four-seamer and better feel for the secondaries. Please do it again.
99. Anthony Kay (CWS) – Kay is not there yet. I really like who he could be in time and if you’re looking to stash a guy who could have that start this week, Kay is a fun option.
100. Justin Wrobleski (LAD) – It’s a six-man rotation for the Dodgers (finally!), and Wrobo should be getting regular starts. He looked poor as a piggyback, though, and I’m waiting for at least one start to get excited before adding him to my squads.
Wait. You forgot [THIS PITCHER]!
You should be able to find them below, but there are rare times that I removed a pitcher from The List and their name somehow got lost in the shuffle. If there is a super-obvious name that is somehow missing, you better believe it was in error. Simply let me know if I goofed, and I’ll make a swift update.
The following pitchers are sorted not by rank, but by team. I have written a small note on every arm who is currently inside a rotation – if they are not in a rotation, they are ineligible for The List.
Honorable Mentions
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) – He’s doing a lot of the right things to LHB, but it’s still not quite working. I don’t feel incentivized to chase this.
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?
Jacob Lopez (ATH) – We had a few more strikeouts over the weekend (three in the first!) and then the walks came. Give it time.
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) – Maybe the extra vert on his four-seamer will bring more sunshine and rainbows, and his last start looked promising, but the home park and tough schedule are on the horizon
Luis Morales (ATH) – He’s far too chaotic and it’s Empty Velocity.
Luis Severino (ATH) – I liked what we saw in his first start, not so much the second, and now he’ll get more home starts + the Yankees. Naaaaah.
Martín Pérez (ATL) – Hey. You. Why are you doing this to yourself.
José Suarez (ATL) – Back to the pen. Opening the door for Didier…In time, but don’t hold your expectations too high on Didier. He still needs to earn consistent fastball whiffs and feature a legit slider.
Brandon Young (BAL) – Is he getting a start this week? Doesn’t matter, does it.
Cade Povich (BAL) – As much as I want to see Povich flourish, I didn’t see anything in his 5.2 IP stint against the Pirates that suggests a leap from last year.
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.
Colin Rea (CHC) – With Horton out, Rea likely steps in. He’s a streaming option at some point. Maybe.
Javier Assad (CHC) – We’re seeing likely seeing Assad take Boyd’s spot in the rotation indefinitely, and I need to see something worth our time before chasing it.
Davis Martin (CHW) – He nearly made The List this week after his great performance in Toronto. Sadly, I didn’t see enough to convince me it’ll hold.
Erick Fedde (CHW) – Oh, we’re back with the White Sox again? What’s your agenda?!
Grant Taylor (CHW) – He’s an opener. But what if he actually started. He’d be dope. But he isn’t. He’s a reliever. BUT– HE’S NOT STARTING.
Shane Smith (CHW) – Boy did he look rough last time out. No reason to chance it.
Chase Dolander (COL) – He’s starting now and honestly, looks much better than last year. Sadly, he’s still in Coors and needs to get reps outside of the ridiculous conditions of Colorado to develop properly. Sigh.
Jose Quintana (COL) – He’s in Colorado now. Maybe there– He’s also on the IL now. Oh.
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.
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…when returning from his hip injury.
Keider Montero (DET) – Verlander went down, and Montero stepped in. The exciting fastball from the spring has vanished.
Cristian Javier (HOU) – The command isn’t there. The ceiling is so far away.
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.
Roki Sasaki (LAD) – Until he has a proper mix, I’m very out on Sasaki.
Chris Paddack (MIA) – The upside is too limited and now he’s sitting 92/93 mph. No thanks.
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.
Luis Gil (NYY) – The Yankees will need a fifth starter for the first time this week, allowing Gil to return to the rotation. His command is wonky and his heater isn’t the elite pitch of old, or at least it wasn’t in the spring. I’d be careful.
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…?
Dustin May (STL) – That’s two rough games and I’m throwing in the towel. For now. I still see legit value in the future – his stuff is too good and he’s not locating that badly – and I’ll bring him back when he does.
Kyle Leahy (STL) – I wanted to keep him on The List, but I don’t see the value proposition being in your favor yet. His 7.2 feet of extension and 90 mph cutter are fun, but the command is not. I can see him blossoming in May/June.
Michael McGreevy (STL) – 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?
Ryan Pepiot (TBR) – Is he actually coming back this week? He threw a bullpen Friday hoping to start Monday, but they elected to give him more time instead. If he does return this week, I suggest keeping him on the IL for a start against the Yankees.
Jacob Latz (TEX) – He stepped in for deGrom over the weekend once, and now he’s back to the pen.
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 was in shock. His fastball is not this good, and it was even worse in Chicago, sitting three ticks down at 88 mph. Nooooope.
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)
