This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.
For the week Sept. 24 - Oct. 3
Beginning Monday, teams likely will play eight to 10 games over the next 10 days, with the Blue Jays slipping in a doubleheader and tallying 11. I've chosen to assume that most leagues have just one more scoring period remaining, but if that's not the case for you, please check our projected starters' grid for the three days in October.
As I type this, the Nationals, Reds and, while not official, Giants, have all locked up playoff spots. The Yankees lead Baltimore by one in the AL East, while the White Sox are 1.5 up on the Tigers. Texas will most likely win the AL West, and, barring a collapse, the A's and Orioles will battle in the one-game wild-card playoff. In the NL, the Braves appear headed to one wild card, likely meaning they will save Kris Medlen for that one. The other slot looks to be going to the Cardinals, with the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies all within three games. Here's to some great baseball the next two weeks.
No Clayton Kershaw (hip) on the list this week. He could very well pitch, but the Dodgers are fading, so why risk it?
Disclaimer: This entire list should probably be considered tentative, as there is sure to be plenty of rotation shuffling this week, particularly related to teams with playoffs aspirations. As an example, the wild-card games take place on Oct. 5. Should the Cardinals net one of the two NL
For the week Sept. 24 - Oct. 3
Beginning Monday, teams likely will play eight to 10 games over the next 10 days, with the Blue Jays slipping in a doubleheader and tallying 11. I've chosen to assume that most leagues have just one more scoring period remaining, but if that's not the case for you, please check our projected starters' grid for the three days in October.
As I type this, the Nationals, Reds and, while not official, Giants, have all locked up playoff spots. The Yankees lead Baltimore by one in the AL East, while the White Sox are 1.5 up on the Tigers. Texas will most likely win the AL West, and, barring a collapse, the A's and Orioles will battle in the one-game wild-card playoff. In the NL, the Braves appear headed to one wild card, likely meaning they will save Kris Medlen for that one. The other slot looks to be going to the Cardinals, with the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies all within three games. Here's to some great baseball the next two weeks.
No Clayton Kershaw (hip) on the list this week. He could very well pitch, but the Dodgers are fading, so why risk it?
Disclaimer: This entire list should probably be considered tentative, as there is sure to be plenty of rotation shuffling this week, particularly related to teams with playoffs aspirations. As an example, the wild-card games take place on Oct. 5. Should the Cardinals net one of the two NL slots, they seem likely to push Adam Wainwright back, making him just a one-start pitcher in this scoring period.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Start 'Em
1. Kris Medlen - MIA, @PIT
2. Matt Cain - ARI, @SD
3. Cliff Lee - @MIA, @WAS
4. R.A. Dickey - PIT, @MIA
5. Roy Halladay - WAS, @WAS
6. Cole Hamels - WAS, @MIA
7. Jordan Zimmermann - @PHI, @STL
8. Yovani Gallardo - HOU, SD
9. Adam Wainwright - WAS, CIN
10. Johnny Cueto - MIL, @STL
11. Madison Bumgarner - @SD, @LAD
12. Mat Latos - @PIT, @STL
13. A.J. Burnett - CIN, ATL
14. Ross Detwiler - @PHI, PHI
15. Josh Johnson - @ATL, NYM
16. Jaime Garcia - @HOU, CIN
17. Mike Minor - NYM, @PIT
18. Ian Kennedy - CHC, COL
19. Gio Gonzalez - @STL
20. Josh Beckett - @SD, COL
21. Edwin Jackson - @PHI, PHI
22. Jon Niese - PIT, @MIA
23. Wily Peralta - @CIN, SD
24. Marco Estrada - @WAS, HOU
25. Bronson Arroyo - MIL, @STL
26. Trevor Cahill - @COL, CHC
27. Tommy Hanson - MIA, @PIT
28. Tim Hudson - NYM
29. Kyle Kendrick - WAS, @WAS
30. Wade Miley - @SF, COL
31. Tim Lincecum - @SD
32. Chris Carpenter - @HOU (tentative)
33. Pat Corbin - @SF, COL
34. Chris Capuano - @SD, SF
35. Kyle Lohse - WAS
36. Chris Young - @ATL, @MIA
37. Shaun Marcum - @CIN, SD
38. Wandy Rodriguez - @NYM, CIN
39. Stephen Fife - COL
40. Michael Fiers - @CIN
41. Mark Buehrle - PHI
42. Jake Westbrook - @HOU, WAS
43. Andrew Werner - SF, @MIL
44. Paul Maholm - MIA, NYM
45. Ricky Nolasco - PHI
Borderline Depending on League Format
46. Joe Blanton - @SD, SF
47. Mike Leake - MIL, @PIT
48. Travis Wood - @ARI, HOU
49. Ryan Vogelsong - ARI, @LAD
50. Homer Bailey - @PIT
51. Kevin Correia - @NYM, ATL
52. Tyler Skaggs - @SF, CHC
53. Clayton Richard - LAD, @MIL
54. Tyler Thornburg - HOU
55. Jhoulys Chacin - CHC, @ARI
56. Aaron Harang - COL, SF
57. Edinson Volquez - LAD, @MIL
58. Nathan Eovaldi - @ATL, NYM
59. Jeff Locke - @NYM
60. Eric Stults - SF
61. Collin McHugh - PIT
62. Lucas Harrell - STL
63. Wade LeBlanc - @ATL, NYM
64. Jacob Turner - PHI
65. Bud Norris - STL, @CHC
66. Jorge De La Rosa - CHC, @LAD
67. Jeff Karstens - @NYM, CIN (tentative)
68. Tyler Cloyd - @MIA
69. John Lannan - MIL, @STL
70. Edgar Gonzalez - @MIL, @CHC
71. Drew Pomeranz - CHC, @ARI
Extreme Caution Advised
72. Chien Ming Wang - PHI
73. James McDonald - ATL (tentative)
74. Casey Kelly - LAD
75. Barry Zito - ARI, @LAD
76. Jordan Lyles - @MIL
77. Chris Volstad - @COL, HOU
78. Jeurys Familia - @ATL
79. Jenrry Mejia - PIT, @ATL
80. Chris Rusin - @COL, @ARI
81. Dallas Keuchel - @MIL
82. Jeff Francis - @LAD, @ARI
83. Tyler Chatwood - ARI, @LAD
84. Jason Marquis - SF
85. Justin Germano - @ARI
86. Jason Berken - @COL, HOU
87. Fernando Abad - STL, @CHC
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Start 'Em
1. Justin Verlander - KC, @MIN
2. Jered Weaver - @TEX, @SEA
3. Chris Sale - CLE, TB
4. Felix Hernandez - @LAA, LAA
5. David Price - @BOS, BAL
6. Zack Greinke - SEA, @SEA
7. Doug Fister - KC, @KC
8. CC Sabathia - @MIN, BOS
9. Max Scherzer - @MIN, @KC (tentative - shoulder)
10. Yu Darvish - OAK, LAA
11. Matt Harrison - OAK, @OAK
12. Hiroki Kuroda - '@TOR, BOS
13. James Shields - @CHW, BAL
14. A.J. Griffin - SEA, TEX
15. Jeremy Guthrie - @DET, DET
16. Phil Hughes - @MIN, @TOR
17. Jake Peavy - CLE, @CLE
18. Derek Holland - OAK, LAA
19. Ryan Dempster - LAA, @OAK
20. Jeremy Hellickson - @BOS, @CHW
21. Clay Buchholz - TB, @NYY
22. Andy Pettitte - @MIN, @TOR
23. Tom Milone - @TEX, SEA
24. Erasmo Ramirez - @LAA, @OAK
25. Joe Saunders - TOR, @TB
26. Brandon Morrow - NYY, MIN
27. C.J. Wilson - SEA, @TEX
28. Jason Vargas - @OAK, LAA
29. Anibal Sanchez - KC, @MIN
30. Jon Lester - TB, @NYY
31. Dan Haren - @TEX
32. Jarrod Parker - @TEX, TEX
33. Ivan Nova - @TOR, BOS
34. Matt Moore - @CHW
35. Ervin Santana - SEA, @SEA
36. Dan Straily - @TEX, SEA
37. Carlos Villanueva - @BAL, MIN
38. Chris Archer - @CHW, BAL
Borderline Depending on League Format
39. Martin Perez - OAK, @OAK
40. Wei-Yin Chen - TOR, BOS
41. Gavin Floyd - TB
42. Ubaldo Jimenez - KC, CHW
43. Rick Porcello - KC, @KC
44. Will Smith - @CLE
45. Scott Diamond - DET, @TOR
46. Hisashi Iwakuma - @LAA, LAA
47. Jake Odorizzi - @CLE
48. Jason Hammel - @TB
49. Henderson Alvarez - @BAL, NYY
50. Jose Quintana - TB, @CLE
51. Justin Masterson - @CHW
52. Sam Deduno - NYY, @TOR
53. Blake Beavan - @OAK
54. Miguel Gonzalez - TOR
55. Luis Mendoza - @DET, DET
56. Zach Britton - BOS, @TB
57. Hector Santiago - @CLE
58. Felix Doubront - @BAL
Extreme Caution Advised
59. David Huff - KC
60. Bruce Chen - @DET, DET
61. Liam Hendriks - NYY, DET
62. Aaron Laffey - @BAL, MIN
63. Aaron Cook - @BAL, @NYY
64. Chris Tillman - BOS
65. Corey Kluber - @CHW
66. Zach McAllister - @CHW, CHW
67. Luke Hochevar - @DET, @CLE
68. Francisco Liriano - CLE, TB
69. Travis Blackley - @TEX, TEX
70. Daisuke Matsuzaka - @BAL
71. P.J. Walters - DET
72. Chad Jenkins - NYY (tentative)
73. Esmerling Vasquez - NYY, @TOR
74. Ricky Romero - @BAL, NYY
75. Roberto Hernandez - KC
76. Jake Arrieta - TOR
MIXED LEAGUE TOP 100
1. Justin Verlander - KC, @MIN
2. Kris Medlen - MIA, @PIT
3. Jered Weaver - @TEX, @SEA
4. Chris Sale - CLE, TB
5. Felix Hernandez - @LAA, LAA
6. Matt Cain - ARI, @SD
7. David Price - @BOS, BAL
8. Cliff Lee - @MIA, @WAS
9. R.A. Dickey - PIT, @MIA
10. Roy Halladay - WAS, @WAS
11. Cole Hamels - WAS, @MIA
12. Jordan Zimmermann - @PHI, @STL
13. Yovani Gallardo - HOU, SD
14. Adam Wainwright - WAS, CIN
15. Johnny Cueto - MIL, @STL
16. Zack Greinke - SEA, @SEA
17. Madison Bumgarner - @SD, @LAD
18. Mat Latos - @PIT, @STL
19. A.J. Burnett - CIN, ATL
20. Doug Fister - KC, @KC
21. CC Sabathia - @MIN, BOS
22. Ross Detwiler - @PHI, PHI
23. Josh Johnson - @ATL, NYM
24. Max Scherzer - @MIN, @KC (tentative - shoulder)
25. Jaime Garcia - @HOU, CIN
26. Mike Minor - NYM, @PIT
27. Yu Darvish - OAK, LAA
28. Ian Kennedy - CHC, COL
29. Matt Harrison - OAK, @OAK
30. Hiroki Kuroda - '@TOR, BOS
31. James Shields - @CHW, BAL
32. A.J. Griffin - SEA, TEX
33. Gio Gonzalez - @STL
34. Josh Beckett - @SD, COL
35. Jeremy Guthrie - @DET, DET
36. Phil Hughes - @MIN, @TOR
37. Jake Peavy - CLE, @CLE
38. Derek Holland - OAK, LAA
39. Ryan Dempster - LAA, @OAK
40. Edwin Jackson - @PHI, PHI
41. Jon Niese - PIT, @MIA
42. Wily Peralta - @CIN, SD
43. Jeremy Hellickson - @BOS, @CHW
44. Clay Buchholz - TB, @NYY
45. Marco Estrada - @WAS, HOU
46. Bronson Arroyo - MIL, @STL
47. Trevor Cahill - @COL, CHC
48. Tommy Hanson - MIA, @PIT
49. Andy Pettitte - @MIN, @TOR
50. Tim Hudson - NYM
51. Kyle Kendrick - WAS, @WAS
52. Wade Miley - @SF, COL
53. Tim Lincecum - @SD
54. Tom Milone - @TEX, SEA
55. Erasmo Ramirez - @LAA, @OAK
56. Chris Carpenter - @HOU (tentative)
57. Pat Corbin - @SF, COL
58. Chris Capuano - @SD, SF
59. Joe Saunders - TOR, @TB
60. Kyle Lohse - WAS
61. Chris Young - @ATL, @MIA
62. Shaun Marcum - @CIN, SD
63. Brandon Morrow - NYY, MIN
64. C.J. Wilson - SEA, @TEX
65. Jason Vargas - @OAK, LAA
66. Anibal Sanchez - KC, @MIN
67. Jon Lester - TB, @NYY
68. Wandy Rodriguez - @NYM, CIN
69. Stephen Fife - COL
70. Michael Fiers - @CIN
71. Dan Haren - @TEX
72. Jarrod Parker - @TEX, TEX
73. Ivan Nova - @TOR, BOS
74. Matt Moore - @CHW
75. Ervin Santana - SEA, @SEA
76. Dan Straily - @TEX, SEA
77. Carlos Villanueva - @BAL, MIN
78. Chris Archer - @CHW, BAL
79. Mark Buehrle - PHI
80. Jake Westbrook - @HOU, WAS
81. Andrew Werner - SF, @MIL
82. Paul Maholm - MIA, NYM
83. Ricky Nolasco - PHI
84. Martin Perez - OAK, @OAK
85. Joe Blanton - @SD, SF
86. Mike Leake - MIL, @PIT
87. Travis Wood - @ARI, HOU
88. Ryan Vogelsong - ARI, @LAD
89. Homer Bailey - @PIT
90. Kevin Correia - @NYM, ATL
91. Tyler Skaggs - @SF, CHC
92. Wei-Yin Chen - TOR, BOS
93. Clayton Richard - LAD, @MIL
94. Tyler Thornburg - HOU
95. Jhoulys Chacin - CHC, @ARI
96. Aaron Harang - COL, SF
97. Gavin Floyd - TB
98. Ubaldo Jimenez - KC, CHW
99. Rick Porcello - KC, @KC
100. Edinson Volquez - LAD, @MIL
Regan, a five-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association award winner, was named the 2010 Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year.
Follow @vtadave on Twitter.
