Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Mad Max Rules the Roost

Written by

Updated on March 27, 2019 10:23AM EST

Geez, it seems like only six months ago we bid each other a fond adieu. How time flies. Fasten your seat belt, it's time to strap in for another 26-plus week grind. Consider this the "plus" week as MLB is again starting the season earlier, adding more off days to each team's schedule. Doing the math, this is going to result in even fewer two-start options than last season. However, that's a worry for another day as this week no one has a double-dip.

The driving force behind early season rankings is the pitcher as the affect of the opposing offense is unclear. Sure, estimates based on preseason projections are incorporated, but until games are played, the production, especially for teams in the middle, is still a question.

As always, I'm happy to address questions in the comments. However, please direct all questions concerning whether someone is starting to the probable pitching grid as I pull the information from there.

And with that, here's ranking for March 28-31. Rankings for April 1-6 will be posted Saturday morning.

OVERALL

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. NYM	Fitting the best pitcher in the game kicks off the year in the top spot
2	Chris Sale	BOS	at SEA	145 million reasons to believe Sale is fine
3	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TB	Remember when Verlander was washed up? Good times.
4	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. ATL	Gets a chance to make a statement in the NL East right

And with that, here's ranking for March 28-31. Rankings for April 1-6 will be posted Saturday morning.

OVERALL

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. NYM	Fitting the best pitcher in the game kicks off the year in the top spot
2	Chris Sale	BOS	at SEA	145 million reasons to believe Sale is fine
3	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TB	Remember when Verlander was washed up? Good times.
4	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. ATL	Gets a chance to make a statement in the NL East right away
5	Patrick Corbin	WAS	vs. NYM	19:3 K:BB in 24 spring frames says Corbin is ready to pick up where he left off
6	James Paxton	NYY	vs. BAL	Homers at home could be an issue, not so much in his debut in pinstripes
7	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. BAL	Ace-like K and BB rates, it's all about the long ball
8	German Marquez	COL	at MIA	Great way to begin the campaign
9	Corey Kluber	CLE	at MIN	The Twins will be looking to set the tone early in the AL Central
10	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TB	Squaring off with his former teammate Charlie Morton
11	Walker Buehler	LAD	vs. ARI	Expect the club to be conservative with early workload
12	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. SF	Great draw to get the season off on a strong note
13	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at WAS	Tough draw, on the road against Mad Max
14	Rick Porcello	BOS	at SEA	Quiet spring (5 K, 1 BB in 12 IP) but veteran should be good to go
15	J.A. Happ	NYY	vs. BAL	Will be counted on early with Luis Severino and CC Sabathia out
16	Chris Paddack	SD	vs. SF	A dominating spring (24 K, 3 BB in 15.1 IP) accelerated debut
17	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at SEA	Big things expected, health will be key
18	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. ARI	Maeda is ready, posting a 17:1 K:BB in 13 spring frames
19	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at MIN
20	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. NYM	Hasn't started more than 28 games since 2014
21	Jon Gray	COL	at MIA	Facing presumably weak offense in a great pitching venue
22	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. ARI	Injuries opened up a rotation spot to start the season
23	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at MIN	Coming off stellar second half
24	Kyle Freeland	COL	at MIA	Will growing up in Denver help Freeland in South Beach?
25	Tyler Anderson	COL	at MIA
26	Madison Bumgarner	SF	at SD	Opens against a weak lineup… wait, scratch that
27	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. ARI	Continues to dominate between IL stints
28	Zack Greinke	ARI	at LAD
29	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. PIT	Will make or beak many a fantasy staff
30	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	at SEA
31	Collin McHugh	HOU	at TB
32	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at CIN	Ratios near-ace level, but lower K-rate suppresses ranking
33	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. CWS	Viable streamer in a weak division
34	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at KC
35	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	at SD
36	Logan Allen	SD	vs. SF	Paddack got the pub but don't sleep on Allen, despite a tepid spring
37	Matthew Boyd	DET	at TOR	Quietly developing into a solid starter
38	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. DET
39	Blake Snell	TB	vs. HOU	Admittedly more bearish than most
40	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. STL
41	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. ATL
42	Matt Shoemaker	TOR	vs. DET	Good spot to make Jays debut
43	Charlie Morton	TB	vs. HOU
44	Robbie Ray	ARI	at LAD	Spring velo up, fanned whopping 32 in 16.1 IP, but also walked 16
45	Eric Lauer	SD	vs. SF	Earned opening day nod with great spring
46	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	vs. BOS	If one more person says "and I say", I'll go postal
47	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. STL
48	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. ATL
49	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	at WAS
50	Jack Flaherty	STL	at MIL
51	Tanner Roark	CIN	vs. PIT
52	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. DET
53	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. COL	Get in while the price is still reasonable
54	Miles Mikolas	STL	at MIL
55	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CLE	Goes up if Francisco Lindor and/or Jose Ramirez aren't ready
56	Brett Anderson	OAK	vs. LAA	Aided by Justin Upton injury
57	Kyle Wright	ATL	at PHI
58	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. COL
59	Brad Keller	KC	vs. CWS
60	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at OAK
61	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at CIN
62	Julio Teheran	ATL	at PHI
63	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. COL
64	Sonny Gray	CIN	vs. PIT
65	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. BOS
66	Tyler Glasnow	TB	vs. HOU
67	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. BOS
68	Corbin Burnes	MIL	vs. STL
69	Zack Wheeler	NYM	at WAS
70	Mike Fiers	OAK	vs. LAA
71	Yu Darvish	CHC	at TEX
72	Zack Godley	ARI	at LAD
73	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. CHC
74	Cole Hamels	CHC	at TEX
75	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at KC
76	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CIN
77	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. BOS
78	Michael Pineda	MIN	vs. CLE
79	Derek Holland	SF	at SD
80	Trevor Cahill	LAA	at OAK
81	Marco Estrada	OAK	vs. LAA
82	Drew Pomeranz	SF	at SD
83	Jon Lester	CHC	at TEX
84	Luke Weaver	ARI	at LAD
85	Michael Wacha	STL	at MIL
86	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	vs. STL
87	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. COL
88	Matt Moore	DET	at TOR
89	Bryse Wilson	ATL	at PHI
90	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at KC
91	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at NYY
92	Wade Miley	HOU	at TB
93	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. CLE
94	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. HOU
95	Nate Karns	BAL	at NYY
96	Lance Lynn	TEX	vs. CHC
97	Jorge Lopez	KC	vs. CWS
98	Felix Pena	LAA	at OAK
99	Trent Thornton	TOR	vs. DET
100	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at TOR
101	Daniel Hudson	LAA	at MIL
102	Matt Harvey	LAA	at OAK
103	Edinson Volquez	TEX	vs. CHC
104	Tyson Ross	DET	at TOR
105	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. LAA
106	Andrew Cashner	BAL	at NYY	Fitting the worst pitcher in the league kicks off in the bottom spot

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at SEA	145 million reasons to believe Sale is fine
2	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TB	Remember when Verlander was washed up? Good times.
3	James Paxton	NYY	vs. BAL	Homers at home could be an issue, not so much in his debut in pinstripes
4	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. BAL	Ace-like K and BB rates, it's all about the long ball
5	Corey Kluber	CLE	at MIN	The Twins will be looking to set the tone early in the AL Central
6	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TB	Squaring off with his former teammate Charlie Morton
7	Rick Porcello	BOS	at SEA	Quiet spring (5 K, 1 BB in 12 IP) but veteran should be good to go
8	J.A. Happ	NYY	vs. BAL	Will be counted on early with Luis Severino and CC Sabathia out
9	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at SEA	Big things expected, health will be key
10	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at MIN
11	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at MIN	Coming off stellar second half
12	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	at SEA
13	Collin McHugh	HOU	at TB
14	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. CWS	Viable streamer in a weak division
15	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at KC
16	Matthew Boyd	DET	at TOR	Quietly developing into a solid starter
17	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. DET
18	Blake Snell	TB	vs. HOU	Admittedly more bearish than most
19	Matt Shoemaker	TOR	vs. DET	Good spot to make Jays debut
20	Charlie Morton	TB	vs. HOU
21	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	vs. BOS	If one more person says "and I say", I'll go postal
22	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. DET
23	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CLE	Goes up if Francisco Lindor and/or Jose Ramirez aren't ready
24	Brett Anderson	OAK	vs. LAA	Aided by Justin Upton injury
25	Brad Keller	KC	vs. CWS
26	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at OAK
27	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. BOS
28	Tyler Glasnow	TB	vs. HOU
29	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. BOS
30	Mike Fiers	OAK	vs. LAA
31	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. CHC
32	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at KC
33	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. BOS
34	Michael Pineda	MIN	vs. CLE
35	Trevor Cahill	LAA	at OAK
36	Marco Estrada	OAK	vs. LAA
37	Matt Moore	DET	at TOR
38	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at KC
39	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at NYY
40	Wade Miley	HOU	at TB
41	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. CLE
42	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. HOU
43	Nate Karns	BAL	at NYY
44	Lance Lynn	TEX	vs. CHC
45	Jorge Lopez	KC	vs. CWS
46	Felix Pena	LAA	at OAK
47	Trent Thornton	TOR	vs. DET
48	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at TOR
49	Daniel Hudson	LAA	at MIL
50	Matt Harvey	LAA	at OAK
51	Edinson Volquez	TEX	vs. CHC
52	Tyson Ross	DET	at TOR
53	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. LAA
54	Andrew Cashner	BAL	at NYY	Fitting the worst pitcher in the league kicks off in the bottom spot

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. NYM	Fitting the best pitcher in the game kicks off the year in the top spot
2	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. ATL	Gets a chance to make a statement in the NL East right away
3	Patrick Corbin	WAS	vs. NYM	19:3 K:BB in 24 spring frames says Corbin is ready to pick up where he left off
4	German Marquez	COL	at MIA	Great way to begin the campaign
5	Walker Buehler	LAD	vs. ARI	Expect the club to be conservative with early workload
6	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. SF	Great draw to get the season off on a strong note
7	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at WAS	Tough draw, on the road against Mad Max
8	Chris Paddack	SD	vs. SF	A dominating spring (24 K, 3 BB in 15.1 IP) accelerated debut
9	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. ARI	Maeda is ready, posting a 17:1 K:BB in 13 spring frames
10	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. NYM	Hasn't started more than 28 games since 2014
11	Jon Gray	COL	at MIA	Facing presumably weak offense in a great pitching venue
12	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. ARI	Injuries opened up a rotation spot to start the season
13	Kyle Freeland	COL	at MIA	Will growing up in Denver help Freeland in South Beach?
14	Tyler Anderson	COL	at MIA
15	Madison Bumgarner	SF	at SD	Opens against a weak lineup… wait, scratch that
16	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. ARI	Continues to dominate between IL stints
17	Zack Greinke	ARI	at LAD
18	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. PIT	Will make or beak many a fantasy staff
19	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at CIN	Ratios near-ace level, but lower K-rate suppresses ranking
20	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	at SD
21	Logan Allen	SD	vs. SF	Paddack got the pub but don't sleep on Allen, despite a tepid spring
22	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. STL
23	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. ATL
24	Robbie Ray	ARI	at LAD	Spring velo up, fanned whopping 32 in 16.1 IP, but also walked 16
25	Eric Lauer	SD	vs. SF	Earned opening day nod with great spring
26	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. STL
27	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. ATL
28	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	at WAS
29	Jack Flaherty	STL	at MIL
30	Tanner Roark	CIN	vs. PIT
31	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. COL	Get in while the price is still reasonable
32	Miles Mikolas	STL	at MIL
33	Kyle Wright	ATL	at PHI
34	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. COL
35	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at CIN
36	Julio Teheran	ATL	at PHI
37	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. COL
38	Sonny Gray	CIN	vs. PIT
39	Corbin Burnes	MIL	vs. STL
40	Zack Wheeler	NYM	at WAS
41	Yu Darvish	CHC	at TEX
42	Zack Godley	ARI	at LAD
43	Cole Hamels	CHC	at TEX
44	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CIN
45	Derek Holland	SF	at SD
46	Drew Pomeranz	SF	at SD
47	Jon Lester	CHC	at TEX
48	Luke Weaver	ARI	at LAD
49	Michael Wacha	STL	at MIL
50	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	vs. STL
51	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. COL
52	Bryse Wilson	ATL	at PHI