Happy Monday, Razzball faithful!
7 IP, 0 ER, 5 hits, zero walks, 10 Ks, ERA at 1.64.
Y’all have to be of a certain vintage to get the full scope of this one, but like Kim Carnes once sang, “Who’s This Buddy Davis, Guy?”
Well, I found an old graphic of us Canadians up here debating about this exact thing.
Then again, if I remember correctly, that tune may have been about eyeballs instead.
Either way, there are lots of White Sox fans Bette…er, batting their eyelashes in his general direction. All I know is I’m glad he turned around and put up this kind of start after I added him to the list last week!
Grey mentioned Davis Martin‘s metrics aren’t necessarily all that ‘ace-worthy’, but an 8.8 K/9 and a 1.6 BB/9 from a guy who had an NFBC ADP of 493 is as good as you’re going to get from a 50th round pick, let alone if you added him as a free agent way back in April.
I know that I often lean towards roto-keeper leagues when I put these together. Still, Rudy had us join a generic 6-team points league on Yahoo just to give him a test zone for the Razzbot (yes, that’s a link clicky for you to go check it out), and it was a bit of a surprise to see who was atop the free agent list for SPs after the system ran an autodraft to build our squads.
So what’s the bottom line? This not-so-young starting pitcher (29 years old) matched 50% of his career win total with his 5th win of the year in that gem at LAA last week, and is well on his way to the best season of his career.
50 IP, 9 ER, 40 H, 10 BB, 2 HR (allowed), 52 Ks, 1.62 ERA, 1.00 WHIP?
Not too shabby for an afterthought from early March, but is he really this good?
Whoa! Ok. I guess I asked for that.
Now for the obligatory questions…
- Where does this buddy guy go after landing in last week’s SP66 spot?
- How far up the Top 100 Starting Pitchers list does he jump?
- Did he get smoked by the Mariners yesterday afternoon after I wrote this whole introduction up and plugged it into the first draft of this week’s document?
EDIT: He did not, in fact, ‘get smoked’ yesterday, either. 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 Ks, and a tough no-decision in a 2-1 CWS win.
Well, first, as always, it’s a bit of business. 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 | 8 IP, 0 ER, 2 hits, zero walks, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.36. The Prince of Primantis has ascended to his rightful place atop SP Mountain. |
| 2 | Chris Sale | ATL | 7.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 7 Ks. This guy is two months removed from his 37th birthday, and still pumping 99 MPH peas past major league hitters. I thought he was cooked 5 years ago, but I guess that string bean arm has some serious juice left in it. One way to get up to the SP2 spot is by wiping out the guys in front of you. Watch your back, Paul Skenes! |
| 3 | Cristopher Sanchez | PHI | 8 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 10 Ks, ERA at 2.42. If he wins the NL Cy Young award, you’d better believe I’ll be crowing about it (because it’ll be one of the few predictions I got right!). Game 2: Sunday’s start was just as good! 7 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 7 Ks. Oh boy. He could probably slide ahead of Sale this week, to be honest. |
| 4 | Shohei Ohtani | LAD | 7 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 8 Ks, ERA at 0.97. I know it’s so 2025 to say this, but Shohei versus 500 gorillas? I might still take the one wearing the baseball cap. |
| 5 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | LAD | 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.09. Another quality start from Mario’s dinosaur mount. Ya-hoo! Two starts this week, too. |
| 6 | Cam Schlittler | NYY | 5 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 10 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 1.52. I know I clowned a bit on Dan Plesac’s SP rankings last week, but he was right about Schlittler. The kid deserves to be even higher in our list, too. Game 2: 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks. A 1.35 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. Even better than his first game last week. Schlitt is indeed happening. Up. |
| 7 | Bryan Woo | SEA | 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 2 walks, 9 Ks, ERA at 4.02. Enough wobble from Woo. We much prefer the “Wheeeeeee!” I was a bit offended when MLB The Show downgraded him from a diamond to a gold card this week. He’s back up a bit today. Two starts this week, too. |
| 8 | Jacob deGrom | TEX | Game 1: 6 1/3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 3.11. Ermagehrd. 311? What a beautiful disaster. Game 2: 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 10 Ks. Whoa! Amber is the color of his energy! |
| 9 | Max Fried | NYY | 6.0 IP, 6 hits, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Not as bad as it looks. It was one bad inning, but enough to saddle him with his 2nd loss. |
| 10 | Zack Wheeler | PHI | 6 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks. He’s not a Top 10 arm right now, but with so many of his peers hitting the shelf or struggling with soreness, he’s in there by default. Two starts this week, too. |
| 11 | Nolan McLean | NYM | 6.0 IP, 3 hits, ER, BB, 6 Ks. If you can convince someone to give him up in a dynasty league, it would be a huge addition. But I’m guessing it would cost you a bundle. |
| 12 | Jacob Misiorowski | MLW | Jumper. By a good bit. More below. |
| 13 | Dylan Cease | TOR | Jumper. More below. |
| 14 | Shota Imanaga | CHC | Jumper. More below. |
| 15 | Chase Burns | CIN | 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 Ks. 4th win. I missed Burns vs Arrighetti on Saturday afternoon because I was outside trying to mow my lawn on a tractor with a smoking rubber belt. You know what they say: Where there’s smoke, there’s Burns! UP! |
| 16 | Logan Gilbert | SEA | 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 4.30. Wtf is going on with the “best rotation in baseball” this year? Game 2: Yesterday’s solid start was enough to push him ahead of Glasnow & Co. in the next group of five. 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 9 Ks is vintage, ace Gilbert territory. |
| 17 | Tyler Glasnow | LAD | Dumper. More below. (Both he and Ragans slip because of the health questions). |
| 18 | Cole Ragans | KC | Dumper. More below. |
| 19 | George Kirby | SEA | 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.94. He may sound like he was named after the sidewalk outside of PeeWee’s Playhouse, but at least when he pitches, there aren’t awkward giggles like there are when some of his teammates take the mound. |
| 20 | Freddy Peralta | NYM | 5 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K, and the win (91 pitches). The one strikeout is ugly, but this was at COL, so let’s give him some credit. Two starts this week, too. |
| 21 | Robbie Ray | SF | 6.0 IP, 4 hits, ER, 4 BB, 7 Ks. His third win of the year, and some seriously sweet ratios. Ray’s guns are a lot better than Ragans’. Just sayin’. |
| 22 | Kevin Gausman | TOR | 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.09. Well on his way to a victory … until the bullpen unravelled again and he ended the night with a no-decision. Two starts this week, too. |
| 23 | Joe Ryan | MIN | 6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks, and a tough no-decision in a head-to-head beast mode matchup with Tanner Bibee. It’s nice to see the bounceback (from both guys, tee bee aitch). |
| 24 | Drew Rasmussen | TB | 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.95. Ah! Another quality start! Ok, now start saving up for the one in June! Jokes…kind of. |
| 25 | Nathan Eovaldi | TEX | 8 IP, 1 ER, 3 hits, zero walks, 8 Ks, ERA at 4.15. Yes. Yes, you should pick him up if he’s available in a smaller league. Two starts this week, too. |
| 26 | Jose Soriano | LAA | Game 1: 4 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 1.74. It’s wild that a guy can give up that many earned runs and see his ERA “balloon” but still stay under 1.75. Game 2: A nice bounce-back from the Blue Jays nest on Sunday – 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 Ks, and his 5th win. This was a welcome dominant start after three straight “meh” ones. |
| 27 | Braxton Ashcraft | PIT | 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks, and his 2nd win. It feels like this guy should have 5 wins already, but he’s another late rounder paying dividends, so we’ll take whatever we can get here. Up. (And for the record, I put him ahead of the next 4 arms because I’d prefer to roster Ashcraft than the others). |
| 28 | Emmet Sheehan | LAD | 4.2 IP, 6 hits, ER, BB, 7 Ks. I said it about a few others, but I’d be buying this guy and sharing some less-than-flattering information (like his drop in in-game velocity) in any trade talk text messages. |
| 29 | Shane McClanahan | TB | 5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 2.60. Left the game after 69 pitches. Ah, the classic 5.2 inning outing from a Rays pitcher. Shane got “Rasmussen-ed”. Apologies to all of you folks in search of quality starts, but at least he’s won three straight starts. |
| 30 | Sonny Gray | BOS | 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 baserunners, 2 Ks, ERA at 3.54. Mister Underrated plops right back into the rotation and spins a beauty, looking like he never left. Now add about a half dozen to that K-line, and we’ll talk. |
| 31 | Emerson Hancock | SEA | 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks. That’s his third win, and even though it was uglier than we’ve seen from him in any start this year, I’m still not dropping him much. |
| 32 | Parker Messick | CLE | 5.2 IP, 7 hits, ER, BB, 7 Ks. Ok, that’s a nice bounce back from last week’s melt. He’s one win behind Gavin Williams for the lead in Guardians wins (4 to Gavin’s 5). He gets LAA at home this week. |
| 33 | Framber Valdez | DET | Dumper. More below. |
| 34 | Jesus Luzardo | PHI | 3.0 IP, 6 hits, 6 ER, 3, 6 Ks. Man (and 6 women), are you really this much of a glutton for punishment? Because I’m sure not. |
| 35 | Gavin Williams | CLE | 6 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 3.28. The good news is he only walked two Royals. The bad news is he gave up 8 hits and 5 earned runs…to the Royals. And that this start broke a personal 4-game win streak. Hold. |
| 36 | Michael King | SD | 6 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks, and a tough no-decision in a 2-1 loss vs STL. The strikeouts are there, the ratios are there, and the hits are not. Just be careful this week (at MLW). |
| 37 | Kris Bubic | KC | 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 Ks vs DET. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. He throws at CWS this week. |
| 38 | Will Warren | NYY | 4 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 3.46. Ah, man. He got rearranged by the Rangers last week, right after I moved him up into the 30s? That K/9 and BB/9 are still eye-popping, though. Hopefully, just a tiny trip over the rubber here and not a full-fledged faceplant on the mound. |
| 39 | Ryan Weathers | NYY | He missed last week’s start (illness) but is scheduled to start today, so the good news is it’s a two-start week! |
| 40 | Trey Yesavage | TOR | More below. Jumpers. (Up a biased…er, bit). |
| 41 | Kyle Harrison | MLW | 4 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 Ks. Multiple walks will always derail these kid pitchers on an innings management plan, but allowing just 2 ER is impressive nonetheless. Both he and Yesavage move up by default, aka worse guys having bad weeks around them. |
| 42 | Mitch Keller | PIT | 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks, and his 4th win. AND another quality start from Mister Kwality Start! That’s three wins in his last four games AND 6 QS out of all 8 GS. |
| 43 | Carlos Rodon | NYY | Two aces returned last week, so I figured I’d slot them in together right around the middle of the list and let their pitching dictate how quickly they’ll move up. EDIT: 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 4 Ks. Don’t hit the panic button already! Be thankful he threw 78 pitches in his first game back. And, maybe, be thankful this week’s start is at NYM. |
| 44 | Blake Snell | LAD | 3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks in his first game of the season, a loss against Spencer Strider and the Braves. Are we sure they didn’t get these pitching lines mixed up?! |
| 45 | Edward Cabrera | CHC | Game 1: 6 IP, 3 ER, 11 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.27. Real question: If it read 7 H, 4 BB, would it look better or worse than ‘11 baserunners’? Game 2: 5 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 2 HR allowed, 6 Ks. We knew this was coming at some point, if not at multiple points. The homers were only solo shots, too – and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. He’s down today. |
| 46 | Payton Tolle | BOS | 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.04. I watched a bit of this one, but not nearly enough. He looked locked in and had that same pissed-off ‘Max Scherzer intensity’. I’m guessing it wasn’t just because he was pitching through sheets of rain. Sign me up! (And move him up!) Game 2: I had him moved all the way up here before his start yesterday, hoping he’d repeat the success he had in Detroit for Game 1. 5 IP, 3 ER< 7 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks wasn’t enough to keep him at SP40 (where I put him before editing), but he’s still a Top 50 arm. |
| 47 | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | Game 1: 4 1/3 IP, 7 ER, ERA at 4.01. Oh, no. Not again. Sandy was cheeks. Game 2: 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks. His second start wasn’t as bad as the first, but I still don’t want any of this volatility on my rosters. |
| 48 | Eury Perez | MIA | 5 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 5.01. 555? He’s a movie star! Down. |
| 49 | Spencer Strider | ATL | 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 8 Ks, and looking like his old dominant self. Must have been against a bottom feeder *checks notes*. Ah, at LAD. Of course. Because baseball. UP! |
| 50 | Kyle Bradish | BAL | 7.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, BB, 10 K, and his 5th loss. How many of us started him against the A’s on Friday? Or, an equally acceptable question: how many of us practice dark magic? I can say he was on the bench in every league I rostered him, that’s for sure. Send out the trade offers now and play up those double-digit strikeouts. The Ks should move him up a bit, but I don’t buy it yet. He’s holding here. |
| 51 | Ranger Suarez | BOS | 4 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks, and an early exit last Sunday (hamstring). A wonky hamstring? Oh, that reminds me, our slo-pitch league starts this week. For what it’s worth, the team thinks he’ll be good to start this week (Ranger, not me). |
| 52 | Spencer Arrighetti | HOU | 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks, and two unearned runs. As long as he’s limiting walks, I’m all in. |
| 53 | Seth Lugo | KC | 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 5 Ks. That’s 13 ER in his last 16.1 IP (3 starts). Oof. Down a bit today. |
| 54 | Bubba Chandler | PIT | Game 1: 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 hits, 6 walks, 4 Ks, ERA at 4.76. Stellar option in those leagues that don’t count walks against you. What? *finger to earpiece* I’m hearing there are no leagues like that out there. Game 2: 5 IP, 1 BB! ONE WALK! I mean, he didn’t get the win on Sunday, and allowed 2 ER, but…ONE WALK! |
| 55 | Connelly Early | BOS | 7.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, BB, 8 K. Sonofabench! I saw the Rays on the slate last week and chickened out. It’s the Phillies at Fenway this week, but I’m activating him anyway. Schwar-bombs be damned. Up a bit. |
| 56 | Noah Schultz | CWS | Dumper. More below. |
| 57 | Reid Detmers | ANA | 3.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 6 BB, 3 Ks. 56 of the 99 pitches were strikes, and the half dozen walks were a pretty big barf emoji. The Angels were in tough against Dylan Cease anyway, but Detmers certainly didn’t help their cause. |
| 58 | Logan Henderson | MLW | As much as I wanted to do it, I couldn’t justify sneaking him in just below the two other noobs, Blake Snell and Carlos Rodon. EDIT: 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks. That’s 16 Ks in 13 innings this year (so far). |
| 59 | Max Meyer | MIA | 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks, and the no-decision. If I told you he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 8 starts, would you believe me? (Because it’s true!) |
| 60 | Davis Martin | CWS | Who’s this buddy Davis guy? More above. (Up) |
| 61 | Landen Roupp | SF | 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 Ks, and a big old Ticker shock from the 13-3 loss. |
| 62 | Chase Dollander | COL | 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 Ks. Well, he didn’t have to follow an opener, and this was a decent outing if we can put the walks aside. He was in line for his 4th win until the bullpen blew it for him and gifted Victor Vodnik the W. |
| 63 | Michael Soroka | ARI | 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 9 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA at 4.14. Keep putting up starts like these, and that ERA is going to get shaved down to a number that matches the other solid stats. |
| 64 | Foster Griffin | WSH | 7.0 IP, 4 hits, ER, BB, 9 K, 4th win. I keep getting questions about people who want to drop this guy for a waiver wire arm. He feels like he’s expendable, but then he puts up another one of these quality-start gems. To be honest, there are a lot of arms I’d rather ship out before I lose this guy. He’s up a bunch today. |
| 65 | Randy Vasquez | SD | Game 1: 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 baserunners, 2 Ks, ERA at 3.20. It’s better than what Randy BoBandy has given us the last couple of times out, but let’s not get too excited about 2 Ks. Game 2: 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks, and his 4th win. It won’t happen every time out, but he’s had more of those good starts than he has bad. Hold. |
| 66 | Justin Wrobleski | LAD | Jumper. More below. |
| 67 | Shane Baz | BAL | Oh boy. A two-start last week for Baz, and he was buns. 5 2/3 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 4.99. Another big dumper last week (apologies to Cal Raleigh). Poor Shane. It’s almost time to change that last letter from a Z to a D. 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks, and yet another L. I don’t know which Orioles arm drives me crazier, Baz or Bradish. All I know is Baltimore fans must go through a whole bottle of antacids watching these guys pitch each week. Down. |
| 68 | Taj Bradley | MIN | My note after his start last week: 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.87. I felt like I had him too high last week, so an outing like this gives some confirmation bias. Is he going to build on that next week? Well, two days later, we got this: “15-day IL – right pectoralis muscle inflammation”, so I guess that answers that question. He drops this week, but if the news isn’t good, he’ll be removed next week. |
| 69 | Clay Holmes | NYM | 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. Another loss away from home(s) for Holmes. |
| 70 | Nick Lodolo | CIN | 5.1 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, BB, 2 K. I like to sit arms the first week back from an extended absence, so I didn’t get burned by Lodolo last week. This week is a home start vs WSH, though, so it might be a “hold your breath and pray” kind of week there. |
| 71 | Bryce Elder | ATL | 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks, ERA at 2.02. Yep. I said it last week, but his addition is overdue. Dan Plesac ranking him higher than Paul Skenes threw me for a loop, and I instinctively said “Ah, heck nah” when I left him out. He’s in there today and higher than he would’ve been if I put him in last week. He debuts in the Top 75 this week, and it still feels a bit low. Game 2: 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 BB, 8 Ks. Arguably not as good as his first start of the week, but his 4th win, nonetheless. |
| 72 | Connor Prielipp | MIN | 5.0 IP, 4 hits, ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1st L, ERA at 3.32. Prielipp or Post-lip? A Guide to Plastic Surgery for Dummies. |
| 73 | Tanner Bibee | CLE | Game 1: 4 IP, 4 ER, ERA at 4.58. I dropped him a bunch of spots last week and felt kind of bad about it. This makes me feel better. Game 2: 6 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 HR allowed, 9 Ks. I don’t think he liked plummeting down the list last week. His best start of the season. |
| 74 | JR Ritchie | ATL | 5 IP, 3 ER, 10 baserunners (6 BBs), 2 Ks, ERA at 3.63. |
| 75 | Sean Burke | CWS | 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks. I felt bad about him slipping a bit this week. Then I saw his pitching line, and it made more sense. |
| 76 | Michael Wacha | KC | Game 1: 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.05. The metrics are not-so-good, but there are a few guys that are pulling off that same magic trick (Seth Lugo, Sean Burke). Game 2: 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks, and his 4th win. ERA at 2.52. Wachanda Forever! |
| 77 | Joey Cantillo | CLE | 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 1 K, ERA at 3.43. When someone says this guy cannot finish the year inside the Top 50, I always wonder: “Can’t he, though?” (And, yes, it works better if you ask it aloud). Up. |
| 78 | Brandon Sproat | MLW | 4 IP, 0 ER, ERA at 5.87. Early spring is here. Tiny young plants are Sproat-ing up everywhere. Let’s hope they can grow past 4 innings. |
| 79 | Robby Snelling | MIA | 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 Ks. Do you snell…what this Rob…is cooking? Because he’s rolling out a rookie recipe that should make a few of us taste some serious success. It wasn’t flashy, but at least he’s up in the bigs now. |
| 80 | Christian Scott | NYM | 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. I had him too high last week, and we’ll have to move him down until he proves he can get through 5 innings and/or they let him throw more than 82 pitches. Down. |
| 81 | Mackenzie Gore | TEX | 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks. Guess how many of his 8 starts have been 6 innings or more. I’ll give you a hint. It’s one more than my number. |
| 82 | Noah Cameron | KC | More below. Dumper. |
| 83 | Nick Martinez | TB | More below. Jumper. |
| 84 | Luis Severino | ATL | Game 1: 5 IP, 1 ER, 9 baserunners, 3 Ks, ERA at 4.15. Steadyish is good enough for those deep leaguers. Game 2: 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 4 Ks. Hey, come on. There’s a reason he’s down here in the mid-80s. |
| 85 | Ryne Nelson | ARI | 6.2 IP, 2 hits, ER, BB, 7 K. He’s not quite as Jeckyl and Hyde as a guy like Mike Burrows, but I can’t call him a “set it and forget it” guy. Up a bit today. |
| 86 | Merrill Kelly | ARI | 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. Every week, one or two arms slip through the cracks and end up way lower than they should be when I’m re-ordering the list. Last week, it was this guy. He gets a boost today. Up. |
| 87 | Andrew Abbott | CIN | “5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 8 baserunners (4 BBs), 34 Ks, ERA at 5.13. Now two straight solid starts, and, not to be a natural born hater, but the four walks really undercut how effective he might’ve been on earned runs. I still absolutely don’t trust him.” That’s me quoting Grey, but mostly just for that last sentence. Because I was about to write it too. (For what it’s worth, Game 2 yesterday was 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks, and his 2nd win). |
| 88 | Keider Montero | DET | 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks, and his 2nd straight quality start. The strikeout numbers aren’t overwhelming, but he’s been more than a serviceable replacement in the Tigers’ rotation. With Skubal and Mize injured, and Framber suspended, he’s one of the few arms Detroit can rely on. |
| 89 | Peter Lambert | HOU | 7 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners (4 BBs), 4 Ks, ERA at 2.42. Lambert the Sheepish Lion sneaking in under the radar and into the heart of your fantasy rotations. |
| 90 | Jack Leiter | TEX | 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 6 Ks. ERA at 4.85. Zero earned and 5 walks is kind of wild. Pun relatively unintended (honest!). Some serious Houdini stuff is going on here. |
| 91 | Luis Castillo | SEA | 4 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks. Maybe the Mariners can trade him back to the Reds for Noelvi. |
| 92 | Grant Holmes | ATL | Had his start skipped last week in favor of Martin Perez. If that isn’t cringe-worthy enough for you, there have been whispers about him heading to the bullpen. He stays for now, but obviously will be gone if he loses his rotation spot. |
| 93 | Cade Cavalli | WSH | 4 IP, 3 ER, ERA at 4.15. Come on, Cade. I know you’re named after the Mortal Kombat character, but that doesn’t mean you have to rip our hearts out one week after you make the list. |
| 94 | Mike Burrows | HOU | 7.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, BB, 6 K. He’s been a Jeckyl/Hyde for a while, so I figured it was worth a $0 bid in AL-Only FAAB. I wouldn’t be starting him unless Streamonator is high on the matchup, though. Up today. |
| 95 | Aaron Nola | PHI | Game 1: 6 IP, 0 ER, 6 hits, zero walks, 5 Ks, ERA at 5.06. I’ll answer the question now: No. It doesn’t change anything. Game 2: 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks. ERA at 5.14. 94 pitches to get 15 outs? Aaron Nope-a. |
| 96 | Bailey Ober | MIN | 5 IP, 5 ER, ERA at 4.19. I can’t even be mad about it. This one is even worse than ordering the package from Amazon and seeing ACME on the box. This one has “WILL EXPLODE AT ANY MOMENT” written in red paint all over the place. It’s my own fault for starting him in TGFBI. Down. |
| 97 | Zac Gallen | ARI | 6 IP, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 Ks, and his 6th start without a win. Ugh. |
| 98 | Rhett Lowder | CIN | “Was given an injection in his AC joint”…enough time spent on that news. Any negative updates this week mean he’s gone next. |
| 99 | Brady Singer | CIN | 6 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks. If you’re in one of those negative stat leagues, he’s a must-roster. |
| 100 | Aaron Civale | ATH | 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 6 Ks. 4th win. This guy is going to make me add him to the list, then when I do he’s going to give us a 0.2 IP 8 ER outing. We know it’s coming at some point, but I doubt it’s this week at home vs SF. He’s 5-0, though, so he deserves a spot here. |
JUMPERS (Players who jumped up the list this week).
Jacob Misiorowski – 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 11 Ks. ERA at 2.46. WHIP at 0.96. There isn’t much more to say about this kid other than ‘dubya tee eff is going on here’? Remember another lanky lefty that threw smoke as a 23-year- old sophomore? If you thought Chris Sale or Randy Johnson, I would agree that The Miz belongs in that trifecta. He’s way up today. Let’s hope his arm stays attached.
Jacob Misiorowski threw 10 pitches in the 1st inning:102.4 MPH103.0 MPH102.8 MPH102.7 MPH103.2 MPH103.3 MPH103.3 MPH103.5 MPH103.1 MPH103.6 MPH
Dylan Cease – Apologies for the link-heavy writeup today, but there was a bunch to sift through this week that I figured was more than just worthy of a passing mention. 7.0 IP, 5 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 Ks. ERA at 2.58. That’s 17 Ks in his last 14 IP, and 3 wins in his last 4 GS. As James Hetfield once announced – “Dylan…Cease and destroy!”
RT @MLBStats: Dylan Cease notched SIX of his 10 strikeouts last night on the slider 🔥(MLB x @GoogleCloud)
Shota Imanaga – 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 10 Ks, and his 4th win. 4 of these 5 names below are fairly obvious. But the 5th one? Ooh baby.
He’s way up today. 13 IP, 1 ER, 15 Ks in his last two starts.
Trey Yesavage – Gee, I wonder where he picked up the splitter. *glances in Kevin Gausman’s direction*. We can’t say the kid isn’t learning on the job. 4 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks, including this one (mixed into the montage) against Mike Trout!
He was pulled after 87 pitches, so he got shafted with the no-decision even though the Jays scored 14 runs off Angels pitchers…and position players! I know I’m a biased homer here, but you kind of have to give him props for coming back and not being a total disaster right out of the gate.
Justin Wrobleski – 6 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, ZERO strikeouts, and his 5th win. Ok, before you get all upset about the lack of Ks, hear me out. This guy has won 5 straight starts and has pristine ratios. A 1.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP play in any league, just make sure you have a Cease or a Misiorowski to make up for the lack of whiffs. Game 2: 8.2 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 Ks. Well, I’m surprised only one of these write-ups backfired after the afternoon games were finished yesterday. Triple 7s usually mean a jackpot, but not if you had Wrobleski active last week. Woof.
Nick Martinez – “5 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 1.71. Was gonna say Streamonator, but a sub-2 ERA in May from a pitcher who’s been in majors all season should be an auto-start until further notice.” And, yes, I left the Grey quote in there to shield me from the inevitable “Why is Martinez in there and <Player X> isn’t?!” Game 2: 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks. I had him moved up and assumed he’d have a mediocre start yesterday, but he was stingy again. He’s not flashy, and the strikeouts aren’t going to bowl anyone over, but he’s won 4 straight starts, and hasn’t allowed more than 2 ER in ANY of his 8 starts this year.
Jared Jones – He’s not in the list yet, but the rehab games have been solid. 35 of 54 pitches last week were strikes, and he topped out at 98.8 MPH on the fastball. Stash him now if you can.
DUMPERS (Players who dropped down the list this week).
Tarik Skubal – Oh. No. If you used that first pick on Skubes, I’m sorry. There’s no way to replace the best pitcher in baseball (as I’m sure Tigers fans will soon find out), but here’s hoping you have an IL slot you can stash him in for the next 2-3 months. Best-case scenario, you get a well-rested arm back for your head-to-head playoffs. Also, one of my Tigers fan buddies said this is one way to keep SKubal’s asking price down and kill off any trade deadline chatter at the same time. Silver linings and such, I suppose.
Tyler Glasnow – 1 IP, 1 ER, ERA at 2.72. You’re not gonna believe this, but guess who just had his Cal Ripken Jr Ironman streak reset…again! Glasnow says that he doesn’t think his “lower back pain that forced him out of his start” is too serious.
Riiiigggghhhhttttt.
Framber Valdez – 3 IP, 7 ER, 3 HR allowed. ERA at 4.57. He was good (bad) enough to be Grey’s lede last Wednesday, and it’s hard to argue. A slew of good starts to lull us into that false sense of security, then BAM. Garbage. Maybe this was his way of pouring one out for his fallen homie, Tarik Skubal. Tigers fans are gonna need him to cut this shizz out though if they have any hope of overcoming the loss of their best player. Suspended for six games for plunking a Red Sox infielder. That’s the Story.
There’s a 12-minute Jomboy breakdown of how the Red Sox baserunners were relaying Framber’s grips on the baseball, and the subsequent shellacking, but I won’t share all of that here.
Instead, it’s an old-fashioned “let’s spot the broadcaster bias” today.
Pretty funny stuff. Either way, Framber, hide your friggin’ grip. The glove isn’t just used for catching a baseball, dude.
Noah Schultz – 3 2/3 IP, 7 ER, ERA at 4.68. This is like ordering that special new something from Amazon and wondering why it showed up in an ACME package. “I’ll just unwrap it right here in the hallway,” and…BOOM! Smoke and ash. Hopefully, the next start vs KC gives him a chance to wipe out a dozen and throw 8 clean innings instead of another glitter-bomb that paints his chin.
Cole Ragans – This was the note I had written up before the news: “KC isn’t sounding the alarm … yet. If he actually makes his start this week, pray it’s a good one, then unload him on that one manager who judges value based on what someone just did instead of analyzing the full scope of available information.” Well, he left this start with elbow soreness. His velocity was down, and this is not what you want to read if he were one of your top arms way back in draft season. In fairness, seeing the early starts should have told us something wasn’t right anyway. He’s way down for now despite reports that he’s “feeling better already”. At minimum, it’s a two-week break.
Logan Webb – Oh! Wouldja look at that! Another top arm is headed to the IL! This was my note before the news, so he fooled me too: “4 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 5.06. Someone find the antidote for the Kyle Bradish disease. It’s spreading. The official note after the game was ‘knee soreness’, but the team didn’t sound too concerned about him missing any time.”
EDIT! 15-day IL with right knee bursitis. He’s off the list and into the Bumpers for now.
Noah Cameron – He was supposed to be headed to the IL with lower back soreness, but the Royals had him slated to start last night’s late game. I’d say I watched every pitch of it, but let’s just say I couldn’t.
Another game ruined by blackouts. Don’t blame me, blame that ugly Peacock.
STUMPERS (These names might stump you as to why they aren’t on the Top 100…yet. Some of these guys are close).
Jameson Taillon – 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 4.24. Mister 100 is floating around that next 10 group like a boss.
Kyle Leahy – 5 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 4.93. Uh oh. If Mr. Leahy keeps putting up starts like this, we’re gonna have to get him on the list and give him a little drinky-poo (RIP John Dunsworth).
Martin Perez – 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.38. Forever a Stumper.
Lance McCullers Jr. – 2 2/3 IP, 6 ER, ERA at 7.41. “Why isn’t McCullers on the list? He’s…oh, never mind.”
Michael McGreevy – 6.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 Ks. His third win. He deserves a spot in the Top 100, even though I’m not a believer right now. Dynasty leagues, yes. Redraft? Stream.
Eduardo Rodríguez – 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.50. This guy is still putting up solid numbers while I’m backing the Bubba Chandlers of the world, which is kind of nuts.
Janson Junk – Game 1: 5 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 5 hits, zero walks, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.82. He should be in there. I have a bunch of more exciting names to add, but he’s earned a spot. Game 2: 6 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. ERA at 3.25. WHIP at 1.11. A no-decision, but he’s done enough to push through that 101-125 pocket.
Anthony Kay – 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks. Still just a Stumper for now.
Elmer Rodriguez – 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, ERA at 5.19. Minors.
Jack Kochanowicz – 4 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 0 Ks, and one bad inning (7-run 5th) at TOR. Ouch.
Jeffrey Springs – 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 8 hits, zero walks, 4 Ks, ERA at 3.89. I wouldn’t necessarily say that Jeffrey Springs back to life with this kind of start, but you could do a lot worse in a deeper league.
Griffin Jax – Being stretched out to start. Not ready yet, though.
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).
Cristian Javier
Tatsyua Imai
Steven Matz – Hit the IL with elbow inflammation. Welp. So much for that one week on the list. Oof.
Trevor Rogers
Griffin Canning – He’s back, but I don’t have room for him on the list yet.
Tyler Mahle – He almost cracked the Top 100 this week, but he’s on the outside looking in again after a two-start week last week.
WHEE! – These players vaulted onto the Top 100 list this week.
Sonny Gray
Peter Lambert
Carlos Rodon – was slated to go on Sunday. Bad rehab.
Blake Snell – I didn’t even realize he was starting until I saw him on Saturday night.
OOF! – These players fell off the Top 100 list this week.
Matthew Boyd – Headed for meniscus surgery. Whew! At least he still has his womeniscus in tact.
Jack Flaherty – Jeez, tough room. Even a 10 K outing didn’t save him from the scythe-swipe this week.
Andrew Painter – The 8 ER, 3.2 IP vs ATH sealed the deal. Buh bye.
And, of course, a final nod to our “Buddy Davis Guy” inspiration for the week…
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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