Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Cole on Top

Todd Zola ranks the week's starting pitching as Gerrit Cole is back on top with a pair of starts against the AL West.

Updated on August 18, 2018 11:36AM EST

By:

Todd Zola

Updated on August 18, 2018 11:36AM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings

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It's a pretty balanced week with respect to two-start pitchers, though there is a preponderance of those just below the ace tier enjoying a double-dip. That said, sometimes we focus too much on the those with a pair of starts, ignoring decent pickups with just a single matchup. There's several names of that ilk in the mid-range possible available in 10- and 12-team mixers.

For the week, Aug. 20-26

UPDATED: Sunday August 19, 11:00 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at SEA, at LAA	Snapped three-game losing streak last time out
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at BOS, at KC	Strikeouts still down but displaying usual impeccable command and control
3	Blake Snell	TB	vs. KC, vs. BOS	Opponent-proof, legit SP1 for next season
4	Jose Berrios	MIN	at CWS, vs. OAK	Walks high, expecting better control and a strong finish
5	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. CLE, at TB
6	Justin Verlander	HOU	at LAA	Rebounded nicely from whooping by Seattle
7	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	vs. CLE, at TB	Excelling after unleashing his cutter
8	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at MIA
9	Luis Severino	NYY	at BAL	If he struggles again here, it's time to worry
10	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at KC
11	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at LAA
12	Charlie Morton	HOU	at SEA
13	J.A. Happ	NYY	at BAL
14	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. CWS
15	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at CWS	Punch outs down a little lately
16	CC Sabathia	NYY	at BAL
17

For the week, Aug. 20-26

UPDATED: Sunday August 19, 11:00 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at SEA, at LAA	Snapped three-game losing streak last time out
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at BOS, at KC	Strikeouts still down but displaying usual impeccable command and control
3	Blake Snell	TB	vs. KC, vs. BOS	Opponent-proof, legit SP1 for next season
4	Jose Berrios	MIN	at CWS, vs. OAK	Walks high, expecting better control and a strong finish
5	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. CLE, at TB
6	Justin Verlander	HOU	at LAA	Rebounded nicely from whooping by Seattle
7	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	vs. CLE, at TB	Excelling after unleashing his cutter
8	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at MIA
9	Luis Severino	NYY	at BAL	If he struggles again here, it's time to worry
10	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at KC
11	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at LAA
12	Charlie Morton	HOU	at SEA
13	J.A. Happ	NYY	at BAL
14	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. CWS
15	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at CWS	Punch outs down a little lately
16	CC Sabathia	NYY	at BAL
17	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. MIN
18	Lance Lynn	NYY	at MIA
19	Sean Manaea	OAK	at MIN
20	David Price	BOS	vs. CLE
21	Jakob Junis	KC	at TB
22	Mike Fiers	OAK	vs. TEX, at MIN	High homers tempering rank a bit
23	Shane Bieber	CLE	at BOS, at KC	Concerned about start in Fenway
24	Michael Kopech	CWS	vs. MIN
25	Trevor Cahill	OAK	at MIN
26	Mike Minor	TEX	at OAK
27	Ryan Borucki	TOR	vs. PHI
28	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. BAL, vs. PHI	Could be underselling but just doesn't look sharp
29	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at BOS	On paper, tough matchup but certainly capable of rising to the occasion
30	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. HOU
31	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at DET
32	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. HOU
33	Jaime Barria	LAA	vs. HOU
34	Stephen Gonsalves	MIN	vs. CWS, vs. OAK
35	Collin McHugh	HOU	at SEA
36	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. CHC, vs. CWS
37	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. HOU
38	Felix Pena	LAA	at ARI, vs. HOU
39	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. KC
40	Erasmo Ramirez	SEA	at ARI
41	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. OAK
42	Thomas Pannone	TOR	vs. BAL
43	Tyler Glasnow	TB	vs. KC
44	James Shields	CWS	at DET
45	Sean Reid-Foley	TOR	vs. PHI
46	Martin Perez	TEX	at SF
47	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. HOU
48	Bartolo Colon	TEX	at OAK
49	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at TOR
50	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at TB
51	Buck Farmer	DET	vs. CWS
52	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. CLE
53	Dylan Covey	CWS	at DET
54	Ryne Stanek	TB	vs. KC
55	Edwin Jackson	OAK	vs. TEX
56	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at ARI
57	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN, at DET
58	Drew Hutchison	TEX	at SF
59	Brett Anderson	OAK	vs. TEX, at MIN
60	Brad Keller	KC	at TB
61	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	at SF
62	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. BOS
63	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. NYY
64	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. BOS
65	Francisco Liriano	DET	vs. CHC
66	Andrew Cashner	BAL	at TOR, vs. NYY
67	Odrisamer Despaigne	LAA	at ARI
68	Jorge Lopez	KC	at TB, vs. CLE
69	Luis Cessa	NYY	at BAL
70	Ariel Jurado	TEX	at OAK
71	Jimmy Yacabonis	BAL	vs. NYY
72	Brian Johnson	BOS	vs. CLE
73	Yefry Ramirez	BAL	vs. NYY
74	Kohl Stewart	MIN	vs. OAK
75	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. BAL
76	Glenn Sparkman	KC	at TB
77	Ryan Carpenter	DET	vs. CWS
78	Roenis Elias	SEA	at ARI
79	Adam Plutko	CLE	at BOS
80	Heath Fillmyer	KC	vs. CLE
81	David Hess	BAL	at TOR

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. SF, vs. WAS	6-0, 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP with 57 K, 15 BB and 3 HR in last 57.2 IP
2	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. PHI
3	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. SF
4	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. STL, vs. SD	Pair at home boosts ranking
5	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. SD	When he's out, we forget how good he is when healthy
6	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at PIT, at MIA	Strikeouts down, but facing lineups he can handle
7	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. SF
8	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at DET, vs. CIN	Recent strikeout binge feeds elevated ranking
9	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. PHI	Expected to return for a double dip
10	Derek Holland	SF	at NYM, vs. TEX	Continues to show new baseline isn't a fluke
11	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. CIN, vs. PIT	Needs to do better job keeping the ball in the yard
12	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. PHI, at NYM
13	Madison Bumgarner	SF	at NYM
14	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. SEA
15	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. LAA	Angels terrible vs. LHP
16	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at MIA
17	Chris Archer	PIT	vs. ATL, at MIL	New league/team, same old story
18	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. SEA	Getting closer to what was expected, control still spotty
19	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. SD
20	Aaron Nola	PHI	at WAS	SwStrk% career low, but should inch back up as he continues to gain confidence
21	Walker Buehler	LAD	vs. STL
22	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. CIN
23	Cole Hamels	CHC	vs. CIN
24	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at TOR
25	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at MIL
26	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at MIL
27	Jack Flaherty	STL	at LAD
28	Zack Godley	ARI	vs. SEA	Hasn't allowed a HR since June 26
29	Luis Castillo	CIN	at CHC
30	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	at MIA
31	Jon Gray	COL	vs. SD
32	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. SD, vs. STL
33	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at NYM
34	Clayton Richard	SD	at LAD
35	Touki Toussaint	ATL	at MIA	Expected to be called back up
36	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. PIT
37	Jon Lester	CHC	at DET
38	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at WAS, at TOR
39	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at PIT
40	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. SF, vs. WAS
41	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	at CHC
42	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. ATL
43	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at TOR
44	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. SD
45	Clay Buchholz	ARI	vs. LAA
46	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. CIN
47	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. CIN
48	Julio Teheran	ATL	at PIT	0
49	Chris Stratton	SF	at NYM, vs. TEX
50	Miles Mikolas	STL	at COL
51	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. ATL
52	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. ATL
53	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. ATL
54	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	vs. ATL
55	Andrew Suarez	SF	vs. TEX
56	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. CIN
57	German Marquez	COL	vs. STL
58	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. NYY	Improvement is real, tough draw this week
59	Zach Eflin	PHI	at WAS
60	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. STL
61	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. WAS
62	Sal Romano	CIN	at MIL
63	Wade Miley	MIL	vs. PIT
64	Matt Harvey	CIN	at CHC
65	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. NYY, vs. ATL
66	Robbie Erlin	SD	at COL, at LAD
67	Brett Kennedy	SD	at LAD
68	Daniel Poncedeleon	STL	at LAD
69	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. STL
70	Austin Gomber	STL	at LAD, at COL
71	Robert Stephenson	CIN	at MIL
72	Homer Bailey	CIN	at MIL, at CHC
73	John Gant	STL	at COL
74	Jefry Rodriguez	WAS	at NYM
75	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at COL
76	Jacob Nix	SD	at COL

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at SEA, at LAA	Snapped three-game losing streak last time out
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at BOS, at KC	Strikeouts still down but displaying usual impeccable command and control
3	Blake Snell	TB	vs. KC, vs. BOS	Opponent-proof, legit SP1 for next season
4	Jose Berrios	MIN	at CWS, vs. OAK	Walks high, expecting better control and a strong finish
5	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. SF, vs. WAS	6-0, 2.18 ERA, 1.02 WHIP with 57 K, 15 BB and 3 HR in last 57.2 IP
6	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. PHI
7	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. SF
8	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. STL, vs. SD	Pair at home boosts ranking
9	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. SD	When he's out, we forget how good he is when healthy
10	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. CLE, at TB
11	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at PIT, at MIA	Strikeouts down, but facing lineups he can handle
12	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. SF
13	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at DET, vs. CIN	Recent strikeout binge feeds elevated ranking
14	Justin Verlander	HOU	at LAA	Rebounded nicely from whooping by Seattle
15	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	vs. CLE, at TB	Excelling after unleashing his cutter
16	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. PHI	Expected to return for a double dip
17	Derek Holland	SF	at NYM, vs. TEX	Continues to show new baseline isn't a fluke
18	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. CIN, vs. PIT	Needs to do better job keeping the ball in the yard
19	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. PHI, at NYM
20	Madison Bumgarner	SF	at NYM
21	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. SEA
22	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. LAA	Angels terrible vs. LHP
23	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at MIA
24	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at MIA
25	Luis Severino	NYY	at BAL	If he struggles again here, it's time to worry
26	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at KC
27	Chris Archer	PIT	vs. ATL, at MIL	New league/team, same old story
28	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at LAA
29	Charlie Morton	HOU	at SEA
30	J.A. Happ	NYY	at BAL
31	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. SEA	Getting closer to what was expected, control still spotty
32	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. CWS
33	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. SD
34	Aaron Nola	PHI	at WAS	SwStrk% career low, but should inch back up as he continues to gain confidence
35	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at CWS	Punch outs down a little lately
36	Walker Buehler	LAD	vs. STL
37	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. CIN
38	Cole Hamels	CHC	vs. CIN
39	CC Sabathia	NYY	at BAL
40	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. MIN
41	Lance Lynn	NYY	at MIA
42	Sean Manaea	OAK	at MIN
43	David Price	BOS	vs. CLE
44	Jakob Junis	KC	at TB
45	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at TOR
46	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at MIL
47	Mike Fiers	OAK	vs. TEX, at MIN	High homers tempering rank a bit
48	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at MIL
49	Jack Flaherty	STL	at LAD
50	Zack Godley	ARI	vs. SEA
51	Shane Bieber	CLE	at BOS, at KC	Concerned about start in Fenway
52	Michael Kopech	CWS	vs. MIN
53	Luis Castillo	CIN	at CHC
54	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	at MIA
55	Jon Gray	COL	vs. SD
56	Trevor Cahill	OAK	at MIN
57	Mike Minor	TEX	at OAK
58	Ryan Borucki	TOR	vs. PHI
59	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. BAL, vs. PHI	Could be underselling but just doesn't look sharp
60	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. SD, vs. STL
61	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at NYM
62	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at BOS	On paper, tough matchup but certainly capable of rising to the occasion
63	Clayton Richard	SD	at LAD
64	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. HOU
65	Touki Toussaint	ATL	at MIA	Expected to be called back up
66	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at DET
67	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. HOU
68	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. PIT
69	Jaime Barria	LAA	vs. HOU
70	Stephen Gonsalves	MIN	vs. CWS, vs. OAK
71	Jon Lester	CHC	at DET
72	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at WAS, at TOR
73	Collin McHugh	HOU	at SEA
74	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at PIT
75	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. CHC, vs. CWS
76	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. SF, vs. WAS
77	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. HOU
78	Felix Pena	LAA	at ARI, vs. HOU
79	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. KC
80	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	at CHC
81	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. ATL
82	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at TOR
83	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. SD
84	Clay Buchholz	ARI	vs. LAA
85	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. CIN
86	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. CIN
87	Erasmo Ramirez	SEA	at ARI
88	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. OAK
89	Thomas Pannone	TOR	vs. BAL
90	Julio Teheran	ATL	at PIT	0
91	Chris Stratton	SF	at NYM, vs. TEX
92	Tyler Glasnow	TB	vs. KC
93	Miles Mikolas	STL	at COL
94	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. ATL
95	James Shields	CWS	at DET
96	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. ATL
97	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. ATL
98	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	vs. ATL
99	Sean Reid-Foley	TOR	vs. PHI
100	Martin Perez	TEX	at SF
101	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. HOU
102	Andrew Suarez	SF	vs. TEX
103	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. CIN
104	German Marquez	COL	vs. STL
105	Bartolo Colon	TEX	at OAK
106	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at TOR
107	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at TB
108	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. NYY	Improvement is real, tough draw this week
109	Buck Farmer	DET	vs. CWS
110	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. CLE
111	Dylan Covey	CWS	at DET
112	Zach Eflin	PHI	at WAS
113	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. STL
114	Ryne Stanek	TB	vs. KC
115	Edwin Jackson	OAK	vs. TEX
116	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. WAS
117	Sal Romano	CIN	at MIL
118	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at ARI
119	Wade Miley	MIL	vs. PIT
120	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN, at DET
121	Matt Harvey	CIN	at CHC
122	Drew Hutchison	TEX	at SF
123	Brett Anderson	OAK	vs. TEX, at MIN
124	Brad Keller	KC	at TB
125	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. NYY, vs. ATL
126	Robbie Erlin	SD	at COL, at LAD
127	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	at SF
128	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. BOS
129	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. NYY
130	Brett Kennedy	SD	at LAD
131	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. BOS
132	Daniel Poncedeleon	STL	at LAD
133	Francisco Liriano	DET	vs. CHC
134	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. STL
135	Andrew Cashner	BAL	at TOR, vs. NYY
136	Odrisamer Despaigne	LAA	at ARI
137	Austin Gomber	STL	at LAD, at COL
138	Robert Stephenson	CIN	at MIL
139	Jorge Lopez	KC	at TB, vs. CLE
140	Luis Cessa	NYY	at BAL
141	Homer Bailey	CIN	at MIL, at CHC
142	Ariel Jurado	TEX	at OAK
143	Jimmy Yacabonis	BAL	vs. NYY
144	Brian Johnson	BOS	vs. CLE
145	John Gant	STL	at COL
146	Yefry Ramirez	BAL	vs. NYY
147	Kohl Stewart	MIN	vs. OAK
148	Jefry Rodriguez	WAS	at NYM
149	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at COL
150	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. BAL
151	Glenn Sparkman	KC	at TB
152	Ryan Carpenter	DET	vs. CWS
153	Roenis Elias	SEA	at ARI
154	Adam Plutko	CLE	at BOS
155	Heath Fillmyer	KC	vs. CLE
156	Jacob Nix	SD	at COL
157	David Hess	BAL	at TOR