The List 7/2 – Ranking The Top 100 Starting Pitchers Every Week

[pitcher_list_new list_id=”33253″]

 

Fringe Starters

 

 

What is happening!

It’s another week and another edition of the Top 100 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball.

Before I dive into the player notes, here’s an outline of how I’m handling The List this season:

• Previous/Best/Worst columns removed
  • These took a heavy chunk of loading time and ultimately provided very little value. The change arrows themselves are all that’s needed
• Tiers added
  • As much as I hate making tiers (When do they start and end? How big are the cliffs?), ya’ll have been asking for them and I’m here for all of you. Please understand how hard it is to accurately place them and don’t get too worked up about it.
• Labels added
  • There’s often confusion as to why a pitcher is a spot or two above or below another. These labels should help understand what each pitcher brings to the table, showing that some pitchers may be better or worse for what you need.
  • Hover over them (or tap on mobile) to see each label’s name next to the pitcher.
  • Ratio Focused = Their value lies in you chasing their ERA/WHIP more than strikeouts and Wins.
  • Toby = Boring arm that doesn’t excite you, but you stare at the waiver wire and accept that he just okay enough. You don’t like that he’s around the office, but he gets his work done.
  • Cherry Bomb = Volatile pitchers who are either “super sweet” or “blow up in your face.” Heed warning.
  • Ace Potential = I define an ace as: 3.40 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 24% K rate, 6.0 IPS. It’s why you see some surprising names as having the upside of an ace.
• Fringe Starters added
  • There are always a handful of starters I badly want to add to The List but I don’t have enough room. I’ll always have this table at the end for a collection of starters – in no order – that I also heavily considered, as well as why they could be relevant
  • This will be where IL Players will land. I’ll mention where they would slot when healthy.

Please let me know how you feel about these changes and I’m looking forward to another fun year assessing the wonderful entity that is the SP Landscape.

On to the notes! Remember, these ranks are for 12-teamers in H2H categories leagues.

 

Player Notes

 

• With Aaron Nola as our cover photo, it should be surprise that he had the big jump inside the Top 15. He’s looked like prime Nola in his last two starts and like the man you drafted in March.
• A hefty amount of arms returned from the IL this week – Mike Clevinger, Kyle Hendricks, Domingo German, Jordan Lyles, and Noah Syndergaard. Take note of their impacts to the ranks accordingly.
• There isn’t confirmation of Caleb Smith returning this week, but if he were, he’d be placed above Syndergaard at #25.
• Dinelson Lamet is expected to return as well this week, leading to a ranking at #60 – under normal circumstances I’d rather rank him in the early 70’s, but looking at the names below him – all of which are questionable – it’s beneficial to chase Lamet’s upside…despite my concerns of his command.
• Lance Lynn now sits inside the Top 30. What a wild year it has been.
• I was amazed by the debut of Brendan McKay, showcasing mature command of three pitches, suggesting more strikeouts on the way. A #41 rank is awfully high for a kid who has made just one start, yet the rest of the 40s have their own warts. I believe in McKay and he deserves the strong ranking. He’s a must own.
• Ross Stripling has a spot in the Dodgers rotation for the foreseeable future, though will get roughly 75 pitches today and won’t be fully stretched out until his next start. Here’s to hoping he gets settled in quickly.
• Once you get to the 60s, it’s all about hoping to find something that will last past this week and make an impact in the second half. Matt Strahm had his best curveball of the year mixed with 91.5 mph velocity, hinting at a possible step forward and earning a bump to #71.
• Trevor Richards dances in-and-out of feel with his changeup. While little has inherently changed about him, I’m liking other chances instead at the moment.
• I’m not sure where to place Bryse Wilson exactly as he was far from sharp last week against the Cubs. I like him as a talent and could see him rise in future weeks.
• With Drew Pomeranz’s hot few weeks, he’s earned himself a spot on The List.
• Plenty of fallers at the bottom of The List. Austin Voth lost his velocity, Adbert Alzolay lacks command, Rick Porcello and Julio Teheran are frustrating Tobys, Dylan Bundy took a step back, Jordan Yamamoto seems to be the odd-man out in Miami, and Logan Allen looks to be a decent streamer and nothing more.

(Photo by Justin Paradis – @FreshmeatComm)