Category Power Rankings: Week 4

When is the appropriate time to panic about a particular player? Is there an exact date where you begin to think you’ve made an enormous mistake? Or maybe it is a certain amount of mediocre at-bats or innings pitched that triggers worry?

These are legitimate questions that fantasy owners wonder about, but these questions have no legitimate answers. I wish I was able to point to the calendar and proclaim that if this guy does not turn it around significantly by this date, I am done. It just isn’t that simple.

We are still at a point in the season where pitchers’ arms are not completely warmed up due to the cold weather and/or limited Spring Training, and hitters bats haven’t woken up because they were forced to face minor league-caliber pitchers all spring. While there have been some encouraging and horribly discouraging performances, the last thing we want to do is sell off our studs before they catch fire.

 

Batting Average (AVG)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B	–
2	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
3	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	–
4	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	+1
5	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	+2
6	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	-2
7	Joey Votto	CIN	1B	-1
8	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	–
9	Jean Segura	PHI	SS	–
10	Justin Turner	LAD	3B	–
11	Michael Brantley	HOU	OF	–
12	Lorenzo Cain	MIL	OF	–
13	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	+1
14	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF	-1
15	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	+1
16	Xander Bogaerts	BOS	SS	+2
17	Whit Merrifield	KC	1B/2B/OF	+4
18	Kris Bryant	CHC	3B/OF	-3
19	Paul Goldschmidt	STL	1B	–
20	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	–
21	David Peralta	ARZ	OF	+1
22	Robinson Cano	NYM	1B/2B	-5
23	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	+2
24	Andrew Benintendi	BOS	OF	Unranked
25	Dee Gordon	SEA	2B/SS/OF	-2

Off the List: Jose Abreu

Whit Merrifield just continues to hit and is returning the early round draft value. On the other hand, Mookie Betts continues his early season slide as he has simply not caught fire just yet. He is hitting the ball pretty softly so far this season and has an alarmingly low BABIP, so expect him to turn it around pretty quickly.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Jeff McNeil	NYM	2B	–
2	Jorge Polanco	MIN	SS	–
3	Nick Markakis	ATL	OF	+2
4	Alex Gordon	KC	OF	Unranked
5	Avisail Garcia	TB	OF	Unranked
6	Jason Heyward	CHC	OF	Unranked
7	Ben Zobrist	CHC	2B/OF	–
8	Manuel Margot	SD	OF	Unranked
9	Adam Frazier	PIT	2B/OF	-1
10	Jesse Winker	CIN	OF	–

Off the List: Andrelton Simmons, Starlin Castro, Willians Astudillo, Yandy Diaz

I know what you are thinking: Nick Markakis, Alex Gordon, and Jason Heyward? What is this 2012? Well, these vets are off to excellent starts and it has gone on long enough to where you should consider making a move now if you need a little help in the AVG department.

 

Runs (R)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	–
2	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
3	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	–
4	George Springer	HOU	OF	+1
5	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B	+2
6	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	–
7	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF	-3
8	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	+1
9	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	+1
10	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	-2
11	Andrew McCutchen	PHI	OF	–
12	Jean Segura	PHI	SS	–
13	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF	–
14	Lorenzo Cain	MIL	OF	+2
15	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	+7
16	Matt Carpenter	STL	1B/2B/3B	-1
17	Tommy Pham	TB	OF	-3
18	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	+1
19	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	+1
20	Juan Soto	WSH	OF	-2
21	Paul Goldschmidt	STL	1B	+2
22	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	-5
23	Adam Eaton	WSH	OF	+2
24	Mitch Haniger	SEA	OF	Unranked
25	Andrew Benintendi	BOS	OF	-4

Off the List: Kris Bryant

The Rockies’ terrible start has tempered Charlie Blackmon’s fantasy outlook. He is not getting on base and the team is struggling to produce runs, so he does need to be dropped a tad on this list. Still, he plays half of his games in Coors Field and that is the ultimate fantasy equalizer. His production should get better.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Brett Gardner	NYY	OF	–
2	Jorge Polanco	MIN	SS	–
3	Alex Gordon	KC	OF	Unranked
4	Shin-Soo Choo	TEX	OF	+3
5	Adam Frazier	PIT	2B/OF	-2
6	Kevin Kiermaier	TB	OF	Unranked
7	Jason Heyward	CHC	OF	Unranked
8	Dwight Smith Jr.	BAL	OF	Unranked
9	Jay Bruce	SEA	1B/OF	-5
10	Leury Garcia	CHW	OF	-2

Off the List: Yandy Diaz, Ben Zobrist, Joc Pederson (ownership), Dansby Swanson (ownership)

Kevin Kiermaier is an interesting guy to monitor. He does not hit at the top of the Rays’ order, but here he is getting on base and scoring more runs than some of the elite sources of the category. He will also chip in a decent amount of power and speed so he makes for a nice little pickup.

 

Home Runs (HR)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Khris Davis	OAK	OF	–
2	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	–
3	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF	–
4	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	–
5	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
6	Joey Gallo	TEX	1B/OF	–
7	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	+1
8	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	-1
9	Paul Goldschmidt	STL	1B	–
10	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	+4
11	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B/OF	–
12	Nelson Cruz	MIN	UT	-2
13	Edwin Encarnacion	SEA	1B	-1
14	Manny Machado	SD	3B/SS	-1
15	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/3B/SS	–
16	Trevor Story	COL	SS	–
17	Mike Moustakas	MIL	2B/3B	+2
18	Matt Chapman	OAK	3B	–
19	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	-2
20	Marcell Ozuna	STL	OF	Unranked
21	Pete Alonso	NYM	1B	+1
22	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	Unranked
23	Gary Sanchez	NYY	C	-3
24	Kris Bryant	CHC	3B/OF	-3
25	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	-2

Off the List: Charlie Blackmon, Freddie Freeman

After he broke out in 2017 but disappointed in his first year in St. Louis, Marcell Ozuna is looking like an MVP candidate once again. With each dinger, the concerns about his shoulder coming into this season continue to wash away.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Jay Bruce	SEA	1B/OF	–
2	Daniel Vogelbach	SEA	1B	–
3	Hunter Renfroe	SD	OF	–
4	Mitch Moreland	BOS	1B	–
5	Randal Grichuk	TOR	OF	–
6	Max Kepler	MIN	OF	–
7	Hunter Dozier	KC	1B/3B	Unranked
8	Christian Walker	ARZ	1B	Unranked
9	Yandy Diaz	TB	1B/3B	-2
10	Clint Frazier	NYY	OF	–

Off the List: Rowdy Tellez, Kike Hernandez, 

Clint Frazier is hitting his way into everyday at-bats at the moment, and with the plethora of injuries to the Yankees starting lineup, there’s no reason to think that he will lose any playing time.

 

Runs Batted In (RBI)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Khris Davis	OAK	OF	–
2	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	–
3	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	–
4	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	+6
5	Edwin Encarnacion	SEA	1B	–
6	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	+9
7	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	-3
8	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B/OF	-1
9	Paul Goldschmidt	STL	1B	-3
10	Nelson Cruz	MIN	UT	-2
11	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	+1
12	Juan Soto	WSH	OF	-1
13	Manny Machado	SD	3B/SS	-4
14	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF	–
15	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	+5
16	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	-3
17	Trevor Story	COL	SS	-1
18	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	+3
19	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	-1
20	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/3B/SS	-1
21	Marcell Ozuna	STL	OF	Unranked
22	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	-5
23	Pete Alonso	NYM	1B	–
24	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	-2
25	Domingo Santana	SEA	OF	Unranked

Off the List: Gary Sanchez (injury), Jose Abreu

The insane start to the season for Domingo Santana is getting very difficult to write off. He is currently on pace for about 180 RBI. Obviously we cannot expect that but he should remain a very good source of the category now having an everyday role in Seattle.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Jay Bruce	SEA	1B/OF	–
2	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	–
3	Daniel Vogelbach	SEA	1B	–
4	Mitch Moreland	BOS	1B	–
5	Justin Smoak	TOR	1B	Unranked
6	Hunter Renfroe	SD	OF	–
7	Randal Grichuk	TOR	OF	-2
8	Dansby Swanson	ATL	SS	+2
9	Chad Pinder	OAK	2B/3B/OF	–
10	Jorge Soler	KC	OF	Unranked

Off the List: Ryon Healy, Ryan Zimmerman

Justin Smoak missed some time with a neck issue but has been solid since returning. This is a guy who has driven in 167 runs over the past two years and hits in the middle of the Blue Jays’ order making him their biggest run producer. Even though Toronto is not exactly the best lineup in the league, the middle-of-the-order bats on the worst teams are even worth a look if you need help with RBI.

 

Stolen Bases (SB)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Whit Merrifield	KC	1B/2B/OF	–
2	Mallex Smith	SEA	OF	–
3	Adalberto Mondesi	KC	2B/SS	–
4	Dee Gordon	SEA	2B/SS/OF	–
5	Jonathan Villar	BAL	2B/SS	–
6	Starling Marte	PIT	OF	+1
7	Tim Anderson	CHW	SS	+6
8	Billy Hamilton	KC	OF	-2
9	Lorenzo Cain	MIL	OF	-1
10	Victor Robles	WSH	OF	+2
11	Tommy Pham	TB	OF	+3
12	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B	-3
13	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	-3
14	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF	-3
15	Jose Ramirez	CLE	2B/3B	+1
16	Byron Buxton	MIN	OF	-1
17	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	+2
18	Jean Segura	PHI	SS	-1
19	Delino DeShields	TEX	OF	Unranked
20	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	+1
21	Trevor Story	COL	SS	+4
22	Andrew Benintendi	BOS	OF	-2
23	Ender Inciarte	ATL	OF	-1
24	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/3B/SS	-1
25	Ronald Acuna Jr.	ATL	OF	-1

Off the List: Jose Peraza

Tim Anderson’s wickedly hot start has been quite the story over the first couple weeks of the regular season, due in large part to his speed. Anderson is a former top prospect who has a 40-steal season under his belt in the minor leagues. While his batted ball data to this point is not sustainable, if he can manage to improve his on-base skills from his first three seasons in the majors, he could finish at the top of the list in swipes come season’s end.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Delino DeShields	TEX	OF	–
2	Leury Garcia	CHW	OF	–
3	Kevin Kiermaier	TB	OF	+2
4	Brett Gardner	NYY	OF	–
5	Jarrod Dyson	ARZ	OF	+1
6	Kevin Pillar	SF	OF	+2
7	David Fletcher	LAA	2B/3B	–
8	Adam Frazier	PIT	2B/OF	-5
9	Garrett Hampson	COL	2B/SS	Unranked
10	Dwight Smith Jr.	BAL	OF	Unranked

Off the List: Ramon Laureano, Josh Harrison

Garrett Hampson keeps finding himself on and off this list due to varying reasons. But it appears he is now getting full-time ABs and has speed that definitely plays.

 

On-Base Percentage (OBP)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	–
2	Bryce Harper	PHI	OF	+1
3	Joey Votto	CIN	OF	-1
4	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	–
5	Aaron Judge	NYY	OF	–
6	Alex Bregman	HOU	3B/SS	–
7	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B	–
8	J.D. Martinez	BOS	OF	–
9	Anthony Rendon	WSH	3B	+2
10	Christian Yelich	MIL	OF	+4
11	Lorenzo Cain	MIL	OF	+1
12	Mookie Betts	BOS	BOS	-3
13	Paul Goldschmidt	STL	1B	-7
14	Cody Bellinger	LAD	1B/OF	+11
15	Juan Soto	WSH	OF	+1
16	Andrew McCutchen	PHI	OF	+2
17	Kris Bryant	CHC	3B/OF	-7
18	Rhys Hoskins	PHI	1B/OF	+1
19	Matt Carpenter	STL	1B	-3
20	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	+1
21	Shin-Soo Choo	TEX	OF	-1
22	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	-5
23	Edwin Encarnacion	SEA	1B	-1
24	Tommy Pham	TB	OF	–
25	Michael Conforto	NYM	OF	-2

Off the List: None

The apparent changes that Cody Bellinger has made to his approach are paying major dividends. If he can even somewhat maintain this type of plate discipline, he will be a first round selection in drafts next year.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Ben Zobrist	CHC	2B/OF	–
2	Brett Gardner	NYY	OF	–
3	Shin-Soo Choo	TEX	OF	Unranked
4	Joc Pederson	LAD	OF	–
5	Nick Markakis	ATL	OF	+1
6	Josh Bell	PIT	1B	+1
7	Yonder Alonso	CHW	1B	-2
8	Jeff McNeil	NYM	2B/OF	+1
9	Dansby Swanson	ATL	SS	Unranked
10	Niko Goodrum	DET	1B/2B/3B/SS/OF	-7

Off the List: Yandy Diaz, Adam Frazier

Shin-Soo Choo has always been a great source of OBP in his career and he’s off to a great start to begin the season. As long as he continues to hit, and even when he inevitably regresses, he is always going to be useful in OBP leagues.

 

Wins (W)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
2	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	SP	–
4	Blake Snell	TB	SP	–
5	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	–
6	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
7	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	SP	+1
8	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	-1
9	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	–
10	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	–
11	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	–
12	James Paxton	NYY	SP	+1
13	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP	-1
14	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	–
15	German Marquez	COL	SP	–
16	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	+1
17	Jameson Taillon	PIT	SP	-1
18	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	+2
19	Kyle Freeland	COL	SP	-1
20	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	+1
21	Walker Buehler	LAD	SP	+1
22	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	+2
23	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	–
24	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	+1
25	Tyler Glasnow	TB	SP/RP	Unranked

Off the List: Miles Mikolas

Not a ton of change here this week, especially at the top of the list. Tyler Glasnow is the newest addition to the top 25 as he has looked like every bit of the high-end prospect that we have been talking about for years now. He has greatly improved his control and if he can keep that up, sky’s the limit.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Mike Minor	TEX	SP	Unranked
2	Frankie Montas	OAK	SP	+6
3	Max Fried	ATL	SP/RP	+2
4	Zach Eflin	PHI	SP	-2
5	Brett Anderson	OAK	SP	+4
6	Marcus Stroman	TOR	SP	-2
7	Yonny Chirinos	TB	SP/RP	–
8	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	SP/RP	-2
9	Domingo German	NYY	SP/RP	Unranked
10	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	SP	-7

Off the List: Matt Strahm, Marco Gonzales (ownership)

Mike Minor is becoming more than just a streamer in mixed leagues right now. His velocity has looked good and he’s generating a lot more swinging strikes in the early going. He is definitely going to be a trade candidate as the season moves on and could move to a contender, so his outlook in terms of earning more victories could improve if he continues to pitch well.

 

Earned Run Average (ERA)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
2	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
3	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	–
4	Blake Snell	TB	SP	–
5	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
6	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	–
7	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	+1
8	Corey Kluber	CLE	SP	-1
9	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	–
10	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP	–
11	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	SP	–
12	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	+1
13	Jameson Taillon	PIT	SP	-1
14	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	+2
15	James Paxton	NYY	SP	–
16	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	+1
17	Walker Buehler	LAD	SP	-3
18	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	+1
19	German Marquez	COL	SP	+1
20	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	SP	-2
21	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	+2
22	Shane Bieber	CLE	SP	+3
23	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	-2
24	Tyler Glasnow	TB	SP/RP	Unranked
25	Madison Bumgarner	SF	SP	Unranked

Off the List: Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty

As I am typing this, it has been reported that Jacob deGrom is experiencing a bit of discomfort in his elbow and will be sent for an MRI early next week. While that does not sound great for the Mets and fantasy owners alike, we do not have enough info to jump to any conclusions at the moment. So, for the time being, he remains at the top. But this could change very quickly.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Trevor Williams	PIT	SP	–
2	Marcus Stroman	TOR	SP	+1
3	Brad Keller	KC	SP/RP	+1
4	Max Fried	ATL	SP/RP	+1
5	Mike Minor	TEX	SP	Unranked
6	Jeff Samardzija	SF	SP	+1
7	Sonny Gray	CIN	SP/RP	+2
8	Trevor Richards	MIA	SP	+2
9	Merrill Kelly	ARZ	SP	-3
10	Frankie Montas	OAK	SP	Unranked

Off the List: Matt Strahm, Marco Gonzales (ownership)

The fact that Marcus Stroman is still unowned in about 35-40% of leagues (Yahoo! and ESPN) is pretty silly. Even if his sub-2.00 ERA is not sustainable, he is very much looking like the 3.50 ERA guy his xFIP indicates.

 

Strikeouts (K)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
3	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
4	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	–
5	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	–
6	Blake Snell	TB	SP	–
7	James Paxton	NYY	SP	–
8	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	–
9	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	SP	–
10	Corey Kluber	CLE	SP	–
11	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP	–
12	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	+1
13	German Marquez	COL	SP	-1
14	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	–
15	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	–
16	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	–
17	Walker Buehler	LAD	SP	–
18	Robbie Ray	ARZ	SP	–
19	Jack Flaherty	STL	SP	–
20	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	–
21	Chris Archer	PIT	SP	–
22	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	–
23	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	-1
24	Matthew Boyd	DET	SP	+1
25	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	Unranked

Off the List: Jon Gray

Minimal movement here. Haven’t seen much over the past week to make any huge moves to the overall top 25. Clayton Kershaw breaks into the top 25 after returning to the mound this past week with an overall encouraging start. Obviously health is a huge question for the veteran southpaw, but he should remain around a strikeout per inning as long as he is on the bump.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	SP/RP	+2
2	Derek Holland	SF	SP	+3
3	Caleb Smith	MIA	SP	+3
4	Jakob Junis	KC	SP	–
5	Carlos Rodon	CHW	SP	+4
6	Spencer Turnbull	DET	SP	Unranked
7	Domingo German	NYY	SP/RP	Unranked
8	Luke Weaver	ARZ	SP/RP	Unranked
9	Lucas Giolito	CHW	SP	Unranked
10	Dylan Bundy	BAL	SP	-3

Off the List: Corbin Burnes, Zack Godley, Matt Strahm, Freddy Peralta (injury)

Some of the names on this list are not the most desirable, but offer good strikeout numbers. With the right matchups, guys like Dylan Bundy and Lucas Giolito are going to at the very least give you solid Ks.

 

Saves (SV)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Edwin Diaz	NYM	RP	–
2	Blake Treinen	OAK	RP	–
3	Kenley Jansen	LAD	RP	–
4	Aroldis Chapman	NYY	RP	–
5	Roberto Osuna	HOU	RP	–
6	Brad Hand	CLE	RP	–
7	Felipe Vazquez	PIT	RP	–
8	Kirby Yates	SD	RP	–
9	Jose Leclerc	TEX	RP	+1
10	Sean Doolittle	WSH	RP	+1
11	Ken Giles	TOR	RP	+1
12	Josh Hader	MIL	RP	-3
13	Jordan Hicks	STL	RP	+1
14	Wade Davis	COL	RP	-1
15	Greg Holland	ARZ	RP	–
16	A.J. Minter	ATL	RP	+8
17	Alex Colome	CHW	RP	-1
18	Jose Alvarado	TB	RP	-1
19	Cody Allen	LAA	RP	-1
20	Shane Greene	DET	RP	+1
21	Will Smith	SF	RP	-2
22	Raisel Iglesias	CIN	RP	-2
23	Blake Parker	MIN	RP	Unranked
24	Pedro Strop	CHC	RP	-2
25	Anthony Swarzak	SEA	RP	Unranked

Off the List: Arodys Vizcaino (injury), David Robertson (injury)

With the season-ending injury to Arodys Vizcaino, A.J. Minter now becomes a must-own. He is somehow available in 50 percent or more of leagues in both Yahoo! and ESPN.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-Team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	A.J. Minter	ATL	RP	–
2	Blake Parker	MIN	RP	–
3	Anthony Swarzak	SEA	RP	–
4	Ryan Brasier	BOS	RP	–
5	Jeremy Jeffress	MIL	RP	+3
6	Hector Neris	PHI	RP	Unranked
7	Brandon Morrow	CHC	RP	–
8	Michael Givens	BAL	RP	-2
9	Sergio Romo	MIA	SP/RP	-4
10	Richard Lovelady	KC	RP	Unranked

Off the List: Seranthony Dominguez

With David Robertson sidelined for the near future, and struggling to start the year before the injury, Hector Neris could run away with the closing job. Neris is definitely worth a speculative add if you are in need of some saves, especially with the Phillies having a full schedule next week.

 

WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
3	Blake Snell	TB	SP	–
4	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
5	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	+1
6	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	+1
7	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	-2
8	Corey Kluber	CLE	SP	–
9	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	–
10	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	SP	–
11	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	–
12	James Paxton	NYY	SP	–
13	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	+2
14	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	-1
15	Jameson Taillon	PIT	SP	-1
16	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	–
17	German Marquez	COL	SP	+1
18	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	-1
19	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	+4
20	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	-1
21	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP	–
22	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	SP	-2
23	Shane Bieber	CLE	SP	+2
24	David Price	BOS	SP	Unranked
25	Madison Bumgarner	SF	SP	-3

Off the List: Miles Mikolas

The ease at which German Marquez limits baserunners is pretty remarkable. Not only is he avoiding putting guys on, but hitters just aren’t able to square him up right now. He is turning into the exception to the rule of “don’t trust Rockies’ pitchers.”

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Trevor Williams	PIT	SP	–
2	Mike Minor	TEX	SP	+6
3	Jeff Samardzija	SF	SP	+1
4	Max Fried	ATL	SP/RP	Unranked
5	Yonny Chirinos	TB	SP/RP	Unranked
6	Sonny Gray	CIN	SP/RP	+1
7	Frankie Montas	OAK	SP	Unranked
8	Brad Keller	KC	SP	Unranked
9	Zach Eflin	PHI	SP	-4
10	Domingo German	NYY	SP/RP	Unranked

Off the List: Marco Gonzales (ownership), Steven Matz, Matt Strahm, Jhoulys Chacin, Jakob Junis

Yonny Chirinos has looked pretty legit. He is getting a lot of soft contact while keeping his walk rate under 6%. If he can maintain this uptick in velocity too, we might be looking at a top 40 SP even with him only making a handful of starts this year.

 

Quality Starts (QS)

 

Top 25

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Max Scherzer	WSH	SP	–
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	–
3	Justin Verlander	HOU	SP	–
4	Trevor Bauer	CLE	SP	–
5	Gerrit Cole	HOU	SP	+1
6	Corey Kluber	CLE	SP	-1
7	Aaron Nola	PHI	SP	–
8	Chris Sale	BOS	SP	–
9	Blake Snell	TB	SP	–
10	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	SP	–
11	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	SP	–
12	Jameson Taillon	PIT	SP	–
13	Zack Greinke	ARZ	SP	–
14	Jose Berrios	MIN	SP	–
15	Patrick Corbin	WSH	SP	+1
16	German Marquez	COL	SP	+1
17	James Paxton	NYY	SP	-2
18	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SP	–
19	Luis Castillo	CIN	SP	+4
20	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	SP	-1
21	Charlie Morton	TB	SP	-1
22	Madison Bumgarner	SF	SP	-1
23	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	+1
24	Tyler Glasnow	TB	SP/RP	Unranked
25	Kyle Freeland	COL	SP	-3

Off the List: Miles Mikolas

Patrick Corbin has picked up right where he left off last year in terms of overall results. He is, however, throwing his slider less than he did a year ago but it appears to still be enough to be effective. Corbin is looking as safe as they come moving forward.

Deep League Top 10 (>12-team leagues/65% owned or less)

Rank	Name	Team	Position	Change
1	Trevor Williams	PIT	SP	+2
2	Marcus Stroman	TOR	SP	–
3	Mike Minor	TEX	SP	+4
4	Trevor Richards	MIA	SP	–
5	Mike Leake	SEA	SP	+4
6	Max Fried	ATL	SP/RP	–
7	Frankie Montas	OAK	SP	Unranked
8	Steven Matz	NYM	SP	-3
9	Brett Anderson	OAK	SP	Unranked
10	Brad Keller	KC	SP/RP	–

Off the List: Marco Gonzales (ownership), Jordan Zimmermann

This is certainly a mixed bag of arms; some intriguing and some boring. But that is pretty much what you need to look for when searching for quality starts. You need a guy you can expect to be efficient enough to get through six innings, and have the stuff and ability to limit and strand baserunners. The majority of these names fit that bill.

 

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)