This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that looks incorrect, assume that it was a change that occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 3-10
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
RANK | PITCHER | OPPONENT | COMMENT |
1 | Chris Sale | at OAK, CLE | The K machine opens with a 2-start, can we get 20-plus Ks? |
2 | Corey Kluber | BOS, at CWS | Don't get hung up on the ugly W-L record, he was every bit as good as the Cy season last yr |
3 | Dallas Keuchel | at NYY, at MIL | "Doesn't get enough Ks!" say the detractors; 194 Ks in 195 IP from May 1 on |
4 | David Price | at CLE, at TOR | Gets to face his old foes right away in week 1, but he's a veteran of the AL Beast |
5 | Chris Archer | TOR (4/3), at BAL | |
6 | Cole Hamels | SEA, at LAA | |
7 | Felix Hernandez | at TEX, OAK | Remove 2 worst starts of his career (at HOU, at BOS - 18 ER in 3 IP) and he's at 2.76 ERA; |
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that looks incorrect, assume that it was a change that occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 3-10
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
RANK | PITCHER | OPPONENT | COMMENT |
1 | Chris Sale | at OAK, CLE | The K machine opens with a 2-start, can we get 20-plus Ks? |
2 | Corey Kluber | BOS, at CWS | Don't get hung up on the ugly W-L record, he was every bit as good as the Cy season last yr |
3 | Dallas Keuchel | at NYY, at MIL | "Doesn't get enough Ks!" say the detractors; 194 Ks in 195 IP from May 1 on |
4 | David Price | at CLE, at TOR | Gets to face his old foes right away in week 1, but he's a veteran of the AL Beast |
5 | Chris Archer | TOR (4/3), at BAL | |
6 | Cole Hamels | SEA, at LAA | |
7 | Felix Hernandez | at TEX, OAK | Remove 2 worst starts of his career (at HOU, at BOS - 18 ER in 3 IP) and he's at 2.76 ERA; don't quit him |
8 | Sonny Gray | CWS, at SEA | |
9 | Jose Quintana | at OAK, CLE | One of the steadiest arms going; perfectly fine if he maintains current level, but also has some upside |
10 | Carlos Carrasco | BOS | Speaking of Cy Youngs ... he's a sleeper candidate for many (which I guess removes the "sleeper" part) |
11 | Danny Salazar | BOS | |
12 | Justin Verlander | at MIA | Bold prediction: Verlander returns to the top-25 ranks of SPs ths year. Book it. |
13 | Garrett Richards | CHC, TEX | Look for a season closer to '14 this year; his stuff is pure filth |
14 | Marcus Stroman | at TB (4/3), BOS | Only question is IP for me, but he didn't have an arm injury last year so I can see >180 IP |
15 | Jake Odorizzi | TOR | Shown a lot in '14 and '15, if he can mix the good from both we're looking at a 200 IP gem |
16 | Masahiro Tanaka | HOU, at DET | Elbow scare lingers overhead like the cloud over Eeryore; be careful and have a plan just in case |
17 | Jordan Zimmermann | at MIA | |
18 | Drew Smyly | TOR, at BAL | It's all about health at this point as his skills have been on point throughout his career |
19 | Ervin Santana | at BAL, at KC | Only had half a year because of PED suspension, but got on track late: 1.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 47 Ks in final 50 IP |
20 | Taijuan Walker | OAK | Couldn't outrun last year's ugly start, but was mostly good from late-May on; big breakout candidate |
21 | Hisashi Iwakuma | at TEX | |
22 | Michael Pineda | HOU | |
23 | Yordano Ventura | MIN | Poised for 200 K breakout? 3.10 ERA, 9.4 K/9 in 87 IP after demotion scare (injury canceled it immediately) |
24 | Collin McHugh | at NYY | |
25 | Carlos Rodon | at OAK | Less concerned w/his 7.98 spring ERA and more focused on the 4 BB in 14.7 IP; big breakout candidate |
26 | Clay Buchholz | at CLE | I'm a noted Buchholz disliker, but it's because he never stays healthy and had modest skills until last yr |
27 | Anibal Sanchez | NYY | Healthy Anibal (2013-14): 2.92 ERA, 3.6 K:BB, 0.4 HR/9, hurt Anibal (2015): 4.99, 2.8, 1.7; worthy gamble |
28 | Nate Eovaldi | HOU | |
29 | Kyle Gibson | at BAL | One more little K% improvement from being an all-formats option; keep him on the radar |
30 | Ian Kennedy | MIN | SD didn't quite suit him as well as expected, but KC is tailor-made w/OF defense and spacious park |
31 | Matt Moore | TOR | Surging up draft boards w/good reason; ugly first matchup, though |
32 | Mike Fiers | at NYY | Bad fastball makes HRs a constant threat, but even a '15 repeat works at his current price |
33 | Andrew Heaney | CHC | |
34 | Kris Medlen | MIN | Just 58.3 IP last year so workload is an issue, but a useful backend SP while he does pitch |
35 | J.A. Happ | at TB | |
36 | Cody Anderson | at CWS | Pumped up velo drew comps to a superstar arm this spring |
37 | Nate Karns | OAK | |
38 | Wade Miley | at TEX | |
39 | Aaron Sanchez | at TB | |
40 | Luis Severino | at DET | Wasn't all rainbows, unicorns last year: outran a 1.3 HR/9 for that 2.89 ERA; there will be bumps in the road |
41 | Shane Greene | NYY | Can feel his fingers again and had a big spring en route to the 5th SP job; I'm still on board the hype train! |
42 | Edinson Volquez | NYM | |
43 | Rick Porcello | at TOR | L12 starts in '15: 3.49 ERA, 74 Ks in 77.3 IP and went fewer than 7 IP once in the final eight |
44 | Rich Hill | CWS, at SEA | Would love to say it's just spring training and it may well be, but 15 BB in 12 IP is alarming |
45 | Yovani Gallardo | MIN | |
46 | Hector Santiago | TEX | Carried a sub-3.00 through mid-Aug, but ended at 3.59 thanks to disastrous finish (6.23 ERA in L9 starts) |
47 | R.A. Dickey | BOS | |
48 | Derek Holland | at LAA | |
49 | Chris Bassitt | CWS | |
50 | Chris Young | NYM | |
51 | Doug Fister | at MIL | Velo ticked back up to 90-91 mph, but still fringy if he doesn't improve the 15% K rate of 2014-15 |
SIT
RANK | PITCHER | OPPONENT | COMMENT |
52 | Chris Tillman | MIN, TB | Fringy skills always made him a tenuous bet and now at 28 years old, it's hard to expect any real growth |
53 | Josh Tomlin | at CWS | He's skinny Joe Blanton: 3.9 K:BB ratio, 1.5 HR/9, 4.65 ERA; Blanton since '09: 3.5, 1.4, 4.63 |
54 | Kendall Graveman | CWS | Season breakdown shows tenuous margin for error: 8.27 ERA in first 4, 1.78 in next 9, 5.82 in last 8 |
55 | Martin Perez | SEA, at LAA | |
56 | A.J. Griffin | at LAA | Put him on your watchlist, showed some good things w/OAK a couple years back before injuries took hold |
57 | Joe Kelly | at CLE | |
58 | Mat Latos | at OAK | Maybe he only cost CWS $3 mil for a reason? Brutal spring has me wanting him to see something first |
59 | Matt Shoemaker | TEX | |
60 | Phil Hughes | at BAL | HR good luck from '14 went completely the other way in '15 while K% cratered rending him unusable |
61 | Mike Pelfrey | NYY | Weird thing is when you watch him, the stuff is kinda nice at times, but I mean, it's Pelfrey… |
62 | Ricky Nolasco | at KC | |
63 | CC Sabathia | at DET | |
64 | Colby Lewis | SEA | |
65 | Scott Feldman | at MIL | |
66 | Ubaldo Jimenez | MIN | No. |
67 | Jered Weaver | TEX | LAA set up the velocity tester for fans and highest mark gets to relieve for Weaver after 3 IP on Thursday |
68 | Mike Wright | TB | Keep an eye on him, could be a little something here |
69 | Tyler Wilson | TB | |
70 | Steven Wright | at TOR | Wonder if TOR will push Dickey to Sunday to make it knuckler vs. knuckler |
71 | John Danks | CLE | |
72 | Tommy Milone | at KC | |
73 | Felix Doubront | at SEA | Surprise 5th starter over Jesse Hahn, but it was more bc Hahn was brutal in spring training |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
RANK | PITCHER | OPPONENT | COMMENT |
1 | Clayton Kershaw | at SD, at SF | Best pitcher in the world gets the two amazing parks to open the season, how is that fair?! |
2 | Max Scherzer | at ATL, MIA | |
3 | Jake Arrieta | at LAA, at ARI | |
4 | Zack Greinke | COL, CHC | Don't have a great vibe on him Year 1 in ARI. Still gonna be good, but probably not super-elite |
5 | Adam Wainwright | at PIT (4/3), at ATL | |
6 | Jacob deGrom | PHI | deGrom, Stras top some 2-start guys thanks to juicy debut matchup against the NL East dregs |
7 | Stephen Strasburg | at ATL | With health, he's an obvious Cy Young candidate |
8 | Matt Harvey | at KC (4/3) | Weird schedule for NYM leaves him w/just 1 start even as the OD starter |
9 | Jose Fernandez | DET | Gonna have an IP limit, but can be a top-10 SP with even 175 IP |
10 | Madison Bumgarner | at MIL, LAD | I'm a little nervous on the neuroma thing in his foot affecting his mechanics; could played into ugly ST |
11 | Noah Syndergaard | at KC | |
12 | Gerrit Cole | at CIN | All the elements are there for superstardom. I'm talkin last year's ratios for 220 IP w/like 10-plus K/9 kinda upside |
13 | Francisco Liriano | STL (4/3), at CIN | |
14 | Shelby Miller | COL, CHC | ARI may've overpaid, but that doesn't mean he's destined to fail; lots to like here |
15 | Johnny Cueto | at MIL | Back in the NL and the best pitchers' park in the game, what's not to like?? |
16 | Michael Wacha | at PIT | |
17 | Jon Lester | at LAA | |
18 | Patrick Corbin | COL | Kinda off the radar relative to his upside; a full 2013 return w/more Ks is on the table |
19 | Raisel Iglesias | PHI, PIT | Price got inflated due to hype and I expect an IP limit, but should be great for the innings we do get |
20 | Wei-Yin Chen | DET | |
21 | Tyson Ross | LAD, at COL | Pushed down because of at COL, but ability to keep ball down makes him less susceptible than most (3.72 Coors ERA, but 1.55 WHIP) |
22 | Carlos Martinez | at ATL | |
23 | Julio Teheran | WAS | Just don't ask Chris Liss about him :) |
24 | Jason Hammel | at ARI | Hamstring didn't cost time, but definitely hurt effectiveness: 2.89 ERA before injury, 5.03 after |
25 | Jaime Garcia | at ATL | |
26 | Adam Conley | at WAS | Former prospect regained mid-90s heat in ST and if it sticks, there's mid-rotation upside |
27 | James Shields | LAD | |
28 | Steven Matz | PHI | Draft cost was wildly over-inflated (30th SP), but NL East is the place to be as SP |
29 | Vincent Velasquez | at NYM | Like Iglesias, won't be SP all year, but upside is high while in the rotation |
30 | Mike Leake | at PIT | |
31 | Andrew Cashner | LAD | Addition of Alexei Ramirez will definitely cut into MLB-worst .337 BABIP |
32 | Kenta Maeda | at SD | |
33 | Jeff Samardzija | at MIL | Brutal spring has many scared, but all SF staff was smashed; I'm still excited for his home starts at least |
34 | Kyle Hendricks | at ARI | |
35 | John Lackey | at ARI | Won't repeat at 2.77 ERA, but should remain a solid asset on a good team |
36 | Gio Gonzalez | MIA | |
37 | Scott Kazmir | at SD, at SF | Velocity been tracking under 90 all spring so I'm a little nervous, but not overreacting |
38 | Juan Nicasio | STL | One of the biggest spring standouts is worth buying into given stuff, new setup in PIT |
39 | Aaron Nola | at CIN | |
40 | Jon Niese | STL | Could be one of PIT's easier reclamations given that he's never really been bad |
41 | Jerad Eickhoff | at NYM | Utterly dominated righties last year, but that can't hold over full year, so he has to improve vs. LHB |
42 | Jimmy Nelson | SF | |
43 | Tanner Roark | MIA | Lost himself a bit in the pen, has found mechanics/velo back in rotation; could be nice mid-3.00s ERA arm |
44 | Brandon Finnegan | PHI | |
45 | Matt Wisler | STL | Former top prospect showed some things last year: remove three 7 ER starts and he had a 3.24 ERA in 100 IP |
46 | Robbie Ray | CHC | |
47 | Alex Wood | at SF | |
48 | Bartolo Colon | PHI | |
49 | Anthony DeSclafani | PIT | We've got it showing Desclafani, but w/his oblique, it could be newcomer Dan Straily |
50 | Jake Peavy | LAD |
SIT
RANK | PITCHER | OPPONENT | COMMENT |
51 | Chad Bettis | at ARI, SD | If only he didn't pitch in Colorado, but I still kinda like him in deeper leagues |
52 | Jorge De La Rosa | at ARI, SD | |
53 | Wily Peralta | SF, HOU | |
54 | Jeremy Hellickson | at CIN, at NYM | |
55 | Charlie Morton | at CIN | |
56 | Matt Cain | LAD | |
57 | Tom Koehler | at WAS | A home-only consideration and even then the dividends are scant |
58 | Rubby De La Rosa | CHC | Kris Bryant and Addison Russell are the only RH starters in the Cubs lineup; .875 career OPS vs. LH |
59 | Taylor Jungmann | HOU | |
60 | Ross Stripling | at SF | Surprise 5th starter for LAD, let's see something first |
61 | Alfredo Simon | PIT | |
62 | Tyler Chatwood | at ARI | Keep him on the watchlist. I liked him pre-injury, but let's see something first, espec. w/Coors |
63 | Tim Melville | PHI | |
64 | Matt Garza | SF | |
65 | Chase Anderson | HOU | |
66 | Jeff Locke | at CIN | |
67 | Jarred Cosart | at WAS | Should be a reliever |
68 | Jordan Lyles | SD | |
69 | Williams Perez | STL | |
70 | Jhoulys Chacin | STL | |
71 | Bud Norris | WAS | |
72 | Robbie Erlin | at COL | Oh to be a 4th/5th starter and have your season debut in Coors |
73 | Colin Rea | at COL |
MLB TOP 100
RANK | PITCHER | OPPONENT | COMMENT |
1 | Clayton Kershaw | at SD, at SF | Best pitcher in the world gets the two amazing parks to open the season, how is that fair?! |
2 | Max Scherzer | at ATL, MIA | |
3 | Chris Sale | at OAK, CLE | The K machine opens with a 2-start, can we get 20-plus Ks? |
4 | Corey Kluber | BOS, at CWS | Don't get hung up on the ugly W-L record, he was every bit as good as the Cy season last yr |
5 | Dallas Keuchel | at NYY, at MIL | "Doesn't get enough Ks!" say the detractors; 194 Ks in 195 IP from May 1 on |
6 | David Price | at CLE, at TOR | Gets to face his old foes right away in week 1, but he's a veteran of the AL Beast |
7 | Jake Arrieta | at LAA, at ARI | |
8 | Chris Archer | TOR (4/3), at BAL | |
9 | Zack Greinke | COL, CHC | Don't have a great vibe on him Year 1 in ARI. Still gonna be good, but probably not super-elite |
10 | Cole Hamels | SEA, at LAA | |
11 | Felix Hernandez | at TEX, OAK | Remove 2 worst starts of his career (at HOU, at BOS - 18 ER in 3 IP) and he's at 2.76 ERA; don't quit him |
12 | Adam Wainwright | at PIT (4/3), at ATL | |
13 | Sonny Gray | CWS, at SEA | |
14 | Jacob deGrom | PHI | deGrom, Stras top some 2-start guys thanks to juicy debut matchup against the NL East dregs |
15 | Stephen Strasburg | at ATL | With health, he's an obvious Cy Young candidate |
16 | Jose Fernandez | DET | Gonna have an IP limit, but can be a top-10 SP with even 175 IP |
17 | Jose Quintana | at OAK, CLE | One of the steadiest arms going; perfectly fine if he maintains current level, but also has some upside |
18 | Matt Harvey | at KC (4/3) | Weird schedule for NYM leaves him w/just 1 start even as the OD starter |
19 | Carlos Carrasco | BOS | Speaking of Cy Youngs ... he's a sleeper candidate for many (which I guess removes the "sleeper" part) |
20 | Madison Bumgarner | at MIL, LAD | I'm a little nervous on the neuroma thing in his foot affecting his mechanics; could played into ugly ST |
21 | Noah Syndergaard | at KC | |
22 | Gerrit Cole | at CIN | All the elements are there for superstardom. I'm talkin last year's ratios for 220 IP w/like 10-plus K/9 kinda upside |
23 | Francisco Liriano | STL (4/3), at CIN | |
24 | Danny Salazar | BOS | |
25 | Justin Verlander | at MIA | Bold prediction: Verlander returns to the top-25 ranks of SPs ths year. Book it. |
26 | Garrett Richards | CHC, TEX | Look for a season closer to '14 this year; his stuff is pure filth |
27 | Shelby Miller | COL, CHC | ARI may've overpaid, but that doesn't mean he's destined to fail; lots to like here |
28 | Marcus Stroman | at TB (4/3), BOS | Only question is IP for me, but he didn't have an arm injury last year so I can see >180 IP |
29 | Johnny Cueto | at MIL | Back in the NL and the best pitchers' park in the game, what's not to like?? |
30 | Michael Wacha | at PIT | |
31 | Jon Lester | at LAA | |
32 | Patrick Corbin | COL | Kinda off the radar relative to his upside; a full 2013 return w/more Ks is on the table |
33 | Raisel Iglesias | PHI, PIT | Price got inflated due to hype and I expect an IP limit, but should be great for the innings we do get |
34 | Jake Odorizzi | TOR | Shown a lot in '14 and '15, if he can mix the good from both we're looking at a 200 IP gem |
35 | Masahiro Tanaka | HOU, at DET | Elbow scare lingers overhead like the cloud over Eeryore; be careful and have a plan just in case |
36 | Wei-Yin Chen | DET | |
37 | Tyson Ross | LAD, at COL | Pushed down because of at COL, but ability to keep ball down makes him less susceptible than most (3.72 Coors ERA, but 1.55 WHIP) |
38 | Carlos Martinez | at ATL | |
39 | Jordan Zimmermann | at MIA | |
40 | Drew Smyly | TOR, at BAL | It's all about health at this point as his skills have been on point throughout his career |
41 | Ervin Santana | at BAL, at KC | Only had half a year because of PED suspension, but got on track late: 1.62 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 47 Ks in final 50 IP |
42 | Julio Teheran | WAS | Just don't ask Chris Liss about him :) |
43 | Jason Hammel | at ARI | Hamstring didn't cost time, but definitely hurt effectiveness: 2.89 ERA before injury, 5.03 after |
44 | Jaime Garcia | at ATL | |
45 | Taijuan Walker | OAK | Couldn't outrun last year's ugly start, but was mostly good from late-May on; big breakout candidate |
46 | Hisashi Iwakuma | at TEX | |
47 | Michael Pineda | HOU | |
48 | Adam Conley | at WAS | Former prospect regained mid-90s heat in ST and if it sticks, there's mid-rotation upside |
49 | Yordano Ventura | MIN | Poised for 200 K breakout? 3.10 ERA, 9.4 K/9 in 87 IP after demotion scare (injury canceled it immediately) |
50 | James Shields | LAD | |
51 | Steven Matz | PHI | Draft cost was wildly over-inflated (30th SP), but NL East is the place to be as SP |
52 | Vincent Velasquez | at NYM | Like Iglesias, won't be SP all year, but upside is high while in the rotation |
53 | Collin McHugh | at NYY | |
54 | Carlos Rodon | at OAK | Less concerned w/his 7.98 spring ERA and more focused on the 4 BB in 14.7 IP; big breakout candidate |
55 | Clay Buchholz | at CLE | I'm a noted Buchholz disliker, but it's because he never stays healthy and had modest skills until last yr |
56 | Anibal Sanchez | NYY | Healthy Anibal (2013-14): 2.92 ERA, 3.6 K:BB, 0.4 HR/9, hurt Anibal (2015): 4.99, 2.8, 1.7; worthy gamble |
57 | Nate Eovaldi | HOU | |
58 | Mike Leake | at PIT | |
59 | Andrew Cashner | LAD | Addition of Alexei Ramirez will definitely cut into MLB-worst .337 BABIP |
60 | Kenta Maeda | at SD | |
61 | Kyle Gibson | at BAL | One more little K% improvement from being an all-formats option; keep him on the radar |
62 | Ian Kennedy | MIN | SD didn't quite suit him as well as expected, but KC is tailor-made w/OF defense and spacious park |
63 | Matt Moore | TOR | Surging up draft boards w/good reason; ugly first matchup, though |
64 | Jeff Samardzija | at MIL | Brutal spring has many scared, but all SF staff was smashed; I'm still excited for his home starts at least |
65 | Kyle Hendricks | at ARI | |
66 | Mike Fiers | at NYY | Bad fastball makes HRs a constant threat, but even a '15 repeat works at his current price |
67 | Andrew Heaney | CHC | |
68 | John Lackey | at ARI | Won't repeat at 2.77 ERA, but should remain a solid asset on a good team |
69 | Gio Gonzalez | MIA | |
70 | Scott Kazmir | at SD, at SF | Velocity been tracking under 90 all spring so I'm a little nervous, but not overreacting |
71 | Juan Nicasio | STL | One of the biggest spring standouts is worth buying into given stuff, new setup in PIT |
72 | Aaron Nola | at CIN | |
73 | Jon Niese | STL | Could be one of PIT's easier reclamations given that he's never really been bad |
74 | Kris Medlen | MIN | Just 58.3 IP last year so workload is an issue, but a useful backend SP while he does pitch |
75 | J.A. Happ | at TB | |
76 | Cody Anderson | at CWS | Pumped up velo drew comps to a superstar arm this spring |
77 | Jerad Eickhoff | at NYM | Utterly dominated righties last year, but that can't hold over full year, so he has to improve vs. LHB |
78 | Jimmy Nelson | SF | |
79 | Tanner Roark | MIA | Lost himself a bit in the pen, has found mechanics/velo back in rotation; could be nice mid-3.00s ERA arm |
80 | Brandon Finnegan | PHI | |
81 | Nate Karns | OAK | |
82 | Wade Miley | at TEX | |
83 | Aaron Sanchez | at TB | |
84 | Luis Severino | at DET | Wasn't all rainbows, unicorns last year: outran a 1.3 HR/9 for that 2.89 ERA; there will be bumps in the road |
85 | Shane Greene | NYY | Can feel his fingers again and had a big spring en route to the 5th SP job; I'm still on board the hype train! |
86 | Edinson Volquez | NYM | |
87 | Matt Wisler | STL | Former top prospect showed some things last year: remove three 7 ER starts and he had a 3.24 ERA in 100 IP |
88 | Robbie Ray | CHC | |
89 | Rick Porcello | at TOR | L12 starts in '15: 3.49 ERA, 74 Ks in 77.3 IP and went fewer than 7 IP once in the final eight |
90 | Alex Wood | at SF | |
91 | Bartolo Colon | PHI | |
92 | Rich Hill | CWS, at SEA | Would love to say it's just spring training and it may well be, but 15 BB in 12 IP is alarming |
93 | Anthony DeSclafani | PIT | We've got it showing Desclafani, but w/his oblique, it could be newcomer Dan Straily |
94 | Jake Peavy | LAD | |
95 | Yovani Gallardo | MIN | |
96 | Hector Santiago | TEX | Carried a sub-3.00 through mid-Aug, but ended at 3.59 thanks to disastrous finish (6.23 ERA in L9 starts) |
97 | R.A. Dickey | BOS | |
98 | Derek Holland | at LAA | |
99 | Chris Bassitt | CWS | |
100 | Chris Young | NYM |