Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Worth the Price

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Updated on April 9, 2016 2:09PM EST

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 11-17

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	David Price	BAL, TOR	A helluva slate, but if anyone can make something out of it, it's Price (I mean, there are a few others, but he's among them for sure). He has a 2.65 career ERA vs. BAL (122.3 IP) and 2.41 vs. TOR (145.7 IP)
2	Sonny Gray	LAA, KC
3	Corey Kluber	at TB, NYM	When his fastball off, it's rough (literally all of the BOS damage was off the heat); FanGraphs' Eno Sarris has tabbed him as a bad-fastball guy, but if it's getting worse, perhaps his margin shrinks? For now, let's monitor and not freak out over one start
4	Chris Sale	at TB
5	Cole Hamels	BAL	He allowed 2 HR to LHB in 2015; it took 2 innings in 2016 because baseball is weird and awesome; he settled down to have a really good start
6	Dallas Keuchel	DET
7	Carlos Carrasco	at TB	One of the biggest reasons not to worry after 1 start (other than common sense) is the super-grimy weather that affects a lot of these April games
8	Danny Salazar	at TB	HRs just seem like a

For the week April 11-17

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	David Price	BAL, TOR	A helluva slate, but if anyone can make something out of it, it's Price (I mean, there are a few others, but he's among them for sure). He has a 2.65 career ERA vs. BAL (122.3 IP) and 2.41 vs. TOR (145.7 IP)
2	Sonny Gray	LAA, KC
3	Corey Kluber	at TB, NYM	When his fastball off, it's rough (literally all of the BOS damage was off the heat); FanGraphs' Eno Sarris has tabbed him as a bad-fastball guy, but if it's getting worse, perhaps his margin shrinks? For now, let's monitor and not freak out over one start
4	Chris Sale	at TB
5	Cole Hamels	BAL	He allowed 2 HR to LHB in 2015; it took 2 innings in 2016 because baseball is weird and awesome; he settled down to have a really good start
6	Dallas Keuchel	DET
7	Carlos Carrasco	at TB	One of the biggest reasons not to worry after 1 start (other than common sense) is the super-grimy weather that affects a lot of these April games
8	Danny Salazar	at TB	HRs just seem like a part of his game now, but at least a lot were solos last year, as was Frazier's on Friday
9	Chris Archer	CLE
10	Felix Hernandez	at NYY	Command was unquestionably shaky in debut, but the stuff was still nasty (15% SwStr, 69% GB) so I'm far from panicked. I'd inquire about trades just to see if a discount is out there
11	Justin Verlander	at HOU
12	Garrett Richards	at MIN
13	Marcus Stroman	NYY	Never ceases to amaze how quickly a start can turn, for good/bad. Looked like he was going to roll BOS very early on, but pitching is never static. The stuff is evolving pitch-to-pitch based on so many variables. Oh, and BOS is really good
14	Jake Odorizzi	CWS
15	Jose Quintana	at TB
16	Jordan Zimmermann	at PIT	I think he's just going to be really solid and steady all year; not special, but very good
17	Hisashi Iwakuma	TEX, at NYY
18	Masahiro Tanaka	SEA	Battled to have a decent start against a tough team in 36-degree weather w/18 mph winds
19	Ervin Santana	LAA	Feel like we could've gotten a solid two-start week if not for that rain on Opening Day
20	Taijuan Walker	TEX
21	Drew Smyly	CLE	Gee, TOR blasted a lefty? That's weird. Doesn't get much easier in Baltimore this weekend
22	Yordano Ventura	at HOU
23	Carlos Rodon	at MIN, at TB	7 IP, 1 BB; it likely won't all come at once, but he only had 4 starts of 6-plus IP, 0-1 BB last year and they all came in last 11 starts (3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP)
24	Aaron Sanchez	NYY, at BOS	He's right by Rodon for a reason. He had just 1 one of those 6-plus IP/0-1 BB starts last year: his last one on June 5; tough slate, but this is one of the early movers w/a ton of intrigue
25	Anibal Sanchez	PIT, at HOU
26	Kyle Gibson	CWS, LAA	Last time he walked 5 guys in a start? His 2015 debut on April 9. Not sure that meager coincidence means anything, but he walked 2.8 per 9 the rest of the way
27	Matt Moore	CLE, CWS	One bad inning vs. the lefty-killing Jays (4 H, 3 ER in 3rd), but other 4 IP were really solid
28	Shane Greene	PIT, at HOU	I'd be happier about that save if I didn't have him benched because he wasn't going to start!
29	Kris Medlen	at HOU, at OAK	Makes his season debut this week
30	Cody Anderson	NYM
31	J.A. Happ	NYY
32	Collin McHugh	KC, DET	I'm trying not to overreact on these 4 arms for HOU/NYY ...
33	Mike Fiers	KC, DET	... but I'm probably failing by dropping this much
34	Michael Pineda	at TOR, SEA	That said, the matchups, the rough debuts, the lack certainty already tied to all of them ...
35	Luis Severino	at TOR	... makes this slotting feel right. Still starting in many leagues, but not universally this week
36	Ian Kennedy	at HOU	Here to the end of the starts is a bunch of guys who had a mixed debuts or have yet to debut, but you drafted them for a reason, so I wouldn't sit them just off of one start
37	Nate Karns	at NYY	Debuts on Saturday
38	Wade Miley	TEX
39	Hector Santiago	at OAK
40	Edinson Volquez	at OAK
41	Derek Holland	at SEA, BAL
42	Chris Young	at HOU, at OAK	Might not be great in HOU, but should make it up in OAK
43	Nicholas Tropeano	at OAK, at MIN
44	Chris Tillman	at TEX
45	Yovani Gallardo	at BOS, at TEX
46	Mat Latos	at MIN	It was kind of a good Phil Hughes-type outing with just 1 K and just 4 swings-and-misses in 88 pitches
47	Martin Perez	BAL	Only 6 swings-and-misses for him, also in 88 pitches
48	A.J. Griffin	at SEA	Only 1 K, but not a bad return for his first start since 2013
49	Kendall Graveman	LAA
50	Nathan Eovaldi	at TOR	Do we even want to mess w/TOR with right-handed starters?
51	R.A. Dickey	at BOS	He's a set-it-and-forget-it guy so if he was draftable in your league, you just gotta ride it out
52	Rick Porcello	TOR	The weather in CLE pushed him to at TOR/TOR to start the season ... ouch

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
53	Clay Buchholz	BAL, TOR	Not dealing with him in this two-start slate
54	Phil Hughes	CWS	He can maybe help WHIP, but he just doesn't miss enough bats for fantasy viability in many leagues
55	Chris Bassitt	KC	Bassitt, Fister already struggle for Ks as-is let alone facing the toughest team to K so I just don't see much upside w/either this week
56	Doug Fister	KC
57	Josh Tomlin	NYM
58	Ubaldo Jimenez	at BOS, at TEX	I never really fall for Ubaldo anymore these days. Good to luck those of you who definitely will
59	Mike Pelfrey	at PIT
60	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	I'm not really interested even if he somehow rolls KC
61	CC Sabathia	SEA
62	Colby Lewis	at SEA, BAL
63	Rich Hill	KC	I don't think I'm overreacting. Rotten spring was way too reminiscent of previous failures and then a first-start bombing. Be careful.
64	Matt Shoemaker	at OAK	His 2014 was believeable for the skills he was showing at the time, but the reason he was such a question mark was because we didn't know if the command would maintain; it hasn't
65	Scott Feldman	KC
66	Eric Surkamp	LAA
67	Joe Kelly	BAL
68	Jered Weaver	at MIN
69	Mike Wright	at BOS
70	Tyler Wilson	at TEX
71	John Danks	at MIN
72	Tommy Milone	CWS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Clayton Kershaw	SF	He good
2	Stephen Strasburg	ATL, at PHI	The NL East two-fer! A lot of these for WAS, NYM, MIA SPs this year
3	Max Scherzer	at PHI
4	Jake Arrieta	COL	7 IP on 89 pitches in his debut. Looked a lot like 2H Arrieta, albeit vs. Angels who have little to fear beyond Trout, Pujols
5	Zack Greinke	at SD	Don't even love him this year and I'm still not freaking out over the first start as the flu likely played a role
6	Matt Harvey	at CLE
7	Jose Fernandez	at NYM	Still notched 13 Ks even allowing 5 ER in 5.7 IP; he's going to be fine
8	Noah Syndergaard	MIA	His 93 mph slider was the talk of baseball after his debut, but I was locked in on 9 Ks vs. KC! That's like 15 vs. anyone else
9	Jon Lester	CIN, COL
10	Patrick Corbin	at LAD, at SD	Still went 7 IP and only allowed 4 ER despite 3 HR (including one to Story and another to lefty-destroyer Ryan Raburn)
11	Jacob deGrom	MIA	Back issue that popped up in spring returned and forced him out after 6 in debut; a situation to monitor
12	Michael Wacha	MIL, CIN	Two home starts vs. bottom feeders is really nice for a guy w/a career 2.69 ERA at home
13	Madison Bumgarner	at LAD	How much of it was flu and how much was the foot neuroma? Color me concerned on Bummy
14	Gerrit Cole	DET	Rib cage inflammation pushed his debut, but he finally opens his '16 on Saturday
15	Johnny Cueto	at LAD
16	Francisco Liriano	MIL
17	Shelby Miller	at SD	Going to SD is the perfect situation to rebound from the ugly debut
18	Adam Wainwright	CIN
19	Raisel Iglesias	at CHC	Really eager to see him face a stiff test like at CHC after an A+ debut, albeit vs. lowly PHI
20	Carlos Martinez	CIN	Opens at ATL this weekend and then gets CIN, could be a really fast start for the impressive 24-year old
21	Julio Teheran	at WAS
22	Jason Hammel	CIN
23	Tyson Ross	ARI	At least it wasn't 9 BB, but 4 2B and 5 1B made for a rough opener (just 1 BB and 5 Ks in 5.3 IP, though); sit tight
24	Jaime Garcia	MIL
25	Kenta Maeda	ARI, SF	Smashing SD not as impressive as his homer!! Eager to watch him twice this week and see what we've got
26	James Shields	at PHI, ARI	The only SD SP who did anything worth a lick in his debut and it was still just a baseline QS
27	Aaron Nola	SD, WAS	A bit underrated being on the Phillies, but if he smashes this double-up, the hype will start in earnest
28	Wei-Yin Chen	at NYM, ATL	DET eating him up was no surprise, but getting drilled in the forearm is the bigger concern; supposed to be fine, though
29	Steven Matz	MIA, at CLE
30	Vincent Velasquez	SD
31	Mike Leake	MIL
32	Juan Nicasio	at DET, MIL	Turning the lights on for real didn't faze Nicasio as he managed a huge debut to follow the big spring; DET is tough, but the right lineup for his two-pitch arsenal as it's right-handed heavy and plays into that devastating slider
33	Gio Gonzalez	ATL, at PHI
34	Andrew Cashner	at PHI, ARI	Inclination is to freak because bad debut feels like carryover from wretched '15, but it's still one start vs. a good LAD lineup; but he's on notice now
35	Scott Kazmir	SF	How seriously can we take starts vs. SD as indicative of something good?
36	Jimmy Nelson	at PIT
37	Tanner Roark	ATL	Rain messed w/his start, though he did come back after the delay
38	Joe Ross	ATL	Debuts Saturday, eager to see how he does
39	Jerad Eickhoff	SD	Initial start looked exactly like '15 debut: domination of RHB (.536 OPS), hit by LHB (.804); love just about anyone vs. SD, though
40	Kyle Hendricks	COL
41	John Lackey	CIN	He'll be a mid-to-high 3.00s ERA so don't flip out over the debut, but he won't be that '15 version
42	Adam Conley	at NYM	Couldn't command his stuff for anything in debut; seemed over-amped and was aiming instead of pitching; hang with 'em
43	Brandon Finnegan	at STL
44	Drew Pomeranz	at PHI
45	Matt Wisler	at WAS	Initial start looked exactly like '15 debut: domination of RHB (.533 OPS), hit by LHB (1.098); don't let Harper beat you, Matt!!
46	Robbie Ray	at LAD	Not a bad start (6 IP, 2 ER) when you consider what the Cubs did in ARI
47	Bartolo Colon	at CLE
48	Anthony DeSclafani	at STL
49	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	Did nab 10 swings-and-misses in 79 pitches, but it was CIN; a lot of NL teams that have that caveat this year
50	Tom Koehler	ATL	If you're not using him here, you're never using him. At home vs. bottom-feeder is perfect stream setup (3.29 career ERA at home)
51	Ross Stripling	ARI	Listen, I understand why they did it, but I'm not sure I'd have pulled him mid-no-no; even w/the big debut, still far from auto-start

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
52	Alex Wood	ARI	Use at your own risk
53	Jon Niese	at DET, MIL	Knocked around a bit in opener, but 7 Ks was nice; still sitting w/at DET on the slate
54	Jeff Samardzija	at COL, at LAD	Opens at MIL, COL, LAD. I don't think I'm starting him in a two-pack on the road that includes Coors
55	Jorge De La Rosa	SF
56	Charlie Morton	SD, WAS
57	Tyler Chatwood	SF, at CHC
58	Rubby De La Rosa	at LAD
59	Taylor Jungmann	at STL, at PIT
60	Chad Bettis	at CHC	Much better on the road, but I think CHC is quickly becoming an avoid w/anyone but studs
61	Alfredo Simon	at CHC
62	Tim Melville	at CHC, at STL	Robert Stephenson got the spot-start where Melville was supposed to go last week, so who knows?!
63	Wily Peralta	at STL
64	Chase Anderson	at STL
65	Jeff Locke	DET
66	Jarred Cosart	ATL
67	Jake Peavy	at COL	Nooooope
68	Matt Cain	at COL
69	Williams Perez	at MIA
70	Colin Rea	at PHI	Going from at COL to at PHI definitely improves his outlook, but still not someone to start
71	Jhoulys Chacin	at WAS, at MIA
72	Bud Norris	at WAS, at MIA	You have fun if you wanna buy into that first start!
73	Tyler Cravy	at PIT	In for Matt Garza, expected out 4-6 weeks
74	Jordan Lyles	SF

MLB TOP 100

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Clayton Kershaw	SF	He good
2	Stephen Strasburg	ATL, at PHI	The NL East two-fer! A lot of these for WAS, NYM, MIA SPs this year
3	David Price	BAL, TOR	A helluva slate, but if anyone can make something out of it, it's Price (I mean, there are a few others, but he's among them for sure). He has a 2.65 career ERA vs. BAL (122.3 IP) and 2.41 vs. TOR (145.7 IP)
4	Max Scherzer	at PHI
5	Jake Arrieta	COL	7 IP on 89 pitches in his debut. Looked a lot like 2H Arrieta, albeit vs. Angels who have little to fear beyond Trout, Pujols
6	Sonny Gray	LAA, KC
7	Corey Kluber	at TB, NYM	When his fastball off, it's rough (literally all of the BOS damage was off the heat); FanGraphs' Eno Sarris has tabbed him as a bad-fastball guy, but if it's getting worse, perhaps his margin shrinks? For now, let's monitor and not freak out over one start
8	Zack Greinke	at SD	Don't even love him this year and I'm still not freaking out over the first start as the flu likely played a role
9	Matt Harvey	at CLE
10	Jose Fernandez	at NYM	Still notched 13 Ks even allowing 5 ER in 5.7 IP; he's going to be fine
11	Chris Sale	at TB
12	Noah Syndergaard	MIA	His 93 mph slider was the talk of baseball after his debut, but I was locked in on 9 Ks vs. KC! That's like 15 vs. anyone else
13	Cole Hamels	BAL	He allowed 2 HR to LHB in 2015; it took 2 innings in 2016 because baseball is weird and awesome; he settled down to have a really good start
14	Jon Lester	CIN, COL
15	Patrick Corbin	at LAD, at SD	Still went 7 IP and only allowed 4 ER despite 3 HR (including one to Story and another to lefty-destroyer Ryan Raburn)
16	Dallas Keuchel	DET
17	Carlos Carrasco	at TB	One of the biggest reasons not to worry after 1 start (other than common sense) is the super-grimy weather that affects a lot of these April games
18	Danny Salazar	at TB	HRs just seem like a part of his game now, but at least a lot were solos last year, as was Frazier's on Friday
19	Chris Archer	CLE
20	Jacob deGrom	MIA	Back issue that popped up in spring returned and forced him out after 6 in debut; a situation to monitor
21	Michael Wacha	MIL, CIN	Two home starts vs. bottom feeders is really nice for a guy w/a career 2.69 ERA at home
22	Felix Hernandez	at NYY	Command was unquestionably shaky in debut, but the stuff was still nasty (15% SwStr, 69% GB) so I'm far from panicked. I'd inquire about trades just to see if a discount is out there
23	Madison Bumgarner	at LAD	How much of it was flu and how much was the foot neuroma? Color me concerned on Bummy
24	Gerrit Cole	DET	Rib cage inflammation pushed his debut, but he finally opens his '16 on Saturday
25	Justin Verlander	at HOU
26	Garrett Richards	at MIN
27	Johnny Cueto	at LAD
28	Marcus Stroman	NYY	Never ceases to amaze how quickly a start can turn, for good/bad. Looked like he was going to roll BOS very early on, but pitching is never static. The stuff is evolving pitch-to-pitch based on so many variables. Oh, and BOS is really good
29	Jake Odorizzi	CWS
30	Francisco Liriano	MIL
31	Jose Quintana	at TB
32	Jordan Zimmermann	at PIT	I think he's just going to be really solid and steady all year; not special, but very good
33	Hisashi Iwakuma	TEX, at NYY
34	Masahiro Tanaka	SEA	Battled to have a decent start against a tough team in 36-degree weather w/18 mph winds
35	Shelby Miller	at SD	Going to SD is the perfect situation to rebound from the ugly debut
36	Adam Wainwright	CIN
37	Raisel Iglesias	at CHC	Really eager to see him face a stiff test like at CHC after an A+ debut, albeit vs. lowly PHI
38	Carlos Martinez	CIN	Opens at ATL this weekend and then gets CIN, could be a really fast start for the impressive 24-year old
39	Ervin Santana	LAA	Feel like we could've gotten a solid two-start week if not for that rain on Opening Day
40	Taijuan Walker	TEX
41	Julio Teheran	at WAS
42	Jason Hammel	CIN
43	Drew Smyly	CLE	Gee, TOR blasted a lefty? That's weird. Doesn't get much easier in Baltimore this weekend
44	Yordano Ventura	at HOU
45	Carlos Rodon	at MIN, at TB	7 IP, 1 BB; it likely won't all come at once, but he only had 4 starts of 6-plus IP, 0-1 BB last year and they all came in last 11 starts (3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP)
46	Aaron Sanchez	NYY, at BOS	He's right by Rodon for a reason. He had just 1 one of those 6-plus IP/0-1 BB starts last year: his last one on June 5; tough slate, but this is one of the early movers w/a ton of intrigue
47	Anibal Sanchez	PIT, at HOU
48	Kyle Gibson	CWS, LAA	Last time he walked 5 guys in a start? His 2015 debut on April 9. Not sure that meager coincidence means anything, but he walked 2.8 per 9 the rest of the way
49	Matt Moore	CLE, CWS	One bad inning vs. the lefty-killing Jays (4 H, 3 ER in 3rd), but other 4 IP were really solid
50	Shane Greene	PIT, at HOU	I'd be happier about that save if I didn't have him benched because he wasn't going to start!
51	Tyson Ross	ARI	At least it wasn't 9 BB, but 4 2B and 5 1B made for a rough opener (just 1 BB and 5 Ks in 5.3 IP, though); sit tight
52	Jaime Garcia	MIL
53	Kenta Maeda	ARI, SF	Smashing SD not as impressive as his homer!! Eager to watch him twice this week and see what we've got
54	James Shields	at PHI, ARI	The only SD SP who did anything worth a lick in his debut and it was still just a baseline QS
55	Aaron Nola	SD, WAS	A bit underrated being on the Phillies, but if he smashes this double-up, the hype will start in earnest
56	Wei-Yin Chen	at NYM, ATL	DET eating him up was no surprise, but getting drilled in the forearm is the bigger concern; supposed to be fine, though
57	Steven Matz	MIA, at CLE
58	Vincent Velasquez	SD
59	Kris Medlen	at HOU, at OAK	Makes his season debut this week
60	Cody Anderson	NYM
61	J.A. Happ	NYY
62	Mike Leake	MIL
63	Juan Nicasio	at DET, MIL	Turning the lights on for real didn't faze Nicasio as he managed a huge debut to follow the big spring; DET is tough, but the right lineup for his two-pitch arsenal as it's right-handed heavy and plays into that devastating slider
64	Gio Gonzalez	ATL, at PHI
65	Andrew Cashner	at PHI, ARI	Inclination is to freak because bad debut feels like carryover from wretched '15, but it's still one start vs. a good LAD lineup; but he's on notice now
66	Scott Kazmir	SF	How seriously can we take starts vs. SD as indicative of something good?
67	Jimmy Nelson	at PIT
68	Tanner Roark	ATL	Rain messed w/his start, though he did come back after the delay
69	Joe Ross	ATL	Debuts Saturday, eager to see how he does
70	Collin McHugh	KC, DET	I'm trying not to overreact on these 4 arms for HOU/NYY ...
71	Mike Fiers	KC, DET	... but I'm probably failing by dropping this much
72	Michael Pineda	at TOR, SEA	That said, the matchups, the rough debuts, the lack certainty already tied to all of them ...
73	Luis Severino	at TOR	... makes this slotting feel right. Still starting in many leagues, but not universally this week
74	Kyle Hendricks	COL
75	Ian Kennedy	at HOU	Here to the end of the starts is a bunch of guys who had a mixed debuts or have yet to debut, but you drafted them for a reason, so I wouldn't sit them just off of one start
76	John Lackey	CIN	He'll be a mid-to-high 3.00s ERA so don't flip out over the debut, but he won't be that '15 version
77	Nate Karns	at NYY	Debuts on Saturday
78	Adam Conley	at NYM	Couldn't command his stuff for anything in debut; seemed over-amped and was aiming instead of pitching; hang with 'em
79	Wade Miley	TEX
80	Brandon Finnegan	at STL
81	Hector Santiago	at OAK
82	Drew Pomeranz	at PHI
83	Edinson Volquez	at OAK
84	Derek Holland	at SEA, BAL
85	Chris Young	at HOU, at OAK	Might not be great in HOU, but should make it up in OAK
86	Nicholas Tropeano	at OAK, at MIN
87	Chris Tillman	at TEX
88	Yovani Gallardo	at BOS, at TEX
89	Mat Latos	at MIN	It was kind of a good Phil Hughes-type outing with just 1 K and just 4 swings-and-misses in 88 pitches
90	Jerad Eickhoff	SD	Initial start looked exactly like '15 debut: domination of RHB (.536 OPS), hit by LHB (.804); love just about anyone vs. SD, though
91	Matt Wisler	at WAS	Initial start looked exactly like '15 debut: domination of RHB (.533 OPS), hit by LHB (1.098); don't let Harper beat you, Matt!!
92	Robbie Ray	at LAD	Not a bad start (6 IP, 2 ER) when you consider what the Cubs did in ARI
93	Bartolo Colon	at CLE
94	Martin Perez	BAL	Only 6 swings-and-misses for him, also in 88 pitches
95	Anthony DeSclafani	at STL
96	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	Did nab 10 swings-and-misses in 79 pitches, but it was CIN; a lot of NL teams that have that caveat this year
97	A.J. Griffin	at SEA	Only 1 K, but not a bad return for his first start since 2013
98	Tom Koehler	ATL	If you're not using him here, you're never using him. At home vs. bottom-feeder is perfect stream setup (3.29 career ERA at home)
99	Ross Stripling	ARI	Listen, I understand why they did it, but I'm not sure I'd have pulled him mid-no-no; even w/the big debut, still far from auto-start
100	Kendall Graveman	LAA