Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Wind In His Sale

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Updated on April 23, 2016 3:21AM 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 April 25 -May 1

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	at TOR, at BAL	Even w/arguably the nastiest two-pack you can get in the AL, he remains No. 1; one of four arms w/7-plus IP in all four starts (Kershaw, Arrieta, and Cueto - they're good, too!)
2	Cole Hamels	NYY, LAA
3	Danny Salazar	at MIN, at PHI
4	David Price	at ATL, NYY	He has 2 great and 2 awful starts, but it's going to take a few starts to work off 3.7 IP/8 ER from his old teammates (TB)
5	Garrett Richards	KC, at TEX
6	Ian Kennedy	at LAA, at SEA	He's gone into the 7th of every start, allowed just 1 HR, and a career-high 13% SwStr rate; who says the AL is harder?!
7	Jordan Zimmermann	OAK, at MIN	Last week I said he was unlikely to improve his K% at KC ... he fanned 8, more than he had in the first two starts combined; lol at me
8	Taijuan Walker	HOU, KC
9	Carlos Carrasco	at PHI
10	Marcus Stroman	at TB
11	Corey Kluber	at PHI	All the skills are still in place, but he's

For the week April 25 -May 1

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	at TOR, at BAL	Even w/arguably the nastiest two-pack you can get in the AL, he remains No. 1; one of four arms w/7-plus IP in all four starts (Kershaw, Arrieta, and Cueto - they're good, too!)
2	Cole Hamels	NYY, LAA
3	Danny Salazar	at MIN, at PHI
4	David Price	at ATL, NYY	He has 2 great and 2 awful starts, but it's going to take a few starts to work off 3.7 IP/8 ER from his old teammates (TB)
5	Garrett Richards	KC, at TEX
6	Ian Kennedy	at LAA, at SEA	He's gone into the 7th of every start, allowed just 1 HR, and a career-high 13% SwStr rate; who says the AL is harder?!
7	Jordan Zimmermann	OAK, at MIN	Last week I said he was unlikely to improve his K% at KC ... he fanned 8, more than he had in the first two starts combined; lol at me
8	Taijuan Walker	HOU, KC
9	Carlos Carrasco	at PHI
10	Marcus Stroman	at TB
11	Corey Kluber	at PHI	All the skills are still in place, but he's allowed 9 H in two of his three starts; it hasn't all just been bad luck, but he will get better if these skills hold firm
12	Chris Archer	BAL, TOR	This is not the slate to get right with, but at least he's got both at home; finished 6-plus IP in 70% of his starts last year, hasn't done so yet in his first four
13	Felix Hernandez	KC	The BBs are more an annoyance than a grave concern, especially w/a 25% K%, 12% SwStr%, and 64% GB%
14	Drew Smyly	TOR	Gave up runs in three straight innings vs. TOR in his season debut, but the 4th (3 ER) is what tanked the start
15	Dallas Keuchel	at SEA
16	Ervin Santana	DET
17	Jake Odorizzi	BAL
18	Yordano Ventura	at SEA
19	Justin Verlander	OAK	Has the bad start vs. PIT, but otherwise it's like one bad inning per start; still a buying opportunity here
20	Masahiro Tanaka	at BOS
21	Sonny Gray	at DET
22	Hisashi Iwakuma	HOU
23	Rick Porcello	at ATL, NYY	There isn't any skills spike to support the K% (31%), but even smoothing it out should land him around 23-25% with his profile
24	Kris Medlen	at SEA
25	J.A. Happ	at TB	Wish we were seeing more of what he did in PIT, but it's been working; keep a close eye on him, there could be even more in store
26	Marco Estrada	CWS	He's shown big K rates before, but I think he will fade back toward 20-22%
27	Kevin Gausman	at TB, CWS	He's back!! Can we finally get the Gausman year we've been waiting for?!
28	Hector Santiago	at TEX
29	Matt Moore	BAL
30	Rich Hill	at DET, HOU	This could be one of those agonizing seasons where it's impossible to pick his good starts, I didn't want him at NYY, but he was good (6 IP, 1 ER, 10 K); more trouble than he's worth; sell
31	Michael Pineda	at BOS	We saw this last year: impressive K, BB rates, but too many H, HR; HR rate is from one gm, but it feels like another guessing gm SP
32	Jose Quintana	at TOR
33	Carlos Rodon	at BAL	At least he got an out to avoid pulling a Tolleson (0 IP/5 ER); now he goes toBAL ... Great
34	Anibal Sanchez	OAK
35	Kendall Graveman	at DET, HOU	There will be some give-back on these numbers, but the 11% SwStr% really jumps out; if he can miss a decent number of bats (18-21% K%), he's an all-formats play w/that GB% (65%)
36	Nicholas Tropeano	KC
37	Aaron Sanchez	CWS	I worried that OAK would stack lefties: 7 left/switch hitters had 11 of 14 hits in an ugly outing; it rarely all comes together at once for a young arm
38	Nathan Eovaldi	at TEX, at BOS	Taking after Pineda? Sparkling 25% K-BB% w/career-high 10% SwStr%, but way too many hits and homers, thus a 6.11 ERA; monitor
39	Shane Greene	at MIN
40	Kyle Gibson	CLE	Avoiding the meltdown have proven difficult for him: four starts of 6-plus ER last yr and his first of 2016 on Friday in Washington
41	Luis Severino	at TEX
42	Nate Karns	HOU
43	Cody Anderson	at MIN	Spring training velo hasn't held, but he's still up 1 mph from last year
44	Wade Miley	KC
45	Ricky Nolasco	CLE	I'm buying this a little: K% holding firm, BB% sharply improved, GB% at career-high 53% which has curbed the HRs; speculate cautiously (AL-only, deepmixers for now)
46	Chris Tillman	at TB
47	A.J. Griffin	NYY
48	Phil Hughes	DET	Looking a lot more like his 2014-self, but it's all going to come down to HR-suppression
49	Josh Tomlin	at MIN	Pitched well at DET, but I still don't see much more than a streamer w/his HR issues
50	Blake Snell	TOR	Early reports say he's one-and-done then back to Triple-A; Erasmo Ramirez would have this slot if so
51	Steven Wright	ATL	Let's the ride hot hand with the knuckleballer!
52	Edinson Volquez	at LAA
53	R.A. Dickey	CWS, at TB	This knuckleballer has faced BOS twice and gone to BAL; this slate is a breather by comparison, but I'm still not dying to get him in the lineup just yet
53	Mike Fiers	at OAK	This looks like his 2013 which wound up injury-shortened; barring another injury, it hasto get better
54	Derek Holland	LAA
55	Henry Owens	NYY

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
56	Mat Latos	at BAL	There's no support for this start; a .118 BABIP, 92% LOB% are holding this up ... for now
57	CC Sabathia	at TEX
58	Collin McHugh	at SEA	He's an utter nightmare; he's actually cuttable with 31 H in 16.7 IP
59	Clay Buchholz	ATL
60	Martin Perez	NYY
61	Matt Shoemaker	at TEX
62	Chris Bassitt	at DET	A 2.79 ERA and 1.29 WHIP doesn't match ... and it's the ERA that will go up before the WHIP goes down w/him
63	Chris Young	at LAA
64	Doug Fister	at SEA, at OAK
65	Ubaldo Jimenez	at TB, CWS
66	Colby Lewis	LAA
67	Yovani Gallardo	CWS	Given how tenuous his '15 was, I just don't see a great path to a rebound
68	Scott Feldman	at OAK
69	Eric Surkamp	HOU
70	Jered Weaver	KC
71	Mike Wright	CWS
72	John Danks	at TOR, at BAL
73	Tommy Milone	CLE, DET
74	Mike Pelfrey	OAK, at MIN

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Clayton Kershaw	MIA, SD	ATL doubled his hits-allowed total for the season w/10, but he had 10 Ks, too, and allowed 1 run
2	Noah Syndergaard	CIN, SF	DeGrom's return bumps Thor back into a 2-step this week instead of last
3	Jake Arrieta	MIL
4	Stephen Strasburg	at STL
5	Max Scherzer	PHI	The HR issue from the 2H of last yr has continued and it's particularly annoying because he's faced ATL x 2, PHI, and MIA
6	Jose Fernandez	at LAD	Finally finished 6 IP in a start; he's rounding into form, I'm not worried
7	Madison Bumgarner	SD, at NYM	It was a big week for those w/MadBum, Greinke as they both looked strong in a duel against each other
8	Zack Greinke	STL, COL
9	Jacob deGrom	SF	He returns Sunday which is a bummer for weekly transaction leaguers, but at least he's back
10	Johnny Cueto	SD	Remember the inexplicable concern over him during season? Four 7-plus IP starts later, you're not hearing any of that anymore
11	Matt Harvey	CIN	Still not great, but better; it's coming along and I'm definitely buying where discounts are available (even slight discounts)
12	Jon Lester	MIL	He and Arrieta are both going to push 20-plus Ws
13	Jaime Garcia	at ARI, WAS	A more extreme example of Drew Smyly: major injury risk bc of history, but a total stud when he pitches so just ride it out
14	Carlos Martinez	at ARI, WAS
15	Michael Wacha	at ARI
16	Gerrit Cole	at COL, CIN	A trip to Coors and his nemesis make for a rough 2-step (5.30 ERA vs. CIN in 7 starts); still not benching him, let's be serious
17	Vincent Velasquez	at WAS, CLE	Wrote him up over at Rotographs
18	Raisel Iglesias	at NYM, at PIT
19	Gio Gonzalez	PHI	Was due some good luck after '15 and he's getting it in spades (.240 BABIP, 83% LOB); I still see low-3.00s rest of way even w/some giveback on those metrics
20	Jason Hammel	ATL
21	Francisco Liriano	CIN
22	Kenta Maeda	MIA	Given the similarites in overall approach and delivery style, it's not unreasonable to comp Maeda w/other Japanese arms; feels like his best years can match peak Iwakuma (2.66 ERA, 1.01 WHIP in '13)
23	Aaron Nola	at WAS	I love the K's (30%), let's keep the ball in the yard (1.5 HR/9) and he can be ridiculous this year
24	Jerad Eickhoff	CLE	Handling lefties better than last year which is a huge key to his success; buy
25	John Lackey	ATL	I had his ERA regressing to pretty much what it is now (3.66), but that's because I expected his K% to still be average; if it stays anywhere near this 28% level (and the 15% SwStr% supports it), then another sub-3.00 season is in play
26	Patrick Corbin	STL	He's been a home run machine: 2.1 HR/9; maybe some bad luck, but he's also just getting hammered (39% Hard-contact rate)
27	Steven Matz	SF	Hey I guess he doesn't have to retire after that ugly first start (7 scoreless, 9 K's in CLE)
28	Joe Ross	PHI, at STL	Only this low because of the blister that removed him from his last start, but it's not supposed to impact his next start so maybe I'm overreacting; either way, he's a full-on start
29	Wei-Yin Chen	at LAD, at MIL
30	Adam Wainwright	at ARI	Didn't look all that sharp in SD on Friday night, but at least only 1 BB this time out; still not a ton of reasons for hope outside of ace-level track record
31	Drew Pomeranz	at SF, at LAD
32	James Shields	at SF	Doesn't even have last year's K's to sustain his value now; basically an innings eater at this point
33	Tanner Roark	at STL
34	Kyle Hendricks	MIL, ATL
35	Adam Conley	at MIL	There will be bumps, but he's filthy and I see more good than bad en route to a mid-3.00s ERA
36	Mike Leake	WAS
37	Jeff Samardzija	SD
38	Julio Teheran	BOS, at CHC	I'm one of his biggest backers, but holy smokes this is a rough combo for anyone
39	Ross Stripling	MIA, SD
40	Jimmy Nelson	at CHC, MIA	A prevailing theme this week: I'm terrified of the Cubs
41	Andrew Cashner	at SF	Actually a couple good starts in a row now
42	Bartolo Colon	CIN
43	Brandon Finnegan	at NYM	Has allowed 11 H and 6 BB in 9 IP since the near no-no; it's going to be volatile, but it's still a very promising arm
44	Jhoulys Chacin	at BOS	Is this 16% SwStr% at all legit? The 52% GB% is nice protection even if (when?) the K's come down
45	Chase Anderson	MIA
46	Robbie Ray	COL
47	Charlie Morton	CLE
48	Scott Kazmir	MIA
49	Dan Straily	at PIT

SIT

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
50	Shelby Miller	STL, COL	His mechanics are all out of whack, so I'm ready to bench him; still not cutting
51	Matt Wisler	BOS, at CHC	I'm a Wisler backer, but this is a brutal 2-step for anyone, let alone a young arm on the rise
52	Jorge De La Rosa	PIT, at ARI
53	Aaron Blair	at CHC	The Cubs are an auto-bench for non-aces, but I really like this prospect and would spec just about everywhere (though 10-teamers might be tough to find a worthy cut)
54	Alex Wood	SD
55	Jeremy Hellickson	at WAS
56	Juan Nicasio	at COL	An auto-sit going to Coors, but beyond that I'm really concerned about just a 6% SwStr%; makes his 27% K% tenuous to continue; cuttable in 10-12 tm mixers at this juncture
57	Jon Niese	at COL
58	Tom Koehler	at LAD, at MIL
59	Chad Bettis	PIT, at ARI
60	Wily Peralta	MIA
61	Jake Peavy	at NYM
62	Matt Cain	at NYM
63	Tyler Chatwood	PIT
64	Rubby De La Rosa	STL
65	Jon Gray	PIT
66	Zach Davies	at CHC
67	Colin Rea	at LAD
68	Jon Moscot	at NYM
69	Taylor Jungmann	at CHC
70	Claudio Vargas	at LAD
71	Alfredo Simon	at PIT
72	Jarred Cosart	at LAD
73	Bud Norris	at BOS
74	Jordan Lyles	at ARI
75	Jeff Locke	at COL, CIN
76	Tyler Cravy	at PIT	In for Matt Garza, expected out 4-6 weeks

MLB TOP 100

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Clayton Kershaw	MIA, SD	ATL doubled his hits-allowed total for the season w/10, but he had 10 Ks, too, and allowed 1 run
2	Noah Syndergaard	CIN, SF	DeGrom's return bumps Thor back into a 2-step this week instead of last
3	Jake Arrieta	MIL
4	Chris Sale	at TOR, at BAL	Even w/arguably the nastiest two-pack you can get in the AL, he remains No. 1; one of four arms w/7-plus IP in all four starts (Kershaw, Arrieta, and Cueto - they're good, too!)
5	Cole Hamels	NYY, LAA
6	Danny Salazar	at MIN, at PHI
7	David Price	at ATL, NYY	He has 2 great and 2 awful starts, but it's going to take a few starts to work off 3.7 IP/8 ER from his old teammates (TB)
8	Stephen Strasburg	at STL
9	Max Scherzer	PHI	The HR issue from the 2H of last yr has continued and it's particularly annoying because he's faced ATL x 2, PHI, and MIA
10	Jose Fernandez	at LAD	Finally finished 6 IP in a start; he's rounding into form, I'm not worried
11	Madison Bumgarner	SD, at NYM	It was a big week for those w/MadBum, Greinke as they both looked strong in a duel against each other
12	Zack Greinke	STL, COL
13	Garrett Richards	KC, at TEX
14	Ian Kennedy	at LAA, at SEA	He's gone into the 7th of every start, allowed just 1 HR, and a career-high 13% SwStr rate; who says the AL is harder?!
15	Jordan Zimmermann	OAK, at MIN	Last week I said he was unlikely to improve his K% at KC ... he fanned 8, more than he had in the first two starts combined; lol at me
16	Jacob deGrom	SF	He returns Sunday which is a bummer for weekly transaction leaguers, but at least he's back
17	Johnny Cueto	SD	Remember the inexplicable concern over him during season? Four 7-plus IP starts later, you're not hearing any of that anymore
18	Matt Harvey	CIN	Still not great, but better; it's coming along and I'm definitely buying where discounts are available (even slight discounts)
19	Jon Lester	MIL	He and Arrieta are both going to push 20-plus Ws
20	Jaime Garcia	at ARI, WAS	A more extreme example of Drew Smyly: major injury risk bc of history, but a total stud when he pitches so just ride it out
21	Taijuan Walker	HOU, KC
22	Carlos Martinez	at ARI, WAS
23	Carlos Carrasco	at PHI
24	Marcus Stroman	at TB
25	Corey Kluber	at PHI	All the skills are still in place, but he's allowed 9 H in two of his three starts; it hasn't all just been bad luck, but he will get better if these skills hold firm
26	Chris Archer	BAL, TOR	This is not the slate to get right with, but at least he's got both at home; finished 6-plus IP in 70% of his starts last year, hasn't done so yet in his first four
27	Felix Hernandez	KC	The BBs are more an annoyance than a grave concern, especially w/a 25% K%, 12% SwStr%, and 64% GB%
28	Drew Smyly	TOR	Gave up runs in three straight innings vs. TOR in his season debut, but the 4th (3 ER) is what tanked the start
29	Michael Wacha	at ARI
30	Gerrit Cole	at COL, CIN	A trip to Coors and his nemesis make for a rough 2-step (5.30 ERA vs. CIN in 7 starts); still not benching him, let's be serious
31	Vincent Velasquez	at WAS, CLE	Wrote him up over at Rotographs
32	Raisel Iglesias	at NYM, at PIT
33	Gio Gonzalez	PHI	Was due some good luck after '15 and he's getting it in spades (.240 BABIP, 83% LOB); I still see low-3.00s rest of way even w/some giveback on those metrics
34	Jason Hammel	ATL
35	Dallas Keuchel	at SEA
36	Ervin Santana	DET
37	Jake Odorizzi	BAL
38	Yordano Ventura	at SEA
39	Justin Verlander	OAK	Has the bad start vs. PIT, but otherwise it's like one bad inning per start; still a buying opportunity here
40	Masahiro Tanaka	at BOS
41	Sonny Gray	at DET
42	Francisco Liriano	CIN
43	Kenta Maeda	MIA	Given the similarites in overall approach and delivery style, it's not unreasonable to comp Maeda w/other Japanese arms; feels like his best years can match peak Iwakuma (2.66 ERA, 1.01 WHIP in '13)
44	Aaron Nola	at WAS	I love the K's (30%), let's keep the ball in the yard (1.5 HR/9) and he can be ridiculous this year
45	Jerad Eickhoff	CLE	Handling lefties better than last year which is a huge key to his success; buy
46	John Lackey	ATL	I had his ERA regressing to pretty much what it is now (3.66), but that's because I expected his K% to still be average; if it stays anywhere near this 28% level (and the 15% SwStr% supports it), then another sub-3.00 season is in play
47	Patrick Corbin	STL	He's been a home run machine: 2.1 HR/9; maybe some bad luck, but he's also just getting hammered (39% Hard-contact rate)
48	Steven Matz	SF	Hey I guess he doesn't have to retire after that ugly first start (7 scoreless, 9 K's in CLE)
49	Hisashi Iwakuma	HOU
50	Joe Ross	PHI, at STL	Only this low because of the blister that removed him from his last start, but it's not supposed to impact his next start so maybe I'm overreacting; either way, he's a full-on start
51	Wei-Yin Chen	at LAD, at MIL
52	Rick Porcello	at ATL, NYY	There isn't any skills spike to support the K% (31%), but even smoothing it out should land him around 23-25% with his profile
53	Adam Wainwright	at ARI	Didn't look all that sharp in SD on Friday night, but at least only 1 BB this time out; still not a ton of reasons for hope outside of ace-level track record
54	Kris Medlen	at SEA
55	J.A. Happ	at TB	Wish we were seeing more of what he did in PIT, but it's been working; keep a close eye on him, there could be even more in store
56	Marco Estrada	CWS	He's shown big K rates before, but I think he will fade back toward 20-22%
57	Kevin Gausman	at TB, CWS	He's back!! Can we finally get the Gausman year we've been waiting for?!
58	Hector Santiago	at TEX
59	Matt Moore	BAL
60	Rich Hill	at DET, HOU	This could be one of those agonizing seasons where it's impossible to pick his good starts, I didn't want him at NYY, but he was good (6 IP, 1 ER, 10 K); more trouble than he's worth; sell
61	Drew Pomeranz	at SF, at LAD
62	James Shields	at SF	Doesn't even have last year's K's to sustain his value now; basically an innings eater at this point
63	Tanner Roark	at STL
64	Kyle Hendricks	MIL, ATL
65	Adam Conley	at MIL	There will be bumps, but he's filthy and I see more good than bad en route to a mid-3.00s ERA
66	Mike Leake	WAS
67	Jeff Samardzija	SD
68	Michael Pineda	at BOS	We saw this last year: impressive K, BB rates, but too many H, HR; HR rate is from one gm, but it feels like another guessing gm SP
69	Jose Quintana	at TOR
70	Carlos Rodon	at BAL	At least he got an out to avoid pulling a Tolleson (0 IP/5 ER); now he goes toBAL ... Great
71	Anibal Sanchez	OAK
72	Kendall Graveman	at DET, HOU	There will be some give-back on these numbers, but the 11% SwStr% really jumps out; if he can miss a decent number of bats (18-21% K%), he's an all-formats play w/that GB% (65%)
73	Nicholas Tropeano	KC
74	Aaron Sanchez	CWS	I worried that OAK would stack lefties: 7 left/switch hitters had 11 of 14 hits in an ugly outing; it rarely all comes together at once for a young arm
75	Julio Teheran	BOS, at CHC	I'm one of his biggest backers, but holy smokes this is a rough combo for anyone
76	Ross Stripling	MIA, SD
77	Jimmy Nelson	at CHC, MIA	A prevailing theme this week: I'm terrified of the Cubs
78	Andrew Cashner	at SF	Actually a couple good starts in a row now
79	Bartolo Colon	CIN
80	Brandon Finnegan	at NYM	Has allowed 11 H and 6 BB in 9 IP since the near no-no; it's going to be volatile, but it's still a very promising arm
81	Jhoulys Chacin	at BOS	Is this 16% SwStr% at all legit? The 52% GB% is nice protection even if (when?) the K's come down
82	Nathan Eovaldi	at TEX, at BOS	Taking after Pineda? Sparkling 25% K-BB% w/career-high 10% SwStr%, but way too many hits and homers, thus a 6.11 ERA; monitor
83	Shane Greene	at MIN
84	Kyle Gibson	CLE	Avoiding the meltdown have proven difficult for him: four starts of 6-plus ER last yr and his first of 2016 on Friday in Washington
85	Luis Severino	at TEX
85	Nate Karns	HOU
86	Cody Anderson	at MIN	Spring training velo hasn't held, but he's still up 1 mph from last year
87	Wade Miley	KC
88	Ricky Nolasco	CLE	I'm buying this a little: K% holding firm, BB% sharply improved, GB% at career-high 53% which has curbed the HRs; speculate cautiously (AL-only, deepmixers for now)
89	Chris Tillman	at TB
90	A.J. Griffin	NYY
91	Phil Hughes	DET	Looking a lot more like his 2014-self, but it's all going to come down to HR-suppression
92	Josh Tomlin	at MIN	Pitched well at DET, but I still don't see much more than a streamer w/his HR issues
93	Blake Snell	TOR	Early reports say he's one-and-done then back to Triple-A; Erasmo Ramirez would have this slot if so
94	Steven Wright	ATL	Let's the ride hot hand with the knuckleballer!
96	Chase Anderson	MIA
97	Robbie Ray	COL
98	Charlie Morton	CLE
99	Scott Kazmir	MIA
100	Dan Straily	at PIT