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 Sept. 15-21
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week Sept. 15-21
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Corey Kluber - at HOU, at MIN Note: Had a 2.99 ERA through June and has gotten better with a 1.79 ERA in his last 13 starts |
| 2. Max Scherzer - at MIN, at KC Note: The season numbers aren't huge against these two teams, but a lot of it is the 10 ER game vs. KC |
| 3. Matt Shoemaker - SEA, TEX |
| 4. Hisashi Iwakuma - at LAA, at HOU Note: Among the top 5 in ERA and WHIP since 2012 (min. 450 IP) |
| 5. James Shields - CWS, DET Note: Catching fire just as they need him with a 2.17 ERA in his last eight |
| 6. Felix Hernandez - at LAA |
| 7. David Price - at MIN Note: Pacing for 275 Ks |
| 8. Chris Sale - at KC |
| 9. Jon Lester - PHI Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER with OAK |
| 10. Alex Cobb - NYY |
| 11. Collin McHugh - CLE Note: McHugh has been HUGE down the stretch because he's not only dominating with his results, but he's also picking up wins |
| 12. Phil Hughes - CLE |
| 13. Yordano Ventura - CWS |
| 14. Brandon McCarthy - |
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 Sept. 15-21
AMERICAN LEAGUE
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week Sept. 15-21
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Corey Kluber - at HOU, at MIN Note: Had a 2.99 ERA through June and has gotten better with a 1.79 ERA in his last 13 starts |
| 2. Max Scherzer - at MIN, at KC Note: The season numbers aren't huge against these two teams, but a lot of it is the 10 ER game vs. KC |
| 3. Matt Shoemaker - SEA, TEX |
| 4. Hisashi Iwakuma - at LAA, at HOU Note: Among the top 5 in ERA and WHIP since 2012 (min. 450 IP) |
| 5. James Shields - CWS, DET Note: Catching fire just as they need him with a 2.17 ERA in his last eight |
| 6. Felix Hernandez - at LAA |
| 7. David Price - at MIN Note: Pacing for 275 Ks |
| 8. Chris Sale - at KC |
| 9. Jon Lester - PHI Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER with OAK |
| 10. Alex Cobb - NYY |
| 11. Collin McHugh - CLE Note: McHugh has been HUGE down the stretch because he's not only dominating with his results, but he's also picking up wins |
| 12. Phil Hughes - CLE |
| 13. Yordano Ventura - CWS |
| 14. Brandon McCarthy - at TB |
| 15. Jeff Samardzija - TEX, PHI |
| 16. Michael Pineda - at TB, TOR Note: He's different than the SEA version from '11, but still good |
| 17. Dallas Keuchel - SEA Note: His Ks have faded as the season wears on (5.5 K/9 since Aug. 1) |
| 18. Sonny Gray - PHI |
| 19. James Paxton - at LAA |
| 20. Derek Holland - at OAK Note: How many leagues is he winning with his insane performance as a waiver pickup (0.86 ERA, 0.95 WHIP in 21 IP) |
| 21. Marcus Stroman - at NYY Note: I don't think he approved of the notion that he was wearing down after that August blip (1.59 ERA in his last three) |
| 22. Chris Archer - CWS |
| 23. Jose Quintana - at TB |
| 24. Carlos Carrasco - at HOU Note: He's allowed 32 H in seven starts since returning to the rotation - 17 to DET, 15 to everyone else |
| 25. Jered Weaver - SEA Note: Activate HSRB! (Home Start Rating Boost ... 2.69 home ERA) |
| 26. Rick Porcello - at MIN |
| 27. Scott Kazmir - TEX |
| 28. Danny Salazar - at MIN |
| 29. Chris Tillman - BOS Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in his last 13 starts (2.24 ERA in 116.7 IP) |
| 30. Kevin Gausman - TOR Note: Has a 3.26 ERA in his last five starts with 32 Ks and a 4.0 K:BB ratio |
| 31. Shane Greene - TOR Note: IP shouldn't be a concern as he's at 129 right now after 154.3 last year |
| 32. Jake Odorizzi - NYY, CWS Note: Wildly inconsistent down the stretch - 5, 0, 2, 3, 8, 0, 0, and 6 ER in his last eight (4.76 ERA) |
| 33. Drew Hutchison - at BAL, at NYY |
| 34. Jason Hammel - TEX Note: Now four straight good starts and a weak opponent who offers an opportunity to stay hot |
| 35. Wei-Yin Chen - TOR |
| 36. Hector Santiago - TEX Note: He's been good against TEX all year (3.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 4.0 K:BB ratio in 23.3 IP) |
| 37. Miguel Gonzalez - BOS |
| 38. Jeremy Hellickson - CWS |
| 39. Justin Verlander - at KC Note: I'm not sure you can confidently start him if you're chasing ERA/WHIP points; there's still upside, but the risk might be higher |
| 40. R.A. Dickey - at NYY |
| 41. Kyle Lobstein - at KC Note: He has acquitted himself quite well |
| 42. Jason Vargas - DET |
| 43. Hiroki Kuroda - TOR |
| 44. Bud Norris - BOS |
| 45. Nate Karns - NYY Note: Brilliant debut in TOR, but was it just being new or something substantial? Avoid the risk if you're protecting ERA/WHIP, but let's roll the dice otherwise ... |
| 46. Brett Oberholtzer - CLE Note: This is a matchup play as CLE has struggled vs. LHP all year |
| 47. Danny Duffy - CWS? Note: His status remains up in the air |
| 48. Chris Young - at HOU Note: Interested to see how he looks Sunday vs. OAK |
SIT
| 49. Trevor Bauer - at MIN Note: This is a tougher matchup than you might think (MIN has AL's best OPS vs. RHP since the break) |
| 50. Roenis Elias - at LAA, at HOU Note: Hasn't allowed more than 2 ER in any of his last nine |
| 51. C.J. Wilson - SEA Note: Walking too many to trust |
| 52. Jeremy Guthrie - DET |
| 53. Scott Feldman - SEA |
| 54. Joe Kelly - at BAL Note: You can't risk any of these three in BAL |
| 55. J.A. Happ - at BAL |
| 56. Rubby De La Rosa - at BAL |
| 57. Chris Capuano - at TB, TOR Note: That devolved quickly; he'd shown some skills in his first four starts w/NYY, but then they collapsed and produced a 6.88 in his last four |
| 58. Brad Peacock - CLE, SEA |
| 59. Mark Buehrle - at BAL, at NYY |
| 60. Nick Tepesch -at OAK, at LAA |
| 61. Nick Martinez - at OAK |
| 62. Kyle Gibson - DET |
| 63. Colby Lewis - at LAA |
| 64. Clay Buchholz - at PIT |
| 65. John Danks - at KC |
| 66. Anthony Ranaudo - at PIT |
| 67. Allen Webster - at BAL |
| 68. Tommy Milone - CLE |
| 69. Hector Noesi - at TB |
| 70. T.J. House -at HOU |
| 71. Cory Rasmus - SEA, TEX |
| 72. Scott Carroll - at TB |
| 73. Chris Bassitt - at KC |
| 74. Scott Baker - at LAA |
| 75. Ricky Nolasco - DET |
| 76. Trevor May - CLE |
| 77. Brandon Workman - at PIT |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Stephen Strasburg - at ATL, at MIA Note: I know some want to pretend he's some huge disappointment, but he's still having a fantastic fantasy season |
| 2. Clayton Kershaw - at CHC Note: He really could outperform Stras in just one start |
| 3. Johnny Cueto - at CHC |
| 4. Cole Hamels - at SD |
| 5. Tyson Ross - PHI Note: Has a 2.01 ERA in his last 13 starts with 89 Ks in 85 IP |
| 6. Madison Bumgarner - at ARI |
| 7. Jordan Zimmermann - at MIA Note: His 2.77 ERA since the break is impressive enough, but the 62 Ks in 65 IP has transformed his value |
| 8. Julio Teheran - NYM |
| 9. Zack Greinke - at CHC Note: Quietly having another ace season |
| 10. Lance Lynn - MIL |
| 11. Gerrit Cole - BOS Note: Skills and stuff have been really sharp since returning |
| 12. Gio Gonzalez - at ATL Note: Just nine walks in his last six starts (36.7 IP) |
| 13. Andrew Cashner - PHI, SF Note: Now has a 2.52 ERA since returning |
| 14. Jacob deGrom - MIA, at ATL |
| 15. Tanner Roark - at ATL, at MIA |
| 16. Adam Wainwright - MIL Note: A big game against a COL team that is horrible on the road doesn't alleviate my concern re: his Ks |
| 17. Alex Wood - WAS |
| 18. Zack Wheeler - at ATL Note: One of my favorite 2H breakouts has a 2.47 ERA and 64 Ks in 62 IP |
| 19. Jake Arrieta - CIN |
| 20. Mike Fiers - at STL Note: It's impossible not to wonder how the Stanton HBP will affect Fiers |
| 21. John Lackey - MIL, CIN |
| 22. Ian Kennedy - PHI, SF Note: Allowed 32 H in last 24 IP, but he does have a .408 BABIP in that span |
| 23. Ervin Santana - WAS, NYM |
| 24. Doug Fister - at MIA Note: ERA was last above 3.00 on June 15th, since then he has a 2.23 ERA in 92.7 IP |
| 25. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at COL Note: When Ryu is bad, he's REALLY bad, but he's rarely bad |
| 26. Mat Latos - at CHC |
| 27. Mike Minor - NYM Note: Has a 2.59 ERA and 3 HR allowed in his last six; 5.42 and 18 allowed in previous 17 |
| 28. Francisco Liriano - BOS |
| 29. Wily Peralta - at STL, at PIT Note: Closed August brutally, but has opened September with two nice ones |
| 30. Yovani Gallardo - at PIT |
| 31. Wade Miley - SF, at COL Note: Coors hasn't fazed him much with a 3.38 ERA there, albeit in just 24 IP |
| 32. Bartolo Colon - MIA |
| 33. Dillon Gee - MIA |
| 34. Michael Wacha - CIN Note: As if the pitch counts weren't scary enough, we now have to worry that he isn't really himself just yet |
| 35. Aaron Harang - WAS |
| 36. Jon Niese - at ATL |
| 37. Ryan Vogelsong - at ARI, at SD Note: Has 19 ER in his last eight starts ... 8 of them came in Coors |
| 38. Yusmeiro Petit - at SD |
| 39. Tim Hudson - at SD Note: I feel like the perception is that he's collapsed in the 2H but he has a solid 3.62 ERA in 10 starts; that's who Huddy is |
| 40. Jarred Cosart - at NYM, WAS Note: Allowed 4 ER in his first start w/MIA; has allowed 6 ER in six starts since then |
| 41. Nathan Eovaldi - at NYM, WAS |
| 42. Jorge De La Rosa - LAD Note: He's markedly better at home |
| 43. Kyle Hendricks - CIN |
| 44. Jeff Locke - MIL |
| 45. Tom Koehler - WAS Note: Since the break he has a 3.26 ERA in 60.7 IP with a useful 51 Ks as well |
| 46. Jake Peavy - at ARI |
| 47. Kyle Lohse - at STL Note: I have no idea why he has struggled so frequently of late, but he's still really good when he's on |
| 48. Henderson Alvarez - at NYM |
| 49. Vance Worley - BOS, MIL Note: His production has unsurprisingly waned, but he's still useful especially since his component numbers have held solid |
| 50. Edinson Volquez - MIL |
| 51. Tyler Matzek - LAD, ARI Note: The former blue-chip prospect has a 1.75 ERA in his last five starts |
| 52. Mike Leake - at STL |
| 53. A.J. Burnett - at SD, at OAK Note: Your team's risk tolerance has to be a major concern here; he can be a nice Hail Mary option or a season-killer |
| 54. David Buchanan - at OAK |
| 55. Tsuyoshi Wada - LAD |
| 56. Shelby Miller - CIN Note: Three straight 7 IP outings with only 2 ER allowed (both in the first of the three) earns him a trip back into the starts |
SIT
| 57. Odrisamer Despaigne - SF |
| 58. Jordan Lyles - ARI |
| 59. Alfredo Simon - at CHC, at STL |
| 60. Dan Haren - at COL, at CHC |
| 61. Vidal Nuno - at COL Note: I like plenty of what he's done with ARI, but he's tough to trust in Coors |
| 62. Chase Anderson - at COL |
| 63. Trevor Cahill - at COL |
| 64. Franklin Morales - ARI |
| 65. Josh Collmenter - SF |
| 66. David Holmberg - at STL |
| 67. Felix Doubront - LAD |
| 68. Jerome Williams - at SD, at OAK |
| 69. Roberto Hernandez - at COL, at CHC |
| 70. Kyle Kendrick - at SD |
| 71. Travis Wood - LAD |
| 72. Eric Stults - PHI |
| 73. Brad Hand - WAS |
| 74. Randall Delgado - SF |
| 75. Jacob Turner - CIN, LAD |
| 76. Christian Bergman - LAD, ARI |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Corey Kluber - at HOU, at MIN Note: Had a 2.99 ERA through June and has gotten better with a 1.79 ERA in his last 13 starts |
| 2. Max Scherzer - at MIN, at KC Note: The season numbers aren't huge against these two teams, but a lot of it is the 10 ER game vs. KC |
| 3. Stephen Strasburg - at ATL, at MIA Note: I know some want to pretend he's some huge disappointment, but he's still having a fantastic fantasy season |
| 4. Clayton Kershaw - at CHC Note: He really could outperform Stras in just one start |
| 5. Matt Shoemaker - SEA, TEX |
| 6. Hisashi Iwakuma - at LAA, at HOU Note: Among the top 5 in ERA and WHIP since 2012 (min. 450 IP) |
| 7. James Shields - CWS, DET Note: Catching fire just as they need him with a 2.17 ERA in his last eight |
| 8. Johnny Cueto - at CHC |
| 9. Cole Hamels - at SD |
| 10. Tyson Ross - PHI Note: Has a 2.01 ERA in his last 13 starts with 89 Ks in 85 IP |
| 11. Madison Bumgarner - at ARI |
| 12. Jordan Zimmermann - at MIA Note: His 2.77 ERA since the break is impressive enough, but the 62 Ks in 65 IP has transformed his value |
| 13. Felix Hernandez - at LAA |
| 14. David Price - at MIN Note: Pacing for 275 Ks |
| 15. Chris Sale - at KC |
| 16. Jon Lester - PHI Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER with OAK |
| 17. Julio Teheran - NYM |
| 18. Zack Greinke - at CHC Note: Quietly having another ace season |
| 19. Lance Lynn - MIL |
| 20. Alex Cobb - NYY |
| 21. Collin McHugh - CLE Note: McHugh has been HUGE down the stretch because he's not only dominating with his results, but he's also picking up wins |
| 22. Gerrit Cole - BOS Note: Skills and stuff have been really sharp since returning |
| 23. Gio Gonzalez - at ATL Note: Just nine walks in his last six starts (36.7 IP) |
| 24. Andrew Cashner - PHI, SF Note: Now has a 2.52 ERA since returning |
| 25. Jacob deGrom - MIA, at ATL |
| 26. Tanner Roark - at ATL, at MIA |
| 27. Adam Wainwright - MIL Note: A big game against a COL team that is horrible on the road doesn't alleviate my concern re: his Ks |
| 28. Alex Wood - WAS |
| 29. Zack Wheeler - at ATL Note: One of my favorite 2H breakouts has a 2.47 ERA and 64 Ks in 62 IP |
| 30. Jake Arrieta - CIN |
| 31. Mike Fiers - at STL Note: It's impossible not to wonder how the Stanton HBP will affect Fiers |
| 32. John Lackey - MIL, CIN |
| 33. Ian Kennedy - PHI, SF Note: Allowed 32 H in last 24 IP, but he does have a .408 BABIP in that span |
| 34. Ervin Santana - WAS, NYM |
| 35. Doug Fister - at MIA Note: ERA was last above 3.00 on June 15th, since then he has a 2.23 ERA in 92.7 IP |
| 36. Phil Hughes - CLE |
| 37. Yordano Ventura - CWS |
| 38. Brandon McCarthy - at TB |
| 39. Jeff Samardzija - TEX, PHI |
| 40. Michael Pineda - at TB, TOR Note: He's different than the SEA version from '11, but still good |
| 41. Dallas Keuchel - SEA Note: His Ks have faded as the season wears on (5.5 K/9 since Aug. 1) |
| 42. Sonny Gray - PHI |
| 43. James Paxton - at LAA |
| 44. Derek Holland - at OAK Note: How many leagues is he winning with his insane performance as a waiver pickup (0.86 ERA, 0.95 WHIP in 21 IP) |
| 45. Marcus Stroman - at NYY Note: I don't think he approved of the notion that he was wearing down after that August blip (1.59 ERA in his last three) |
| 46. Chris Archer - CWS |
| 47. Jose Quintana - at TB |
| 48. Carlos Carrasco - at HOU Note: He's allowed 32 H in seven starts since returning to the rotation - 17 to DET, 15 to everyone else |
| 49. Jered Weaver - SEA Note: Activate HSRB! (Home Start Rating Boost ... 2.69 home ERA) |
| 50. Rick Porcello - at MIN |
| 51. Scott Kazmir - TEX |
| 52. Danny Salazar - at MIN |
| 53. Chris Tillman - BOS Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in his last 13 starts (2.24 ERA in 116.7 IP) |
| 54. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at COL Note: When Ryu is bad, he's REALLY bad, but he's rarely bad |
| 55. Mat Latos - at CHC |
| 56. Mike Minor - NYM Note: Has a 2.59 ERA and 3 HR allowed in his last six; 5.42 and 18 allowed in previous 17 |
| 57. Francisco Liriano - BOS |
| 58. Wily Peralta - at STL, at PIT Note: Closed August brutally, but has opened September with two nice ones |
| 59. Kevin Gausman - TOR Note: Has a 3.26 ERA in his last five starts with 32 Ks and a 4.0 K:BB ratio |
| 60. Shane Greene - TOR Note: IP shouldn't be a concern as he's at 129 right now after 154.3 last year |
| 61. Jake Odorizzi - NYY, CWS Note: Wildly inconsistent down the stretch - 5, 0, 2, 3, 8, 0, 0, and 6 ER in his last eight (4.76 ERA) |
| 62. Drew Hutchison - at BAL, at NYY |
| 63. Jason Hammel - TEX Note: Now four straight good starts and a weak opponent who offers an opportunity to stay hot |
| 64. Wei-Yin Chen - TOR |
| 65. Hector Santiago - TEX Note: He's been good against TEX all year (3.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 4.0 K:BB ratio in 23.3 IP) |
| 66. Miguel Gonzalez - BOS |
| 67. Jeremy Hellickson - CWS |
| 68. Justin Verlander - at KC Note: I'm not sure you can confidently start him if you're chasing ERA/WHIP points; there's still upside, but the risk might be higher |
| 69. Yovani Gallardo - at PIT |
| 70. Wade Miley - SF, at COL Note: Coors hasn't fazed him much with a 3.38 ERA there, albeit in just 24 IP |
| 71. Bartolo Colon - MIA |
| 72. Dillon Gee - MIA |
| 73. Michael Wacha - CIN Note: As if the pitch counts weren't scary enough, we now have to worry that he isn't really himself just yet |
| 74. Aaron Harang - WAS |
| 75. Jon Niese - at ATL |
| 76. Ryan Vogelsong - at ARI, at SD Note: Has 19 ER in his last eight starts ... 8 of them came in Coors |
| 77. Yusmeiro Petit - at SD |
| 78. Tim Hudson - at SD Note: I feel like the perception is that he's collapsed in the 2H but he has a solid 3.62 ERA in 10 starts; that's who Huddy is |
| 79. Jarred Cosart - at NYM, WAS Note: Allowed 4 ER in his first start w/MIA; has allowed 6 ER in six starts since then |
| 80. Nathan Eovaldi - at NYM, WAS |
| 81. Jorge De La Rosa - LAD Note: He's markedly better at home |
| 82. Kyle Hendricks - CIN |
| 83. R.A. Dickey - at NYY |
| 84. Kyle Lobstein - at KC Note: He has acquitted himself quite well |
| 85. Jason Vargas - DET |
| 86. Hiroki Kuroda - TOR |
| 87. Bud Norris - BOS |
| 88. Nate Karns - NYY Note: Brilliant debut in TOR, but was it just being new or something substantial? Avoid the risk if you're protecting ERA/WHIP, but let's roll the dice otherwise ... |
| 89. Brett Oberholtzer - CLE Note: This is a matchup play as CLE has struggled vs. LHP all year |
| 90. Danny Duffy - CWS? Note: His status remains up in the air |
| 91. Chris Young - at HOU Note: Interested to see how he looks Sunday vs. OAK |
| 92. Jeff Locke - MIL |
| 93. Tom Koehler - WAS Note: Since the break he has a 3.26 ERA in 60.7 IP with a useful 51 Ks as well |
| 94. Jake Peavy - at ARI |
| 95. Kyle Lohse - at STL Note: I have no idea why he has struggled so frequently of late, but he's still really good when he's on |
| 96. Henderson Alvarez - at NYM |
| 97. Vance Worley - BOS, MIL Note: His production has unsurprisingly waned, but he's still useful especially since his component numbers have held solid |
| 98. Edinson Volquez - MIL |
| 99. Tyler Matzek - LAD, ARI Note: The former blue-chip prospect has a 1.75 ERA in his last five starts |
| 100. Mike Leake - at STL |
