This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 28 - May 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week April 28 - May 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Yu Darvish - OAK, at LAA |
| 2. CC Sabathia - SEA, TB Note: HRs are only real issue so far; SEA, TB rank 22nd, 23rd in HR rate vs. LHP |
| 3. Justin Verlander - at KC |
| 4. Masahiro Tanaka - TB Note: Maybe the hype wasn't enough |
| 5. Felix Hernandez - at NYY |
| 6. Max Scherzer - at CWS Note: Excellent first month as reigning Cy Young |
| 7. Anibal Sanchez - at KC |
| 8. David Price - at NYY Note: If 4.04 ERA has in any way lowered his price, pounce immediately |
| 9. James Shields - DET |
| 10. Chris Tillman - PIT Note: Start in TOR is exactly what he needed to avoid being upper-tier option |
| 11. John Lackey - TB, OAK Note: Big rebound from a pair of 6-ER duds |
| 12. Sonny Gray - at TEX, at BOS Note: Not an ideal slate, but you're not playing matchups with this guy |
| 13. Jon Lester - OAK |
| 14. Yordano Ventura - TOR Note: Lofty upside already makes him matchup proof |
| 15. C.J. Wilson - CLE |
| 16. Martin Perez - OAK Note: Getting down with gobs of weak |
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 28 - May 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week April 28 - May 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Yu Darvish - OAK, at LAA |
| 2. CC Sabathia - SEA, TB Note: HRs are only real issue so far; SEA, TB rank 22nd, 23rd in HR rate vs. LHP |
| 3. Justin Verlander - at KC |
| 4. Masahiro Tanaka - TB Note: Maybe the hype wasn't enough |
| 5. Felix Hernandez - at NYY |
| 6. Max Scherzer - at CWS Note: Excellent first month as reigning Cy Young |
| 7. Anibal Sanchez - at KC |
| 8. David Price - at NYY Note: If 4.04 ERA has in any way lowered his price, pounce immediately |
| 9. James Shields - DET |
| 10. Chris Tillman - PIT Note: Start in TOR is exactly what he needed to avoid being upper-tier option |
| 11. John Lackey - TB, OAK Note: Big rebound from a pair of 6-ER duds |
| 12. Sonny Gray - at TEX, at BOS Note: Not an ideal slate, but you're not playing matchups with this guy |
| 13. Jon Lester - OAK |
| 14. Yordano Ventura - TOR Note: Lofty upside already makes him matchup proof |
| 15. C.J. Wilson - CLE |
| 16. Martin Perez - OAK Note: Getting down with gobs of weak contact; even a few more Ks would make him an elite option |
| 17. Corey Kluber - at LAA Note: Game in OAK is the only one that was truly awful; has a shiny 2.55 FIP |
| 18. Scott Kazmir - at TEX Note: Kaz, Archer jump down a level with tough road matchups |
| 19. Chris Archer - at BOS |
| 20. Tyler Skaggs - CLE, TEX Note: Second-best start came against MLB's best team vs. LHP |
| 21. Jose Quintana - DET, at CLE |
| 22. Jake Peavy - TB Note: Looks great so far: missing bats, went 6-plus IP in all but one start |
| 23. Dustin McGowan - at KC, at PIT |
| 24. Hiroki Kuroda - SEA Note: Slow start or age starting to erode skills? |
| 25. R.A. Dickey - at PIT |
| 26. Jesse Chavez - at TEX Note: Didn't expect it vs. HOU, but had to expect some regression at some point |
| 27. Jered Weaver - CLE |
| 28. Dan Straily - at BOS |
| 29. Drew Smyly - at KC Note: Survived 3-hit, 2-ER first inning vs. CWS to throw five shutout innings |
| 30. Justin Masterson - at LAA, CWS Note: A tough two-pack after a nice pair of rebound starts |
| 31. Jason Vargas - TOR, DET Note: Feeling lucky? |
| 32. Clay Buchholz - OAK Note: Just reiterating that despite my disdain for him, he's still better than this |
| 33. Zach McAllister - CWS |
| 34. John Danks - at CLE Note: Uptick in BB mitigated by severe drop in HR that killed him last year |
| 35. Garrett Richards - TEX |
| 36. Dallas Keuchel - SEA |
| 37. Rick Porcello - at CWS |
| 38. David Phelps - SEA Note: M's have been making everyone look brilliant |
| 39. Vidal Nuno - TB Note: Rays have been inept against southpaws this year |
| 40. Drew Hutchison - at KC |
| 41. Brandon Morrow - at PIT |
| 42. Hector Santiago - TEX |
| 43. Robbie Ross - OAK |
| 44. Brandon Maurer - at HOU Note: Trips to MIA, HOU among his first three starts in '14 |
SIT
| 45. Mark Buehrle - at KC Note:Thisclose to sitting him last week ... he earned last "start" spot in AL |
| 46. Kyle Gibson - BAL Note: He's growing for sure, but not necessarily into an all-formats, any-matchup starter |
| 47. Bud Norris - PIT |
| 48. Brad Peacock - SEA |
| 49. Roenis Elias - at NYY Note: Helping SEA a lot more than he'd help any of our fantasy teams |
| 50. Colby Lewis - at LAA Note: Angels lead MLB in HRs; Lewis has a career 1.3 HR/9 |
| 51. Matt Harrison - at LAA |
| 52. Danny Salazar - CWS Note: Some won't have the luxury of sitting him due to format |
| 53. Phil Hughes - BAL |
| 54. Ubaldo Jimenez - at MIN |
| 55. Wei-Yin Chen - at MIN |
| 56. Ricky Nolasco - LAD |
| 57. Chris Young - at NYY, at HOU |
| 58. Andre Rienzo - TB, at CLE |
| 59. Jarred Cosart - WAS |
| 60. Miguel Gonzalez - at MIN |
| 61. Mariners Fifth Starter - at HOU |
| 62. Jake Odorizzi - at CWS, at NYY |
| 63. Tommy Milone - at BOS |
| 64. Felix Doubront - TB |
| 65. Collin McHugh - SEA Note: Not betting on another 12 Ks |
| 66. Cesar Ramos - at BOS |
| 67. Brett Oberholtzer - WAS Note: Nats have baseball's best wOBA against lefties so far this season |
| 68. Jeremy Guthrie - DET |
| 69. Bruce Chen - TOR |
| 70. Mike Pelfrey - LAD, BAL |
| 71. Erik Johnson - DET |
| 72. Kevin Correia - LAD |
| 73. Carlos Carrasco - at LAA |
| 74. Erik Bedard - at BOS, at NYY |
| 75. White Sox Fifth Starter - skipped |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Jose Fernandez - ATL, LAD Note: May well occupy this spot even when Kershaw is back and dominating |
| 2. Zack Greinke - at MIN, at MIA Note: 4.2-percent BB rate counters the way MIN's 12.9-percent BB rate used to attack RHP |
| 3. Madison Bumgarner - SD, at ATL Note: Gem in Coors helped lower ERA to his FIP; shaving 1.64 WHIP is next up |
| 4. Michael Wacha - MIL, at CHC |
| 5. Alex Wood - at MIA, SF Note: Don't think this lasts, but he's pitching brilliantly, gets MIA again |
| 6. Adam Wainwright - at CHC Note: Next four studs get four of five worst teams in MLB |
| 7. Jordan Zimmermann - at HOU |
| 8. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at MIA |
| 9. Andrew Cashner - ARI |
| 10. Johnny Cueto - MIL Note: Makes any team look like one of the five worst teams in MLB |
| 11. Stephen Strasburg - at PHI |
| 12. Tyson Ross - at SF, ARI Note: A lot volatility, but the upside is massive |
| 13. Tony Cingrani - CHC, MIL Note: Scoffs at pitchers who need more than one pitch |
| 14. Gio Gonzalez - at HOU Note: Next six have no business being 14-19, but that is the depth of arms in the NL |
| 15. Julio Teheran - SF |
| 16. Cliff Lee - WAS |
| 17. Gerrit Cole - TOR Note: Hasn't had the fancy K totals yet, but he's still solid |
| 18. Dan Haren - at MIN |
| 19. Jeff Samardzija - at CIN |
| 20. Homer Bailey - CHC Note: Still buying overall, rematching the one team he schooled this year |
| 21. Cole Hamels - NYM Note: Looked excellent in his season debut in Chavez Ravine |
| 22. Nathan Eovaldi - ATL Note: 30:4 K:BB ratio is the story of his big April |
| 23. Ervin Santana - SF |
| 24. Kyle Lohse - at STL, at CIN |
| 25. Francisco Liriano - TOR |
| 26. Matt Cain - SD |
| 27. Marco Estrada - at CIN Note: HR-prone, allowed 5 in 25 IP at CIN, but paired with 2.52 ERA, 0.76 WHIP |
| 28. Lance Lynn - MIL |
| 29. A.J. Burnett - WAS Note: Quietly fought through early season BB issues to post back-to-back gems vs. ATL, LAD |
| 30. Wily Peralta - at CIN |
| 31. Tim Hudson - SD Note: Hasn't gotten much love for his tremendous start |
| 32. Aaron Harang - at MIA Note: Still feel dirty for recommending him, but if you've used him, you can't stop with this matchup |
| 33. Wade Miley - COL, at SD |
| 34. Yovani Gallardo - at STL, at CIN |
| 35. Alfredo Simon - CHC, MIL Note: Survived 3-BB, 1-H first inning in PIT for a strong 6.7-IP, 2-ER effort |
| 36. Shelby Miller - MIL Note: Ditched the curve at this point ... because it's useless in its current form |
| 37. Jon Niese - at PHI, at COL |
| 38. Franklin Morales - at ARI, NYM |
| 39. Bartolo Colon - at PHI Note: 4.50 ERA despite one of five starts a 9-ER massacre shows how good the other four were |
| 40. Travis Wood - STL |
| 41. Edinson Volquez - TOR |
| 42. Matt Garza - at STL |
| 43. Mike Minor - at MIA Note: Quite a soft landing for his season debut, but how long can he go? |
| 44. Robbie Erlin - at SF Note: Just hates Washington - the site of his two worst starts |
| 45. Tyler Lyons - at CHC |
| 46. Jason Hammel - STL |
| 47. Josh Beckett - at MIN |
| 48. Eric Stults - at SF |
| 49. Henderson Alvarez - ATL Note: Starting to buy him more than ever before |
| 50. Ian Kennedy - ARI |
| 51. Juan Nicasio - NYM |
| 52. Mike Leake - MIL |
| 53. Zack Wheeler - at COL Note: Hate sending anyone into Coors, but I can't see benching these three |
| 54. Jenrry Mejia - at COL |
| 55. Dillon Gee - at COL |
| 56. Tom Koehler - LAD Note: Tough matchup, but Koehler has earned some confidence with his Sept. and April work |
SIT
| 57. Tim Lincecum - at ATL |
| 58. Jordan Lyles - at ARI Note: Handling himself home and away vs. tough and easy; time to buy? |
| 59. Tanner Roark - at PHI Note: Which of these fifth-starter candidates for WAS can pick on PHI best? |
| 60. Taylor Jordan - at PHI |
| 61. Tyler Chatwood - at ARI, NYM |
| 62. Charlie Morton - at BAL Note: Some intrigue with both of these Pirates, but not in BAL |
| 63. Brandon Cumpton - at BAL |
| 64. Jake Arrieta - STL Note: Monitor his return from injury; there could be something here |
| 65. Brandon McCarthy - at SD |
| 66. Paul Maholm - at MIA |
| 67. Jorge de la Rosa - NYM |
| 68. Edwin Jackson - at CIN |
| 69. Mike Bolsinger - COL |
| 70. Josh Collmenter - COL |
| 71. Kyle Kendrick - NYM |
| 72. Roberto Hernandez - WAS |
| 73. Carlos Villanueva - at CIN |
| 74. Bronson Arroyo - at SD |
| 75. Ryan Vogelsong - at ATL |
| 76. Kevin Slowey - LAD |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Jose Fernandez - ATL, LAD |
| 2. Zack Greinke - at MIN, at MIA |
| 3. Yu Darvish - OAK, at LAA |
| 4. Madison Bumgarner - SD, at ATL |
| 5. Michael Wacha - MIL, at CHC |
| 6. Alex Wood - at MIA, SF |
| 7. CC Sabathia - SEA, TB |
| 8. Adam Wainwright - at CHC |
| 9. Justin Verlander - at KC |
| 10. Masahiro Tanaka - TB |
| 11. Felix Hernandez - at NYY |
| 12. Jordan Zimmermann - at HOU |
| 13. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at MIA |
| 14. Andrew Cashner - ARI |
| 15. Johnny Cueto - MIL |
| 16. Stephen Strasburg - at PHI |
| 17. Tyson Ross - at SF, ARI |
| 18. Tony Cingrani - CHC, MIL |
| 19. Max Scherzer - at CWS |
| 20. Anibal Sanchez - at KC |
| 21. David Price - at NYY |
| 22. Gio Gonzalez - at HOU |
| 23. Julio Teheran - SF |
| 24. Cliff Lee - WAS |
| 25. Gerrit Cole - TOR |
| 26. Dan Haren - at MIN |
| 27. Jeff Samardzija - at CIN |
| 28. James Shields - DET |
| 29. Chris Tillman - PIT |
| 30. Homer Bailey - CHC |
| 31. John Lackey - TB, OAK |
| 32. Sonny Gray - at TEX, at BOS |
| 33. Jon Lester - OAK |
| 34. Cole Hamels - NYM |
| 35. Yordano Ventura - TOR |
| 36. Nathan Eovaldi - ATL |
| 37. Ervin Santana - SF |
| 38. Kyle Lohse - at STL, at CIN |
| 39. C.J. Wilson - CLE |
| 40. Martin Perez - OAK |
| 41. Francisco Liriano - TOR |
| 42. Matt Cain - SD |
| 43. Marco Estrada - at CIN |
| 44. Lance Lynn - MIL |
| 45. Corey Kluber - at LAA |
| 46. Scott Kazmir - at TEX |
| 47. Chris Archer - at BOS |
| 48. Tyler Skaggs - CLE, TEX |
| 49. Jose Quintana - DET, at CLE |
| 50. Jake Peavy - TB |
| 51. A.J. Burnett - WAS |
| 52. Wily Peralta - at CIN |
| 53. Tim Hudson - SD |
| 54. Aaron Harang - at MIA |
| 55. Wade Miley - COL, at SD |
| 56. Yovani Gallardo - at STL, at CIN |
| 57. Alfredo Simon - CHC, MIL |
| 58. Dustin McGowan - at KC, at PIT |
| 59. Shelby Miller - MIL |
| 60. Jon Niese - at PHI, at COL |
| 61. Franklin Morales - at ARI, NYM |
| 62. Hiroki Kuroda - SEA |
| 63. R.A. Dickey - at PIT |
| 64. Bartolo Colon - at PHI |
| 65. Travis Wood - STL |
| 66. Jesse Chavez - at TEX |
| 67. Jered Weaver - CLE |
| 68. Dan Straily - at BOS |
| 69. Drew Smyly - at KC |
| 70. Justin Masterson - at LAA, CWS |
| 71. Jason Vargas - TOR, DET |
| 72. Clay Buchholz - OAK |
| 73. Zach McAllister - CWS |
| 74. John Danks - at CLE |
| 75. Garrett Richards - TEX |
| 76. Edinson Volquez - TOR |
| 77. Matt Garza - at STL |
| 78. Mike Minor - at MIA |
| 79. Robbie Erlin - at SF |
| 80. Zack Wheeler - at COL |
| 81. Jenrry Mejia - at COL |
| 82. Dallas Keuchel - SEA |
| 83. Rick Porcello - at CWS |
| 84. David Phelps - SEA |
| 85. Vidal Nuno - TB |
| 86. Drew Hutchison - at KC |
| 87. Brandon Morrow - at PIT |
| 88. Tyler Lyons - at CHC |
| 89. Hector Santiago - TEX |
| 90. Robbie Ross - OAK |
| 91. Brandon Maurer - at HOU |
| 92. Jason Hammel - STL |
| 93. Josh Beckett - at MIN |
| 94. Eric Stults - at SF |
| 95. Henderson Alvarez - ATL |
| 96. Ian Kennedy - ARI |
| 97. Juan Nicasio - NYM |
| 98. Mike Leake - MIL |
| 99. Zack Wheeler - at COL |
| 100. Jenrry Mejia - at COL |
