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 isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 7-13
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week April 7-13
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Max Scherzer - at LAD, at SD Note: Dodgers can be tough, but two worthwhile venues plus a pitcher batting |
| 2. C.J. Wilson - at HOU, NYM |
| 3. Scott Kazmir - at MIN, at SEA Note: We'll see if the M's continue to impress, but you still have to start Kaz |
| 4. Justin Verlander - at SD Note: This will be fun |
| 5. Chris Sale - CLE |
| 6. Yu Darvish - HOU Note: This is what we call "a soft landing" upon returning from the DL |
| 7. Felix Hernandez - OAK |
| 8. David Price - at CIN |
| 9. James Shields - at MIN |
| 10. Jered Weaver - NYM |
| 11. Corey Kluber - SD, at CWS Note: Losing faith after one rough start would be silly |
| 12. James Paxton - LAA, OAK Note: It's early, but you have to quickly strike in an active league, so scoop Paxton |
| 13. Hiroki Kuroda - BAL, BOS Note: Yankee duo has some tough matchups, but I can't bench either, especially in AL-only |
| 14. Ivan Nova - BAL, BOS |
| 15. Sonny Gray - at SEA Note: Picking up where 2013 left off for the young |
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 7-13
AMERICAN LEAGUE
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week April 7-13
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Max Scherzer - at LAD, at SD Note: Dodgers can be tough, but two worthwhile venues plus a pitcher batting |
| 2. C.J. Wilson - at HOU, NYM |
| 3. Scott Kazmir - at MIN, at SEA Note: We'll see if the M's continue to impress, but you still have to start Kaz |
| 4. Justin Verlander - at SD Note: This will be fun |
| 5. Chris Sale - CLE |
| 6. Yu Darvish - HOU Note: This is what we call "a soft landing" upon returning from the DL |
| 7. Felix Hernandez - OAK |
| 8. David Price - at CIN |
| 9. James Shields - at MIN |
| 10. Jered Weaver - NYM |
| 11. Corey Kluber - SD, at CWS Note: Losing faith after one rough start would be silly |
| 12. James Paxton - LAA, OAK Note: It's early, but you have to quickly strike in an active league, so scoop Paxton |
| 13. Hiroki Kuroda - BAL, BOS Note: Yankee duo has some tough matchups, but I can't bench either, especially in AL-only |
| 14. Ivan Nova - BAL, BOS |
| 15. Sonny Gray - at SEA Note: Picking up where 2013 left off for the young righty |
| 16. Justin Masterson - at CWS |
| 17. Anibal Sanchez - at LAD Note: Rain delay limited started to 4 IP; could have one more monitored start before shackles come off |
| 18. Alex Cobb - at CIN |
| 19. Chris Archer - at KC |
| 20. Danny Salazar - SD Note: Didn't deliver the ace-level opener you might've wanted, but he will have days where he's wobbly |
| 21. Erasmo Ramirez - OAK Note: Showed flashes last year; talent is there |
| 22. Masahiro Tanaka - BAL Note: Settled down nicely after a HR to his first MLB batter ever |
| 23. Dan Straily - at MIN |
| 24. Rick Porcello - at SD Note: Won't leverage the park as much as some with his huge GB lean, but this is still a juicy matchup |
| 25. Jon Lester - at NYY |
| 26. Clay Buchholz - at NYY |
| 27. R.A Dickey - at BAL |
| 28. Matt Moore - at KC, at CIN Note: Not the trustworthy asset his pedigree portends ... not yet, at least |
| 29. John Lackey - TEX, at NYY |
| 30. Jason Vargas - TB, at MIN Note: Solid two-start slate keeps him ahead of more intriguing one-start arms |
| 31. Ubaldo Jimenez - at NYY, TOR Note: Showed the upside and downside of having Jimenez in his opener; early enough to still start regardless |
| 32. Zach McAllister - SD, at CWS |
| 33. Jarred Cosart - LAA, at TEX Note: I don't like the trip to Texas, but his first start showed a lot more than the 1.95 ERA from last year |
| 34. Hector Santiago - at SEA |
| 35. Chris Tillman - TOR Note: Not the best matchup for a homer-prone starter |
| 36. Yordano Ventura - TB Note: MLB-debut was pushed back, so we're still flying kind of blind |
| 37. Phil Hughes - OAK Note: You shouldn't have started him in Chicago anyway so this shouldn't really change your opinion |
| 38. Tommy Milone - at SEA Note: Either at home or somewhere like here |
| 39. CC Sabathia - BOS Note: I have some trepidation with him; still starting him, but definitely closely monitoring |
| 40. Tyler Skaggs - NYM |
| 41. Michael Pineda - BOS Note: Strong debut from the one-time stud |
| 42. Drew Hutchison - at BAL |
| 43. Colby Lewis - HOU Note: Another Ranger with a helluva soft landing |
| 44. Ricky Nolasco - KC |
| 45. Mark Buehrle - HOU, at BAL Note: Tremendous first start, but he has a few super-gems every year; I remain dubious overall |
| 46. Jesse Chavez - at MIN Note: Looked sharp in his MLB debut as a starter |
| 47. Brandon Morrow - HOU |
| 48. Dustin McGowan - HOU |
| 49. Jake Odorizzi - at KC Note: Strong debut against tough opponent earns him another look |
| 50. Kyle Gibson - KC |
| 51. Martin Perez - at BOS Note: Taking a shot here, even with a tough matchup |
SIT
| 52. Tanner Scheppers - at BOS, HOU Note: Each of these next four just has a too tough a first matchup to mess with in most formats |
| 53. Felipe Paulino - at COL, CLE |
| 54. Jose Quintana - at COL, CLE |
| 55. Felix Doubront - TEX, at NYY |
| 56. Brett Oberholtzer - at TOR, at TEX Note: He'll be a worthy stream option multiple times this year, but not against this slate |
| 57. Garrett Richards - at SEA |
| 58. Roenis Elias - LAA Note: Impressive debut, but I'm asking for more before trusting |
| 59. Jake Peavy - TEX |
| 60. Kevin Correia - OAK, KC Note: Similar to Buehrle, but down a level or two; he'll have gems, but when? |
| 61. Robbie Ross - at BOS |
| 62. Bruce Chen - at MIN |
| 63. Scott Feldman - at TEX |
| 64. John Danks - CLE |
| 65. Wei-Yin Chen - at NYY |
| 66. Carlos Carrasco - at CWS |
| 67. Jeremy Guthrie - TB |
| 68. Bud Norris - TOR |
| 69. Miguel Gonzalez - at NYY |
| 70. Mike Pelfrey - OAK |
| 71. Erik Johnson - at COL |
| 72. Dallas Keuchel - at TOR |
| 73. Lucas Harrell - at TOR |
| 74. Drew Smyly - Tigers don't need a fifth starter this week |
| 75. Chris Young - Mariners don't need a fifth start this week |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Jose Fernandez - at PHI Note: Even with one start, he gets top billing; he's been that amazing |
| 2. Homer Bailey - at STL, TB Note: Not really panicked after ugly opener |
| 3. Tony Cingrani - at STL, TB Note: Still relying on his FB 82 percent of the time, still dominating |
| 4. Michael Wacha - CIN, CHC |
| 5. Adam Wainwright - CHC Note: These next five could outperform several two-start starters given their lower-tier opponent |
| 6. Gerrit Cole - at CHC |
| 7. A.J. Burnett - MIA |
| 8. Gio Gonzalez - MIA |
| 9. Jordan Zimmermann - MIA |
| 10. Stephen Strasburg - at ATL Note: Mixed bag of success against the Braves; faces them Saturday night |
| 11. Zack Greinke - at ARI |
| 12. Julio Teheran - WAS |
| 13. Andrew Cashner - DET Note: Tough matchup, but his talent requires all-opponents, all-formats usage |
| 14. Cliff Lee - MIL |
| 15. Madison Bumgarner - COL |
| 16. Dan Haren - DET, at ARI Note: Healthy Haren will be quite a bargain for those who invested this year |
| 17. Matt Cain - COL |
| 18. Jeff Samardzija - at STL |
| 19. Johnny Cueto - TB |
| 20. Francisco Liriano - at MIL |
| 21. Hyun-Jin Ryu - DET Note: What on earth was that disaster against SF? I don't see a major cause for concern, though |
| 22. Yovani Gallardo - PIT |
| 23. Shelby Miller - CIN |
| 24. Lance Lynn - CIN |
| 25. Bartolo Colon - at ATL, at LAA |
| 26. Charlie Morton - at CHC, at MIL Note: Sneaky two-start play this week, and his value is on the rise |
| 27. Kyle Lohse - at PHI, PIT Note: Rarely feel great about him, but keep him in the lineup and the stats are usually quite solid |
| 28. Tyson Ross - at CLE, DET |
| 29. Tim Hudson - ARI, COL |
| 30. Nathan Eovaldi - at PHI Note: Consistency is the key, and he was consistent inning-to-inning in his debut |
| 31. Marco Estrada - at PHI |
| 32. Matt Garza - at PHI |
| 33. Dillon Gee - at LAA Note: When will Mets learn that he can't seem to go much beyond 90 pitches? |
| 34. Alex Wood - WAS Note: Tremendous debut against a strong lineup; gets another tough challenge this week |
| 35. Jenrry Mejia - at ATL Note: Strikeout pitch against a strikeout lineup |
| 36. Zack Wheeler - at ATL |
| 37. Wade Miley - LAD |
| 38. Wandy Rodriguez - at CHC Note: Another Pirate to keep an eye on, with health he has a lot of value |
| 39. Wily Peralta - PIT |
| 40. Jason Hammel - PIT Note: I'm intrigued by Hammel in Chicago, especially if healthy |
| 41. Travis Wood - PIT |
| 42. Robbie Erlin - at CLE Note: I like this young lefty at home and in pitcher-friendly ballparks that won't severely punish his flyball ways |
| 43. Ervin Santana - NYM Note: Santana's debut and Niese's second outing, both could be limited IP-wise |
| 44. Jon Niese - at LAA |
| 45. Joe Kelly - CHC |
| 46. Tanner Roark - MIA Note: Nice matchup as he continues to make his case to stay in the rotation when Fister returns |
| 47. Edwin Jackson - PIT, at STL |
| 48. Trevor Cahill - at SF, LAD |
| 49. Mike Leake - at STL |
| 50. Eric Stults - at CLE |
| 51. Kyle Kendrick - MIL, MIA Note: Blown away by his big debut in Texas, but I'm still not really buying |
SIT
| 52. Tim Lincecum - ARI Note: Do you really trust him anymore? Plus, it's getting comical how much Goldschmidt owns him |
| 53. Taylor Jordan - at ATL |
| 54. Brett Anderson - at SF Note: Sure SF's park is nice, but that lineup is better than you think |
| 55. Jorge de la Rosa - at SF |
| 56. Bronson Arroyo - at SF |
| 57. Brandon McCarthy - LAD |
| 58. Ian Kennedy - DET |
| 59. Aaron Harang - NYM, WAS Note: Would've loved to see the double no-hitter, and yet I'm still not buying ... at all |
| 60. Henderson Alvarez - at WAS, at PHI |
| 61. David Hale - NYM |
| 62. Jacob Turner - at WAS |
| 63. Tom Koehler - at WAS |
| 64. Ryan Vogelsong - ARI |
| 65. Roberto Hernandez - MIL |
| 66. Randall Delgado - at SF |
| 67. Carlos Villanueva - at STL |
| 68. Edinson Volquez - at MIL |
| 69. Paul Maholm - at ARI |
| 70. Phillies Fifth Starter - MIA |
| 71. Juan Nicasio - CWS |
| 72. Franklin Morales - CWS |
| 73. Jordan Lyles - CWS, at SF |
| 74. Alfredo Simon Note: soon to be Mat Latos; Reds don't need a fifth starter |
| 75. Josh Beckett - Dodgers don't need a fifth starter |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Max Scherzer - at LAD, at SD |
| 2. C.J. Wilson - at HOU, NYM |
| 3. Scott Kazmir - at MIN, at SEA |
| 4. Justin Verlander - at SD |
| 5. Jose Fernandez - at PHI |
| 6. Homer Bailey - at STL, TB |
| 7. Michael Wacha - CIN, CHC |
| 8. Chris Sale - CLE |
| 9. Yu Darvish - HOU |
| 10. Adam Wainwright - CHC |
| 11. Gerrit Cole - at CHC |
| 12. A.J. Burnett - MIA |
| 13. Gio Gonzalez - MIA |
| 14. Jordan Zimmermann - MIA |
| 15. Stephen Strasburg - at ATL |
| 16. Zack Greinke - at ARI |
| 17. Julio Teheran - WAS |
| 18. Felix Hernandez - OAK |
| 19. David Price - at CIN |
| 20. James Shields - at MIN |
| 21. Jered Weaver - NYM |
| 22. Andrew Cashner - DET |
| 23. Cliff Lee - MIL |
| 24. Madison Bumgarner - COL |
| 25. Dan Haren - DET, at ARI |
| 26. Tony Cingrani - at STL, TB |
| 27. Corey Kluber - SD, at CWS |
| 28. James Paxton - LAA, OAK |
| 29. Matt Cain - COL |
| 30. Jeff Samardzija - at STL |
| 31. Johnny Cueto - TB |
| 32. Ivan Nova - BAL, BOS |
| 33. Hiroki Kuroda - BAL, BOS |
| 34. Sonny Gray - at SEA |
| 35. Justin Masterson - at CWS |
| 36. Anibal Sanchez - at LAD |
| 37. Alex Cobb - at CIN |
| 38. Chris Archer - at KC |
| 39. Francisco Liriano - at MIL |
| 40. Erasmo Ramirez - OAK |
| 41. Hyun-Jin Ryu - DET |
| 42. Yovani Gallardo - PIT |
| 43. Shelby Miller - CIN |
| 44. Lance Lynn - CIN |
| 45. Danny Salazar - SD |
| 46. Matt Moore - at KC, at CIN |
| 47. Bartolo Colon - at ATL, at LAA |
| 48. Charlie Morton - at CHC, at MIL |
| 49. Kyle Lohse - at PHI, PIT |
| 50. Tyson Ross - at CLE, DET |
| 51. John Lackey - TEX, at NYY |
| 52. Tim Hudson - ARI, COL |
| 53. Jason Vargas - TB, at MIN |
| 54. Jon Lester - at NYY |
| 55. Masahiro Tanaka - BAL |
| 56. Dan Straily - at MIN |
| 57. Clay Buchholz - at NYY |
| 58. Rick Porcello - at SD |
| 59. Nathan Eovaldi - at PHI |
| 60. Marco Estrada - at PHI |
| 61. Matt Garza - at PHI |
| 62. Ubaldo Jimenez - at NYY, TOR |
| 63. Zach McAllister - SD, at CWS |
| 64. Jarred Cosart - LAA, at TEX |
| 65. Hector Santiago - at SEA |
| 66. Dillon Gee - at LAA |
| 67. Alex Wood - WAS |
| 68. Zack Wheeler - at ATL |
| 69. Chris Tillman - TOR |
| 70. Yordano Ventura - TB |
| 71. Wade Miley - LAD |
| 72. Ervin Santana - NYM |
| 73. Jon Niese - at LAA |
| 74. Wandy Rodriguez - at CHC |
| 75. Wily Peralta - PIT |
| 76. Jason Hammel - PIT |
| 77. Travis Wood - PIT |
| 78. Robbie Erlin - at CLE |
| 79. Phil Hughes - OAK |
| 80. Tommy Milone - at SEA |
| 81. Colby Lewis - HOU |
| 82. Joe Kelly - CHC |
| 83. Jenrry Mejia - at ATL |
| 84. Tanner Roark - MIA |
| 85. CC Sabathia - BOS |
| 86. R.A Dickey - at BAL |
| 87. Trevor Cahill - at SF, LAD |
| 88. Mike Leake - at STL |
| 89. Eric Stults - at CLE |
| 90. Kyle Kendrick - MIL, MIA |
| 91. Edwin Jackson - PIT, at STL |
| 92. Drew Hutchison - at BAL |
| 93. Ricky Nolasco - KC |
| 94. Tyler Skaggs - NYM |
| 95. Michael Pineda - BOS |
| 96. Mark Buehrle - HOU, at BAL |
| 97. Jesse Chavez - at MIN |
| 98. Brandon Morrow - HOU |
| 99. Dustin McGowan - HOU |
| 100. Jake Odorizzi - at KC |
