Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Cole Spins Way to Top Spot

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Updated on July 21, 2019 10:52PM EST

This week is a good microcosm of the current pitching landscape with more arms at the extremes and fewer clustered in the middle. Either you're able to navigate the minefield that is the record-setting homer pace, or you're not. The odd thing is minimizing homers isn't necessarily the answer as Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander among others have surrendered more than their fair share but aren't giving up much of anything else.

We're at the point in the season where managing ratios is paramount. Keep in mind these rankings favor strikeouts and wins, so if you're in a tight ratio battle, some of the rankings of the higher strikeout pitchers could be misleading.

You know the deal by now, these are preliminary rankings based on information available. Many teams will firm up plans this weekend, not to mention trades can go down at any time. An update will be posted Sunday night.

For the week of July 22-28.

UPDATED: Sunday July 21, 10:50 PM ET

MLB

Rank	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. OAK, at STL	37.5% K% second only to Chris Sale's 38.4% last season since 2000
2	Chris Sale	BOS	at TB, vs. NYY	4.05 ERA misleading as evidenced by 2.96 xFIP
3	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at TOR, at KC	San Diego bound?
4	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at TOR, at KC	Back in the groove
5	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. COL, vs. LAD
6	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. PHI, at SEA	On 24/7

For the week of July 22-28.

UPDATED: Sunday July 21, 10:50 PM ET

MLB

Rank	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. OAK, at STL	37.5% K% second only to Chris Sale's 38.4% last season since 2000
2	Chris Sale	BOS	at TB, vs. NYY	4.05 ERA misleading as evidenced by 2.96 xFIP
3	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at TOR, at KC	San Diego bound?
4	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at TOR, at KC	Back in the groove
5	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. COL, vs. LAD
6	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. PHI, at SEA	On 24/7 hug watch
7	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. BAL, at MIA	High strikeouts plus weak opponents
8	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. COL	Tentative, Nats say they won't rush him back
9	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at TB, vs. NYY	Tough love has paid off, E-Rod going deeper into games
10	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. SD
11	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. OAK
12	Zack Greinke	ARI	at MIA
13	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. STL, at NYM
14	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. SD
15	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at WAS
16	David Price	BOS	at TB	Looking to rebound after rare rough outing vs. Baltimore
17	Chris Archer	PIT	vs. STL, at NYM	Homers and walks still an issue but favorable opponents
18	Wade Miley	HOU	vs. OAK, at STL
19	Jose Berrios	MIN	at CWS
20	Sonny Gray	CIN	at MIL, vs. COL	Quietly having a solid season
21	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. PIT	Expected to return from IL
22	Patrick Corbin	WAS	vs. COL
23	Shane Bieber	CLE	at TOR
24	Lance Lynn	TEX	at OAK
25	Mike Minor	TEX	at SEA	Potential trade target but Texas hanging around wild card
26	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	at WAS
27	Walker Buehler	LAD	at WAS
28	Chris Paddack	SD	at NYM
29	Aaron Nola	PHI	at DET
30	Charlie Morton	TB	vs. BOS
31	Mike Soroka	ATL	at PHI
32	Domingo German	NYY	at MIN, at BOS	Picked up where he left off pre-injury
33	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. CHC
34	Blake Snell	TB	at TOR	Only 1 of last 6 GS more than 5 IP
35	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. NYY, at CWS	Sporting career high K% and low BB%
36	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at MIL
37	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. MIN
38	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. DET	Boosted by home venue
39	Ivan Nova	CWS	vs. MIA, vs. MIN
40	German Marquez	COL	at CIN
41	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. COL	1.74 ERA, .89 WHIP with 25 K over last 20.2 IP
42	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. SF
43	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. CIN, vs. CHC
44	Dallas Keuchel	ATL	vs. KC
45	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	vs. DET
46	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. LAA
47	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. BOS
48	Trevor Richards	MIA	at CWS, vs. ARI	Nice matchups, viable pickup if available
49	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. BAL
50	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. LAA	Should be ready to go deeper, threw 5 IP last two GS
51	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TEX
52	Mike Fiers	OAK	at HOU, vs. TEX
53	Jon Lester	CHC	at SF
54	Michael Pineda	MIN	at CWS
55	Caleb Smith	MIA	at CWS
56	Jon Gray	COL	at WAS, at CIN	Rare instance where two on the road is a good thing
57	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. KC	1.53 ERA, .96 WHIP with 17 K over previous 17.2 IP
58	Felix Pena	LAA	at LAD, vs. BAL
59	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. ATL
60	Yu Darvish	CHC	at SF
61	Merrill Kelly	ARI	vs. BAL
62	Miles Mikolas	STL	at PIT
63	Jesse Chavez	TEX	at SEA, at OAK
64	Martin Perez	MIN	vs. NYY, at CWS	Only 15 K last 24 IP
65	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. MIA	Dominant after break with 15 K in 13 IP
66	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PIT
67	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. STL
68	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. SF
69	Tommy Milone	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. DET
70	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at SD
71	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. BOS, at TOR
72	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. ATL
73	Drew VerHagen	#N/A	at SEA
74	Griffin Canning	LAA	vs. BAL
75	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. NYY
76	Ryan Borucki	TOR	vs. CLE, vs. TB
77	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. HOU
78	Jose Quintana	CHC	at MIL
79	CC Sabathia	NYY	at MIN, at BOS
80	Danny Duffy	KC	at ATL, vs. CLE
81	Daniel Ponce de Leon	STL	at PIT, vs. HOU
82	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. COL
83	Jordan Lyles	PIT	vs. STL
84	Jordan Yamamoto	MIA	vs. ARI
85	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. DET
86	Gio Gonzalez	MIL	vs. CHC
87	Logan Allen	SD	at NYM
88	Zach Plesac	CLE	at KC
89	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at ARI, at LAA
90	Brett Anderson	OAK	vs. TEX
91	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. SD
92	Eric Lauer	SD	at NYM
93	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. CIN
94	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. ARI
95	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at TOR
96	Dario Agrazal	PIT	at NYM
97	James Paxton	NYY	at BOS
98	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. CLE
99	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BOS
100	Daniel Mengden	OAK	vs. TEX
101	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. CLE
102	Tanner Roark	CIN	at MIL
103	Cal Quantrill	SD	vs. SF
104	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at MIL
105	Max Fried	ATL	at PHI
106	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. NYY
107	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at PHI
108	Adrian Sampson	TEX	at SEA, at OAK
109	John Means	BAL	at ARI
110	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. CIN
111	Zac Gallen	MIA	at CWS
112	Brad Keller	KC	at ATL
113	Mike Montgomery	KC	vs. CLE
114	Adam Plutko	CLE	at KC
115	Dylan Cease	CWS	vs. MIN
116	J.A. Happ	NYY	at MIN
117	Peter Lambert	COL	at WAS, at CIN
118	Conner Menez	SF	at SD
119	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at DET
120	Jaime Barria	LAA	at LAD
121	Jose Suarez	LAA	vs. BAL
122	Alex Young	ARI	at MIA
123	Shaun Anderson	SF	vs. CHC, at SD
124	Adam Wainwright	STL	at PIT
125	Chris Bassitt	OAK	at HOU
126	Tyler Alexander	DET	at SEA
127	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	vs. LAD
128	Trent Thornton	TOR	vs. TB
129	Rogelio Armenteros	HOU	at STL
130	Alec Mills	CHC	at SF, at MIL
131	Homer Bailey	OAK	at HOU, vs. TEX
132	Dylan Covey	CWS	vs. MIA, vs. MIN
133	Dakota Hudson	STL	at PIT, vs. HOU
134	Erick Fedde	WAS	vs. COL, vs. LAD
135	Aaron Brooks	BAL	at ARI, at LAA
136	Daniel Norris	DET	at SEA
137	Asher Wojciechowski	BAL	at LAA
138	Drew Smyly	PHI	vs. ATL
139	Walker Lockett	NYM	vs. PIT
140	Kyle Freeland	COL	at WAS
141	Ariel Jurado	TEX	at OAK
142	Jacob Waguespack	TOR	vs. TB
143	Glenn Sparkman	KC	vs. CLE
144	Taylor Clarke	ARI	vs. BAL
145	Adrian Houser	MIL	vs. CHC
146	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. CLE
147	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. PHI
148	Tom Eshelman	BAL	at LAA
149	Andrew Cashner	BOS	vs. NYY
150	Tyler Beede	SF	vs. CHC
151	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	at WAS

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. OAK, at STL	37.5% K% second only to Chris Sale's 38.4% last season since 2000
2	Chris Sale	BOS	at TB, vs. NYY	4.05 ERA misleading as evidenced by 2.96 xFIP
3	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at TOR, at KC	San Diego bound?
4	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at TOR, at KC	Back in the groove
5	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. PHI, at SEA	On 24/7 hug watch
6	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at TB, vs. NYY	Tough love has paid off, E-Rod going deeper into games
7	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. OAK
8	David Price	BOS	at TB	Looking to rebound after rare rough outing vs. Baltimore
9	Wade Miley	HOU	vs. OAK, at STL
10	Jose Berrios	MIN	at CWS
11	Shane Bieber	CLE	at TOR
12	Lance Lynn	TEX	at OAK
13	Mike Minor	TEX	at SEA	Potential trade target but Texas hanging around wild card
14	Charlie Morton	TB	vs. BOS
15	Domingo German	NYY	at MIN, at BOS	Picked up where he left off pre-injury
16	Blake Snell	TB	at TOR	Only 1 of last 6 GS more than 5 IP
17	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. NYY, at CWS	Sporting career high K% and low BB%
18	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. MIN
19	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. DET	Boosted by home venue
20	Ivan Nova	CWS	vs. MIA, vs. MIN
21	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	vs. DET
22	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. BOS
23	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. BAL
24	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TEX
25	Mike Fiers	OAK	at HOU, vs. TEX
26	Michael Pineda	MIN	at CWS
27	Felix Pena	LAA	at LAD, vs. BAL
28	Jesse Chavez	TEX	at SEA, at OAK
29	Martin Perez	MIN	vs. NYY, at CWS	Only 15 K last 24 IP
30	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. MIA	Dominant after break with 15 K in 13 IP
31	Tommy Milone	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. DET
32	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. BOS, at TOR
33	Griffin Canning	LAA	vs. BAL
34	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. NYY
35	Ryan Borucki	TOR	vs. CLE, vs. TB
36	CC Sabathia	NYY	at MIN, at BOS
37	Danny Duffy	KC	at ATL, vs. CLE
38	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. DET
39	Zach Plesac	CLE	at KC
40	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at ARI, at LAA
41	Brett Anderson	OAK	vs. TEX
42	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at TOR
43	James Paxton	NYY	at BOS
44	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. CLE
45	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BOS
46	Daniel Mengden	OAK	vs. TEX
47	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. CLE
48	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. NYY
49	Adrian Sampson	TEX	at SEA, at OAK
50	John Means	BAL	at ARI
51	Brad Keller	KC	at ATL
52	Mike Montgomery	KC	vs. CLE
53	Adam Plutko	CLE	at KC
54	Dylan Cease	CWS	vs. MIN
55	J.A. Happ	NYY	at MIN
56	Jaime Barria	LAA	at LAD
57	Jose Suarez	LAA	vs. BAL
58	Chris Bassitt	OAK	at HOU
59	Tyler Alexander	DET	at SEA
60	Trent Thornton	TOR	vs. TB
61	Rogelio Armenteros	HOU	at STL
62	Homer Bailey	OAK	at HOU, vs. TEX
63	Dylan Covey	CWS	vs. MIA, vs. MIN
64	Aaron Brooks	BAL	at ARI, at LAA
65	Daniel Norris	DET	at SEA
66	Asher Wojciechowski	BAL	at LAA
67	Ariel Jurado	TEX	at OAK
68	Jacob Waguespack	TOR	vs. TB
69	Glenn Sparkman	KC	vs. CLE
70	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. CLE
71	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. PHI
72	Tom Eshelman	BAL	at LAA
73	Andrew Cashner	BOS	vs. NYY

NATIONAL LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. COL, vs. LAD
2	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. BAL, at MIA	High strikeouts plus weak opponents
3	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. COL	Tentative, Nats say they won't rush him back
4	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. SD
5	Zack Greinke	ARI	at MIA
6	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. STL, at NYM
7	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. SD
8	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at WAS
9	Chris Archer	PIT	vs. STL, at NYM	Homers and walks still an issue but favorable opponents
10	Sonny Gray	CIN	at MIL, vs. COL	Quietly having a solid season
11	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. PIT	Expected to return from IL
12	Patrick Corbin	WAS	vs. COL
13	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	at WAS
14	Walker Buehler	LAD	at WAS
15	Chris Paddack	SD	at NYM
16	Aaron Nola	PHI	at DET
17	Mike Soroka	ATL	at PHI
18	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. CHC
19	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at MIL
20	German Marquez	COL	at CIN
21	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. COL	1.74 ERA, .89 WHIP with 25 K over last 20.2 IP
22	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. SF
23	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. CIN, vs. CHC
24	Dallas Keuchel	ATL	vs. KC
25	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. LAA
26	Trevor Richards	MIA	at CWS, vs. ARI	Nice matchups, viable pickup if available
27	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. LAA	Should be ready to go deeper, threw 5 IP last two GS
28	Jon Lester	CHC	at SF
29	Caleb Smith	MIA	at CWS
30	Jon Gray	COL	at WAS, at CIN	Rare instance where two on the road is a good thing
31	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. KC	1.53 ERA, .96 WHIP with 17 K over previous 17.2 IP
32	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. ATL
33	Yu Darvish	CHC	at SF
34	Merrill Kelly	ARI	vs. BAL
35	Miles Mikolas	STL	at PIT
36	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PIT
37	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. STL
38	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. SF
39	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at SD
40	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. ATL
41	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. HOU
42	Jose Quintana	CHC	at MIL
43	Daniel Ponce de Leon	STL	at PIT, vs. HOU
44	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. COL
45	Jordan Lyles	PIT	vs. STL
46	Jordan Yamamoto	MIA	vs. ARI
47	Gio Gonzalez	MIL	vs. CHC
48	Logan Allen	SD	at NYM
49	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. SD
50	Eric Lauer	SD	at NYM
51	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. CIN
52	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. ARI
53	Dario Agrazal	PIT	at NYM
54	Tanner Roark	CIN	at MIL
55	Cal Quantrill	SD	vs. SF
56	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at MIL
57	Max Fried	ATL	at PHI
58	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at PHI
59	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. CIN
60	Zac Gallen	MIA	at CWS
61	Peter Lambert	COL	at WAS, at CIN
62	Conner Menez	SF	at SD
63	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at DET
64	Alex Young	ARI	at MIA
65	Shaun Anderson	SF	vs. CHC, at SD
66	Adam Wainwright	STL	at PIT
67	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	vs. LAD
68	Alec Mills	CHC	at SF, at MIL
69	Dakota Hudson	STL	at PIT, vs. HOU
70	Erick Fedde	WAS	vs. COL, vs. LAD
71	Drew Smyly	PHI	vs. ATL
72	Walker Lockett	NYM	vs. PIT
73	Kyle Freeland	COL	at WAS
74	Taylor Clarke	ARI	vs. BAL
75	Adrian Houser	MIL	vs. CHC
76	Tyler Beede	SF	vs. CHC
77	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	at WAS