The List 6/19: Ranking The Top 100 Starting Pitchers Every Monday

Every Monday during the season, I will be releasing “The List” where I rank the current value of the Top 100 pitchers in fantasy baseball for the rest of the season. Use these rankings to help understand what to expect from pitchers for 2017 and as a tool to gauge trade value in your fantasy leagues.

Let’s see how the SP landscape has changed:

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Notes

• Tiers this week are most distinct around Berrios/Price, Syndergaard/Verlander, McCarthy/Cole, and Strahm/Porcello. Don’t read too much into them, but if you need them, that should be of assistance.
• A good amount of shifting this week starting outside the Top 15, with Alex Wood and Jose Berrios making their way to the Top 20. It’s hard to deny their major impacts thus far and with guys like Johnny Cueto, Marco Estrada, and David Price faltering, it was easy to raise them.
• I’m still impressed by Chase Anderson, Jordan Montgomery, and J.A. Happ, granting them all major boosts. Chase’s velocity is up, while Montgomery and Happ are getting plenty of whiffs, the latter inducing many more swings off the plate. Happ is the most curious of the bunch, but there it’s hard to deny that he’s been unlucky with room for dominance.
• Two major hits this week came from Aaron Nola and Ervin Santana. Nola simply hasn’t been consistent enough in starts, fluctuating in velocity and getting punished when his command is off. There’s room for him to rebound and considering the thin upside around he still warrants a Top 50 spot, but if there are better options you may have to let him go. Ervin Santana has regressed to the man we’ve seen in the past as he’s had plenty of clunkers in the last month. Still deserving of a roster spot, but not nearly the level of production we’ve seen.
• The other large drop came from Rick Porcello who is simply incredibly hittable even with solid K/BB numbers. There is still hope he can be a provider down the stretch, but there’s no reason to sit on it while you can get production elsewhere.
• With Zack Godley earning his spot back in the Diamondbacks rotation, he should be owned in all leagues. Same goes for Brad Peacock who looks to have his spot secure for at least a few more weeks while you can take advantage of his strikeout upside.
• Kenta Maeda makes his return as the Dodgers change their minds once again, now with Maeda back in the rotation. I still dislike his IPS and general volatility, but he forces his way into the Top 60 if he’s starting.
• It’s not easy to find 12 strikeouts on the wire and even with his low floor that can ruin a week, Dinelson Lamet still needs to be considered for your team.
• Returning to The List this week are both Homer Bailey and Matt Strahm. Bailey hasn’t been on The List since 2016 as he is recovering from TJS and has looked excellent in his rehab starts. Strahm has entered the Royals rotation and while I expect some struggles in the first two weeks, he can be a difference maker in the second half.
• After changing his Slider grip, Jordan Zimmermann has forced me to pay attention and earns his first spot in a long time. Joining him are Ian Kennedy, Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Kennedy finally produced after returning from injury, Morton is close to returning, Musgrove has displayed strikeout upside, and Ryu deserves a spot as long as he’s still on the hill.
• Leaving The List this week are Andrew Triggs, Matt Harvey, Julio Urias, CC Sabathia, Buck Farmer, Jesse Hahn, Ariel Miranda and Randall Delgado. The first four have all had injuries set them back, while Farmer/Hahn/Miranda haven’t been effective enough to warrant a stay. Delgado has been moved back to the bullpen, preventing him from making an impact.