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 July 21-27
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week July 21-27
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Chris Sale - KC, at MIN Note: He has a career 2.44 ERA in 140 IP vs. these two teams |
| 2. Scott Kazmir - HOU, at TEX Note: Only blemish early was lowered Ks, but has a 9.8 K/9 in last 9 |
| 3. Felix Hernandez - BAL |
| 4. Yu Darvish - at NYY |
| 5. David Price - BOS |
| 6. Jon Lester - at TB Note: The team's down season has overshadowed Lester's excellence: 2.65 ERA, 1.14 WHIP |
| 7. Max Scherzer - at LAA |
| 8. Corey Kluber - at KC Note: He has a 2.50 ERA in 100.7 IP since May 1 after 4.14 ERA in Apr |
| 9. Hisashi Iwakuma - NYM |
| 10. Anibal Sanchez - at ARI |
| 11. Jeff Samardzija - HOU Note: Where are the Ks? Wasn't just SPs batting in NL, either, as he only fanned 8 pitchers |
| 12. Jesse Chavez - HOU |
| 13. Sonny Gray - at TEX Note: Has responded to bumpy June (5.40 ERA) with an 0.83 ERA in 3 Jul starts going at least 7 IP in each |
| 14. Jose Quintana - KC |
| 15. Jered Weaver - BAL Note: Dominates at home - 2.70 |
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 July 21-27
AMERICAN LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week July 21-27
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Chris Sale - KC, at MIN Note: He has a career 2.44 ERA in 140 IP vs. these two teams |
| 2. Scott Kazmir - HOU, at TEX Note: Only blemish early was lowered Ks, but has a 9.8 K/9 in last 9 |
| 3. Felix Hernandez - BAL |
| 4. Yu Darvish - at NYY |
| 5. David Price - BOS |
| 6. Jon Lester - at TB Note: The team's down season has overshadowed Lester's excellence: 2.65 ERA, 1.14 WHIP |
| 7. Max Scherzer - at LAA |
| 8. Corey Kluber - at KC Note: He has a 2.50 ERA in 100.7 IP since May 1 after 4.14 ERA in Apr |
| 9. Hisashi Iwakuma - NYM |
| 10. Anibal Sanchez - at ARI |
| 11. Jeff Samardzija - HOU Note: Where are the Ks? Wasn't just SPs batting in NL, either, as he only fanned 8 pitchers |
| 12. Jesse Chavez - HOU |
| 13. Sonny Gray - at TEX Note: Has responded to bumpy June (5.40 ERA) with an 0.83 ERA in 3 Jul starts going at least 7 IP in each |
| 14. Jose Quintana - KC |
| 15. Jered Weaver - BAL Note: Dominates at home - 2.70 ERA in 76.7 IP |
| 16. Garrett Richards - DET |
| 17. Phil Hughes - CWS Note: He's one of my "second-half" breakouts (.430 BABIP in last 5, but 30/3 K:BB ratio) |
| 18. Chris Archer - BOS Note: He's not a finished product, but I think he is very clearly improving when you watch him work |
| 19. Jake Odorizzi - BOS |
| 20. Marcus Stroman - BOS Note: He's one of my "second-half" breakouts (could be a K-per-IP guy) |
| 21. Alex Cobb - at STL Note: The ERA and FIP now match, but I still think he's got the talent for much more than a 4.07 ERA |
| 22. James Shields - at CWS |
| 23. Yordano Ventura - CLE Note: CLE handles righties, but Ventura has dominated them twice as he excels vs. lefties |
| 24. John Lackey - at TOR, at TB Note: TB's surge has made this a pretty tough slate, even with TOR hobbled |
| 25. Justin Verlander - at ARI, at LAA Note: He came out of 2013's lull and he didn't look as good as he does now; I still have faith |
| 26. Rick Porcello - at ARI, at LAA |
| 27. Collin McHugh - at OAK, MIA |
| 28. Jason Hammel - at TEX Note: Big rest between starts given the trade and All-Star break |
| 29. John Danks - at MIN Note: Just one dud in his last 10 yielding a 2.69 ERA in 67 IP |
| 30. Tyler Skaggs - DET |
| 31. Drew Smyly - at LAA |
| 32. Dallas Keuchel - MIA Note: ASB gave him 10 days off between starts to heal wrist; if it looks good Saturday and vs. MIA, he'll move back up |
| 33. Danny Duffy - CLE |
| 34. David Phelps - TEX Note: He has a 3.65 ERA and 33 Ks in last 37 IP spanning six starts |
| 35. Hiroki Kuroda - TOR |
| 36. Mark Buehrle - at NYY |
| 37. Trevor Bauer - at MIN |
| 38. R.A. Dickey - BOS Note: He has fantasy usefulness, but that Cy Young level isn't coming back |
| 39. Matt Shoemaker - BAL, DET Note: He has a 3.47 ERA in 14 games (8 starts) outside of that 4 IP/8 ER shellacking vs. KC |
| 40. Chris Tillman - at LAA Note: Carrying a 2.50 ERA in his last 8, though just 25 Ks in the 54 IP |
| 41. Rubby De La Rosa - at TOR |
| 42. Kevin Gausman - at SEA Note: He's coming along ... |
CONSIDER
| 43. Drew Hutchison - BOS, at NYY Note: Still a lot of inconsistency from Hutch |
| 44. Roenis Elias - NYM, BAL |
| 45. J.A. Happ - BOS, at NYY |
| 46. Hector Santiago - BAL, DET Note: He has a useful 3.68 ERA and 33 K in 29.3 IP (5 GS/2 relief app.) since June 10th recall |
| 47. Danny Salazar - at MIN Note: Has a 2.32 ERA and 39 Ks in last 31 IP, but also 17 BB (4.9 BB/9) at Triple-A |
| 48. Brad Peacock - at OAK |
| 49. Wei-Yin Chen - at SEA Note: He's solid, but unspectacular |
| 50. Kyle Gibson - CLE Note: He's been excellent or terrible in his last 8: 0, 0, 0, 7, 2, 5, 0, and 6 |
| 51. Brandon McCarthy - TEX |
| 52. Shane Greene - TEX, TOR Note:Chase Whitley 2.0? He's showing early K potential ... very early |
| 53. Jarred Cosart - MIA Note: It's a good matchup at least |
SIT
| 54. Justin Masterson - at KC Note: Let's see something first |
| 55. Chris Young - BAL Note: This can't last ... right? |
| 56. Scott Feldman - at OAK |
| 57. Bud Norris - at LAA, at SEA |
| 58. Jake Peavy - at TOR, at TB |
| 59. Bruce Chen - at CWS, CLE |
| 60. Miguel Gonzalez - at LAA, at SEA |
| 61. Chase Whitley - TEX, TOR |
| 62. Clay Buchholz - at TOR |
| 63. Colby Lewis - at NYY Note: He's better than this, but maybe just a 4.50 ERA-type and not the 3.50 type he used to be |
| 64. Nick Tepesch - OAK |
| 65. Nick Martinez - at NYY, OAK |
| 66. Josh Tomlin - at KC |
| 67. Zach McAllister - at KC |
| 68. Kevin Correia - CWS |
| 69. Hector Noesi -at MIN |
| 70. Scott Carroll - KC, at MIN |
| 71. Jeremy Guthrie - at CWS, CLE |
| 72. Yohan Pino - CLE, CWS |
| 73. T.J. House - at MIN |
| 74. Miles Mikolas - at NYY, OAK |
| 75. Kris Johnson - CLE, CWS |
| 76. Taijuan Walker replacement - NYM, BAL Note: It doesn't look like he's coming back from the minors just yet as they want him to get more work in Triple-A |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Adam Wainwright - TB, at CHC Note: He's Kershaw with fewer Ks |
| 2. Julio Teheran - MIA, SD Note: With the MIA offense waning, this is a fantastic two-start slate |
| 3. Clayton Kershaw - at SF |
| 4. Johnny Cueto - WAS Note: He's allowed more than 3 ER twice this year |
| 5. Cole Hamels - SF |
| 6. Zack Greinke - at SF Note: Overshadowed by Kershaw, but he's a legitimate fantasy ace |
| 7. Madison Bumgarner - at PHI |
| 8. Jake Arrieta - STL Note Just filthy numbers and STL isn't an offense to avoid these days |
| 9. Gio Gonzalez - at CIN |
| 10. Stephen Strasburg - at COL Note: His elevated hit rate is a slight concern headed to Coors |
| 11. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at PIT, at SF Note: 33 percent of his ER have come in two awful starts |
| 12. Doug Fister - at COL, at CIN |
| 13. Mat Latos - at MIL, WAS Note: I think his Ks will return to go with these sparkling ratios |
| 14. Homer Bailey - at MIL, WAS Note: He has a 3.26 ERA and 59 Ks in his last 66.7 IP (10 starts) |
| 15. Cliff Lee - SF, ARI Note: I generally use my studs immediately upon their return from the DL |
| 16. Jacob deGrom - at SEA, at MIL |
| 17. Zack Wheeler - at MIL Note: He's one of my "second-half" breakouts (3.07 ERA, 59 Ks in last 58.7 IP) |
| 18. Jesse Hahn - at ATL |
| 19. Tyson Ross - at CHC |
| 20. Lance Lynn - TB Note: He'll have the occasional dud, but long-term he's consistently strong |
| 21. Ervin Santana - MIA |
| 22. Matt Garza - NYM |
| 23. Yovani Gallardo - NYM Note: STL popped him per usual, but he still has a 3.05 ERA in his last 7 |
| 24. Kyle Lohse - CIN |
| 25. Alex Wood - SD |
| 26. Ian Kennedy - at CHC Note: Could be traded at any moment (3.06 ERA in 64.7 road IP; 4.18 in 64.7 home IP) |
| 27. Jordan Zimmermann - at COL Note: See Strasburg note |
| 28. Wily Peralta - CIN, NYM |
| 29. Mike Minor - MIA, SD |
| 30. Jon Niese - at SEA, at MIL Note: He's been great this year |
| 31. Matt Cain - at PHI, LAD Note: Has allowed 4 ER in last 3; allowed 4-plus ER in previous 3 |
| 32. Wade Miley - at PHI Note: 21-percent HR/FB is driving his 5.64 home ERA; he's got a 2.85 on the road |
| 33. Bartolo Colon - at SEA |
| 34. Josh Beckett - at PIT |
| 35. Tanner Roark - at CIN Note: Since PHI dumped 7 ER on him - 2.45 ERA in 77 IP w/3.6 K:BB ratio |
| 36. Carlos Martinez - at CHC |
| 37. Alfredo Simon - WAS |
| 38. A.J. Burnett - SF Note: Just when you start trusting him again ... |
| 39. Jimmy Nelson - CIN, NYM Note: He can be a "second-half" K producer: 9.2 K/9 at Triple-A, 11 in 10 MLB IP |
| 40. Mike Leake - at MIL |
| 41. Aaron Harang - MIA Note: Has slowly faded, but he's back to normal levels which means he's a matchup guy |
| 42. Tim Hudson - at PHI |
| 43. Henderson Alvarez - at ATL Note: 6 ER last time out; 7 ER in previous 9 starts |
| 44. Nathan Eovaldi - at ATL Note: Owning ATL this year: 1.29 ERA in 21 IP |
| 45. Dan Haren - at PIT Note: HR surge (18 in last 13 GS) has me nervous about injury |
| 46. Travis Wood - SD Note: Has a 5.79 ERA in last 13, but it is SD |
| 47. Joe Kelly - at CHC |
| 48. Dillon Gee - at MIL Note: Solid in DL return, but skills don't support 2.56 ERA |
| 49. Vance Worley - LAD |
| 50. Charlie Morton - at COL Note: His profile can succeed in Coors: 55-percent GB rate, 19.9-percent K rate |
| 51. Jeff Locke - at COL Note: Kind of a Morton Jr. with 52-percent GB rate and 16-percent K rate |
| 52. Tom Koehler - at ATL, at HOU |
| 53. Francisco Liriano - LAD Note: He's a surge candidate if he can trim that walk rate |
SIT
| 54. Edinson Volquez - LAD, at COL Note: 2.79 ERA in his last 10, but this is a tough slate |
| 55. Chase Anderson - DET Note: He's been solid, but HR rate is dangerous against a team like DET |
| 56. Kyle Hendricks - SD, STL |
| 57. Vidal Nuno - DET, at PHI |
| 58. Jorge De La Rosa - WAS |
| 59. Eddie Butler - WAS |
| 60. Jacob Turner - at ATL, at HOU |
| 61. Franklin Morales - WAS, PIT |
| 62. Trevor Cahill - DET |
| 63. Brad Hand - at HOU |
| 64. Eric Stults - at CHC, at ATL |
| 65. Edwin Jackson - SD |
| 66. Tyler Matzek - PIT |
| 67. Josh Collmenter - at PHI |
| 68. Brett Anderson - PIT |
| 69. Kyle Kendrick - ARI |
| 70. Roberto Hernandez - SF, ARI |
| 71. Cubs Fifth Starter - STL |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Adam Wainwright - TB, at CHC Note: He's Kershaw with fewer Ks |
| 2. Julio Teheran - MIA, SD Note: With the MIA offense waning, this is a fantastic two-start slate |
| 3. Chris Sale - KC, at MIN Note: He has a career 2.44 ERA in 140 IP vs. these two teams |
| 4. Scott Kazmir - HOU, at TEX Note: Only blemish early was lowered Ks, but has a 9.8 K/9 in last 9 |
| 5. Clayton Kershaw - at SF |
| 6. Johnny Cueto - WAS Note: He's allowed more than 3 ER twice this year |
| 7. Felix Hernandez - BAL |
| 8. Yu Darvish - at NYY |
| 9. Cole Hamels - SF |
| 10. Zack Greinke - at SF Note: Overshadowed by Kershaw, but he's a legitimate fantasy ace |
| 11. David Price - BOS |
| 12. Jon Lester - at TB Note: The team's down season has overshadowed Lester's excellence: 2.65 ERA, 1.14 WHIP |
| 13. Max Scherzer - at LAA |
| 14. Corey Kluber - at KC Note: He has a 2.50 ERA in 100.7 IP since May 1 after 4.14 ERA in Apr |
| 15. Hisashi Iwakuma - NYM |
| 16. Madison Bumgarner - at PHI |
| 17. Jake Arrieta - STL Note Just filthy numbers and STL isn't an offense to avoid these days |
| 18. Anibal Sanchez - at ARI |
| 19. Gio Gonzalez - at CIN |
| 20. Stephen Strasburg - at COL Note: His elevated hit rate is a slight concern headed to Coors |
| 21. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at PIT, at SF Note: 33 percent of his ER have come in two awful starts |
| 22. Doug Fister - at COL, at CIN |
| 23. Mat Latos - at MIL, WAS Note: I think his Ks will return to go with these sparkling ratios |
| 24. Homer Bailey - at MIL, WAS Note: He has a 3.26 ERA and 59 Ks in his last 66.7 IP (10 starts) |
| 25. Cliff Lee - SF, ARI Note: I generally use my studs immediately upon their return from the DL |
| 26. Jacob deGrom - at SEA, at MIL |
| 27. Zack Wheeler - at MIL Note: He's one of my "second-half" breakouts (3.07 ERA, 59 Ks in last 58.7 IP) |
| 28. Jeff Samardzija - HOU Note: Where are the Ks? Wasn't just SPs batting in NL, either, as he only fanned 8 pitchers |
| 29. Jesse Chavez - HOU |
| 30. Sonny Gray - at TEX Note: Has responded to bumpy June (5.40 ERA) with an 0.83 ERA in 3 Jul starts going at least 7 IP in each |
| 31. Jose Quintana - KC |
| 32. Jered Weaver - BAL Note: Dominates at home - 2.70 ERA in 76.7 IP |
| 33. Garrett Richards - DET |
| 34. Jesse Hahn - at ATL |
| 35. Tyson Ross - at CHC |
| 36. Lance Lynn - TB Note: He'll have the occasional dud, but long-term he's consistently strong |
| 37. Ervin Santana - MIA |
| 38. Matt Garza - NYM |
| 39. Yovani Gallardo - NYM Note: STL popped him per usual, but he still has a 3.05 ERA in his last 7 |
| 40. Kyle Lohse - CIN |
| 41. Phil Hughes - CWS Note: He's one of my "second-half" breakouts (.430 BABIP in last 5, but 30/3 K:BB ratio) |
| 42. Chris Archer - BOS Note: He's not a finished product, but I think he is very clearly improving when you watch him work |
| 43. Jake Odorizzi - BOS |
| 44. Marcus Stroman - BOS Note: He's one of my "second-half" breakouts (could be a K-per-IP guy) |
| 45. Alex Cobb - at STL Note: The ERA and FIP now match, but I still think he's got the talent for much more than a 4.07 ERA |
| 46. Alex Wood - SD |
| 47. Ian Kennedy - at CHC Note: Could be traded at any moment (3.06 ERA in 64.7 road IP; 4.18 in 64.7 home IP) |
| 48. Jordan Zimmermann - at COL Note: See Strasburg note |
| 49. James Shields - at CWS |
| 50. Yordano Ventura - CLE Note: CLE handles righties, but Ventura has dominated them twice as he excels vs. lefties |
| 51. John Lackey - at TOR, at TB Note: TB's surge has made this a pretty tough slate, even with TOR hobbled |
| 52. Justin Verlander - at ARI, at LAA Note: He came out of 2013's lull and he didn't look as good as he does now; I still have faith |
| 53. Rick Porcello - at ARI, at LAA |
| 54. Collin McHugh - at OAK, MIA |
| 55. Wily Peralta - CIN, NYM |
| 56. Mike Minor - MIA, SD |
| 57. Jon Niese - at SEA, at MIL Note: He's been great this year |
| 58. Matt Cain - at PHI, LAD Note: Has allowed 4 ER in last 3; allowed 4-plus ER in previous 3 |
| 59. Wade Miley - at PHI Note: 21-percent HR/FB is driving his 5.64 home ERA; he's got a 2.85 on the road |
| 60. Bartolo Colon - at SEA |
| 61. Josh Beckett - at PIT |
| 62. Tanner Roark - at CIN Note: Since PHI dumped 7 ER on him - 2.45 ERA in 77 IP w/3.6 K:BB ratio |
| 63. Carlos Martinez - at CHC |
| 64. Jason Hammel - at TEX Note: Big rest between starts given the trade and All-Star break |
| 65. John Danks - at MIN Note: Just one dud in his last 10 yielding a 2.69 ERA in 67 IP |
| 66. Tyler Skaggs - DET |
| 67. Drew Smyly - at LAA |
| 68. Dallas Keuchel - MIA Note: ASB gave him 10 days off between starts to heal wrist; if it looks good Saturday and vs. MIA, he'll move back up |
| 69. Danny Duffy - CLE |
| 70. David Phelps - TEX Note: He has a 3.65 ERA and 33 Ks in last 37 IP spanning six starts |
| 71. Hiroki Kuroda - TOR |
| 72. Mark Buehrle - at NYY |
| 73. Trevor Bauer - at MIN |
| 74. Alfredo Simon - WAS |
| 75. A.J. Burnett - SF Note: Just when you start trusting him again ... |
| 76. Jimmy Nelson - CIN, NYM Note: He can be a "second-half" K producer: 9.2 K/9 at Triple-A, 11 in 10 MLB IP |
| 77. Mike Leake - at MIL |
| 78. R.A. Dickey - BOS Note: He has fantasy usefulness, but that Cy Young level isn't coming back |
| 79. Matt Shoemaker - BAL, DET Note: He has a 3.47 ERA in 14 games (8 starts) outside of that 4 IP/8 ER shellacking vs. KC |
| 80. Aaron Harang - MIA Note: Has slowly faded, but he's back to normal levels which means he's a matchup guy |
| 81. Tim Hudson - at PHI |
| 82. Henderson Alvarez - at ATL Note: 6 ER last time out; 7 ER in previous 9 starts |
| 83. Nathan Eovaldi - at ATL Note: Owning ATL this year: 1.29 ERA in 21 IP |
| 84. Chris Tillman - at LAA Note: Carrying a 2.50 ERA in his last 8, though just 25 Ks in the 54 IP |
| 85. Rubby De La Rosa - at TOR |
| 86. Kevin Gausman - at SEA Note: He's coming along ... |
| 87. Dan Haren - at PIT Note: HR surge (18 in last 13 GS) has me nervous about injury |
| 88. Drew Hutchison - BOS, at NYY Note: Still a lot of inconsistency from Hutch |
| 89. Roenis Elias - NYM, BAL |
| 90. Travis Wood - SD Note: Has a 5.79 ERA in last 13, but it is SD |
| 91. Joe Kelly - at CHC |
| 92. J.A. Happ - BOS, at NYY |
| 93. Hector Santiago - BAL, DET Note: He has a useful 3.68 ERA and 33 K in 29.3 IP (5 GS/2 relief app.) since June 10th recall |
| 94. Dillon Gee - at MIL Note: Solid in DL return, but skills don't support 2.56 ERA |
| 95. Vance Worley - LAD |
| 96. Charlie Morton - at COL Note: His profile can succeed in Coors: 55-percent GB rate, 19.9-percent K rate |
| 97. Jeff Locke - at COL Note: Kind of a Morton Jr. with 52-percent GB rate and 16-percent K rate |
| 98. Tom Koehler - at ATL, at HOU |
| 99. Danny Salazar - at MIN Note: Has a 2.32 ERA and 39 Ks in last 31 IP, but also 17 BB (4.9 BB/9) at Triple-A |
| 100. Brad Peacock - at OAK |
