Happy Monday, Razzball faithful!
This week it dawned on me that I might need to roll something out for the younger audience. I mean, sending out Cat Stevens photoshops like this one is probably not reeling in the 18-35 demographic, that’s for sure.
It really sunk in when I used a SweatHogs reference a couple of weeks ago when discussing kids with a 30-something co-worker and she replied with, “Who?”.
Me : “Welcome back Kotter?”
Her : “Never heard of it.”
Ouch.
So, I had an idea. Maybe we should start including terms like “Skibidi or “Rizzler” or “Gyat” into our Razzball lexicon. We can expand our audience to include people who are just as ravenously obsessed with Jake or Logan Paul as we are with Paul Skenes.
In an attempt to not further alienate our Generation Z (or Alpha) members by quoting early 80’s lyrics or photoshopping in a handful of HR Pufnstuf pictures, let’s have a look at what floats the collective boat of our youth today, shall we?
Wait. What?
I think part of the first line in this video kind of sums it all up. “…Ridiculus…”
To be honest, this is the fuel that drives the kids’ engines at school. When I asked my own Marmo-lets what the deal with this madness is, my youngest exclaimed, “Skibidi toilet? He’s weird but scary at the same time…and sort of suspicious.”
Then, my oldest piped up…”SKIBIDI TOILET!!!!!” He promptly followed that up with a series of blips, pops, and squeaks. Suffice it to say, ADHD is alive and well in Marmoville.
I figured at least part of this description could be used to explain how we feel about hot-shot young pitchers getting called up to make their highly anticipated debut.
Paul Skenes certainly fits that bill.
Weird? Yep. It certainly is weird that the Pirates waited this long to call up a kid who was mowing down the competition in MiLB. It’s also weird, given that we’re discussing the Pirates, that they didn’t keep Skenes down until July to “work on his conditioning” or something equally silly to delay his service clock.
Scary? I’ll let you figure that one out yourself.
Paul Skenes' first strikeout reached TRIPLE DIGITS! ?
(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/ZIqlUXFJl5
— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2024
Suspicious? Well, other than a few jitters early on, Skenes wasn’t really that “sus” with his command. He walked just 2 batters to go along with those 7 strikeouts.
So let’s roll with the generational talent vs. generational pop culture here.
I don’t think Paul Skenes is headed for the toilet anytime soon, and if anyone is questioning his “rizz” (or “charisma”), I think we can turn to this clip to show the Pirate Rizzler has a fan in partner Livvy Dunne.
Livvy Dunne on Paul Skenes' MLB debut:
"There's nothing that can top this. I'm so proud" ? pic.twitter.com/sEyyO6BuQb
— MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024
I think it’s safe to assume that Skenes is, in fact, Skibidi. And it certainly seems like he’s a top-notch Rizzler.
Now, before we get to the goods, I need to plug a couple of things for y’all first. If you want to check the spot I usually have open when flipping through my information on Sunday afternoons, you’re looking for that Player Rater leaderboard. This is always a great resource to use if you’re doing your own research. A bit of this, and a splash of that goes into the prepwork for our weekly Top 100 Starting Pitchers list.
Of course, if you’re one of those doubting-your-own-gut-instinct kind of fantasy managers, or just want to use a great resource that will point you in the right direction every week, The Streamonator is here to help you answer those burning questions that we might not be readily available to help you with 24/7.
If you haven’t signed up for it yet, this should be your go-to reference for the entire season. It’s going to save you a lot of time researching on your own and often includes those “Oh, I never thought about that” into the equation for you. Check the link, yo.
The Top Starting Pitchers for 2024
| RANK
(LAST WEEK) |
NAME | TEAM | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corbin Burnes | Orioles | Has given up some ER, but still the top dog. |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | Phillies | 6th on the Player Rater. |
| 3 (5) | Tyler Glasnow | Dodgers | Even higher on the Player Rater. 73 Ks in 57 IP? Whoa, baby. |
| 4 (9) | Tarik Skubal | Tigers | Better numbers than the next 3 guys. |
| 5 (7) | Pablo Lopez | Twins | ERA isn’t the best but the strikeouts are up there. |
| 6 | Luis Castillo | Mariners | Samesies. |
| 7 (4) | Freddy Peralta | Brewers | ERA shows he’s mortal. Strikeouts still way up. |
| 8 (3) | Kevin Gausman | Blue Jays | Roughed up in his last start. |
| 9 (11) | Shoto Imanaga | Cubs | He’s Top 5 on the Player Rater. |
| 10 (12) | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Dodgers | Gave up runs for the first time in 3 starts. Just 8 BB in 42 IP. |
| 11 (22) | Ranger Suarez | Phillies | |
| 12 (10) | George Kirby | Mariners | After Castillo, our other two top M’s SPs had a rough week. |
| 13 (8) | Logan Gilbert | Mariners | Banana peel outing last week (4 IP, 8 ER) but the ratios are still really good. |
| 14 (19) | Dylan Cease | Padres | Player Rater boosted here, but you can’t argue with 7 innings of 1 hit ball with 12 strikeouts in his last start. |
| 15 (13) | Max Fried | Braves | Nice bounce back from a rough start the week before. |
| 16 (24) | Chris Sale | Braves | |
| 17 (15) | Logan Webb | Giants | Waiting for a few of those, “Oh, there he is!”, kind of games. |
| 18 (20) | Jared Jones | Pirates | My note on Jones this week was simple: “Up again?” Yep. |
| 19 (14) | Cole Ragans | Royals | Gave up 7 ER at LAA. |
| 20 (16) | Zac Gallen | Diamondbacks | Still Top 20. |
| 21 (23) | Bryce Miller | Mariners | Did better than most of his rotation pals last week. |
| 22 (28) | Tanner Houck | Red Sox | 10th on the Player Rater. |
| 23 (18) | Joe Ryan | Twins | Ks are there. WHIP is under 1.0 |
| 24 (17) | Jose Berrios | Blue Jays | More Hyde than Jeckyll last week. Back down to 24th. |
| 25 (21) | Grayson Rodriguez | Orioles | Threw off a mound Wednesday. 15-day IL. |
| 26 (25) | Justin Verlander | Astros | A nice reminder visit to Detroit yesterday. 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K. But, hey, they still have Jake Rogers, right? |
| 27 (26) | Zach Eflin | Rays | Fewer runs allowed than his last two starts, but still only 3 strikeouts in that game. |
| 28 (29) | Bailey Ober | Twins | Nice little pitching duel with Manoah yesterday, (yes, you read that correctly), with 10 strikeouts. |
| 29 (40) | Seth Lugo | Royals | |
| 30 (31) | Ronel Blanco | Astros | The walks are creeping up, but still solid. |
| 31 (52) | Brady Singer | Royals | |
| 32 (27) | Aaron Nola | Phillies | Got beat up a bit by the Jays, but still recorded 7 Ks. |
| 33 | Kutter Crawford | Red Sox | Steadily moving up. |
| 34 | Bobby Miller | Dodgers | He’s slated for a minor league rehab start this week. Might be back quickly if all goes well. Check your wire to see if he was dropped. |
| 35 (32) | Framber Valdez | Astros | Not a bad start last week, just some guys that are performing better above him here. |
| 36 (37) | Walker Buehler | Dodgers | 3.1 IP as he continues to build up stamina. 2 HR allowed last week. |
| 37 (30) | Sonny Gray | Cardinals | Roughed up at MLW. Gave up 3 dingers. |
| 38 (36) | Yusei Kikuchi | Blue Jays | Just keeps throwing innings. Effective and nothing flashy. |
| 39 (69) | Paul Skenes | Pirates | |
| 40 (39) | Justin Steele | Cubs | All attention was on Skenes on Saturday, and that’s lucky for Steele. He gave up 3 HR, 6 ER, and struck out 3 in 4 IP. |
| 41 (48) | Garrett Crochet | White Sox | 3 good starts in a row now after hitting a rough patch for 3 weeks. |
| 42 (54) | Javier Assad | Cubs | Slice this ranking in half and that’s where he is on the Player Rater. |
| 43 (47) | Mitch Keller | Pirates | CG, 5 H, 1 HR, 5 K. A nice way to bring down those ratios. |
| 44 (46) | Jesus Luzardo | Marlins | Winless, but his last two starts have been pretty good. |
| 45 (51) | Nick Lodolo | Reds | Almost identical start last week to the one before it. Still racking up the Ks. |
| 46 (42) | Jordan Montgomery | Diamondbacks | Might not wow us with gaudy strikeout totals, but threw another good one at Cincy last week. |
| 47 (45) | Kyle Bradish | Orioles | Another good start. Slowly working that arm back up. |
| 48 (49) | Brayan Bello | Red Sox | Re-instated from IL to start yesterday. |
| 49 (56) | Reynaldo Lopez | Braves | He’s another one who is boosted by the Player Rater. |
| 50 (35) | Chris Bassitt | Blue Jays | Not despicable by any means, but something does not look right. Ugly ratios. |
| 51 (44) | Hunter Greene | Reds | Walks are up there, but so are the Ks. |
| 52 (50) | Blake Snell | Giants | Will throw a bullpen Thursday and start his rehab assignment Sunday. |
| 53 (38) | Joe Musgrove | Padres | |
| 54 (55) | Michael King | Padres | Two starts now with 0 ER. 11 Ks last week. Will jump the list if he keeps this up. |
| 55 (60) | Carlos Rodon | Yankees | Floating around the middle of the pack. |
| 56 (65) | Yu Darvish | Padres | 3 straight shutout outings. He flip you for real. |
| 57 | Ryan Pepiot | Rays | Il, but already throwing again. Could be back May 21st. |
| 58 (70) | Nathan Eovaldi | Rangers | |
| 59 (53) | Nestor Cortes | Yankees | Meh. |
| 60 (41) | Tanner Bibee | Guardians | Back-to-back stinkers. Not good, Beebs. |
| 61 (72) | Jon Gray | Rangers | Yet another revenge tour outing. Gray pitched a beauty AT COLORADO?! Yep. |
| 62 (73) | Christopher Sanchez | Phillies | Nothing like a start against the Blue Jays to make you look even better. |
| 63 (58) | Bryan Woo | Mariners | Pitched well in his return, but forearm tightness resurfaced. “Should be good to go” when eligible (May 18th) according to his manager. |
| 64 | MacKenzie Gore | Nationals | Stubbornly staying at 64 this week. |
| 65 (62) | Nick Pivetta | Red Sox | Roughed up for 3 HR in his first start back from IL. |
| 66 (59) | Hunter Brown | Astros | Best outing of the year…from the bullpen. Could stick in the rotation if Javier or Arrighetti implode. |
| 67 (61) | Charlie Morton | Braves | Should probably be higher. Another solid, and boring, start. |
| 68 | Cristian Javier | Astros | Got smoked last week after his return from the IL. The only reason he’s still this high is because he gets Oakland at home this week. |
| 69 (71) | Triston McKenzie | Guardians | Hasn’t given up more than 2 ER since April 13th. |
| 70 (43) | Reid Detmers | Angels | |
| 71 (63) | Max Scherzer | Rangers | Still battling that thumb injury. Apparently, it feels better after the cortisone shot. |
| 72 (77) | Luis Gil | Yankees | Player Rater lurves this guy. (37th) |
| 73 (76) | Jordan Hicks | Giants | Another Player Rater darling. (36th). |
| 74 (66) | Garrett Whitlock | Red Sox | 15-day IL (oblique). Slated for a rehab start this Wednesday. |
| 75 | Spencer Strider | Braves | Single tear for redraft leagues |
| 76 (74) | Braxton Garrett | Marlins | The strikeouts were there (8), but he got roughed up for 5 ER at Philly. |
| 77 (NR) | Trevor Williams | Nationals | Full disclosure, I forgot to plug someone in at 77 here so I checked the Player Rater for someone who deserved to be added. Williams is currently ranked 20th there. Insert eyes emoji. |
| 78 | Jose Butto | Mets | Picked up his first win, but might end up sliding sooner than later. |
| 79 | Aaron Civale | Rays | Hasn’t gotten through the 5th inning in over a month. |
| 80 (92) | Spencer Turnbull | Phillies | Starter? Reliever? Starter? Reliever? Who knows. But he’s been good. I’m leaving him down here until they announce that he’s staying in the rotation. the lack of innings won’t help if you make a move to add him assuming he’s a starter. |
| 81 (99) | Jack Flaherty | Tigers | Even though the CSW% is at a stupid 37.1%, I still can’t fully buy-in. 74th on the Player Rater tells me it can’t either. |
| 82 (81) | Merrill Kelly | Diamondbacks | 60-day IL. Will return in late June at the very earliest. |
| 83 (81) | Gerrit Cole | Yankees | Another good bullpen session yesterday. Mid-June at the earliest. |
| 84 (93) | Jameson Taillon | Cubs | Ratios are solid. Player Rater has him at 31. |
| 85 | Kyle Harrison | Giants | Great start last Tuesday at Colorado. Back to the BBs (5) yesterday vs Reds, though. |
| 86 (91) | Zack Littell | Rays | Solid and steady. |
| 87 (82) | Marcus Stroman | Yankees | Walks are ugly but he still provides strikeouts. |
| 88 | Simeon Woods-Richardson | Twins | One ‘return to the old team’ that didn’t go well last week. 2 HR and 5 ER at TOR. |
| 89 (83) | Luis Severino | Mets | 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 BB last week. Not much better yesterday. |
| 90 (98) | John Means | Orioles | A bit beat-up vs Arizona last week after a strong first start back. |
| 91 (95) | Mitchell Parker | Nationals | Held his own against Baltimore. Just 2 ER allowed. |
| 92 (NR) | Gavin Stone | Dodgers | Running out of spots to add new faces. Has put together 3 good starts in a row. |
| 93 (NR) | Christian Scott | Mets | Same as above, but one good first start and a decent one last week. |
| 94 (NR) | Dean Kremer | Orioles | Yo-yo’ing back and forth on and off the list. |
| 95 (100) | Erick Fedde | White Sox | 3-0 and almost a strikeout per inning (44:45). |
| 96 (NR) | Ben Lively | Guardians | Makes the list based on his 3 previous starts, not the last one. |
| 97 | Reese Olson | Tigers | Effective but not flashy. |
| 98 (84) | Casey Mize | Tigers | Was between Keaton Winn and Mize here. Mize gets Miami at home this week and that was the difference. |
| 99 (86) | Edward Cabrera | Marlins | Arm injury resurfaced. Back to the IL with no timetable for a return yet. |
| 100 (90) | Brandon Pfaadt | Diamondbacks | Stays on the list based on potential alone. |
BIGGEST DUMPERS: With apologies to Cal Raleigh, these are some of the biggest dumpers (in value, not pants size).
Kevin Gausman 8 (3) – Dropping Gausman 5 spots from 3rd to 8th isn’t that big of a deal. He’s still a Top 10 arm, but his start on Saturday was his third with at least 5 ER allowed. Not great when we’re expecting elite production every time out.
Logan Gilbert 13 (8) – This is similar to the Gausman stuff above, but Gilbert has been so good that 8 ER didn’t even balloon his ratios as much as they probably should have. I’m holding him as an ace everywhere that I have him.
Chris Bassitt 50 (35) – Grey mentioned it in one of the recent pods. Bassitt doesn’t look right. It’s almost like he’s hiding an injury or something is bothering him (physically). When a guy we can usually count on to provide solid ratios is not providing that. Well, that’s what they call ‘not so good’.
Hunter Greene 51 (44) – I still like Greene a lot for the strikeouts. A guy who sits in the 96th percentile for fastball velocity is not someone you really want to shop around for pennies on the dollar. But if we’re looking at percentiles, I should probably point out that his walk rate comes in at the 26th.
Joe Musgrove 53 (38) – I’ve dogged him for a few weeks, but he pitched well in his last start. Then the Dads sent him to the IL. He’s expected back next week, but I don’t know if I’d trust running him out there for that first start back.
Tanner Bibee 60 (41) – The strikeouts are still there, but he’s put up two nasty ones in his last couple of starts and couldn’t pitch more than 5 innings in each one. It would be a different story if he was facing top offenses, but the last two were home starts against Detroit and LAA.
Reid Detmers 70 (43) – I’m not alone on The Island of Detmers Destruction. There are a few of us writers who have quietly whispered about our fandom for the aforementioned lefty. And I’m sure I’m not the only one of us who would say something like, “I mean, I like the guy, but I can only fall for the banana in the tailpipe so many times.”
BIGGEST JUMPERS: Who’s got hops? These are some of the biggest jumpers in value this week.
Ranger Suarez 11 (22) – Holy smokes. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but at 7-0 with some pretty pristine ratios, I don’t think his fantasy owners care how he’s doing it either.
Chris Sale 16 (24) – 42.2 IP, 34 H, 14 ER, 8 BB, 52 K, 2.95 ERA, 0.984 WHIP. Somebody call Doc Brown because Sale found the DeLorean.
Seth Lugo 29 (40) – The Player Rater looooooves him. Strikeouts, (or lack thereof), are the only thing keeping him out of the Top 20.
Brady Singer 31 (52) – A bit of Jeopardy for you. The answer is : Pablo Lopez, Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Freddy Peralta, Luis Castillo, Kevin Gausman. The question? Which top starter is Brady Singer ranked higher than on the Player Rater. He’s 16th.
Paul Skenes 39 (69) – Last week I wrote that he, “Has to be coming up soon, no?”. Well, he’s here. I’ll admit that I’m fully drinking that Pittsburgh Kool-aid on this one, (as long as it isn’t mixed with water from the Allegheny). Keeper leaguers start putting together your best trade offers if you don’t have him already!
Nathan Eovaldi 58 (70) – He’s back up to the late 50s here. The injury isn’t an arm one, so that’s good news. The better news is that it is just a groin strain and not a tear. Take it from someone who had multiple groin tears last year. That’s pretty rough, and it’s good that it’s only a strain. Texas said that Eovaldi may not need a rehab assignment before his May 18th activation. Best wishes to his groin.
OOF
The following players dropped off the list this week.
Kenta Maeda – He is who we thought he was.
Dane Dunning – 15-day IL (shoulder)
Gavin Williams – transferred to 60-day IL
Lance Lynn
Keaton Winn
WHEE!
The following players launched into the Top 100 this week.
Trevor Williams (77)
Gavin Stone (92)
Christian Scott (93)
Dean Kremer (94)
Ben Lively (96)
That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it! Next week, I’ll post the Top 100 Starting Pitchers with some write-ups on some of the arms that I think need a bit more attention than others. Then, I’ll try to keep cherry-picking names to highlight throughout the list as we progress through the season.
Drop some comments in the chat if you’re feeling extra fired up about some of the names I do (or don’t) have here. Have a great week!
Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social
