Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Price is Again Right

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Updated on June 11, 2016 4:07PM EST

As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that looks incorrect, assume that it was a change that occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments. I'll let you know where the new arm slots.

For the week June 13-19

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	David Price	BAL, SEA	He's back: 2.55 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 38 Ks in his last 42.3 IP
2	Carlos Carrasco	at KC, CWS	Reached 100 pitches last time out, we can assume the reins are off going forward
3	Yu Darvish	at OAK, at STL	Removed as a precautionary measure w/some shoulder tightness, but it's not expected to be a long-term issue
4	Chris Sale	DET
5	Justin Verlander	at KC	He's absolutely rolling: 2.01 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 52 Ks in his last six starts (44.7 IP); he has 7+ Ks in each start, too
6	Danny Salazar	CWS
7	Corey Kluber	at KC	He's an awful eighth inning v. TEX (0 outs, 3 ER) from a reallygood run over his L4, but he still has a 2.96 ERA in those 27.3 IP
8	Masahiro Tanaka	at MIN
9	Aaron Sanchez	at BAL	This really looks like a breakout: 23% K, 60% GB, 60% 1st-pitck strike, 0.5 HR/9, and .220 AVG
10	Steven Wright	BAL
11	Jake Odorizzi	SEA, SF
12	Cole Hamels	at STL
13	Jordan Zimmermann	at CWS, at KC
14	Sonny Gray

For the week June 13-19

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	David Price	BAL, SEA	He's back: 2.55 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 38 Ks in his last 42.3 IP
2	Carlos Carrasco	at KC, CWS	Reached 100 pitches last time out, we can assume the reins are off going forward
3	Yu Darvish	at OAK, at STL	Removed as a precautionary measure w/some shoulder tightness, but it's not expected to be a long-term issue
4	Chris Sale	DET
5	Justin Verlander	at KC	He's absolutely rolling: 2.01 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 52 Ks in his last six starts (44.7 IP); he has 7+ Ks in each start, too
6	Danny Salazar	CWS
7	Corey Kluber	at KC	He's an awful eighth inning v. TEX (0 outs, 3 ER) from a reallygood run over his L4, but he still has a 2.96 ERA in those 27.3 IP
8	Masahiro Tanaka	at MIN
9	Aaron Sanchez	at BAL	This really looks like a breakout: 23% K, 60% GB, 60% 1st-pitck strike, 0.5 HR/9, and .220 AVG
10	Steven Wright	BAL
11	Jake Odorizzi	SEA, SF
12	Cole Hamels	at STL
13	Jordan Zimmermann	at CWS, at KC
14	Sonny Gray	TEX	Went 7.7 IP and 92 pitches on Friday after a 5 IP/69-pitch effort in his return; don't quite look like peak Gray, but get him back in your lineups
15	Marco Estrada	at PHI
16	Jose Quintana	at CLE
17	Chris Archer	SF	Might be coming around a bit, but I'd probably only project for around 3.50-3.75 ERA for the rest of the season
18	Lance McCullers	CIN
19	Chris Tillman	at BOS, TOR
20	Danny Duffy	DET	Working with a career-high 96.6 MPH fastball and he's focused on it w/a career-high 72% usage
21	CC Sabathia	at MIN	He hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in a single start and he's allowed all of 3 ER in five starts since returning from the DL
22	Michael Fulmer	at KC
23	Hisashi Iwakuma	at TB
24	Josh Tomlin	at KC	I'd honestly be terrified of having him bc of the HR issue, but I can't completely ignore a 3.25 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in his last 133 IP
25	Michael Pineda	at MIN
26	Matt Shoemaker	at OAK	Last five: 2.80 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 42 Ks, and 2 BBs in 35.3 IP
27	R.A. Dickey	PHI, at BAL
28	Taijuan Walker	at TB, at BOS
29	James Paxton	at BOS	Has averaged 98-99 MPH on his fastball in his first 2 starts of the season; small sample, sure, but incredibly impressive just the same
30	Dallas Keuchel	CIN
31	J.A. Happ	at PHI
32	Ian Kennedy	CLE
33	Kevin Gausman	at BOS	Had to bump him down for this matchup, but still buying long-term
34	Nate Karns	at TB
35	Nathan Eovaldi	at COL, at MIN
36	Rick Porcello	SEA	Not special, but a useful innings eater
37	Marcus Stroman	PHI, at BAL	He's finished six innings just once in his last five with a 7.59 ERA and 1.85 WHIP
38	Ervin Santana	at LAA, NYY
39	Sean Manaea	TEX, LAA	Struggles with one-bad-inning syndrome, a common affliction for young SPs; Hahn meltdown lengthens leash
40	Jhoulys Chacin	MIN
41	Mike Fiers	CIN
42	Collin McHugh	at STL	Skills are better than this ERA, but at STL is a tough place to start the regression toward a mid-3.00s
43	Trevor Bauer	CWS
44	Eduardo Rodriguez	BAL
45	Martin Perez	at OAK, at STL	It's really tough to buy into the 3.22 ERA with a 1.2 (!!!) K:BB ratio; past BB rates and 65% first-pitch strike rate offer hope; watchlist
46	Colby Lewis	at OAK
47	Wade Miley	at BOS
48	Drew Smyly	SEA	Got skipped a turn, but should be ready to go on next Wednesday; think I'm sitting him either way
49	Carlos Rodon	at CLE
50	Doug Fister	at STL	He has just a 2.61 ERA in his L10, but the 1.23 WHIP, 14% K, and 1.6 K:BB ratio suggest caution
51	Tyler Duffey	at LAA
52	Daniel Mengden	TEX	Debuting Saturday after destroying AA/AAA: 1.19 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 3.1 K:BB ratio in 68.3 IP

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
53	Matt Boyd	at CWS, at KC
54	Kyle Gibson	NYY
55	James Shields	DET, at CLE	Not a good debut and I'm not sure I feel comfortable locking him in a lineup for two starts, both vs. solid offenses
56	Matt Andriese	SEA
57	Edinson Volquez	CLE, DET
58	Pat Dean	NYY
59	Matt Moore	SF
60	Ivan Nova	at COL
61	Tim Lincecum	at OAK
62	Derek Holland	at OAK
63	Yovani Gallardo	TOR
64	Yordano Ventura	DET
65	Kendall Graveman	LAA
66	Hector Santiago	MIN
67	Ricky Nolasco	at LAA, NYY
68	Miguel Gonzalez	DET
69	Ubaldo Jimenez	TOR
70	Chris Young	CLE, DET
71	Tyler Wilson	at BOS
72	Jered Weaver	MIN, at OAK
73	Mike Pelfrey	at CWS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Max Scherzer	CHC, at SD	At least he hasn't had any multi-HR outings in his last four (2.70 ERA, 31 Ks in 30 IP)
2	Clayton Kershaw	at ARI	Only one stud w/2 starts can surpass a one-start Kersh; he's pitching thatwell right now
3	Jacob deGrom	PIT, ATL
4	Drew Pomeranz	MIA, WAS	Leveraging his home ballpark especially well: 1.52 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, and 3.1 K:BB in 29.7 IP
5	Jose Fernandez	COL	His 38% K rate is substantially better than the rest of the field (33% Kershaw, Thor)
6	Noah Syndergaard	PIT
7	Jake Arrieta	PIT
8	Jon Lester	PIT	Now riding streak of 16 scoreless; has 9+ Ks in 3 of L5 and 7+ in 4 of L5
9	Stephen Strasburg	CHC	Poked DFS twitter w/4 ER in his first 3 IP v. PHI, but held on for 7 IP/4 ER/10 Ks in his 10th W of the year
10	Steven Matz	ATL
11	Madison Bumgarner	MIL
12	Matt Harvey	ATL
13	Zack Greinke	LAD, at PHI	Definitely feels like he's back: 1.95 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in his last 37 IP; Ks back at 2013 level instead of 2014-15
14	Johnny Cueto	MIL	Pray for your AL-only brethren, their #13 is Sonny Gray
15	Julio Teheran	CIN, at NYM
16	Kyle Hendricks	at WAS, PIT	Hendricks and Hammel are cheapest of the CHC SPs and both are worth buying as that rising tide lifts all boats (plus they're both good)
17	Jeff Samardzija	at TB	Back-to-back tough starts at ATL and at STL; velo actually peaked in STL so doesn't look like more than a couple bum starts
18	John Lackey	at WAS
19	Gio Gonzalez	CHC, at SD
20	Kenta Maeda	at ARI, MIL	Had those three 4 ER outings in mid-May and some thought he was figured out; 1.00 ERA in 18 IP since then
21	Aaron Nola	TOR
22	Jason Hammel	at WAS	Expected better in ATL, but that's why they say you can't predict baseball
23	Tanner Roark	at SD
24	Joe Ross	at SD
25	Jimmy Nelson	at SF, at LAD	ERA indicators are very pessimistic, but improvements against lefties are hopeful; keep a close eye on him
26	Adam Wainwright	HOU	Last five: 3.03 ERA, 0.98 WHIP in 32.7 IP with 29 Ks and 4.8 K:BB ratio
27	Carlos Martinez	TEX
28	Brandon Finnegan	at ATL, at HOU	The stats are modest because he's inconsistent, but the talent is evident; this is still a growth profile that I'd make sure to hang onto even if you aren't starting him all the time
29	Scott Kazmir	MIL
30	Adam Conley	COL
31	Gerrit Cole	at NYM	Left his Friday night start triceps tightness; stay tuned for news
32	Junior Guerra	at SF
33	Dan Straily	at ATL	Trip to Coors is still his only outing allowing more than 3 ER all year
34	Jeremy Hellickson	TOR
35	Anthony DeSclafani	at ATL	Sharp season debut (finally!) with 6 IP/1 ER, though 8 H, 3 BB, and 2 K curbs some of the excitement
36	Jerad Eickhoff	at TOR, ARI
37	Jaime Garcia	HOU
38	Tyler Chatwood	at MIA	Woo, some of the good COL SPs are on the road! (0.65 ERA, 0.84 WHIP for Chatwood)
39	Bartolo Colon	PIT
40	Matt Wisler	CIN
41	Wei-Yin Chen	at SD, COL	Haven't really seen him take advantage of his move to the NL and specifically that home park; cuttable in shallow mixers
42	Robbie Ray	at PHI
43	Eddie Butler	at MIA
44	Julio Urias	MIL
45	Archie Bradley	LAD	Cautiously optimistic of his surge since recall, but I'd speculate in deep leagues because the upside is still high
46	Mike Leake	TEX
47	Juan Nicasio	at NYM, at CHC	The dreams from spring training aren't dead, but they're barely breathing; if you can't start him in a 2-step, just cut him
48	Chase Anderson	at SF, at LAD
49	Chad Bettis	NYY, at MIA

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
50	Michael Wacha	TEX	Still not sold that he's fully healthy; hasn't had a walk-free outing all year
51	Francisco Liriano	at CHC	This is looking like more than just some hiccups; I'm benching in deeper leagues and OK to cut in shallower ones
52	Jon Niese	at CHC
53	Tom Koehler	at SD	The Padres are terrible, but is Koehler good enough to leverage that into a quality start?
54	Colin Rea	MIA, WAS
55	Mike Bolsinger	at ARI, MIL
56	Jon Gray	NYY	Has a good home start every once in a while, but cannot be trusted there
57	John Lamb	at HOU
58	Patrick Corbin	LAD
59	Christian Friedrich	WAS
60	Andrew Cashner	MIA
61	Casey Kelly	at NYM
62	Zach Davies	at LAD
63	Albert Suarez	MIL, at TB
64	Erik Johnson	WAS
65	Adam Morgan	ARI
66	Matt Garza	at LAD
67	Jake Peavy	at TB
68	Bud Norris	CIN
69	Aaron Blair	CIN, at NYM
70	Jeff Locke	at NYM
71	Justin Nicolino	at SD
72	Edwin Escobar Replacement	at PHI	Possibly Zach Godley
73	Alfredo Simon	at ATL, at HOU
74	Vince Velasquez replacement	at TOR, ARI

MLB TOP 100

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Max Scherzer	CHC, at SD	At least he hasn't had any multi-HR outings in his last four (2.70 ERA, 31 Ks in 30 IP)
2	Clayton Kershaw	at ARI	Only one stud w/2 starts can surpass a one-start Kersh; he's pitching thatwell right now
3	Jacob deGrom	PIT, ATL
4	David Price	BAL, SEA	He's back: 2.55 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 38 Ks in his last 42.3 IP
5	Carlos Carrasco	at KC, CWS	Reached 100 pitches last time out, we can assume the reins are off going forward
6	Yu Darvish	at OAK, at STL	Removed as a precautionary measure w/some shoulder tightness, but it's not expected to be a long-term issue
7	Drew Pomeranz	MIA, WAS	Leveraging his home ballpark especially well: 1.52 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, and 3.1 K:BB in 29.7 IP
8	Jose Fernandez	COL	His 38% K rate is substantially better than the rest of the field (33% Kershaw, Thor)
9	Noah Syndergaard	PIT
10	Jake Arrieta	PIT
11	Jon Lester	PIT	Now riding streak of 16 scoreless; has 9+ Ks in 3 of L5 and 7+ in 4 of L5
12	Stephen Strasburg	CHC	Poked DFS twitter w/4 ER in his first 3 IP v. PHI, but held on for 7 IP/4 ER/10 Ks in his 10th W of the year
13	Chris Sale	DET
14	Justin Verlander	at KC	He's absolutely rolling: 2.01 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 52 Ks in his last six starts (44.7 IP); he has 7+ Ks in each start, too
15	Danny Salazar	CWS
16	Steven Matz	ATL
17	Madison Bumgarner	MIL
18	Matt Harvey	ATL
19	Zack Greinke	LAD, at PHI	Definitely feels like he's back: 1.95 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in his last 37 IP; Ks back at 2013 level instead of 2014-15
20	Johnny Cueto	MIL	Pray for your AL-only brethren, their #13 is Sonny Gray
21	Corey Kluber	at KC	He's an awful eighth inning v. TEX (0 outs, 3 ER) from a reallygood run over his L4, but he still has a 2.96 ERA in those 27.3 IP
22	Masahiro Tanaka	at MIN
23	Aaron Sanchez	at BAL	This really looks like a breakout: 23% K, 60% GB, 60% 1st-pitck strike, 0.5 HR/9, and .220 AVG
24	Julio Teheran	CIN, at NYM
25	Steven Wright	BAL
26	Jake Odorizzi	SEA, SF
27	Cole Hamels	at STL
28	Kyle Hendricks	at WAS, PIT	Hendricks and Hammel are cheapest of the CHC SPs and both are worth buying as that rising tide lifts all boats (plus they're both good)
29	Jordan Zimmermann	at CWS, at KC
30	Jeff Samardzija	at TB	Back-to-back tough starts at ATL and at STL; velo actually peaked in STL so doesn't look like more than a couple bum starts
31	John Lackey	at WAS
32	Gio Gonzalez	CHC, at SD
33	Kenta Maeda	at ARI, MIL	Had those three 4 ER outings in mid-May and some thought he was figured out; 1.00 ERA in 18 IP since then
34	Aaron Nola	TOR
35	Sonny Gray	TEX	Went 7.7 IP and 92 pitches on Friday after a 5 IP/69-pitch effort in his return; don't quite look like peak Gray, but get him back in your lineups
36	Marco Estrada	at PHI
37	Jason Hammel	at WAS	Expected better in ATL, but that's why they say you can't predict baseball
38	Jose Quintana	at CLE
39	Chris Archer	SF	Might be coming around a bit, but I'd probably only project for around 3.50-3.75 ERA for the rest of the season
40	Lance McCullers	CIN
41	Chris Tillman	at BOS, TOR
42	Tanner Roark	at SD
43	Joe Ross	at SD
44	Jimmy Nelson	at SF, at LAD	ERA indicators are very pessimistic, but improvements against lefties are hopeful; keep a close eye on him
45	Danny Duffy	DET	Working with a career-high 96.6 MPH fastball and he's focused on it w/a career-high 72% usage
46	CC Sabathia	at MIN	He hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in a single start and he's allowed all of 3 ER in five starts since returning from the DL
47	Michael Fulmer	at KC
48	Adam Wainwright	HOU	Last five: 3.03 ERA, 0.98 WHIP in 32.7 IP with 29 Ks and 4.8 K:BB ratio
49	Carlos Martinez	TEX
50	Brandon Finnegan	at ATL, at HOU	The stats are modest because he's inconsistent, but the talent is evident; this is still a growth profile that I'd make sure to hang onto even if you aren't starting him all the time
51	Scott Kazmir	MIL
52	Adam Conley	COL
53	Gerrit Cole	at NYM	Left his Friday night start triceps tightness; stay tuned for news
54	Hisashi Iwakuma	at TB
55	Josh Tomlin	at KC	I'd honestly be terrified of having him bc of the HR issue, but I can't completely ignore a 3.25 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in his last 133 IP
56	Michael Pineda	at MIN
57	Matt Shoemaker	at OAK	Last five: 2.80 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 42 Ks, and 2 BBs in 35.3 IP
58	Junior Guerra	at SF
59	Dan Straily	at ATL	Trip to Coors is still his only outing allowing more than 3 ER all year
60	R.A. Dickey	PHI, at BAL
61	Taijuan Walker	at TB, at BOS
62	James Paxton	at BOS	Has averaged 98-99 MPH on his fastball in his first 2 starts of the season; small sample, sure, but incredibly impressive just the same
63	Dallas Keuchel	CIN
64	Jeremy Hellickson	TOR
65	Anthony DeSclafani	at ATL	Sharp season debut (finally!) with 6 IP/1 ER, though 8 H, 3 BB, and 2 K curbs some of the excitement
66	J.A. Happ	at PHI
67	Jerad Eickhoff	at TOR, ARI
68	Jaime Garcia	HOU
69	Tyler Chatwood	at MIA	Woo, some of the good COL SPs are on the road! (0.65 ERA, 0.84 WHIP for Chatwood)
70	Ian Kennedy	CLE
71	Kevin Gausman	at BOS	Had to bump him down for this matchup, but still buying long-term
72	Nate Karns	at TB
73	Bartolo Colon	PIT
74	Matt Wisler	CIN
75	Wei-Yin Chen	at SD, COL	Haven't really seen him take advantage of his move to the NL and specifically that home park; cuttable in shallow mixers
76	Nathan Eovaldi	at COL, at MIN
77	Rick Porcello	SEA	Not special, but a useful innings eater
78	Marcus Stroman	PHI, at BAL	He's finished six innings just once in his last five with a 7.59 ERA and 1.85 WHIP
79	Ervin Santana	at LAA, NYY
80	Sean Manaea	TEX, LAA	Struggles with one-bad-inning syndrome, a common affliction for young SPs; Hahn meltdown lengthens leash
81	Robbie Ray	at PHI
82	Eddie Butler	at MIA
83	Julio Urias	MIL
84	Archie Bradley	LAD	Cautiously optimistic of his surge since recall, but I'd speculate in deep leagues because the upside is still high
85	Jhoulys Chacin	MIN
85	Mike Leake	TEX
86	Juan Nicasio	at NYM, at CHC	The dreams from spring training aren't dead, but they're barely breathing; if you can't start him in a 2-step, just cut him
87	Chase Anderson	at SF, at LAD
88	Chad Bettis	NYY, at MIA
89	Michael Wacha	TEX	Still not sold that he's fully healthy; hasn't had a walk-free outing all year
90	Jhoulys Chacin	MIN
91	Mike Fiers	CIN
92	Collin McHugh	at STL	Skills are better than this ERA, but at STL is a tough place to start the regression toward a mid-3.00s
93	Trevor Bauer	CWS
94	Eduardo Rodriguez	BAL
96	Martin Perez	at OAK, at STL	It's really tough to buy into the 3.22 ERA with a 1.2 (!!!) K:BB ratio; past BB rates and 65% first-pitch strike rate offer hope; watchlist
97	Colby Lewis	at OAK
98	Wade Miley	at BOS
99	Francisco Liriano	at CHC	This is looking like more than just some hiccups; I'm benching in deeper leagues and OK to cut in shallower ones
100	Drew Smyly	SEA	Got skipped a turn, but should be ready to go on next Wednesday; think I'm sitting him either way