Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Ready for Rangers Return

For the week June 25 – July 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Start 'Em

1. Stephen Strasburg - @COL, @ATL
2. Cole Hamels - PIT, @MIA
3. Clayton Kershaw - @SF, NYM
4. Gio Gonzalez - @COL, @ATL
5. James McDonald - @PHI, @STL
6. Johan Santana - @CHC, @LAD
7. R.A. Dickey - @LAD
8. Matt Cain - CIN
9. Johnny Cueto - @SF
10. Cliff Lee - PIT
11. Tim Hudson - ARI, WAS
12. Ian Kennedy - @MIL
13. Tommy Hanson - ARI
14. Madison Bumgarner - CIN
15. Zack Greinke - @CIN
16. Jon Niese - @CHC
17. Matt Garza - HOU
18. Yovani Gallardo - @CIN, ARI
19. Ryan Vogelsong - LAD, CIN
20. Nathan Eovaldi - @SF, NYM
21. Chris Capuano - NYM
22. Jordan Zimmermann - @COL
23. Lance Lynn - PIT
24. Wade Miley - @MIL
25. Jordan Lyles - SD, @CHC
26. Edwin Jackson - @COL
27. Bud Norris - SD
28. Erik Bedard - @PHI, @STL
29. Kyle Lohse - @MIA
30. Homer Bailey - MIL, @SF
31. Chad Billingsley - @SF
32. Josh Johnson - PHI
33. Anibal Sanchez - STL
34. Dillon Gee - @CHC, @LAD
35. Mike Leake - MIL, @SF
36. Adam Wainwright - PIT
37. A.J. Burnett - @PHI
38. Randall Delgado - WAS
39. Mark Buehrle - PHI
40. Vance Worley - PIT
41. Bronson Arroyo - MIL, @SF
42. Wandy Rodriguez - SD, @CHC
43. Joe Blanton - PIT, @MIA
44. Mat Latos - @SF
45. Jeff Samardzija - NYM
46. Chris Young - @LAD
47. Trevor Cahill - @ATL
48. Travis Wood - NYM, HOU
49. Jake Westbrook - @MIA, PIT
50. Randy Wolf - ARI
51. Dan Hudson - @ATL, @MIL

Borderline Depending on League Format

52. Edinson Volquez - @HOU, @COL
53. Aaron Harang - NYM
54. Joe Saunders - @ATL
55. Michael Fiers - ARI
56. Clayton Richard - @HOU
57. Paul Maholm - HOU
58. Lucas Harrell - SD
59. Ross Detwiler - @ATL
60. Joe Kelly - @MIA
61. Christian Friedrich - WAS, SD
62. Ricky Nolasco - STL, PHI (so frustrating)
63. Jair Jurrjens - ARI
64. J.A. Happ - @CHC
65. Kevin Correia - @STL
66. Tim Lincecum – LAD (too low, too high?)
67. Carlos Zambrano - STL

Extreme Caution Advised

68. Jeff Francis - WAS, SD
69. Barry Zito - LAD, CIN
70. Anthony Bass - @HOU, @COL
71. Mike Minor - WAS
72. Randy Wells - NYM
73. Marco Estrada - @CIN
74. Alex White - WAS
75. Ross Ohlendorf - @HOU
76. Kyle Kendrick - @MIA
77. Jason Marquis - @COL
78. Brad Lincoln - @PHI
79. Josh Outman - WAS

Notes: With a 2.19 ERA, James McDonald has been fantastic and appears to be a lock for the NL All-Star squad. Six years of McDonald for 18.2 innings of average relief from Octavio Dotel wasn't a good deal I'm thinking. ... Jair Jurrjens is back, hoping to improve upon his 9.35 ERA in four April starts ... 55-year-old Livan Hernandez has landed with the Brewers, but for now will pitch in middle relief. Perhaps he'll see the rotation should the Brewers deal a starter next month. ... It's a pretty interesting race for the NL Cy Young award, with R.A. Dickey, Stephen Strasburg and Matt Cain probably being the top-three. ... Wade Miley ranks fifth in baseball with a 2.30 ERA. He's not this good, but he's the reason Trevor Bauer still pitches half his games in Reno. ... Yusmeiro Petit (3.06 ERA, 8.5 K/9IP for Triple-A Fresno) would probably be the one to replace Tim Lincecum if it comes to that. In that park, Petit is perhaps worth a look in NL-only leagues. ... The Rockies are (for now) going with a four-man rotation, and no, that doesn't make me want to own a Rockies pitcher. At some point soon, I expect they'll recall Drew Pomeranz, who fared well in his last Triple-A outing. ... Joe Saunders was scratched from his Friday start for an undisclosed reason. We'll presume he hasn't been traded, but get ready to pull the trigger on Trevor Bauer. ... Expect the entire Phillies rotation to be pushed back a day due to the postponement of Friday's game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Start 'Em

1. David Price - @KC, DET
2. Justin Verlander - @TB
3. Chris Sale - @MIN
4. C.J. Wilson - @BAL, @TOR
5. CC Sabathia - CHW
6. Felix Hernandez - BOS
7. Yu Darvish - DET, OAK
8. James Shields - DET
9. Jered Weaver - @BAL
10. Colby Lewis - OAK
11. Josh Beckett - @SEA
12. Phil Hughes - CLE, CHW
13. Justin Masterson - @NYY, @BAL
14. Hiroki Kuroda - CLE, CHW
15. Clay Buchholz - @SEA
16. Ivan Nova - CHW
17. Jake Peavy - @MIN, @NYY
18. Jon Lester - TOR
19. Jarrod Parker - @SEA
20. Matt Moore - @KC
21. Francisco Liriano - CHW, KC
22. Jason Hammel - CLE
23. Max Scherzer - @TB
24. Andy Pettitte - CLE
25. Alex Cobb - DET
26. Brandon McCarthy - @TEX
27. Kevin Millwood - OAK
28. Tom Milone - @SEA, @TEX
29. Scott Diamond - KC
30. Jason Vargas - OAK, BOS
31. Matt Harrison - OAK
32. Roy Oswalt - DET
33. Ricky Romero - @BOS
34. Dan Haren - @TOR
35. Garrett Richards - @TOR
36. Ubaldo Jimenez - @NYY
37. Rick Porcello - @TEX, @TB
38. Wei-Yin Chen - CLE
39. Chris Archer - @KC, DET (check status)
40. Henderson Alvarez - LAA
41. Jose Quintana - @NYY
42. Derek Holland - OAK

Borderline Depending on League Format

43. Bruce Chen - TB
44. Jesse Chavez - @BOS, LAA
45. Derek Lowe - @BAL
46. Felix Doubront - TOR, @SEA
47. Ervin Santana - @TOR
48. Daisuke Matsuzaka - TOR, @SEA
49. Josh Tomlin - @NYY, @BAL
50. Doug Fister - @TEX
51. Drew Smyly - @TEX, @TB
52. Gavin Floyd - @MIN, @NYY
53. Travis Blackley - @SEA, @TEX
54. Luis Mendoza - @MIN
55. Justin Grimm - DET
56. Brett Cecil - LAA
57. Jeanmar Gomez - @BAL
58. Liam Hendriks - CHW
59. Jonathan Sanchez - @MIN
60. Carlos Villanueva - @BOS, LAA
61. Hector Noesi - BOS
62. Tommy Hunter - LAA, CLE

Extreme Caution Advised

63. Vincent Mazzaro - TB
64. Brian Matusz - LAA
65. Jake Arrieta - CLE
66. Nick Blackburn - CHW
67. Dylan Axelrod - @NYY
68. P.J. Walters – KC (tentative)
69. Luke Hochevar - TB, @MIN
70. KC Starter TBD - @MIN
71. MIN Starter TBD - KC
72. Tyson Ross - @TEX
73. Erasmo Ramirez - OAK, BOS

Notes: Jeremy Hellickson could return this week from a sore shoulder, thus putting Chris Archer at risk for just one start (Monday) instead of two. ... Derek Holland's shoulder is progressing to the point where it looks likely he'll return this week at home against the A's. He's worth slotting back in right away given the matchup. ... What's going on with the Royals medical staff? Last year we had top prospect John Lamb hitting the shelf due to Tommy John surgery, and so far this year we've added Danny Duffy and, just this week,Felipe Paulino to the mix. Big blow there to the Royals, as Paulino had a 1.67 ERA in seven starts. ... It looks like it's one and done for Jacob Turner, as Drew Smyly appears ready to return from a shoulder injury. Still, with five innings of one-run ball in his only start, Turner has likely moved ahead of Casey Crosby in the pecking order. ... I still don't understand Jason Hammel's year – 2.87 ERA and a 77:29 K:BB in 81.2 innings for the O's. Every time I brace for a blow-up, he pitches well. Maybe he's actually good. ... Dylan Axelrod replaced Philip Humber (elbow) in the White Sox rotation. Axelrod had a 66:18 K:BB in 68 Triple-A innings, so he's worth a shot in AL-only leagues. ... Scott Feldman had a 21:2 K:BB in 18 innings this month, but an 8.00 ERA gets him banished to the bullpen. ... Chris Sale leads the AL with a 2.24 ERA. I worry about his workload, however. ... With James Shields having his start postponed, that likely moves everyone back a day. That would make David Price a two-start starter this week, but keep an eye on the schedule to be sure.

MIXED LEAGUE TOP 100

1. Stephen Strasburg - @COL, @ATL
2. Cole Hamels - PIT, @MIA
3. David Price - @KC, DET
4. Clayton Kershaw - @SF, NYM
5. Gio Gonzalez - @COL, @ATL
6. James McDonald - @PHI, @STL
7. Justin Verlander - @TB
8. Johan Santana - @CHC, @LAD
9. R.A. Dickey - @LAD
10. Chris Sale - @MIN
11. Matt Cain - CIN
12. C.J. Wilson - @BAL, @TOR
13. Johnny Cueto - @SF
14. Cliff Lee - PIT
15. Tim Hudson - ARI, WAS
16. CC Sabathia - CHW
17. Ian Kennedy - @MIL
18. Tommy Hanson - ARI
19. Madison Bumgarner - CIN
20. Zack Greinke - @CIN
21. Felix Hernandez - BOS
22. Yu Darvish - DET, OAK
23. James Shields - DET
24. Jered Weaver - @BAL
25. Jon Niese - @CHC
26. Colby Lewis - OAK
27. Josh Beckett - @SEA
28. Phil Hughes - CLE, CHW
29. Matt Garza - HOU
30. Justin Masterson - @NYY, @BAL
31. Yovani Gallardo - @CIN, ARI
32. Hiroki Kuroda - CLE, CHW
33. Ryan Vogelsong - LAD, CIN
34. Clay Buchholz - @SEA
35. Ivan Nova - CHW
36. Jake Peavy - @MIN, @NYY
37. Nathan Eovaldi - @SF, NYM
38. Chris Capuano - NYM
39. Jordan Zimmermann - @COL
40. Lance Lynn - PIT
41. Jon Lester - TOR
42. Wade Miley - @MIL
43. Jordan Lyles - SD, @CHC
44. Edwin Jackson - @COL
45. Bud Norris - SD
46. Erik Bedard - @PHI, @STL
47. Kyle Lohse - @MIA
48. Homer Bailey - MIL, @SF
49. Jarrod Parker - @SEA
50. Chad Billingsley - @SF
51. Josh Johnson - PHI
52. Anibal Sanchez - STL
53. Dillon Gee - @CHC, @LAD
54. Mike Leake - MIL, @SF
55. Matt Moore - @KC
56. Francisco Liriano - CHW, KC
57. Jason Hammel - CLE
58. Adam Wainwright - PIT
59. Max Scherzer - @TB
60. Andy Pettitte - CLE
61. Alex Cobb - DET
62. Brandon McCarthy - @TEX
63. Kevin Millwood - OAK
64. Tom Milone - @SEA, @TEX
65. A.J. Burnett - @PHI
66. Scott Diamond - KC
67. Jason Vargas - OAK, BOS
68. Matt Harrison - OAK
69. Randall Delgado - WAS
70. Mark Buehrle - PHI
71. Vance Worley - PIT
72. Roy Oswalt - DET
73. Ricky Romero - @BOS
74. Dan Haren - @TOR
75. Bronson Arroyo - MIL, @SF
76. Garrett Richards - @TOR
77. Ubaldo Jimenez - @NYY
78. Rick Porcello - @TEX, @TB
79. Wandy Rodriguez - SD, @CHC
80. Joe Blanton - PIT, @MIA
81. Mat Latos - @SF
82. Wei-Yin Chen - CLE
83. Jeff Samardzija - NYM
84. Chris Young - @LAD
85. Trevor Cahill - @ATL
86. Travis Wood - NYM, HOU
87. Jake Westbrook - @MIA, PIT
88. Chris Archer - @KC, DET (check status)
89. Randy Wolf - ARI
90. Dan Hudson - @ATL, @MIL
91. Henderson Alvarez - LAA
92. Jose Quintana - @NYY
93. Derek Holland - OAK
94. Edinson Volquez - @HOU, @COL
95. Aaron Harang - NYM
96. Joe Saunders - @ATL
97. Bruce Chen - TB
98. Michael Fiers - ARI
99. Clayton Richard - @HOU
100. Paul Maholm - HOU

Regan, a five-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association award winner, was named the 2010 Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year.

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