Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Roll with the Changes

Todd Zola ranks the week's starting pitching with two-start Corbin Burnes on top, but don't ignore the single-start streamers in today's environment.

Updated on April 25, 2022 1:41AM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Roll with the Changes

By:

Todd Zola

Updated on April 25, 2022 1:41AM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings

SPECIAL OFFER

Get 20% OFF

To celebrate the start of the NBA season, we're giving away 20% off all subscriptions. Ends 10/26. Use promo code .

PROMO CODE BASKET

When I first devised the algorithms for the pitching rankings, starters were working deeper into games, rendering two-start weeks more useful than they are in the current landscape. As such, I reworked some settings to deemphasize double dippers. By doing so, the better single-start matchups rose in the ranks, which is in line with how streaming needs to be approached in today's environment. Personally, I still want to be aggressive while the aggregate ERA is low. However, the refreshed rankings do a better job of gauging solid one-start weeks and lower-level two-start weeks.

Please realize I pull the schedule from the Probable Pitchers grid, so please direct any specific rotation questions over there. As always, I'm happy to address rankings comments below.

UPDATED: Monday, April 25 1:20 AM ET

Week of April 25 - May 1

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Corbin Burnes	MIL	SF, CHC
2	Max Scherzer	NYM	@STL, PHI
3	Kevin Gausman	TOR	BOS, HOU	Handling transition back to the AL seamlessly
4	Joe Musgrove	SD	@CIN, @PIT	21 K with 1 BB in first 19 IP
5	Shane Bieber	CLE	@LAA, @OAK
6	Max Fried	ATL	CHC, @TEX
7	Walker Buehler	LAD	@ARI, DET	Great pair to get back on track
8	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@WAS, SEA	Walks high (7 BB in 19.1 IP), but just 1 HR minimizing damage
9	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	DET
10	Carlos Rodon	SF	OAK	29 K in 17 IP, how long can he

Please realize I pull the schedule from the Probable Pitchers grid, so please direct any specific rotation questions over there. As always, I'm happy to address rankings comments below.

UPDATED: Monday, April 25 1:20 AM ET

Week of April 25 - May 1

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Corbin Burnes	MIL	SF, CHC
2	Max Scherzer	NYM	@STL, PHI
3	Kevin Gausman	TOR	BOS, HOU	Handling transition back to the AL seamlessly
4	Joe Musgrove	SD	@CIN, @PIT	21 K with 1 BB in first 19 IP
5	Shane Bieber	CLE	@LAA, @OAK
6	Max Fried	ATL	CHC, @TEX
7	Walker Buehler	LAD	@ARI, DET	Great pair to get back on track
8	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@WAS, SEA	Walks high (7 BB in 19.1 IP), but just 1 HR minimizing damage
9	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	DET
10	Carlos Rodon	SF	OAK	29 K in 17 IP, how long can he stay healthy?
11	Logan Webb	SF	WAS
12	Logan Gilbert	SEA	@TB, @MIA	15 K with 1 BB in 16.2 IP
13	Robbie Ray	SEA	@MIA
14	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@KC
15	Aaron Nola	PHI	@NYM
16	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@PIT
17	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	CLE
18	Frankie Montas	OAK	CLE
19	Justin Verlander	HOU	@TEX
20	Tylor Megill	NYM	PHI
21	Dylan Cease	CWS	KC
22	Jose Berrios	TOR	BOS, HOU	Will take awhile to get rid of damage from his first start
23	Michael Kopech	CWS	KC
24	Julio Urias	LAD	@ARI
25	Alek Manoah	TOR	BOS
26	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	BAL
27	Lucas Giolito	CWS	LAA
28	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	@STL	20 K with 2 BB in 18.1 IP, good to see Cookie dealing
29	Sean Manaea	SD	@PIT
30	Chris Bassitt	NYM	@STL	Not missing a beat with the move to the Senior Circuit
31	Joe Ryan	MIN	DET
32	Bailey Ober	MIN	DET	So far, so good, but 13K in 16 IP leaves him vulnerable to a blow-up
33	Chris Paddack	MIN	DET, @TB
34	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	SEA
35	Shane McClanahan	TB	MIN
36	Yu Darvish	SD	@PIT
37	Alex Wood	SF	WAS
38	Freddy Peralta	MIL	@PIT	Getting better, a great spot to continue the trend
39	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@TOR, @BAL	Five homers allowed masking 19 K with just 3 BB in 14.2 IP
40	Zach Plesac	CLE	@LAA
41	Pablo Lopez	MIA	@WAS	Shoulder is clearly healthy, knock on wood it stays that way
42	Dylan Bundy	MIN	@TB
43	Aaron Civale	CLE	@OAK
44	Adam Wainwright	STL	ARI	High BABIP, but 20 K in 16 IP limiting runs
45	Luis Severino	NYY	BAL, @KC	Should be ready to work five-plus frames
46	Jakob Junis	SF	OAK	Another Giants' reclamation project
47	Eric Lauer	MIL	CHC
48	Jameson Taillon	NYY	BAL
49	Miles Mikolas	STL	NYM, ARI
50	Triston McKenzie	CLE	@LAA, @OAK
51	Kyle Gibson	PHI	COL, @NYM	19 K in 17.2 IP
52	Charlie Morton	ATL	CHC
53	Merrill Kelly	ARI	LAD, @STL
54	Eduardo Rodriguez	DET	@MIN, @LAD	Tough pair to get untracked
55	Noah Syndergaard	LAA	@CWS
56	Kyle Wright	ATL	CHC
57	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	SEA	Next step: consistency
58	Nestor Cortes Jr.	NYY	@KC
59	German Marquez	COL	@PHI
60	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	CLE
61	Paul Blackburn	OAK	@SF	Not going deep, but working an effective five and fly
62	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@STL
63	Matt Brash	SEA	@MIA
64	Marco Gonzales	SEA	@TB
65	Daulton Jefferies	OAK	@SF
66	Marcus Stroman	CHC	@ATL, @MIL	Uncharacteristic 3 HR in 13.1 IP bloating ERA
67	Zach Eflin	PHI	COL, @NYM
68	Steven Matz	STL	NYM
69	Mix 12 Reliever
70	Drew Rasmussen	TB	SEA
71	Jordan Hicks	STL	NYM, ARI
72	Michael Lorenzen	LAA	CLE, @CWS	Jury is still out, but worth picking up
73	Cole Irvin	OAK	CLE
74	Garrett Whitlock	BOS	@TOR
75	Zack Greinke	KC	@CWS
76	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@ARI
77	Corey Kluber	TB	SEA
78	Taijuan Walker	NYM	PHI
79	Zack Wheeler	PHI	COL
80	Cal Quantrill	CLE	@LAA
81	Mix 15 Reliever
82	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@MIL
83	Zac Gallen	ARI	LAD
84	Ranger Suarez	PHI	COL
85	Chris Flexen	SEA	@TB
86	Adrian Houser	MIL	CHC
87	Tyler Anderson	LAD	DET
88	Tanner Houck	BOS	@BAL
89	Ian Anderson	ATL	@TEX
90	Daniel Lynch	KC	@CWS, NYY
91	Brad Keller	KC	@CWS
92	Tyler Mahle	CIN	SD
93	Cristian Javier	HOU	@TEX
94	Framber Valdez	HOU	@TEX, @TOR
95	Reid Detmers	LAA	CLE
96	MacKenzie Gore	SD	@CIN
97	Luis Garcia	HOU	@TOR
98	Josh Fleming	TB	SEA, MIN
99	Dakota Hudson	STL	ARI
100	Beau Brieske	DET	@LAD
101	Chris Archer	MIN	@TB
102	Jose Suarez	LAA	@CWS
103	JT Brubaker	PIT	SD
104	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	MIN
105	Michael Pineda	DET	@MIN
106	Josiah Gray	WAS	MIA, @SF
107	Tyler Wells	BAL	@NYY
108	Sammy Long	SF	@MIL, WAS
109	Aaron Ashby	MIL	@PIT
110	Tarik Skubal	DET	@MIN
111	Nick Pivetta	BOS	@TOR, @BAL
112	Bryce Elder	ATL	@TEX
113	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	@SF
114	Mitch Keller	PIT	MIL, SD
115	Michael Wacha	BOS	@TOR
116	Kyle Freeland	COL	@PHI, CIN
117	Joan Adon	WAS	@SF
118	Humberto Castellanos	ARI	@STL
119	Yusei Kikuchi	TOR	HOU
120	Jordan Lyles	BAL	@NYY, BOS
121	Zach Thompson	PIT	SD
122	Dane Dunning	TEX	HOU, ATL
123	Glenn Otto	TEX	HOU
124	Ross Stripling	TOR	BOS
125	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	KC, LAA
126	Nick Martinez	SD	@CIN
127	Kris Bubic	KC	NYY
128	Bryse Wilson	PIT	MIL
129	Justin Steele	CHC	@MIL
130	Patrick Corbin	WAS	MIA
131	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@WAS
132	Carlos Hernandez	KC	NYY
133	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@PHI
134	Mark Leiter Jr.	CHC	@ATL
135	Tyler Alexander	DET	@LAD
136	Jose Urquidy	HOU	@TOR
137	Bruce Zimmermann	BAL	@NYY
138	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	@TEX
139	Austin Gomber	COL	CIN
140	Nick Lodolo	CIN	@COL
141	Erick Fedde	WAS	MIA
142	Drew Smyly	CHC	@ATL
143	Zach Davies	ARI	LAD, @STL
144	Reiver Sanmartin	CIN	SD, @COL
145	Jose Quintana	PIT	MIL
146	Adam Oller	OAK	CLE
147	Ryan Feltner	COL	@PHI
148	Chad Kuhl	COL	CIN
149	Vince Velasquez	CWS	LAA
150	Spencer Howard	TEX	ATL
151	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	SD
152	Hunter Greene	CIN	@COL
153	Taylor Hearn	TEX	HOU, ATL
154	Martin Perez	TEX	HOU
155	Spenser Watkins	BAL	BOS
156	Chris Ellis	BAL	BOS

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Kevin Gausman	TOR	BOS, HOU	Handling transition back to the AL seamlessly
2	Shane Bieber	CLE	@LAA, @OAK
3	Logan Gilbert	SEA	@TB, @MIA	15 K with 1 BB in 16.2 IP
4	Robbie Ray	SEA	@MIA
5	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@KC
6	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	CLE
7	Frankie Montas	OAK	CLE
8	Justin Verlander	HOU	@TEX
9	Dylan Cease	CWS	KC
10	Jose Berrios	TOR	BOS, HOU	Will take awhile to get rid of damage from his first start
11	Michael Kopech	CWS	KC
12	Alek Manoah	TOR	BOS
13	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	BAL
14	Lucas Giolito	CWS	LAA
15	Joe Ryan	MIN	DET
16	Bailey Ober	MIN	DET	So far, so good, but 13K in 16 IP leaves him vulnerable to a blow-up
17	Chris Paddack	MIN	DET, @TB
18	Shane McClanahan	TB	MIN
19	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@TOR, @BAL	Five homers allowed masking 19 K with just 3 BB in 14.2 IP
20	Zach Plesac	CLE	@LAA
21	Dylan Bundy	MIN	@TB
22	Aaron Civale	CLE	@OAK
23	Luis Severino	NYY	BAL, @KC	Should be ready to work five-plus frames
24	Jameson Taillon	NYY	BAL
25	Triston McKenzie	CLE	@LAA, @OAK
26	Eduardo Rodriguez	DET	@MIN, @LAD	Tough pair to get untracked
27	Noah Syndergaard	LAA	@CWS
28	Nestor Cortes Jr.	NYY	@KC
29	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	CLE
30	Paul Blackburn	OAK	@SF	Not going deep, but working an effective five and fly
31	Matt Brash	SEA	@MIA
32	Marco Gonzales	SEA	@TB
33	Daulton Jefferies	OAK	@SF
34	Drew Rasmussen	TB	SEA
35	Michael Lorenzen	LAA	CLE, @CWS	Jury is still out, but worth picking up
36	Cole Irvin	OAK	CLE
37	Garrett Whitlock	BOS	@TOR
38	Zack Greinke	KC	@CWS
39	Corey Kluber	TB	SEA
40	Cal Quantrill	CLE	@LAA
41	Chris Flexen	SEA	@TB
42	Tanner Houck	BOS	@BAL
43	Daniel Lynch	KC	@CWS, NYY
44	Brad Keller	KC	@CWS
45	Cristian Javier	HOU	@TEX
46	Framber Valdez	HOU	@TEX, @TOR
47	Reid Detmers	LAA	CLE
48	Luis Garcia	HOU	@TOR
49	Josh Fleming	TB	SEA, MIN
50	AL Reliever
51	Beau Brieske	DET	@LAD
52	Chris Archer	MIN	@TB
53	Jose Suarez	LAA	@CWS
54	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	MIN
55	Michael Pineda	DET	@MIN
56	Tyler Wells	BAL	@NYY
57	Tarik Skubal	DET	@MIN
58	Nick Pivetta	BOS	@TOR, @BAL
59	Michael Wacha	BOS	@TOR
60	Yusei Kikuchi	TOR	HOU
61	Jordan Lyles	BAL	@NYY, BOS
62	Dane Dunning	TEX	HOU, ATL
63	Glenn Otto	TEX	HOU
64	Ross Stripling	TOR	BOS
65	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	KC, LAA
66	Kris Bubic	KC	NYY
67	Carlos Hernandez	KC	NYY
68	Tyler Alexander	DET	@LAD
69	Jose Urquidy	HOU	@TOR
70	Bruce Zimmermann	BAL	@NYY
71	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	@TEX
72	Adam Oller	OAK	CLE
73	Vince Velasquez	CWS	LAA
74	Spencer Howard	TEX	ATL
75	Taylor Hearn	TEX	HOU, ATL
76	Martin Perez	TEX	HOU
77	Spenser Watkins	BAL	BOS
78	Chris Ellis	BAL	BOS

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Corbin Burnes	MIL	SF, CHC
2	Max Scherzer	NYM	@STL, PHI
3	Joe Musgrove	SD	@CIN, @PIT	21 K with 1 BB in first 19 IP
4	Max Fried	ATL	CHC, @TEX
5	Walker Buehler	LAD	@ARI, DET	Great pair to get back on track
6	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@WAS, SEA	Walks high (7 BB in 19.1 IP), but just 1 HR minimizing damage
7	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	DET
8	Carlos Rodon	SF	OAK	29 K in 17 IP, how long can he stay healthy?
9	Logan Webb	SF	WAS
10	Aaron Nola	PHI	@NYM
11	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@PIT
12	Tylor Megill	NYM	PHI
13	Julio Urias	LAD	@ARI
14	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	@STL	20 K with 2 BB in 18.1 IP, good to see Cookie dealing
15	Sean Manaea	SD	@PIT
16	Chris Bassitt	NYM	@STL	Not missing a beat with the move to the Senior Circuit
17	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	SEA
18	Yu Darvish	SD	@PIT
19	Alex Wood	SF	WAS
20	Freddy Peralta	MIL	@PIT	Getting better, a great spot to continue the trend
21	Pablo Lopez	MIA	@WAS	Shoulder is clearly healthy, knock on wood it stays that way
22	Adam Wainwright	STL	ARI	High BABIP, but 20 K in 16 IP limiting runs
23	Jakob Junis	SF	OAK	Another Giants' reclamation project
24	Eric Lauer	MIL	CHC
25	Miles Mikolas	STL	NYM, ARI
26	Kyle Gibson	PHI	COL, @NYM	19 K in 17.2 IP
27	Charlie Morton	ATL	CHC
28	Merrill Kelly	ARI	LAD, @STL
29	Kyle Wright	ATL	CHC
30	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	SEA	Next step: consistency
31	German Marquez	COL	@PHI
32	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@STL
33	Marcus Stroman	CHC	@ATL, @MIL	Uncharacteristic 3 HR in 13.1 IP bloating ERA
34	Zach Eflin	PHI	COL, @NYM
35	Steven Matz	STL	NYM
36	Jordan Hicks	STL	NYM, ARI
37	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@ARI
38	Taijuan Walker	NYM	PHI
39	Zack Wheeler	PHI	COL
40	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@MIL
41	Zac Gallen	ARI	LAD
42	Ranger Suarez	PHI	COL
43	Adrian Houser	MIL	CHC
44	Tyler Anderson	LAD	DET
45	Ian Anderson	ATL	@TEX
46	Tyler Mahle	CIN	SD
47	MacKenzie Gore	SD	@CIN
48	NL Reliever
49	Dakota Hudson	STL	ARI
50	JT Brubaker	PIT	SD
51	Josiah Gray	WAS	MIA, @SF
52	Sammy Long	SF	@MIL, WAS
53	Aaron Ashby	MIL	@PIT
54	Bryce Elder	ATL	@TEX
55	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	@SF
56	Mitch Keller	PIT	MIL, SD
57	Kyle Freeland	COL	@PHI, CIN
58	Joan Adon	WAS	@SF
59	Humberto Castellanos	ARI	@STL
60	Zach Thompson	PIT	SD
61	Nick Martinez	SD	@CIN
62	Bryse Wilson	PIT	MIL
63	Justin Steele	CHC	@MIL
64	Patrick Corbin	WAS	MIA
65	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@WAS
66	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@PHI
67	Mark Leiter Jr.	CHC	@ATL
68	Austin Gomber	COL	CIN
69	Nick Lodolo	CIN	@COL
70	Erick Fedde	WAS	MIA
71	Drew Smyly	CHC	@ATL
72	Zach Davies	ARI	LAD, @STL
73	Reiver Sanmartin	CIN	SD, @COL
74	Jose Quintana	PIT	MIL
75	Ryan Feltner	COL	@PHI
76	Chad Kuhl	COL	CIN
77	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	SD
78	Hunter Greene	CIN	@COL