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The List 6/1: Top 100 Starting Pitchers For 2021 – Week 10

Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings for 2021 - Week 10.

It’s the weekly tradition here at Pitcher List where I rank the Top 100 Starting Pitchers in fantasy baseball and it’s time for Week 10’s starting pitcher rankings.

Want an earlier update to The List? Join me on Mondays at 12:00pm EST as I live-stream its creation each week!

Have questions? My “office hours” are on Twitch 8:30am – 11:00am EST Monday – Friday + the aforementioned stream for The List.

As always, make sure to read the notes as there are many changes that have good reasons behind them, and please consider that these ranks are based on a 12-teamer, 5×5 roto format. Adjust accordingly to your situation.

For those unaware:

  • Cherry Bomb = A volatile pitcher who is either super sweet or blows up in your face. There are few middle grounds.
  • Toby = A middling pitcher who you can’t decide if they do enough to stay on your team and give you the itch to drop every single day. Named after Toby from The Office.

Here are the rules for those wondering why a pitcher is or isn’t ranked here:

  1. If a pitcher is on the IL or out of the rotation and not confirmed for a start this week, they are pushed into the Fringe table.
  2. If a pitcher is in a rotation and not confirmed to start but has not been placed on the IL or officially removed, they remain on The List.
  3. These rankings are made as if I am drafting a team today for the rest of the season.
  4. This means the Top 40-50 picks are more for ROS, while the rankings after are more short-term focused.
  5. I will only incorporate a game played on Monday if the pitcher’s performance is completed before 2:00pm EST.

 

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.

 

  • It’s time to grant Jacob deGrom his own tier. The man is simply better than everyone else and it’s not fair.
  • That opens the door for a larger Tier 2, extending down to Corbin BurnesI can see some wanting Yu Darvish below Trevor Bauer or Shane Bieber climbing back up to #3, but at its core, not much has changed here. Let’s just leave them and nod our heads in approval to all of them.

 

  • Two major changes in the third tier. Zack Wheeler has been a force as of late, tallying a ridiculous 31% strikeout rate thus far, while he’s among the elites in volume. While I’m skeptical he can sustain these strikeout numbers, he’s pitching a level worthy of the #12 spot.
  • Lucas Giolito had a bump in the road and has seemingly arrived on the other side, whiffing sixteen with his changeup last time out. It’s time we regard him as an elite starter again.

 

  • With Giolito moving up, there’s an innate drop for many in tier four – yes that means Max Fried loses a spot without pitching a game. 
  • You may be surprised to see Carlos Rodón gain two spots despite sputtering last time out. Seeing his fastball maintain its 96 mph velocity is everything and indicates a blip more than a dip in ability.

 

  • It’s been frustrating watching the Padres handle Joe Musgroveforcing me to drop him into Tier 5. Hopefully it was just a one-game thing, but Musgrove pitching in relief on Sunday showcases chaos that we just don’t want to handle as fantasy managers.
  • Freddy Peralta gets a bump as he’s been in a rhythm with his hyper-crossbody delivery. I’m a bit skeptical it can last for a full four months, but the results are undeniable.

 

  • Despite mixed results in his last start, Alex Wood came out of a two-start gauntlet against the Dodgers in good shape. His 92 mph heater + elite slider make him a must-roster at this point in the year.
  • I’m a little worried about Robbie Ray taking a step back with his fastball command in his last start against the Yankees and while I expected to move him down this week, those behind him didn’t do enough to leapfrog Ray.

 

  • Tier 6 is a weird one. We have household names who are teetering between their former selves and a floor we never want to see and it makes for a difficult ranking. Blake Snell has looked atrocious in his last two starts, but his raw stuff is as good as ever. A rage drop would overlook the dozens of examples of poor small stretches we’ve seen from excellent arms in the past, and Snell should recover as the season progresses.

 

  • Shane McClanahan has pitched at least five frames in each of his last three starts as he boasts a 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and near 30% strikeout rate. Here’s to hoping he’s able to go a proper six frames in the near future as his stuff is phenomenal.
  • Tyler Mahle wasn’t at his peak with his fastball in his last start as his slider picked up the slack to help him cruise to the finish line. Expect the heater to come back to full form.

 

  • Tier 7 houses a solid group of arms who you may have been able to snag off the wire this year. After a tough schedule and matching results to begin the season, Chris Bassitt has dominated as of late, forcing a #40 spot this week.
  • His teammate Sean Manaea has also improved, recently boasting 92 mph on his fastball and fantastic secondaries, earning the affection of managers everywhere.

 

  • Framber Valdez returned from the IL and gave four decent innings of work against the strong Padres offense. I imagine he’ll continue to ramp up the workload and become a solid arm for 12-teamers through the rest of the year.
  • It’s hard not to like what Yusei Kikuchi is doing at the moment, going six frames constantly while pumping 96+ mph fastballs. His cutter and slider have done an excellent job as well, making for a consistently good play in your leagues.

 

  • We have a trio of new names in the eighth tier, starting with Alek ManoahI wanted to place him higher on The List, but we need to see more consistency than just one outing before doing so. His overall stuff isn’t as elite as those in the Top 20, but his confidence to trust all three options in any count + above-average pitches across the repertoire makes him a good floor option.
  • Jose Urquidy and Taijuan Walker each returned from the IL and made an impression in their Still ILL games, each throwing harder than before their stints. Urquidy’s deep repertoire should make him a stable performer, and while I question if Walker has enough in his changeup/slider/curveball to constantly provide dividends, he’s well worth the roster spot.

 

  • Dylan Cease gets a sizeable bump, large enough to become the featured pitcher of the week. We’ve seen his slider take shape over the last month, but his fastball has recently been the next to develop, evidenced by his last outing against the Orioles. While he’s still outside the top 50 as we don’t quite know if his new command will disappear, he certainly deserves your attention and selected off the wire.
  • We may not see a whole lot more of him this season – he is 41, after all – but to deny Rich Hill starts right now would be foolish. He’s managing to get it done with sub 90 mph velocity and a massive hook and let’s all ride this for as long as it lasts.

 

  • It’s great seeing Stephen Strasburg back in action, but sadly his fastball velocity was the same in his second start as it was in his first – sitting 91.8 mph. That’s two ticks lower than 2019 and makes me concerned he’ll be laboring a decent amount on the hill through the season.
  • I’m liking what I’ve seen from Frankie Montas lately as he’s beginning to get whiffs on his splitter again. Paired with fastballs that constantly churn outs, he could ascend the ranks quickly.

 

  • I made a mini-tier for Dylan Bundy and Luis CastilloThese ranks are not universal, sadly, and how you should treat these pitchers is highly dependent on your situation. Do you have room to stash a player for the future or would you rather get production now? I’ve placed the secure “win now” players above these two, while the more disposable arms are underneath. It’s your call if you’d like to hold Bundy or Castillo over the pitchers below.

 

  • Tier 10 is filled with your waiver-wire adds and short-term considerations. It leads off with Dallas Keuchelwho has a lovely schedule ahead and shouldn’t be ignored.
  • Wade Miley returned from the IL and displayed his best cutter of the season (okay, save for the no-hitter) and can now be considered as an excellent Toby for teams.

 

  • Tarik Skubal has taken a step forward with his secondaries, mainly his slider that has earned a good amount of whiffs as of late. I’m still a little skeptical at how long this strong streak will last, but he’s worth the add if he’s still out there.
  • Justin Dunn is also going through his development and has shown signs of excellence with a fastball now sitting 94+ mph & two breakers that each can be his whiff pitch on a given night. Keep your eye on him.

 

  • Returning to The List is Jake Odorizziwho came back to little fanfare for the Astros. He’d be higher on the ranks if his fastball velocity was closer to his 2019 self, though pitching for Houston should help him earn Wins as he stabilizes through the season.
  • Logan Webb also returned from the IL and dazzled with his slider to dominate the Dodgers. It’s hard not to be intrigued as he packs two strong secondaries now, each capable of debilitating an offense. It could just be a spark, but he’s a fun addition for your teams.

 

  • Can Chris Paddack get back to his 2019 self? I hope so, though he’s still not commanding his fastball quite as well as the good ole days. It’s getting tougher and tougher to trust his return and if he’s still on your rosters, you should consider what’s available.
  • Now that his schedule is improving, it’s time to reconsider Anthony DeSclafani again. He’s not your guy to deal with tough teams, but he can take advantage of solid matchups.

 

  • Marco Gonzales is returning from the IL and hopefully he can be the stable ratio performer he was in 2020. While I don’t expect the ace-like ERA and WHIP, he could be a strong Toby through the end.
  • Ignoring the rough news today that Sixto Sanchez’s recovery has been shut down with shoulder soreness, Elieser Hernandez should make Marlins fans excited as he’s set to return this week. I have my doubts that he packs enough punch in his repertoire outside of his slider, but he’s worth the spec add as you stash him for his Still ILL outing.

 

  • Patrick Corbin and Jameson Taillon have each been disappointments and make for a tough decision as fantasy managers. Taillon should get his feet under him at some point this season, which will be a product of his curveball and slider coming together. Corbin had his velocity and slider whiffs back a few starts ago, but lost it and now has a tough schedule. If there’s a better option on the wire, you shouldn’t hesitate to make the swap.

 

  • Don’t be alarmed by the -7” associated with Spencer Turnbull in tier 11 – that’s more of plenty of names shooting up The List than a new assessment of his four-seamer/slider approach, which, well, still isn’t as consistent as we want it to be.
  • Andrew Heaney is the biggest faller in this tier, simply due to his Cherry Bomb nature. It evens out through the year, returning a middling ERA and WHIP with a solid amount of strikeouts, but it’s a tough pill to swallow.

 

  • JT Brubaker has made it clear that he’s a Toby and not much else. That works for us, it just means he lands in the 70s now, instead of the 50s/60s. Remember, we still like him as he was out of the Top 100 for much of last year.
  • Returning to The List is Triston McKenziewho startled us with ten strikeouts over the weekend + a solid performance against the Tigers last week. I still question is his command is where we need it to be and the juice may not be worth the squeeze.

 

  • I really hope Eduardo Rodriguez finds his fastball/changeup combo once again, but we’ve been waiting for the pair to sync up for a month now.
  • The same goes for Matthew Boyd and his slider, which simply hasn’t been around since 2019. His changeup is excellent, though, and when Boyd does get the pitch back, he could catapult up the ranks. It’s more of an “if” than a “when”, and that pushes him down to #82.

 

  • Luis Garcia leads off the long and final tier as I have two concerns moving forward: his tough schedule & likely few starts ahead as Lance McCullers returns and Cristian Javier likely forces himself back into the rotation. It’s too bad, I think Garcia is a fine play against middling or worse lineups.
  • It’s also not a great moment for James Kaprielian as he falls a whopping 27 points. Thing is, he was only ranked highly last week because he had two starts against Seattle and I believe he could perform in both. He went 1-for-2, could get replaced in the rotation by Jesus Luzardo any moment now, and his fantasy value is now dwindling.

 

  • It’s a pretty clear situation for Dane Dunning right now: treat him like a Toby and avoid the strong opponents. Sadly, the only team in his division we’re comfortable starting him against are the Mariners at this point (it’s not easy being a Rangers pitcher).
  • Garrett Richards is going through a moment where his fastball has improved, but he’s lost his slider in the process. It’s been a long time waiting and while he could get it back as soon as his next start, it’s in your best interest to wait until we see it again.

 

  • The Fratty Pirate – aka Ryan Yarbrough – returns as he’s proven to be a solid ratio arm who can earn Wins when he has an opener. For once, let’s hope he doesn’t properly start in the near future.
  • Joining Yarbrough this week are three others at the end: Ryan Weathers, Joe Rossand Ross StriplingWeathers could be slowly getting more innings and he continues to start, Ross just earned himself a Golden Goal over the weekend, and Stripling has slightly adjusted mechanics that propelled a successful start. There could be something here with all three.

 

Fringe Pitchers I Considered

 

All right, now that the notes are at the top and you understand where I’m coming from, let’s get to The List:

RankPitcherBadgesChange
1Jacob deGromT1
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Ratio Focused
-
2Gerrit Cole
T2
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
3Yu Darvish
Aces Gonna Ace
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
4Trevor Bauer
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
5Shane Bieber
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
6Max Scherzer
Aces Gonna Ace
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
7Brandon Woodruff
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Playing Time Question
-
8Walker Buehler
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Playing Time Question
-
9Clayton Kershaw
Aces Gonna Ace
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
10Corbin Burnes
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Playing Time Question
-
11Aaron Nola
T3
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
12Zack Wheeler
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
+2
13Lance Lynn
Aces Gonna Ace
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
14Lucas Giolito
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
+7
15Jack Flaherty
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-3
16Tyler Glasnow
Aces Gonna Ace
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Cherry Bomb
-1
17Hyun Jin Ryu
Aces Gonna Ace
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-1
18Kevin Gausman
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Ratio Focused
-
19Julio Urías
T4
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Playing Time Question
-2
20John Means
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-1
21Max Fried
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-1
22Trevor Rogers
Aces Gonna Ace
Strikeout Upside
-
23Carlos Rodón
Ace Potential
Quality Starts
+2
24Sandy Alcantara
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-1
25Joe Musgrove
T5
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
-1
26Freddy Peralta
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
Cherry Bomb
+6
27Pablo López
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
+3
28Ian Anderson
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Ratio Focused
-
29Sonny Gray
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
-
30Alex Wood
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
+5
31Robbie Ray
T6
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Cherry Bomb
-
32Aaron Civale
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Ratio Focused
+2
33Blake Snell
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Cherry Bomb
-7
34Tyler Mahle
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
+2
35Charlie Morton
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
+2
36José Berríos
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
+4
37Marcus Stroman
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Ratio Focused
+7
38Kyle Hendricks
Ace Potential
Quality Starts
Ratio Focused
-
39Shane McClanahan
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Stash Option
+9
40Chris Bassitt
T7
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Toby
Ratio Focused
+12
41Zack Greinke
Ace Potential
Quality Starts
+5
42Sean Manaea
Injury Risk
Toby
Ratio Focused
+18
43Framber Valdez
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
+UR
44Yusei Kikuchi
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
+5
45Domingo Germán
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Cherry Bomb
-
46Frankie Montas
T8
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Cherry Bomb
+7
47Alek Manoah
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
+UR
48José Urquidy
Injury Risk
Playing Time Question
Ratio Focused
+UR
49Rich Hill
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
Streaming Option
+13
50Stephen Strasburg
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
-8
51Dylan Cease
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Cherry Bomb
+14
52Adbert Alzolay
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
Cherry Bomb
+7
53Taijuan Walker
Strikeout Upside
Toby
+UR
54Zach Eflin
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
-
55Shohei Ohtani
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Cherry Bomb
+6
56Michael Pineda
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Cherry Bomb
+15
57Dylan Bundy
T9
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Stash Option
-14
58Luis Castillo
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
Stash Option
-7
59Dallas Keuchel
T10
Quality Starts
Toby
Ratio Focused
+5
60Jordan Montgomery
Strikeout Upside
Toby
Ratio Focused
-2
61Wade Miley
Injury Risk
Toby
Ratio Focused
+UR
62Tarik Skubal
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
Streaming Option
Stash Option
+14
63Anthony DeSclafani
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
+9
64Jameson Taillon
Ace Potential
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
-14
65Chris Paddack
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
-8
66Patrick Corbin
Ace Potential
Strikeout Upside
-25
67Jake Odorizzi
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
+UR
68Logan Webb
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Streaming Option
+UR
69Madison Bumgarner
Quality Starts
Toby
Ratio Focused
-13
70Justin Dunn
Strikeout Upside
Streaming Option
+5
71Elieser Hernández
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
+UR
72Marco Gonzales
Quality Starts
Toby
Ratio Focused
+UR
73Nathan Eovaldi
T11
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
+8
74Andrew Heaney
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
-19
75Spencer Turnbull
Strikeout Upside
Streaming Option
-7
76JT Brubaker
Toby
Ratio Focused
-10
77Steven Matz
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Streaming Option
+5
78Casey Mize
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
Streaming Option
Stash Option
+6
79Triston McKenzie
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
Cherry Bomb
+UR
80Eduardo Rodriguez
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Cherry Bomb
-13
81Griffin Canning
Injury Risk
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Cherry Bomb
Streaming Option
-3
82Matthew Boyd
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
-12
83Luis García
T12
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Streaming Option
-4
84Adam Wainwright
Quality Starts
Toby
Ratio Focused
Streaming Option
-10
85Brady Singer
Strikeout Upside
Quality Starts
Toby
Ratio Focused
-12
86Ryan Yarbrough
Playing Time Question
Ratio Focused
+UR
87Germán Márquez
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
-2
88Alex Cobb
Streaming Option
+6
89Mike Minor
Streaming Option
+7
90Tyler Anderson
Toby
Streaming Option
+2
91Logan Gilbert
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Streaming Option
Stash Option
-2
92Johnny Cueto
Streaming Option
+5
93David Peterson
Strikeout Upside
Streaming Option
-6
94Dane Dunning
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
Streaming Option
-14
95Garrett Richards
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
-18
96James Kaprielian
Strikeout Upside
Playing Time Question
Streaming Option
-27
97Cody Poteet
Streaming Option
-4
98Ryan Weathers
Strikeout Upside
Low Ips
Playing Time Question
+UR
99Joe Ross
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
Streaming Option
+UR
100Ross Stripling
Strikeout Upside
Cherry Bomb
Streaming Option
+UR

Labels Legend

Aces Gonna Ace
Ace Potential
Holly
Toby
Cherry Bomb
Spice Girl
Vargas Rule
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 John Cordes/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)

Nick Pollack

Founder of Pitcher List. Creator of CSW, The List, and SP Roundup. Worked with MSG, FanGraphs, CBS Sports, and Washington Post. Former college pitcher, travel coach, pitching coach, and Brandeis alum. Wants every pitcher to be dope.

10 responses to “The List 6/1: Top 100 Starting Pitchers For 2021 – Week 10”

  1. MS says:

    Hi Nick – always look forward to this. I’ve had Paddak as a keeper since Day 1, but he’s really wearing on my patience. Available options are T. Walker, Miley, Skubal, Montgomery, E. Hernandez. Any of them worth swapping for Paddack?

    • DB says:

      Yes. Gone are the days when Fantasy people considered him the second coming of Nolan Ryan. I don’t know all those guys in depth, but you’ll get innings out of Montgomery and K’s out of Skubal (but watch the HR/FB%) at the very least. You won’t get either of those out of Paddack, nor wins, (not to mention QS’s) out of Paddak.

      • MS19 says:

        Well, I don’t need innings. I need Ws, Ks, ERA, WHIP, & K/BB. Based on your answer, Monty for the Ws, Skubal for the Ks.

  2. Josh Shanes says:

    Hey Nick, been meaning to point this out for a while — are we sure that Darvish is still an injury risk? Has made all of his starts this year, made all of them last year, missed just a few in 2019. He’s been really healthy overall for almost 3 seasons now.

    • DB says:

      He’s kind of in the same boat as Ryu, although Ryu doesn’t even fake being a power pitcher. They’ve both had tons of injuries, and that adds up, IMO, even more so when it comes to a guy that’s regularly throwing gas. He’s twirling at an elite level this year (and last,) but a guy w/ his pitching-related injury history, one has to wonder, especially on a club that routinely has pitcher injury problems, IMO.

      This isn’t a situation like Woodruff, where we’re looking at 34yo vs 28yo, and we just haven’t seen him throw a ton of innings yet.

      We’ve seen Darvish throw like this before and he regularly breaks down under the workload. You can’t really count last season, and he has only pitched over 180 innings 3 times in his career, and the last time was in 2017, split between 2 clubs.

      That was followed by a 40 inning year @ ~5 ERA.

      I’ve always loved his stuff, but haven’t trusted him for innings since 2014.

  3. Bob says:

    (Posted this on Reddit but thought it might be interesting for PL readers).

    I had a theory that fantasy baseball analysts are too conservative in acknowledging breakout pitchers in rankings. It seemed liked I’d get burned more than rewarded for “buying low” or “selling high” for pitchers.

    I have biases and selective memory so I wanted to see if the numbers supported this claim. I adore Pitcher List and the weekly rankings and the way Nick handles injuries and demotions makes it the perfect dataset.

    I took every pitcher who jumped at least 5 spots from week 1 to week 5 and then examined how those players fared in week 10.

    To qualify, the pitcher had to be within the top 50 by week 5. Movement is much more fluid in the bottom half of the 100 and I wanted to focus on consequential pitchers.
    They also couldn’t be on the IL in either week. I wanted jumps to be related to performance only.

    The results:

    10 pitchers qualified as “ascenders”. By week 10, 9 out of the 10 risers maintained their position or improved upon it. 7 of the 10 climbed further by week 10. Only 1 dropped by 5 or more—Dylan Bundy—and (editorially) his jump in the rankings seemed confusing at the time anyway, as he didn’t have a super hot start to the year, unlike the other risers.

    This is an impossibly arbitrary experiment with a tiny sample size so take it with a grain of salt. But it does seem to at least suggest a precautious but informed approach to raising players in the top 100. If a player gets a big boost from Nick, you can probably assume that it’s legit!

  4. Timothy Burton says:

    Really enjoy the Top-100 PL, look forward to it every Tuesday, and use it regularly in my evaluations all week long. Not sure I’m exactly with you on Luis Garcia and the Astros’ rotation. The decision to promote Garcia and move Javier to the pen was not made rashly. It was based on Garcia’s undeniable abilities. If he keeps doing what he’s done, you won’t be able to remove him from that rotation with dynamite. And I know that Javier is no slouch, but if he “forces his way back into the rotation” as you suggest, it may very well be Odorizzi on the outside looking in.

    • Peter says:

      I agree. After reading the article about how CSW is the best predictor of future elite pitchers, I went to the rankings of CSW and saw that Garcia’s CSW is amongst the best in the league.

      Why not more love for him from Nick?

  5. Matt says:

    Bubic should be on your list….

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