The List 6/26: Top 100 Starting Pitchers – Week 13 Fantasy Baseball 2023

Welcome to The List, where I rank the Top 100 SP for Fantasy Baseball every single Monday of the year.

Want an earlier update to The List? Join me on Mondays at 2:00pm ET as I live-stream its creation each week!

Have questions? My “office hours” are on Twitch 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday – Friday + the aforementioned stream of The List.

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:

1. This is 5×5, 12-teamer, H2H format focused. It generally is the same as roto as well, but make sure you adjust accordingly.
2. We have two tables to review before the notes and rankings. First is an injury table that outlines where players would be relatively ranked if fully healthy. It’s the best way to tackle how to value players on the IL.
3. 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.
4. Updated 6/6 – I am now adding an “Honorable Mentions” at the end of The List to cover all the other SP who are off The List. It replaces the “Others I Considered” table.
5. Since this is a 12-teamer, I heavily weigh upside in the back-half of the rankings. Tier 10 is likely going to underperform those in Tier 11 across a full season, but it’s in your best interest to chase Tier 10’s ceiling vs. settling for Tier 11’s floor.
6. I’ve made a decision to limit labels to just one label 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.
7. The notes outline oh-so-much to help your team. Please read the notes if you can instead of just scrolling to the bottom.

 

Let’s get to the tables. First are all of our injured compatriots:

I made a decision last year: I removed the “Preseason tiers” and changed “tiers” to “Relative Rank” as it’ll be more consistent week-to-week — Tiers change while their relative rank does not.

Please understand that “70-80” does not guarantee the player will be exactly in that range when they return. Rankings are 100% relative to the landscape and while this table reflects where they would sit in a vacuum, it’s a fluid creature. Sometimes there are oh-so-many options, sometimes I want to see them healthy and stretched out again, and others we’re starving for pitchers and they jump higher than “70-80”. It’s a loose reference point and why it’s called “relative ranking.” It’s difficult to update this week-to-week and I apologize if the ranking is different when the player actually returns from the IL. I hope it helps!

One last point about that – oftentimes pitchers need an extra week or two to ramp up once they do return to the majors. It’s why Still ILL exists and the “relative rank” you see is when those guys have shaken off their rust. Will they be back to normal in their first start or will they need a few? I have no idea! Those ranks are to show what I’d expect once they are fully back to normal.

I added something new to The List this season. It’s a small table of the prospects I’m personally excited about who would jump up The List quickly if they were confirmed in the rotation. Please don’t read too much into these, there are far better prospect analysts out there than me. Still, I think this table will help you quickly stay on top of who should be on your radar.

They are ordered by my general preference/focus on those guys right now. If any of these are called up, they should be added to your 12-teamers ASAP. Some guys aren’t here and that’s due to my own belief they aren’t as pressing as the ones below. I could be very wrong there.

Colors: Green = Most excited about. Yellow = Solid but not as urgent. Orange = Will likely take some time.

 

Lastly, I heavily recommend you follow my daily SP Roundup that outlines all pitcher performances through the season, as each week’s update will reflect the comments and findings from those daily articles. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the players listed, I highly recommend that you read my 45,000+ Top 300 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 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.

 

• As is tradition, I need to tell you about the guys who were removed and added from the Top 70, so you have context for the ranking shifts.
• Added: Kenta Maeda (56), Gavin Williams (61)
• Removed: None
• Net Change Inside Top 61:  (-2)
• Please understand how this affects movement across The List.

 

I’ve changed the notes this year to have a small blurb on everyone. Much easier to write and follow along in my view and it matches the formatting of the streamers. Please leave your feedback on this change – is it better or worse?

 

Tier 1 – The Workhorses

 

1. Gerrit Cole – It feels really weird to put Cole after lasting just 4.2 innings, but he’s shown the skill I’ve been waiting for across his last two starts: slider whiffs. I believe this is the start of the ascension.

2. Spencer Strider – He’s still really good and that’s wonderful.

3. Luis Castillo – He just walked six and that’s dumb. Don’t do that.

4. Kevin Gausman – Gausman hasn’t been that guy for a little bit but he should be very soon.

5. Shane McClanahan – He was #1 and has given us all kinds of concern when he was pulled with a back injury mid-game. It’s unclear when he makes his next start but the hope is he avoids the IL.

6. Shohei Ohtani – Ohtani just dominated…without the slider being a major factor. It’s all kinds of strange and hard for me to truly buy in without the sweeper leading the way.

 

Tier 2 – AGA Without The UNREAL factor

 

7. Zack Wheeler – He ran into trouble with the Mets but I believe so heavily in what Wheeler brings to the table. His sweeper was better and the fastballs are arguably the best in the game.

8. Clayton Kershaw – It’s TATIAGA and he’s been steady all year.

9. Max Scherzer – The slider whiffs were brilliant as he’s been able to stay on the field.

10. Zac Gallen – Great to see Gallen come through for us Gallen Gals. We’re holding steady here.

11. Framber Valdez – The cutter has come alive once again and there’s a temptation to push him higher with each start he dominates with the pitch in his arsenal.

12. Joe Ryan – He just had a complete game shutout, so why do I feel so weird? His splitter was fantastic low, the slider was non-existent, and we’re still in a place of “elite heater, I wonder what we’ll get from the other two.”

 

Tier 3 – Potential Aces

 

13. Justin Verlander – Verlander isn’t the man he once was, but he’s as stable as they come for the non-aces. That’s a cool thing.

14. Tyler Glasnow – I know, he just had that dumb game against the Royals. HOWEVER, since last week, he also had another outing showcasing his terrible floor. Ceiling isn’t the hard part at the top – it’s the floor.

15. Pablo López – The four-seamer is fantastic and seeing the curve step up when he needed it was great against the Tigers. That said, I wish his changeup were the elite pitch of yesteryear.

16. Aaron Nola – Nola’s fastball and curve are still a wonderful combination. He’s not a 4.00+ ERA arm.

17. Corbin Burnes – Sigh. I love the cutter, but it’s not as good as it was last year while both the curve and change have taken steps back as well. That said, we’re not even halfway done with the season and there’s plenty of time for Burnes to take back 2023.

 

Tier 4 – Stability And WHAT IS GOING ON

 

18. Joe Musgrove – On one hand, Musgrove just had another productive outing for the Padres. On the other, his slider is still nothing like it once was and I’m not sure curve/cutter/change is enough to be a legit ace again. I also hope the elbow pain stays away for good.

19. George Kirby – I can’t move him higher up The List until the strikeouts come alive, sadly. One day.

20. Logan Gilbert – He hasn’t had the splitter and four-seamer working well across the last month, but I loved his 37% CSW slider against the Orioles over the weekend. Please tell me that’s a normal thing now.

21. Sandy Alcantara – I’m sticking to my guns here. I don’t believe Sandy is this volatile of a pitcher across a larger sample size. I imagine a lot of you want me to place him in the fifth tier or so and that’s fine with me. We’ve seen Sandy have ups and downs in the past for him to right the ship and soar. That changeup will be better.

22. Bobby Miller – His two rough outings are not indications that this is another “failed” prospect who had a good opening stretch. Miller’s package is phenomenal, with 100 mph heaters that jam batters, a legit slider for whiffs, and curves + changes for the rest. He’s the prospect to latch onto for the longhaul.

23. Blake Snell – There’s no use denying it much longer, is there? It’s so strange as I don’t think we’ve seen peak Snell ability yet, but the results have been there as his changeup has just been that good. Just get that four-seamer up and breakers for strikes, yeah?

24. Cristian Javier – Javier’s slider has been rough over the past month or so and it’s about time I lowered him down to here. There isn’t a massive track record of Javier having a high-strike slider, which creates a large chance he doesn’t get it back this year, though I have to believe he can get there over time. Could be next start, could be August, could be 2024. The ceiling is too dang high to not buy into a rebound, especially when the floor during his breaker’s struggles hasn’t been horrific.

25. Dylan Cease – The slider has been vicious for two straight starts and the hype feels real. Please keep this going, Cease.

26. Jesús Luzardo – The bad luck has regressed to the mean and Luzardo has been dominant as of late. Yes, it’s that simple.

27. Hunter Brown – I dig Brown’s repertoire, though he’s still working out what approach is best for him, as well as replicating his slider and curve consistently.

 

Tier 5 – We Want To Be More Excited

 

28. Logan Webb – He’s been solid, but the slider hasn’t returned as I hoped it would. Cool to see three starts of 50+ changeups this year, though.

29. Freddy Peralta – Like Burnes, Sandy, and Javier, Peralta is underperforming at the moment and it lies in his secondaries, mainly the slider. It’ll come back.

30. Yu Darvish – Darvish is trying to figure out an approach that works for him and all I want him to do is keep it as simple as possible. I wonder what we’ll get and as he figures it out, I’m sure we’ll have your typical highs and lows.

31. Bryce Miller – The four-seamer is still stupid good and we hold for now. Don’t overthink it.

32. James Paxton – He’d be in the fourth tier if it weren’t for knee pain that pulled him from his last start early. He said it’s not a major thing, but this is Paxton we’re talking about here. It’s impossible to properly rank an injury risk like this, so do what you must.

 

Tier 6 – Hollys + A Little Risk

 

33. Tyler Wells – While it feels a little weird, Wells keeps performing and thus we shut our mouths and keep starting him. Listen to Alex Fast’s podcasts with Wells on our Talking Pitching show to learn more about him.

34. Lucas Giolito – We just saw 94 mph and a fantastic slider from Giolito…and a decent changeup. You can put it all together Giolito, I believe in you.

35. Marcus Stroman – He got hit around a bit by the Cardinals and there’s a sense his early season magic is beginning to wane. Still very much worth your confidence each start at the moment, he’s just not that guy, you know?

36. Zach Eflin – The sinker/cutter/curve approach is great, just not elite. That’s a Holly, alright.

37. Mitch Keller – The turmoil is hopefully behind him, though it’s hard to pull a whole lot from a start against the Marlins.

38. Braxton Garrett – Speaking of the Marlins, Garrett has been ridiculous since his horrific 11 ER game against Atlanta. That new cutter is spectacular and his sinker command has been fantastic.

39. Eury Pérez – If we believed he would never get sent down, he’d be right there with Bobby Miller. Sadly, it’s going to be a stash for a good while, likely for most of July. Still, I’d want to have Pérez for my playoff run in H2H leagues and there are a lot of innings still to earn, even with the summer vacation.

40. Garrett Whitlock – Don’t let the ER total against the Twins deter you – Whitlock’s changeup + sinker is a vicious combo, mixed with a slider that misses a ton of bats. You want Whitlock on your squads.

41. Justin Steele – Two starts back from the IL and he already has a fantastic outing under his belt. The fastball and slider are working well together and he’ll keep rising up the ranks if he can get whiffs back on his slider.

42. Merrill Kelly – It was hard to buy fully into Kelly’s surge in both four-seamer and changeup SwStr rate, and after his start against the Giants (few changeups thrown for some reason, too), it all seems a little fragile. But hey, maybe the command returns next start and he’s back above Stroman.

43. Bailey Ober – Ober does his thing with high heaters and it works. Not much more to say than that.

44. Nathan Eovaldi – Maybe I’m overreacting to his massive velocity drop across the last two starts, but I feel confident the Rangers are going to skip his next start to give him some rest. There’s clearly something going on that isn’t just mechanics (it would have been fixed after the 93.8 mph game) and the Rangers would be unwise to push their best pitcher in the middle of the season.

45. José Berríos – The new approach of turning his four-seamer into his #4 pitch has worked wonders. The 22% strikeout rate likely won’t get much higher, though.

 

Tier 7 – The Cherry Bombs To Chase

 

46. Shane Bieber – We finally saw Bieber get whiffs on both his slider and curve, looking like peak Bieber (save for the velocity), but it was just one outing. Let’s hope there’s more.

47. Taj Bradley – We just saw his best performance of the year with curves and changeups getting all the strikes. One start isn’t enough of a sample, sadly, but it’s exciting.

48. Brayan Bello – Bello’s change and sinker are making me fall for him, though the slider still has room to grow. He did introduce a cutter that helped him in the zone plenty last time out, and I wonder if he’ll use it more than nine times a game moving forward.

49. Chris Bassitt – On one hand I feel like Bassitt is the same guy he’s always been. On the other, his sinker isn’t sitting low as often, he’s tossed more hanging curves, and his four-seamer isn’t getting as many whiffs. These are all very fixable, though, and it should be a better Bassitt in the second half.

50. Yusei Kikuchi – He’s made a major adjustment by predominantly featuring curves and sliders over the plate, saving his fastball to pop in whenever it likes. It’s working super well and we keep rolling with this.

51. Bryan Woo – The four-seamer has a near 19% SwStr rate and there is some promise in the slider. I want to see where this goes, especially if that four-seamer is used more than 50% of the time – throw your best pitch more often, after all.

52. Tanner Bibee – We just saw his changeup take over when his four-seamer actually stayed verty, but I’m still waiting for all of Bibee’s weapons to appear in a given night. That’ll be the day.

53. Andrew Abbott – I haven’t been too impressed with Abbott’s stuff, even if he’s fresh off dominance against Rockie Road. Be careful here as I can’t point to a pitch in his repertoire as that electric offering that would get us excited.

 

Tier 8 – Are We On Or Off The Cliff?

 

54. Sonny Gray – This is a difficult tier as I can imagine many leaving it one way or another next week. Sonny has been all kinds of volatile after his hot start and it’s at a point where I have no idea what tomorrow holds for the guy. We’re still starting him at the moment but will the curve and slider be able to keep him afloat?

55. Charlie Morton – The most HIPSTER pitcher of them all, rooted in a really good curveball and a fastball that can avoid punishment some days and cause all the pain the next. Good luck.

56. Kenta Maeda – He returned from the IL and had the splitter I was searching for in 2021. The slider needs a little more refinement in my eye, though, and I’m not ready to say he’s back yet, especially after an outing against Detroit.

57. Lance Lynn – First he struck out 16, then he fanned seven without the secondary pitches that dominated in the previous game. Sure, it was a terrible cutter that ruined his night against the Red Sox, but without the slider/curve/change being major players, I worry his destructive tendencies will be ever-present.

58. Luis Severino – Nick, he just shutout the Rangers in six innings! Did you watch that game? His changeup went 1/25 whiffs, his cutter held a near 40% strike rate, and his four-seamer allowed over 70% hard contact. That’s called getting away with one and Severino is laboring at the moment. We need to see better fastball command and a legit slider once again before I’m buying heavily into Severino. He has a TIARA, though, which means once he reclaims that skill, he’ll be a fantastic fantasy performer.

59. Jon Gray – Opposite Severino in that game was Gray, who didn’t have his fastball command, nor the whiff heavy slider that propelled his May excellence. Blame the blister, blame the extended rest that got him out rhythm, blame whatever you want, but he currently is the man who won us weeks so recently.

60. Reid Detmers – We only recently just started to see Detmers with a new, slower slider that could be the final piece of the puzzle. Mixed with his four-seamer and curve, it’s possible Detmers is finally turning the corner…or just having a brief moment.

61. Gavin Williams – I wasn’t too impressed with his MLB debut as the command was all over the place. That said, it’s a common story for MLB debuts and if his four-seamer can be a foundational whiff pitch (just two whiffs against the Athletics?!), then he jumps a tier as soon as next week.

 

Here is where prospect pitchers would appear if they are called up as I feel those in Tier 9 and below could be off your teams next week (or now?) in 12-teamers.

 

Tier 9 – The Tobys You Trust*

 

62. Emmet Sheehan – Think a better fastball but slightly worse slider than Brady Singer while on a much better team.

63. Bryce Elder – The Vargas Rule is still alive, ya’ll.

64. Ranger Suárez – He’s in the groove, y’all. How long will it last? I don’t know, but he’s exactly the guy you should sneakily add these days.

65. Michael Wacha – Poor Wacha. Shoulder fatigue has hit and I wish I could trust that he’s fine and starting again this week. I get a sense he won’t be the same after this, though. You don’t want to act too soon before anything happens, but that’s where I lean right now.

66. Tony Gonsolin – If you think of Gonsolin as a Toby for a good team, you’ll be happy with life. Just don’t start him against teams like the Astros.

67. J.P. France – Hey, it’s the Astros! And France is a solid play who won’t be the most electric youngin’ out there, but give you a stable 5-6 innings with a hefty chance at a Win.

68. Seth Lugo – He nearly had five strong against the Nationals and I see Lugo as a dependable arm in front of the best overall defense in the majors. That works for me.

 

Tier 10 – The Actual Cherry Bombs

 

69. MacKenzie Gore – I want to raise Gore more (and seven tiers ago), but I question the consistency of both his breaking balls and of his fastball locations. If I could believe he’d execute the BSB with heavy frequency, then I’d be much more in. Pitching for the Nationals organization dampens that optimism.

70. JP Sears – He’s been more Cherry than Bomb and has a decent schedule ahead. That’s all we need to see, even if Sears is 2022 Eric Lauers.

71. Jack Flaherty – The Cardinals scratched Flaherty with hip tightness and he may hit the IL because of it. This may be the time to move on and forget about the headaches he’s caused.

72. Kodai Senga – We saw a moment where Senga came through with just four-seamers and sliders, but we all know that isn’t the path to sustainability. That dang forkball rules his fate and I’d prefer not to be tied to it.

73. Julio Teheran – Oh hey, a Vargas Rule that we all know is on the precipice of falling apart. H’oh boy.

74. Matthew Boyd – I wish I could buy into Boyd more as he executed the BSB last time out and has had his fastball command in two-of-his-last-three starts. That said, he gets the Rangers and given how they’ll demolish him if it’s not there, he maintains his spot inside this tier.

75. Logan Allen – He’s lost his slider and that’s a big deal as the fastball is super command focused and his changeup comes and goes. Please find it.

76. Andrew Heaney – It’s Heaney. You already know all about him.

77. Michael Kopech – The fastball was great…until the Rangers had their way with it. It’s a case where we don’t know if it’s Kopech out of rhythm or just a great offense doing their thing. The risk/reward is there, I’m leaning that Kopech had himself a few games and has come back down to Earth.

78. Griffin Canning – I love his secondaries, the only question is if it’s worth it to start him against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers before the All-Star break. It may be a good three-four weeks before you’re starting Canning with legit confidence in the near future, even if he just overcame Coors.

79. Reese Olson – I like his fastballs inside to right-handers and his slider WOKE UP in his last outing, dominating while the changeup went 0/7 strikes. There’s potential here, just play the matchups and hope the changeup can miss bats with the same slider.

80. Kyle Bradish – The version of Bradish I want to see is with sliders and curves leading the way, allowing four-seamers to land for called strikes. Sadly, just the slider appeared over the weekend and while that worked, it doesn’t seem like a true blueprint for success. He maddens me.

81. Jordan Montgomery – The Bear has been successful as of late, though much of it has been against weak opponents. Still, he has a chance for 6/7 strikeouts with decent ratios each night he has both his change and curve.

82. Taijuan Walker – The splitter is still there around 40% usage, maybe the cutter will be there too, and maybe he’ll throw harder than 93 mph. I don’t know, like learning MIT Scheme from a printed-out manual, it’s complicated.

83. Johan Oviedo – I loved seeing the curve get involved for 11/14 strikes in his last start, aiding the slider inside the zone. It’s not overwhelming enough to lean into Oviedo long term, but a start against the Brewers should be worthwhile.

84. Domingo Germán – We just saw two disastrous outings, but that could just be random variance…right? The curve is still excellent and should help calm the waters.

 

Tier 11 – The Actual Tobys

 

85. Kyle Hendricks – His change and sinker command are intact, I just wish he also had the curve like the ole days.

86. Drew Smyly – Just get the dang curve back down and make us thrilled to pick you up for the second half.

87. Clarke Schmidt – He’s made it work as of late with his knuckle-curve and sweeper, but I worry that there isn’t a proper putaway offering here, allowing him to be susceptible to both high pitch counts and the will of the BABIP gods.

88. Aaron Civale – Civale is fine. He’s going 67% cutters + curves and that’s cool with us.

89. Martín Pérez – He’s a Toby you start against middling offenses. That’s about it.

90. Wade Miley – Miley had his command for his first two outings and may be on one of his patented “quietly solid ratios” stretches. Monitor the matchups.

 

Tier 12 – Stream Considerations

 

91. Brady Singer – If you’re in dire need of a QS or some strikeouts, take a chance on Singer. Definitely not worth the roster hold, though.

92. Dean Kremer – There has been some recent success for Kremer, but I’m still struggling to really buy into his four-seamer and cutter’s success. It seems all so…underwhelming.

93. Jhony Brito – He gets the Athletics this week and can go 5+ frames for a Win with his fastballs. That’s about it.

94. Kutter Crawford – I love his four-seamer and I hope another offering in his repertoire comes through to turn Crawford into a legit fantasy arm. It may take some time with some rough matchups ahead, sadly.

95. James Kaprielian – He lowered his velocity for the sake of control and it’s kinda working? Keep an eye on him.

96. Patrick Sandoval – If only I could tell you he’d have both his slider and changeup on a given night. Sigh…

97. Kyle Gibson – Gibson is as much of a wild card as anyone, making him the perfect “oh what the h*ck” weekend streamer.

98. Paul Blackburn – He’s a kitchen-sink guy with a decent matchup ahead against the Yankees. It could work for at least five frames.

99. Michael Lorenzen – I don’t think he offers a whole lot but there are worse options against poor offenses. Don’t overextend with Lorenzen, though. It’s just a good slider and…yeah a good slider.

100. Jake Irvin – He upped his velocity by two ticks in his last start and has decent command. This could be a very sneaky stream this week against the Mariners.

 

Honorable Mentions

 

You’re getting little blurbs on everyone else I can think of. I can’t help myself. This is not in ranking order.

 

Julio Urías – There’s a chance he returns this week and if so, he’d be in Tier 3. He tossed 60 pitches in his rehab assignment on Sunday and likely would hover 70 against the Royals if he returns.

AJ Smith Shawver – Demoted to the minor leagues. I’m not the biggest fan of what he brought to the table, but I’m curious how he develops over the years.

Louie Varland – Demoted to the minor leagues. It’s unfair as he was given one of the worst schedules you’ll ever see. He’ll be back and become a solid pickup when he does.

Rich Hill – He didn’t come through against poor teams and now he has tougher teams.

Joey Wentz – Welp, the nine strikeout game wasn’t real. We move on.

Randy Vásquez – Isn’t in the Yankee rotation.

Tarik Skubal – I expect him to be back next week. Now is the time to stash if you can. He’d be in Tier 8 when he arrives.

Alex Wood – Not stretched out nor showcasing legit upside.

Tanner Houck – He’s hurt and on the cusp of the Top 100 right when he returns. Would likely take a few weeks before he gets stretched out + hints at the same command.

Zach Davies – The changeup was good against the Guardians and yet disaster arrived. It’s hard to pick your spots well.

Dane Dunning – I don’t believe in Dunning’s arsenal to trust him on a given night.

Osvaldo Bido – You’re looking for something stable and Bido is far from it. There will be brief moments, but he’s not the arm you need.

Hogan Harris – Was a fun moment, but the craft lefty was shaky against the Marlins and has a bad schedule ahead.

Jared Shuster – He failed to earn a single strikeout against the Nationals. Yeah.

Matt Manning – Expected back this week and I have no interest chasing this as he hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a bit. Let’s hope for 95+.

Mike Clevinger – He doesn’t have an elite pitch and the schedule is getting harder.

Miles Mikolas – It’s just so boring. He had two great outings and regressed to his normal self after.

Cole Irvin – He went sub 70 pitches in his second outing. It may be a moment before we circle his start for a stream.

Graham Ashcraft – He’s back from the IL and still a major avoid.

Michael Soroka – He’s in the minors now…but could come back later this week. He’s in Tier 9 when he does as a Toby.

Ronel Blanco – Blanco suddenly chucked over 50% sliders and if that can stick while he performs better with his heater, there’s legit promise as a streamer. Sadly, it’s the Rangers next.

Daniel Lynch – If the new slider is legit, then I’ll add him to The List. Time will tell. He’s going fastball/change now and it’s all kinds of weird.

Trevor Rogers – He’s expected back soon(ish) and I’m excited to see what he does.

Luis Medina – Medina is a desperate PQS option and nothing more.

Mike Mayers – The low slider and change weren’t there and the fun ends.

Chris Capuano – Remember him? I think I do. A little. Thanks for reading the notes.

Hayden Wesneski – I want to see him dominate once before I get excited again. Keep your eye on him as he replaces Steele in the rotation.

Anthony DeSclafani – His command has been wonky and the schedule is far worse now.

Josiah Gray – The command just isn’t good enough and the fastball/cutter situation isn’t what we want it to be. Too risky without enough reward, even if the sinker has helped lately.

Sean Manaea – He’s throwing a loopier slider and it could be what he needs, but the Giants aren’t letting him start. Sit back and monitor.

Matthew Liberatore – The four-seamer/curve aren’t enough. We need the slider to wake up, not to mention regaining his early season velocity bump.

Michael Grove – He was optioned by the Dodgers, which is all kinds of frustrating after having a ridiculous night with his slider. He just needs to elevate the four-seamer!

Carlos Carrasco – The schedule is blegh and Carrasco doesn’t do enough.

Marco Gonzales – He’s hurt and I’ll need to see the same command when he comes back before returning to The List.

Alek Manoah – He’s been demoted to their Florida complex. Don’t stash.

Patrick Corbin – Ha, that was a fun four-start ride, wasn’t it?

Brandon Williamson – The cutter makes for some nights of survival, but you want a better life.

Jaime Barría – Slider and change can be good, but the ceiling feels awfully low.

Tommy Henry – The new slider is cool and if he didn’t have such a tough schedule ahead, he’d squeak in at the bottom.

Tylor Megill – I need to see something new in his repertoire before signing on again, yes even after his start against the Cardinals.

Adam Wainwright – He hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a while.

Noah Syndergaard – He hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a while.

Ryne Nelson – The secondaries let him down each time. Wait for them to return before jumping in.

Roansy Contreras – I hate his four-seamer even if it’s still a solid slider, and now he’s out of the rotation.

Colin Rea – He has these ridiculous nights out of nowhere. There are worse dart throws.

Tyler Anderson – His changeup looks good, but I’m not ready to jump back in.

Yonny Chirinos – He’s been on a solid stretch, but the sinker/slider combo is sooooo mediocre.

Austin Voth – He didn’t come through against the Guardians and we pass for now.

Zack Greinke – Greinke does what Greinke does.

Jordan Lyles – He’s come through once when the matchup was good. ONCE.

Dylan Covey – I wonder who the Phillies will replace him with at the deadline.

Trevor Williams – He hasn’t been fantasy relevant for a while.

Connor Seabold – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Chase Anderson – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Austin Gomber – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Kyle Freeland – It’s Coors and far too risky on any night.

Matt Strahm – Is he stretched out? Are the Phillies actually going to lean on him? Highly unlikely and sadly I don’t think he’s a guy to chase.

Ryan Weathers – Absolutely not.

Trevor Richards – Not stretched out and would be off The List even if he were.

Jesse Scholtens – Not stretched out and holds a super low strikeout rate.

Jonathan Heasley – Please.

Cristopher Sánchez – He’s an arm you want to trust.

Hunter Gaddis – The Guardians may turn to him to replace Triston McKenzie and there maaaay be a world he comes through against the Athletics if his cut-fastball is legit. I’m not a fan of it.

Ross Stripling – He’s not firmly in the rotation and if he does get there, it’s a wait-and-see situation.

Adrian Houser – Naaaaaaah.

David Peterson – He gets the Brewers and we have to be patient to see if he has a whiffable slider again.

 

 

SCROLL BACK UP AND READ THE NOTES

 

Rank	Pitcher	Badges	Change
1	Gerrit ColeT1	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
2	Spencer Strider	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
3	Luis Castillo	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
4	Kevin Gausman	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
5	Shane McClanahan	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	-4
6	Shohei Ohtani	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
7	Zack Wheeler T2	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
8	Clayton Kershaw	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	+1
9	Max Scherzer	Aces Gonna Ace Injury Risk	+1
10	Zac Gallen	Aces Gonna Ace	+1
11	Framber Valdez	Aces Gonna Ace	+2
12	Joe Ryan	Aces Gonna Ace	+3
13	Justin Verlander T3	Ace Potential	+3
14	Tyler Glasnow	Ace Potential Injury Risk	-2
15	Pablo López	Ace Potential	+2
16	Aaron Nola	Ace Potential	+2
17	Corbin Burnes	Ace Potential	-11
18	Joe Musgrove T4	Ace Potential	+9
19	George Kirby	Ace Potential	+2
20	Logan Gilbert	Ace Potential	-1
21	Sandy Alcantara	Ace Potential	+2
22	Bobby Miller	Ace Potential	-
23	Blake Snell	Ace Potential	+15
24	Cristian Javier	Ace Potential	-10
25	Dylan Cease	Ace Potential	+12
26	Jesús Luzardo	Ace Potential	+10
27	Hunter Brown	Ace Potential	-1
28	Logan Webb T5	Ace Potential	-4
29	Freddy Peralta	Ace Potential	-
30	Yu Darvish	Ace Potential	-2
31	Bryce Miller	Ace Potential	-
32	James Paxton	Ace Potential Injury Risk	-2
33	Tyler Wells T6	Quality Starts	-1
34	Lucas Giolito	Quality Starts	+5
35	Marcus Stroman	Quality Starts	-10
36	Zach Eflin	Quality Starts	-3
37	Mitch Keller	Quality Starts	-2
38	Braxton Garrett	Quality Starts	+3
39	Eury Pérez	Ace Potential Playing Time Question	+3
40	Garrett Whitlock	Quality Starts	+3
41	Justin Steele	Quality Starts	+8
42	Merrill Kelly	Quality Starts	-8
43	Bailey Ober	Quality Starts	+1
44	Nathan Eovaldi	Injury Risk Quality Starts	-24
45	José Berríos	Quality Starts	-
46	Shane Bieber T7	Cherry Bomb	+7
47	Taj Bradley	Cherry Bomb	-
48	Brayan Bello	Cherry Bomb	+9
49	Chris Bassitt	Cherry Bomb	-9
50	Yusei Kikuchi	Cherry Bomb	+6
51	Bryan Woo	Cherry Bomb	+11
52	Tanner Bibee	Cherry Bomb	+8
53	Andrew Abbott	Cherry Bomb	+11
54	Sonny Gray T8	Cherry Bomb	-6
55	Charlie Morton	Cherry Bomb	-4
56	Kenta Maeda	Cherry Bomb	+UR
57	Lance Lynn	Cherry Bomb	-5
58	Luis Severino	Cherry Bomb	-4
59	Jon Gray	Cherry Bomb	-9
60	Reid Detmers	Cherry Bomb	+5
61	Gavin Williams	Cherry Bomb	+UR
62	Emmet Sheehan T9	Toby	-7
63	Bryce Elder	Toby	+5
64	Ranger Suárez	Toby	+9
65	Michael Wacha	Injury Risk Toby	-19
66	Tony Gonsolin	Toby	-7
67	J.P. France	Toby	+4
68	Seth Lugo	Toby	+2
69	MacKenzie Gore T10	Cherry Bomb	+10
70		Cherry Bomb	+4
71	Jack Flaherty	Injury Risk Cherry Bomb	-13
72	Kodai Senga	Cherry Bomb	+6
73	Julio Teheran	Cherry Bomb	+3
74	Matthew Boyd	Cherry Bomb	+7
75	Logan Allen	Cherry Bomb	-6
76	Andrew Heaney	Cherry Bomb	+6
77	Michael Kopech	Cherry Bomb	-10
78	Griffin Canning	Cherry Bomb	+2
79	Reese Olson	Cherry Bomb	+14
80	Kyle Bradish	Cherry Bomb	+12
81	Jordan Montgomery	Cherry Bomb	-6
82	Taijuan Walker	Cherry Bomb	+3
83	Johan Oviedo	Cherry Bomb	-
84	Domingo Germán	Cherry Bomb	-18
85	Kyle Hendricks T11	Toby	+1
86		Toby	-14
87	Clarke Schmidt	Toby	+3
88	Aaron Civale	Toby	-11
89	Martín Pérez	Toby	-1
90	Wade Miley	Toby	+5
91	Brady Singer T12	Streaming Option	-7
92	Dean Kremer	Streaming Option	+5
93	Jhony Brito	Streaming Option	+UR
94	Kutter Crawford	Streaming Option	+UR
95	James Kaprielian	Streaming Option	+UR
96	Patrick Sandoval	Streaming Option	-9
97	Kyle Gibson	Streaming Option	-6
98	Paul Blackburn	Streaming Option	-2
99	Michael Lorenzen	Streaming Option	-10
100	Jake Irvin	Streaming Option	+UR

 

Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)