Happy Monday, Razzball faithful!

It’s June first! And I see a lot of sun out there! It’s almost that time to step back and assess our fantasy baseball squads to see what we need to shake up before summer arrives.

But speaking of seeing the sun, it’s been one heck of a ride for the man we know as Cristopher Sanchez, AKA “C. San”.

And speaking of stepping back, let’s take a peek into the past with the Razzball way-back time machine. (Patent pending).

The year was 2019, and the world was just a bit different from what it is today.

We’ve got a bit of irony in naming our starting pitcher after that flaming ball of hydrogen in the sky, considering he was originally destined to be a Ray of sunshine. But now? This is a pretty big grey cloud hovering above the entire region of Tampa Bay.

It’s been a wild ride for the once blue-chip pitching prospect, but even in searching up those old scouting reports and news bites, one thing was certain. The Phillies did their homework and targeted a promising arm to develop into the super-stud he is today. (You can click the link here to watch a Philly NBC Sports clip)

The former Ray has been a MarmoBeacon of light as my NL Cy Young choice in our preseason staff predictions.

And he kept at it this week: 7 IP, 0 ER, 6 hits, zero walks, 9 Ks, ERA at 1.47.

That makes it a pretty impressive May showing for the blossoming lefty.

How do we not have Sanchez, Skenes, Miz, and Sale as 1A through 1D?

Where the heck are the American League pitchers, and why is the NL dominating our list?

Who gets this week’s pinnacle slot atop SP Mountain, and who is pushed aside to those 1 B, C, D spots?

Well, first, as always, it’s TWO bits of business to attend to before we get to the list.

The SECOND and FINAL FAAB run for RazzSlam 7 is TOMORROW (June 2nd) at 9:00 PM CST.

If you’re “one of us”, make sure you empty that FAAB wallet and get in your $600 bids on…uh…Curtis Mead? (Hey! Stop Laughing! He has the 8th highest point total on MY Free Agent list!)

And, of course, let’s not forget about the Razzball tools. The Razzball subscriptions are well worth the price of admission. This should be your go-to reference for the entire season. That resource that the other “experts” from other sites use as often as they look at Statcast or Fangraphs data? This is it.

The Top 100 Starting Pitchers for 2026

MARMO RANK	Name	Team	Notes
1	Paul Skenes	PIT	5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 10 Ks, ERA at 3.03. The Allegheny Ace must be feeling the heat from the rest of the elite NL Starters. Either that or he’s just doing his job and being awesome at it. He’s still at the top, but it’s getting really close.
2	Jacob Misiorowski	MLW	Game 1: 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 baserunners, 12 Ks, ERA at 1.83. He’s this year’s first SP to record 100 strikeouts and the only one to throw a billion 103 MPH fastballs in his sleep. (Ok, so maybe one of those things isn’t true. But only by a little bit). He’s up today, and it’s getting tougher to argue that he shouldn’t be our top pitcher. More in the Jumpers below, with Game 2…uh…too.
3	Cristopher Sanchez	PHI	Capri Sun or C. San? Which is healthier for your fantasy squads? Discuss. More above!
4	Chris Sale	ATL	5 IP, 2 ER, 9 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.01. 201? Trash. Drop this guy down now! (Hashtag big sarcasm)
5	Shohei Ohtani	LAD	6 IP, 1 ER, 0 hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks, ERA at 0.82. There really isn’t anything more to say that hasn’t been said already. Just wait for 15 years, then, after he’s retired, look back and remember how this two-way player was the best we’ve ever seen.
6	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	LAD	5.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 Ks, and his 5th win. Maybe I have him too high here, but put his numbers up against anyone else in the Top 6 and tell me he doesn’t belong there.
7	Cam Schlittler	NYY	6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks, and his 7th win. If that wasn’t enough, the 1.50 ERA and 0.85 WHIP are the icing on the cake of near-perfection. Oh boy.
8	Bryan Woo	SEA	7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 9 Ks, and his 5th win. I missed this one because I was out with the kids all day Saturday. The Woo-bot did what he needed to do to stay afloat in the Top 10 pond, that’s for sure. Up.
9	Chase Burns	CIN	5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 1.96. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Miz, McLean, and Schlittler were all youngsters worthy of the praise being heaped on them, but I also said Burns is right there too. There’s a pocket of young arms that is so good it’s tough to make a Top 10 list and not include all of them.
10	Jacob deGrom	TEX	6 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.77. He’s doing his best “Hey, all the best starters aren’t JUST in the NL!” Impression.
11	Logan Gilbert	SEA	6 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.69. No loogies for Logan last week. A much needed QS for the M’s co-co-ace.
12	Zack Wheeler	PHI	6.0 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, BB, 4 K, 1st L, ERA at 2.27. Ugh. Last Friday night wasn’t just a crazy night for Katy Perry. Lots of starting pitchers got roughed up, and Wheels was no exception. I don’t know if he went streaking in the park or skinny-dipping in the dark, but 4 ER was rough enough to hang up his first loss of the year.
13	Joe Ryan	MIN	7 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 hits, zero walks, 9 Ks, ERA at 2.94. “…And I want a beefy extension, and my own luxury suite when we’re on the road, and a glass vase of M&Ms on the bedside table, but only red and green ones because I’m a big fan of Christmas…” That’s Joe Ryan giving teams his list of deal breakers as he orchestrates his own trade out of Minnesota. Up.
14	Kevin Gausman	TOR	5 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.13. Ah, the Goose Man. It’s no longer just the nickname for the guy who has a daily appointment with the head of your HR department.
15	George Kirby	SEA	5.1 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, BB 4 K. I don’t know how I became the Kirby defender, but I felt like I might be the only one…until Dan Pants said he’s buying Kirby wherever he can, too. And I smiled.
16	Dylan Cease	TOR	Dumper. More below. Sad emoji.
17	Nolan McLean	NYM	Dumper. More below. Sad emoji.
18	Gavin Williams	CLE	7 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 3.07. UP! He’s in the Top 20 now, OKAY!?!?!?!
19	Drew Rasmussen	TB	4 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks. He flew too close to the sun last week (SP16), so we’ll give him some space and push him down a bit this week so he feels more comfortable.
20	Gerrit Cole	NYY	6 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 4 hits, zero walks, 10 Ks, ERA at 0.00. Last week’s lede could have just as easily been the focus of this week, too. The good news is the Cole train is back at the station, and it’s already chugging along at a good pace. Let’s just plop him into the Top 20 and get it over with already.
21	Braxton Ashcraft	PIT	6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.75. The World of Ashcraft: the best MMORPG you’ll see this summer. And, yes, that’s stands for Mostly Marvelous, Originally Relief Pitcher Gem. What? You thought it didn’t? Game 2: 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 11 Ks. Even better than Game 1. Up again today. It feels a bit lazy to copy these three from last week and bump them all up together, but Ashcraft, Harrison, and Rodon all deserve to be in the Top 25.
22	Carlos Rodon	NYY	6.0 IP, 4 hits, ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1st win. He’s back to giving us wins and not just the answer to the question: “What did the cowboy do when he rode up to yet another saloon with a closed sign in the window?”
23	Kyle Harrison	MLW	6 IP, 0 ER, 4 hits, zero walks, 2 Ks, ERA at 1.57. That’s 5 wins in his last 6 starts and just 3 ER in those 34 innings. With 43 Ks to boot. The hairiest son has arrived.
24	Shane McClanahan	TB	Game 1: 5 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 2.52. McClanahandling opposition but doing it with less-than-flashy strikeout totals to keep the hype down? I’ll take it! Game 2 yesterday was a Scrabble championship matchup against Kochanowicz, so… EDIT: 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks. Nothing flashy, but a good enough outing to secure his 6th win.
25	Trey Yesavage	TOR	Jumper? Again? Really? More below.
26	Jesus Luzardo	PHI	Game 1: 6 IP, 0 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 4.38. A week after we got sunburned by the Jesus Lizard’s statcast page in “Workin’ In The Cole Mine”, he gives us this for a follow-up. Three 6s, hey? For Jesus? That’s a hell of a lot easier to write up than the Mlodzinski pun, that’s for sure. Game 2: 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. Is he back?! Do you want to roll the dice on the Jesus Lizard this week vs CWS?! (I probably would).
27	Sonny Gray	BOS	6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 Ks, and his 6th win. Ya know? It can be a bit of a tentative peek when I look through the box scores and pray that certain pitchers don’t get blown up each week. With this guy, it’s hardly ever a worry. Mr. Reliable strikes again. Up.
28	Freddy Peralta	NYM	4.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks, and the no-decision. It took him 94 pitches to get 14 outs in this one. Ugh. He’s at SEA this week.
29	Nathan Eovaldi	TEX	7 IP, 5 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.93. I don’t want to yo-yo him too much because he’s liable to rip off a couple of good ones in a row.
30	Framber Valdez	DET	6.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks. ERA at 4.39. WHIP at 1.32. And his starting pitcher services at another person’s roster instead of mine, please and thank you.
31	Ryan Weathers	NYY	6.2 IP and 10 Ks! YES! (Just don’t tell anyone about the 5 ER, 6 H, and 3 BB, ok? And maybe don’t mention the loss, too? Thanks, pal). Down.
32	Emmet Sheehan	LAD	6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 4.70. It’s been a bumpy road in some stretches, but this kid gets a long rope from me. Bonus points for getting drilled by a 104 MPH comebacker and staying in the game, too.
33	Emerson Hancock	SEA	6 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 2.78. He was perfect through 4 innings. Sorry, Luis Castillo. You’re not getting that rotation spot back anytime soon.
34	Parker Messick	CLE	5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks and a tough no-decision against BOS and Sonny Gray. He’s at TEX this week.
35	Jose Soriano	LAA	5 IP, 3 ER, 11 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 2.65. I don’t want to be mean, but coming back to human form wasn’t a surprise here, right? Sori not sorry? (Also, it’s not like this line is bad. It’s just not a dozen Ks and 7 innings).
36	Michael King	SD	6 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks. This guy is another one that I had faith in. And Grey had a feeling it was going to unravel at some point sooner than later. Well, guess who was right again. Oof. Down today.
37	Shota Imanaga	CHC	5.1 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, BB, 2 K, 3 HR. Grey was right. I was not. I thought Shota had turned a corner and become a solid, Top 20 arm of reliability. After this one, he’s sitting at 20 ER in his last 15.2 IP, and upped his personal loss streak to 4 games. Ugh.
38	Kyle Bradish	BAL	Game 1: 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.86. Yeehaw! I sat Wacha but started Bradish last week. I’ll echo Grey’s Tuesday note and say thanks to whoever dropped this guy and helped lift the curse. Game 2: Had his way with the Blue Jays – 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 Ks, and his 3rd win. That buy-low window has slammed shut. Up.
39	Logan Webb	SF	4.1 IP, 3 hits, ER, 3 BB, 5 K. At least while he was hurt, it was easy not to have to worry about where to slot him in. He can ease back into the action around SP40 today, with a chance to boost his ranking with strong performances.
40	Will Warren	NYY	Game 1: 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.55. There aren’t too many positives with the Max Fried IL appointment, but at least it gives Warren some breathing room and not a worry that the Yankees may not go to a 6-man rotation. Game 2: 6 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks. That’s his 3rd win in his last 4 starts, and he’s 7-1 overall. You know the rotation is clicking when a guy with 7 wins isn’t guaranteed a spot if everyone else is healthy.
41	Payton Tolle	BOS	4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.61. The son (or father) of Kenny Powers and Marge from the truck stop just off of the I-90 was lifted at 94 pitches. I guess I should remember this the next time I complain about young arms not being “allowed” to finish 6 innings.
42	Max Meyer	MIA	6.0 IP, 6 hits, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, ERA at 2.97. I know I joked about him being an NL AllStar, so if you’re not a believer, seeing this start probably made you feel good. (You monster!)
43	Jared Jones	PIT	It feels like a good spot to slide him in for his return to the big leagues. Check your wire to see if others forgot about him. More below in Jumpers.
44	Robbie Ray	SF	Dumper. Down. More below. It’s been ugly.
45	Spencer Strider	ATL	Game 1: 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.46. Ok, 5 innings is nice. Now let’s take the training wheels off and see if this rookie can get through 6 innings. Oh, wait. Game 2: His first loss of the year. 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 8 Ks.
46	Ranger Suarez	BOS	Game 1: 5 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 3.02. Ranger Danger. I remember in the beginning when I couldn’t believe he was ranked as low as he was in draft season. Then, after I looked at who was ranked above him, it started to make more sense. Game 2: 5 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 10 Ks. The strikeout total is nice, but Sunday’s no-decision made it 5 straight starts without a win.
47	Spencer Arrighetti	HOU	6 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 1.34. Could you imagine the unlimited Pirate puns we would have if he was dealt to Pittsburgh? Arr, ya sure?
48	Connelly Early	BOS	Well, good grief. I caught the Bryce Elder note in my edit here, and apparently, my brain can’t distinguish among last names starting with the letter “E”. As far as Early is concerned, his 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 K win was a thing of beauty compared to Bryce’s poor showing last week. Up.
49	Nick Lodolo	CIN	Game 1: 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 hits, zero walks, 7 Ks, ERA at 5.57. We’re gonna have to call him Slim Shady ‘cause…guess who’s back! Game 2: 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 4 Ks. That’s TWO wins last week!
50	Landen Roupp	SF	5 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 Ks. It was a tough loss to ARI last week for the Roupp Dogg. Throw him a bone today at MLW if you need the strikeout help.
51	Mitch Keller	PIT	4 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks. Come on, Mitch. If you didn’t want to be in the Top 50, you could’ve just asked to move down instead of going out and posting this kind of start.
52	Connor Prielipp	MIN	4 1/3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 5.13. Yep! Just like I said. I’d roster him over a bunch of those other kid pitchers. *dodges flaming tomato*
53	Taj Bradley	MIN	4.0 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, ERA at 3.21. Ok, enough fooling around. Someone, go get the real Taj Bradley from April 2026, and exchange him with this one from May 2025. Please? Down.
54	Davis Martin	CWS	6 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.00. I don’t exactly know the point where we determine if the regression fairies will chop this guy down at the knees, but I get the feeling we’re well past it already. Grey wrote him up on Friday and outlined how he’s in the top 20 for starting pitchers in a bunch of categories and never would’ve guessed way back in March. Up.
55	Michael Soroka	ARI	6 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, zero walks, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.25. Smooth and effective, if not flashy.
56	Bryce Miller	SEA	Game 1: 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks, and the win looks fine, until you realize that he didn’t actually start that game. It’s looking like he and Luis Castillo are the new two-headed monster in Seattle, and the M’s managers need to be careful, or they’ll alienate TWO starters (both aren’t happy with the arrangement). Game 2: Game 2: Well, he actually started this one. 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, 6 Ks, and the no-decision. I’ll bet you can guess who got the win, though (and the blown save somehow!).
57	Troy Melton	DET	7.0 IP, 6 hits, ER, BB, K. He was the prettiest arm on the wire for about 48 hours, and I said last week that I’d likely add him this week. He posted a solid line, even if the one strikeout is tough to stomach.
58	Nick Martinez	TB	7.0 IP, 8 hits, 2 ER, 5 K. That’s FIVE wins, SEVEN quality starts, and a 1.62 ERA that’s good for SECOND in the AL (behind Cam Schlittler). Captain Caps Lock for the win.
59	Michael Wacha	KC	Game 1: 7 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.69. BOCK BOCK BOCK! I said it last week; I stuck to my chicken-guns and sat Wacha for his start vs the Yankees. He didn’t get the win, so a tiny victory there (bonus points for confusion). Edit: Game 2: 5 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 5 K. And that second game at TEX was more chicken feed than bock-bock o’clock.
60	Reid Detmers	ANA	5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 Ks, and his second win. I cursed myself by not putting together the final edits after last Sunday’s late game. I knew either this dude or MacKenzie Gore would have a great game. But if you’re expecting a Reid Detmers 14 strikeout outing each week, I’ve got some bad news for you. Up.
61	Tanner Bibee	CLE	Game 1: 3 IP, 7 ER, ERA at 4.57. “Oi! Hughie! I thought I toldja ta put the Bibee back in the crib so we can get the V1 and get outta here. 7 earned runs?! That’s diabolical!” Game 2: 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks. Not as diabolical as Game 1, but still not a win. He’s 0-7 in 13 starts. Barf emoji. Down.
62	Merrill Kelly	ARI	Game 1: 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 5.25. Ok, here’s the challenge. Build your rotation with Misiorowski at the top. Then add Kelly, Junk, Wacha, Lugo, Wrobleski, and whatever other marshmallow tossers we can find out there…and dominate your pitching categories. Game 2: 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks, and the no decision (on 98 pitches).
63	Ben Brown	CHC	Jumper. Way up today. More below.
64	Mackenzie Gore	TEX	6.1 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, BB 3 K, 4th win. 3.96 ERA. I just knew that when I dumped him last week, he’d go on a little run. He threw a decent game in the “late” Sunday matchup with Reid Detmers last Sunday, then posted another solid QS on Friday night. If he can up those K totals, he’s worth another look in redraft leagues. Up.
65	Casey Mize	DET	Left the game with a trainer with groin tightness. Where’s Daniel Norris when you need him? In a van down by the river? Oh. Ok, then.
66	Bubba Chandler	PIT	5 IP, 4 ER, 10 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 4.85. And now, it’s another exciting episode of…HOW MANY WALKS?! You know how to play this one, kids, so we’ll cut right to the chase. I give you the number of baserunners, and you tell me how many of them were of the bases-on-balls variety. Ready? Let’s go! (P.S. it was only two!)
67	Seth Lugo	KC	6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks, and the no-decision. It’s the quiet quality starts like this that helps shave down the ratios and makes us fantasy managers wonder where the decent numbers came from when we look back on them in a month.
68	Peter Lambert	HOU	5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks, and his 4th win. ERA at 3.77. WHIP at 1.21. Waiver wire gold? Maybe not quite that good, but he’s been more than just a streamer, that’s for sure.
69	Andrew Abbott	CIN	6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 3.88. This is the kind of line we should be happy to get from Abbott. 6 innings, quality start, and whatever strikeout total he gives us is gravy.
70	Zebby Matthews	MIN	Game 1: 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.37. Good News. We’re not going to have to travel all the way to the Outer Rim to find our next Zeb crush. We just have to travel to Minnesota. (Insert joke about Minnesota being as cold and uncomfortable as a space walk here). Game 2: Bad news. We need to send this game to the Outer Rim. 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks. That’s his 3rd loss in a row.
71	Ryne Nelson	ARI	5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks, and his 4th loss. I keep catching heat for ranking this guy too low, and I don’t disagree that he’s a talented pitcher. But the potential isn’t translating into fantasy success, so he’s down again today. Would I be happy to see him pitch for my favorite team? Sure. Do I want to roster him in fantasy? Not so much.
72	Justin Wrobleski	LAD	7.0 IP, 1 hit, ER, 9 K, 7th win. The Wrobbler got wrobbled last week and managed to right the ship faster than you can say, “What does Wrobbled mean?”.
73	Shane Baz	BAL	7 IP, 1 ER, 9 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 4.48. Baz with the solid revenge game, throwing a gem against his former club. This one was a weird box score too. That one Baz ER was the only earned run of the game…and Baltimore won 6-1. Up.
74	Randy Vasquez	SD	5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 9 baserunners, 2 Ks, ERA at 3.28. I don’t know why I get so surprised when this stuff happens. Guy makes his season debut and is rostered in very few leagues. Then, fantasy players go nuts and scramble to add a guy after two good starts. Guy settles in and is not the Hall of Fame pitcher everyone was hoping for, but still a serviceable arm. Rinse and repeat. Down.
75	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	5 2/3 IP, 8 ER, ERA at 4.66. Oh boy. Grey mentioned last Wednesday that Kyle Freeland had the most runs allowed (58) in May over the past two years. Can you guess who’s 2nd with 49? Barf emoji.
76	Foster Griffin	WSH	5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks. Foster the Griffin didn’t have a terrible start, but the 3 solo homers didn’t do him any favors either. A no-decision last week. He throws at  Arizona this week.
77	Bryce Elder	ATL	3 1/3 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 2.50. Respect your elders. But not if they’re giving up more runs than the number of innings they pitch. A regression fairy aided ‘down’ today.
78	Edward Cabrera	CHC	EdCab for Cuite has been on the IL with a blister since last Sunday, but the reports are good, and he’s slated to be activated on Friday (June 5th). He had a scheduled bullpen to throw yesterday.
79	Christian Scott	NYM	5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 Ks. I get the folks saying they don’t trust this kid to throw enough innings or to give us a ton of wins, but if you’re in a keeper league and someone is shopping him, I don’t know how you don’t put together a strong offer to try to lock him in.
80	Roki Sasaki	LAD	5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 Ks, and the no-decision. Only one start in his last 8 GS with more than 3 ER? Roki-Dokie!
81	Jack Leiter	TEX	Game 1: 6 IP, 4 ER, 7 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 4.75. The year is 2028, and Jack Leiter has started the season a perfect 6-0 with 100 strikeouts in 65 innings, prompting casual fantasy managers to opine: Where did this guy come from? Was he a top prospect? EDIT: Game 2: 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 10 Ks, and his second win of the week. This is the growth we were looking for when we drafted him in March. Hopefully, you had him active (because I did not).
82	Anthony Kay	CWS	More below. Jumpers.
83	Dustin May	STL	7 IP, 1 ER, 2 hits, zero walks, 9 Ks, ERA at 4.57. I’m not even looking on the wire to see if he’s available, but he’s been more valuable than a lot of other arms.
84	Patrick Corbin	TOR	5 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 3.65. Patrick Corbin ranked ahead of Corbin Brunes. Yep! Just like we drew it up in the preseason!  I don’t even know what to say here. So I’ll share a short snippet from what Grey said Friday morning: “Pitching is crazy”. Um…yeah, it is.
85	Brandon Sproat	MLW	4.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks, and his 4th loss. Rotten Sproats? That reminds me. I need to transplant my tomatoes out to the garden.
86	Joey Cantillo	CLE	2 IP, 4 ER, ERA at 3.57. “He can’t be a drop!” (Can’t he, though?). I’d consider cutting bait in a shallow league and seeing what other options there are if you have a healthy free agent list.
87	Noah Cameron	KC	5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks. Looking for a kid pitcher who struggles to give us quality starts, but has two first names? If you are, let me know. ‘Cause I Noah guy.
88	Cade Cavalli	WSH	6 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 3.62. C&C’s Factory doesn’t just give us music, it gives us hope. (It also gives us three straight quality starts and 24 Ks in its last 19.1 IP to make that last sentence a lot less cheesy).
89	Grant Holmes	ATL	4.2 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, BB, 5 K. He gets the Blue Jays in ATL next week. I’m biased, but I don’t know if I’d be starting him. Down.
90	Trevor Rogers	BAL	6.0 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, BB, 3 K. Yay! He got the no-decision! That means he snapped his personal 6-game losing streak! Seriously, though. This stuff is even more shocking than when the original Mister Rogers flipped the middle finger at the camera during a taping of the show. Wtf is going on with this guy?
91	Griffin Jax	TB	Hit in the bax (er, back) with a comebacker. It’s ok. The Rays signed Craig Kimbrel. Maybe they’ll stretch him out into a starting pitcher too. Down a bit today.
92	Lucas Giolito	SD	2.2 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 4 BB, K. Dan Pants mentioned it in his roundup on Saturday, and it’s a good point to pontificate. Why did the Padres think it was a good idea to sign a guy with an 89 MPH fastball. Blech. He cracked the list last week, and is barely hanging on this week. Here’s hoping he can tick up a few clicks next week. Down.
93	Zac Gallen	ARI	5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks, and 3 HR allowed. I don’t know what league you have to be in where a 5.16 ERA and 1.47 WHIP plays, but it sure ain’t any of mine!
94	Stephen Kolek	KC	5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks, and his first loss. Blame this one on me. I got excited about hte CG SO and picked him up in two leagues.
95	Sean Burke	CWS	Game 1: 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.90. At least we won’t have to worry about the White Sox sending a guy like Sean Burke to be their all-star rep. Thanks, Murakami. And RIP Shane Smith. Game 2: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. He didn’t allow more than 2 ER in any of his last three starts…and had no wins in any of them. Ugh.
96	Keider Montero	DET	Game 1: 5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 9 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 4.09. Keider? More like keister! Boom! Roasted! Nothing says bringing the smoke like a Boomer pun. Whammy. Game 2: 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks. The two wins in 11 GS are tough because he hasn’t pitched that poorly. The 3.69 ERA and 1.00 WHIP are better than a lot of other starters with more wins, that’s for sure.
97	Eduardo Rodriguez	ARI	6 IP, 2 ER, 8 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.31. I didn’t want to add him last week, but it was the right call. Yay, me
98	Brady Singer	CIN	5 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 Ks, and his 5th loss. Is it just me, or does anyone else get excited when they see “B. Singer” and immediately think of Supernatural and The Boys? (Oh, and for the record, the pitcher is barely hanging on here).
99	Tatsuya Imai	HOU	I didn’t realize he wasn’t here until my final edits. He replaces Ober and has more info in the Jumpers below.
100	David Sandlin	CWS	6 IP, ER, H, BB, 4 Ks, and one mad dash to the FAAB list by anyone in need of a healthy starting pitcher. For the record, I needed a final name to replace an uneven number of drops here. I almost went with Jameson Taillon, but Sandlin is worth a gamble here.

JUMPERS (Players who jumped up the list this week).

Jacob Misiorowski – I’ve got a bunch of clips and links here again for y’all today, so let’s just throw this one in for starters and say it’s a lot more close up at the top of our list than it has been in a few weeks. This kid is something else. Game 2: 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 8 Ks. He’s 5-0 in his last 6 starts with 1 ER in 38.1 innings. Oh, and he racked up 57 strikeouts in that span, too. 

After another double-digit strikeout performance, Jacob Misiorowski is the first pitcher to reach 100 Ks this season!(MLB x @abbvie)

— MLB (@mlbbot.bsky.social) 2026-05-25T20:16:31.000Z

Trey Yesavage – 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 7 BB, 4 Ks. Yes. I know it’s getting silly. No. I am not the founding member of the Trey Yesavage Fan Club, but I’d be a member if there were such a thing. And please don’t think I didn’t see that nasty “7” by the BB part in his pitching line.

With the Dylan Cease injury news this week, coupled with yet another Jeff Hoffman meltdown that cost Yesavage a win, we BJ fans needed some news that didn’t entirely suck. So, when I saw this little tidbit, I figured it was worth a share if only just to lift some spirits. MarmosDad – man of the people and sharer of mental health boosts. You’re welcome.

Tatsuya Imai – Game 1: 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 walks, 2 Ks, ERA at 6.17. He racked up 66.6% of a no-hitter last Monday. That little devil. The BB/9 is still atrocious (6.94), but going 6 innings (for the first time this year), and no-hitting the Rangers is enough of a checkmark in progress to move him up a tiny bit today. Mind you, I wrote this up last week and edited it yesterday morning before his start vs MIL, so this could blow up in everyone’s face by the time it gets to the finish line for final edits. EDIT: Streamonator had yesterday’s start at -$18.5. 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks wasn’t enough for a win, but it sure wasn’t a -$18.5 start.

Ben Brown – Game 1: 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.01. Sneaky good. Get in now if you’re in a sleepy league, and he’s still somehow on the free agent list. Ben Brown above Hunter Brown, hey? Just like we drew it up in the preseason! Game 2: Much of the same. 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks, and a big boost way up the list. I kept looking at names and deciding whether I’d rather have each random pitcher or Brown, and he ended up jumping a good 30ish spots.

Anthony Kay – Game 1: 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.96. Game 2: 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks. Someone asked me where Kay was last week, and I have to admit I wiped him off the Stumper list without looking too closely. I figured he was marginal, and having him in here a few weeks ago was more about my lingering Jays bias (from before he went overseas). Well, looky here. Guess who’s had a 6-game run of pretty. With all due respect to the wizard of May himself, Christopher Sanchez, check out Anthony Kay’s May (excluding yesterday’s start).

If we’re picking nits, the K/9 could use a boost, but this guy hasn’t allowed more than 2 WER in any of his May starts (again, excluding yesterday).

He’s in at the bottom of the list today, regardless of how his game against Detroit shakes out. EDIT:

Jared Jones – This was my original note before the activation: “To the bullpen?! Nopers! The Polish Scrabble board Carmen Mlodzinski is off to the arm barn to make room for the return of The Marmo Mancrush. Fun fact: Return of the Marmo Mancrush was not the original title for the 3rd (or 6th) Star Wars movie.”

4.1 IP, 7 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Finally, one of these dudes gets activated on a weekend so we don’t have to worry about the temptation of activating him from our IL slots, just to have him get shellacked in his first start of the year. His rehab games were solid: 18.2 IP, 2.89 ERA, 24:8 K:BB ratio.

And, as Dan shared on Saturday, Jones hit 101 MPH with the fastball on Friday night.

For the trifecta…yes, he finished the game with no setbacks or injury chatter.

All of this adds up to a resounding: “Yes, I’d be adding him from the free agent list. And yes, I’m starting him at HOU next week.

Shane Bieber – It’s good news for yesterday’s BIRTHDAY BOY (31 years old). He was headed to Dunedin for another rehab start yesterday, and things are trending in the right direction ahead of an expected activation when eligible (June 22nd). Stash him now if you can.

Chris Bassitt –  6 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 2 Ks, ERA at 5.06. Ok, so he’s not really a jumper or a dumper, but I had to give him props for not crying through his entire start against the Blue Jays, a team filled with his former blood brothers. Oh, and I needed a spot to share this, too. 

Three cheers for wholesome smiles.

Walbert Urena – 6.0 IP, 5 hits, ER, 3 BB, 5 K. His last name may sound like an old Italian man shaking his fist and yelling at the clouds for ruining his sunny afternoon, but that’s Walbert’s 4th QS in 8 starts. And he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in all but one of those GS. He’s in today!

DUMPERS (Players who dropped down the list this week).

Nolan McLean – 3 1/3 IP, 7 ER, ERA at 4.40. Harley and I had an exchange in the comments last week, and I’ll say it again. It’s just two starts. They were bad…but it’s just two starts. I’m still a believer. Hopefully, if you don’t roster him in your league, the manager who does isn’t a believer, too. And, hopefully, his start yesterday doesn’t make me come back and edit that first part to read, “It’s just THREE starts”. EDIT: Game 2: 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 2 Ks. The walks weren’t great, but this certainly wasn’t a third bad outing. His 3rd win of the year.

Dylan Cease – 15-day IL with de-moustache-itis. Seriously. It’s an epidemic. Ok, maybe it’s not the moustache that caused the reset, but Cease is down today because of a hamstring injury. This was my original note – “Hit the IL with a hamstring strain. Why can’t we have nice things? No, I don’t mean Cease’s moustache. Because that is a very nice thing.”

Well, the IL assignment not only took his pitching prowess away from us this week, but it also gave him extra time to shave off that top-tiered lip foliage. Sad emoji times a thousand.

In other news, if you want to see what a nasty hamstring looks like, peep this old YouTube AL East Ambulance Chasers preview from 2024 featuring yours truly and Keelin. (For the record, it wasn’t even my hamstring that was injured. This was the aftermath of 3 groin tears and a quad tear). And speaking of Keelin, she tagged Cease as her lede in this week’s Ambulance Chasers article, too. 

The news that Cease is already throwing bullpens is a good sign. That’s why he wasn’t removed completely today. He should be back when eligible (June 9th).

Robbie Ray – I’ll admit that I had a bit of a twitchy reaction when I saw someone in Grey’s comments ask if they should drop Robbie Ray for Roki Sasaki. But when we look at the recent starts, it’s a lot less questionable than it should be. Ray’s most recent 3 games look like this: 13 IP, 16 ER, 20 H, 11 BB, 5 HR allowed, and 6 Ks. As if that isn’t enough, Truss told us he’s dropped Ray in a few RCLs because of the matchup this week and the fact that the FB velocity has dipped. Ugh. Down today. EDIT: GAME 2: 4 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. The Giants scored 19 runs for him, but he still didn’t record the W (that went to a middle reliever). 96 pitches to get 12 outs is … not great. 

Eury Perez – The drama that surrounds/consumes this guy is comical.  4 IP, 0 ER, 3 hits, zero walks, 9 Ks, ERA at 4.60. If I wasn’t a believer before, the “hit Okamoto with a fastball then laugh” being followed up by “oh no” when this happened… well, let’s just have a look, shall we?

Then, Perez broke himself while ‘aggressively stretching”. I’m serious. Check it out (and ring the karma bell, too).

The official word is “15-day IL with a right gracilis strain”. I don’t know what a gracilis is, but if you said it was located in the right side of his brain, I’d believe you.

You hurt yourself stretching and had to be carried to the locker room to lie down? Welcome to life after 50, Eury. 

Noah Schultz – IL’ed with “hesbeensuckingitis”. It’s a terrible disease. Destroys ratios. 

STUMPERS (These names might stump you as to why they aren’t on the Top 100…yet. Some of these guys are close).

Jonah Tong – 3 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners (4 BBs), 1 K, ERA at 0.00. The Tong song will be sung from the mountaintops at some point, but for now it’s just being whispered from the top of that hill over there (which is just a bunch of old newspapers). 

Drew Anderson

Jameson Taillon 

Dean Kremer 

Kai-Wei Teng

Kyle Leahy – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks. If Mr. Leahy keeps avoiding the Shit-Winds like he did again this week, we’re going to have to consider him for a Sunnyvale promotion. 

Kendry Rojas

Slade Cecconi

David Sandlin – 6 IP, ER, H, BB, 4 Ks, and one mad dash to the FAAB list by anyone in need of a healthy starting pitcher.

Jacob Lopez – 2 IP, 7 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks. He got Yankeed.

Martin Perez – 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 Ks, and his 3rd win. And before you ask, no, Martin Perez did not disrespect my family or me. I just don’t want to add him to the list because I know the unravelling is coming at some point.

Brandon Pfaadt 

Chris Bassitt 

David Peterson – 5 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 5.57. Ughggggggghhie. That’s an extended “ugh” for those who can hear it with their eyes. If you started Peterson last week, you can hear it too. 

Andre Pallante

Michael McGreevy

Gage Jump – 5 IP, 4 ER, 10 baserunners, 5 Ks. Just wait until they call up their next top prospect, Calculated Panama. 

Trevor McDonald –  6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 8 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 4.34. He should’ve been a Stumper for a while now, and to be honest, I’d rather roster him than Dustin May (sorry Dustin). 

Mike Burrows – 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 5.40. Congratulations if you’re in a 50-team league and started him last week. 

Tomoyuki Sugano

Janson Junk – Game 1: 5 IP, 1 ER, 8 hits, zero walks, 3 Ks, ERA at 4.80. Stumper. Bruh. You’re going to do it again and make me add you again, aren’t you? Game 2: Didn’t happen. 15-day IL (shin bone inflammation).

Kumar Rocker – Game 1: 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.96. Someone said last week that they were looking forward to starting Rocker against the Astros because Yordan was scheduled to sit. Then they forgot to activate said pitcher. Gotta love that stroke of luck. Gae 2: It was better, so I hope whoever that was remembered to activate Kumar for this one. 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 Ks (and the no-decision).

Colin Rea – 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 4.70. I contemplated making a joke about how he’s probably half his parents didn’t name him “Dia”, but I figured it was too juvenile, so I didn’t do it…or did I? 

Jack Kochanowicz – 2.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 1 K. 63 pitches to get 7 outs. Woof.

Eric Lauer – 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 5.95. Well, NO KIDDING. I’d be a lot happier if I got traded to the Dodgers too. Nothing like whining your way out of town because you have to follow an opener, blaming that on your crappy pitching results, then getting a promotion anyway. Ugh. Now get off my lawn. Stumper. 

Jeffrey Springs 

Jack Flaherty –  5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 5.81. He’s a Stumper at best for the foreseeable future. I wouldn’t roster him anywhere. And that’s saying something because I have Grayson Rodriguez active in one league. 

Walker Buehler – 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits, zero walks, 2 Ks, ERA at 4.88. Stumper town. 

Jake Irvin

J.T. Ginn – 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 Ks. He’s a Stumper today, and I keep getting the feeling that I should be bumping someone like Brady Singer out for him. Maybe next week.

Matthew Liberatore – 5 IP, 3 ER, 9 baserunners, 10 Ks, ERA at 4.76. This was Game 1, and we fantasy folk are notorious for jumping at shiny objects without heeding any potential signs of peril. The 10 K game gets him back on the Stumper list this week. Game 2 was yesterday’s ‘late’ one, and if he has a night like Reid Detmers did last Sunday, it’ll keep him here. EDIT: 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks, and well on his way to win #3.

BUMPERS (Injured starters or minor league guys who could or would bump others off the list if they were active on the big league roster).

Shane Bieber

Joe Musgrove

Max Scherzer – rehab assignment at Buffalo.

Justin Steele

Robby Snelling 

Lance McCullers Jr.

Cristian Javier

Joe Boyle

Hunter Brown

Hunter Greene

Spencer Schwellenbach

Zach Eflin

Johan Oviedo

Grayson Rodriguez – 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 7.53. So good so far. But I’d be lying if I said I had a lot of faith in him every week. 

Cody Ponce

Cade Horton

Shane Smith

Quinn Priester

Clarke Schmidt

River Ryan

Corbin Burnes

Pablo Lopez

Kade Anderson

Nick Pivetta

Andrew Painter – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks. He’s started 10 games. Can you guess his win total? 

Thomas White

Ryan Pepiot

Jose Berrios 

Justin Verlander

Reese Olson

Mick Abel

Didier Fuentes

Garrett Crochet

Brandon Woodruff

Tarik Skubal

Tyler Glasnow

Steven Matz – 3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 4.67. Just because his name is Matz, it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to wipe your feet all over him. 

Kodai Senga

Brayan Bello – 7.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 5 K. Oh! You want to go stick your hand in that basket of poisonous scorpions and murder hornets? I’m sure you’ll be fine wearing only those plastic dollar store gloves. Good luck! 

Matthew Boyd

Braxton Garrett

Yusei Kikuchi

Griffin Canning – Game 1: 6 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 7.54. I swear I was a fan way back in the Los Angeles Angels of Los Angeles times. But I’ll strike that from the public record if/when he gets annihilated against the Dodgers (or whoever he starts against in Game 2). Game 2: 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks. He has zero wins across 6 GS.

WHEE! – These players vaulted onto the Top 100 list this week.

Logan Webb

Troy Melton

Anthony Kay

Jared Jones

Walbert Urena

Tatsuya Imai

OOF! – These players fell off the Top 100 list this week.

Cole Ragans – Shut down after his most recent rehab start. It’s time to say buh bye (for now).

Logan Henderson – IL’ed with “middle-aged man syndrome” (AKA lower back strain)’

Nick Schultz – Out (right knee patellar tendinitis).

Carmen Mlodzinski –  5 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 2 Ks, ERA at 3.76. You know how tough it is to come up with a pun for this dude? I mean, other than referencing a group of dudes who are salespeople at a Polish used auto shop? And even that wasn’t a strong one. This is the other domino that fell when Jared Jones returned. Bullpen re-assignment means off the list here. EDIT: He’s been placed on the restricted list, which I would imagine is code for “not happy about the bullpen demotion”.

Eury Perez

Bailey Ober – 4.2 IP, 7 ER, 12 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks. Don’t dream, it’s Ober. Way down today. EDIT: He’s headed to the 15-day IL. I originally said ‘He’ll be gone next week and replaced by a new name from the Stumpers list’ until I realized I was missing Imai.

Luis Severino – 15-day IL (shoulder strain)

That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it! If you’re feeling extra fired up about some of the names I do (or don’t) have here, drop some comments in the chat. Have a great week!

 

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