Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Are Batters Adjusting?

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Are Batters Adjusting?

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

Lost in the proliferation of no-hitters is a possible paradigm. Contrary to the narrative, balls in play are increasing, at least relative to April:

 HR%K%BABIPR/G
April3.124.40.2834.25
May3.123.70.2964.56

Keep in mind homers typically increase in May, so the fact they've held steady indicates they are lower than usual. Strikeouts are down while BABIP is way up. The result is over half a run total is being scored per game.

It's too early to decide if it's a change in batter's approach, noise or driven by warmer temperatures. Still, it bears watching and could influence how we stream pitchers.

As always, please understand I pull the probable pitchers from the best Projected Starter grid in the business. Please direct any rotation questions to that page.

Week of May 24-30.

UPDATED: Monday May 24 12:05 AM ET

Mixed Leagues

RankPitcherTMOPPComments
1Jacob deGromNYMCOL, ATL 
2Max ScherzerWASCIN, MIL 
3Brandon WoodruffMILSD, @WAS 
4Clayton KershawLAD@HOU, SF 
5Corbin BurnesMILSD, @WAS 
6Jack FlahertySTL@CWS, @ARI 
7Lucas GiolitoCWSSTL, BALWalks still too high
8John MeansBAL@MIN, @CWS 
9Joe MusgroveSD@MIL, @HOU 
10Aaron CivaleCLE@DET, TORStrikeouts beginning to increase
11Yusei KikuchiSEA@OAK, TEXERA should start to come down
12Lance LynnCWSSTL, BAL 
13Kevin

Lost in the proliferation of no-hitters is a possible paradigm. Contrary to the narrative, balls in play are increasing, at least relative to April:

 HR%K%BABIPR/G
April3.124.40.2834.25
May3.123.70.2964.56

Keep in mind homers typically increase in May, so the fact they've held steady indicates they are lower than usual. Strikeouts are down while BABIP is way up. The result is over half a run total is being scored per game.

It's too early to decide if it's a change in batter's approach, noise or driven by warmer temperatures. Still, it bears watching and could influence how we stream pitchers.

As always, please understand I pull the probable pitchers from the best Projected Starter grid in the business. Please direct any rotation questions to that page.

Week of May 24-30.

UPDATED: Monday May 24 12:05 AM ET

Mixed Leagues

RankPitcherTMOPPComments
1Jacob deGromNYMCOL, ATL 
2Max ScherzerWASCIN, MIL 
3Brandon WoodruffMILSD, @WAS 
4Clayton KershawLAD@HOU, SF 
5Corbin BurnesMILSD, @WAS 
6Jack FlahertySTL@CWS, @ARI 
7Lucas GiolitoCWSSTL, BALWalks still too high
8John MeansBAL@MIN, @CWS 
9Joe MusgroveSD@MIL, @HOU 
10Aaron CivaleCLE@DET, TORStrikeouts beginning to increase
11Yusei KikuchiSEA@OAK, TEXERA should start to come down
12Lance LynnCWSSTL, BAL 
13Kevin GausmanSF@ARI, @LAD27 K with just 3 BB last 20 IP
14Zach EflinPHI@MIA, @TBTwo great pitching venues boost ranking
15Gerrit ColeNYY@DET 
16Corey KluberNYYTOR, @DET 
17Walker BuehlerLADSF 
18Zack WheelerPHI@TB 
19Trevor BauerLAD@HOU 
20Julio UriasLADSF 
21Tyler GlasnowTBKC 
22Shane BieberCLE@DET 
23Trevor RogersMIAPHI, @BOS 
24Carlos RodonCWSSTL 
25Charlie MortonATL@BOS, @NYMERA starting to correct
26Aaron NolaPHI@MIA4 HR last 15 IP
27Yu DarvishSD@HOU 
28Ian AndersonATL@NYM 
29Sandy AlcantaraMIAPHI, @BOS 
30Rich HillTBKC 
31Kyle GibsonTEX@SEA 
32Marcus StromanNYMCOL 
33David PetersonNYMCOL, ATLSneaky good 20.1% K-BB%
34Spencer TurnbullDETCLE, NYY 
35Hyun Jin RyuTOR@CLE 
36Chris BassittOAKLAA 
37Dinelson LametSD@MIL 
38Dallas KeuchelCWSBAL 
39Jose BerriosMINBAL 
40Cole IrvinOAKSEA, LAAIncurred expected K regression, but facing beatable lineups at home
41Blake SnellSD@MIL, @HOUThrew 6 innings for the first time this season last time out
42Shohei OhtaniLAA@OAKNot a bad pitcher for a slugger
43Dylan BundyLAA@OAKLast two vs. BOS and LAD, he'll be fine
44Zach PlesacCLETORJust 6 K last 15 IP
45Pablo LopezMIAPHI 
46Sean ManaeaOAKLAA 
47Madison BumgarnerARISTL 
48Jordan MontgomeryNYYTORImpressive outing against CWS, the best team vs. LHP
49Freddy PeraltaMIL@WAS 
50Lance McCullers Jr.HOUSD 
51Zack GreinkeHOULAD 
52Chris PaddackSD@MILGetting back on track
53Cristian JavierHOUSD 
54Ryan YarbroughTB@TOR, PHI 
55German MarquezCOL@NYM 
56Justin DunnSEATEX 
57Austin GomberCOL@NYM, @PIT3.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP with 24 K in 22.1 IP since beating by the Bay.
58Jon GrayCOL@PIT 
59Frankie MontasOAKSEA, LAA 
60Adbert AlzolayCHCCIN 
61Andrew HeaneyLAATEX 
62Robbie RayTOR@NYY 
63James KaprielianOAKSEA15 K in 10 IP
64Marco GonzalesSEATEX 
65Kwang Hyun KimSTL@CWS, @ARI 
66Mike MinorKC@TB 
67Joey LucchesiNYMCOL 
68Josh FlemingTBPHI 
69Stephen StrasburgWASCIN 
70Mike FoltynewiczTEX@SEA 
71Brady SingerKC@TB 
72Anthony DeSclafaniSF@LAD 
73Nick PivettaBOSATL 
74Max FriedATL@NYM 
75Nathan EovaldiBOSMIA 
76Griffin CanningLAATEX 
77Tyler AndersonPITCHC 
78Michael PinedaMINBAL 
79Domingo GermanNYYTOR 
80Tyler MahleCIN@WAS, @CHC 
81Eduardo RodriguezBOSMIA 
82JT BrubakerPITCOL 
83Antonio SenzatelaCOL@NYM 
84Carlos MartinezSTL@ARI 
85Miguel YajurePITCHC 
86Matt ShoemakerMINBAL, KC 
87Mix 12 Reliever   
88Dylan CeaseCWSBAL 
89Kyle HendricksCHC@PIT 
90Dane DunningTEX@LAA 
91Alex WoodSF@LAD 
92Garrett RichardsBOSATL 
93Matthew BoydDETCLE 
94Alex CobbLAA@OAK 
95Sonny GrayCIN@WAS 
96Hyeon-Jong YangTEX@LAA, @SEA 
97Shane McClanahanTBKC 
98Vince VelasquezPHI@MIA 
99Jake ArrietaCHC@PIT, CIN 
100Brad KellerKC@TB, @MIN 
101Martin PerezBOSMIA 
102Steven MatzTOR@NYY, @CLE 
103Mix 15 Reliever   
104Merrill KellyARISF 
105J.A. HappMINKC 
106Randy DobnakMINKC 
107Adam WainwrightSTL@ARI 
108Jordan YamamotoNYMATL 
109Tarik SkubalDETCLE, NYY 
110Chris FlexenSEA@OAK 
111Spencer HowardPHI@MIA 
112Jameson TaillonNYY@DET 
113Luis GarciaHOULAD 
114Justus SheffieldSEATEX 
115Jordan LylesTEX@SEA 
116David PriceLADSF 
117Logan GilbertSEA@OAK 
118Kyle FreelandCOL@NYM, @PIT 
119Luis CastilloCIN@CHC 
120Johnny CuetoSF@ARI 
121Jake OdorizziHOUSD 
122Jose QuintanaLAA@OAK 
123John GantSTL@CWS 
124Ross StriplingTORTB, @CLE 
125Adrian HouserMILSD 
126Daniel CastanoMIAPHI 
127Taylor WidenerARISTL 
128Jorge LopezBAL@MIN 
129Drew SmylyATL@BOS 
130Casey MizeDETNYY 
131Jose UrenaDETCLE 
132Zach DaviesCHCCIN 
133Trevor CahillPITCOL 
134Patrick CorbinWASMIL 
135Joe RossWASCIN 
136Mitch KellerPITCOL 
137Bruce ZimmermannBAL@CWS 
138Nate PearsonTOR@NYY 
139Dean KremerBAL@MIN, @CWS 
140Kris BubicKC@MIN 
141Daniel LynchKC@MIN 
142Brett AndersonMILSD 
143Cody PoteetMIA@BOS 
144Sam HentgesCLE@DET, TOR 
145Jon LesterWASMIL 
146Trevor WilliamsCHC@PIT 
147Scott KazmirSF@LAD 
148Cal QuantrillCLE@DET 
149Jeff HoffmanCIN@WAS 
150Matt HarveyBAL@CWS 
151Riley SmithARISF, STL 
152Seth FrankoffARISTL 
153Wil CrowePITCHC 
154Tony SantillanCIN@CHC 

American League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Lucas GiolitoCWSSTL, BALWalks still too high
2John MeansBAL@MIN, @CWS 
3Aaron CivaleCLE@DET, TORStrikeouts beginning to increase
4Yusei KikuchiSEA@OAK, TEXERA should start to come down
5Lance LynnCWSSTL, BAL 
6Gerrit ColeNYY@DET 
7Corey KluberNYYTOR, @DET 
8Tyler GlasnowTBKC 
9Shane BieberCLE@DET 
10Carlos RodonCWSSTL 
11Rich HillTBKC 
12Kyle GibsonTEX@SEA 
13Spencer TurnbullDETCLE, NYY 
14Hyun Jin RyuTOR@CLE 
15Chris BassittOAKLAA 
16Dallas KeuchelCWSBAL 
17Jose BerriosMINBAL 
18Cole IrvinOAKSEA, LAAIncurred expected K regression, but facing beatable lineups at home
19Shohei OhtaniLAA@OAKNot a bad pitcher for a slugger
20Dylan BundyLAA@OAKLast two vs. BOS and LAD, he'll be fine
21Zach PlesacCLETORJust 6 K last 15 IP
22Sean ManaeaOAKLAA 
23Jordan MontgomeryNYYTORImpressive outing against CWS, the best team vs. LHP
24Lance McCullers Jr.HOUSD 
25Zack GreinkeHOULAD 
26Cristian JavierHOUSD 
27Ryan YarbroughTB@TOR, PHI 
28Justin DunnSEATEX 
29Frankie MontasOAKSEA, LAA 
30Andrew HeaneyLAATEX 
31Robbie RayTOR@NYY 
32James KaprielianOAKSEA15 K in 10 IP
33Marco GonzalesSEATEX 
34Mike MinorKC@TB 
35Josh FlemingTBPHI 
36Mike FoltynewiczTEX@SEA 
37Brady SingerKC@TB 
38Nick PivettaBOSATL 
39Nathan EovaldiBOSMIA 
40Griffin CanningLAATEX 
41Michael PinedaMINBAL 
42Domingo GermanNYYTOR 
43Eduardo RodriguezBOSMIA 
44Matt ShoemakerMINBAL, KC 
45Dylan CeaseCWSBAL 
46Dane DunningTEX@LAA 
47Garrett RichardsBOSATL 
48Matthew BoydDETCLE 
49Alex CobbLAA@OAK 
50Hyeon-Jong YangTEX@LAA, @SEA 
51Shane McClanahanTBKC 
52Brad KellerKC@TB, @MIN 
53Martin PerezBOSMIA 
54Steven MatzTOR@NYY, @CLE 
55J.A. HappMINKC 
56Randy DobnakMINKC 
57Tarik SkubalDETCLE, NYY 
58Chris FlexenSEA@OAK 
59Jameson TaillonNYY@DET 
60Luis GarciaHOULAD 
61Justus SheffieldSEATEX 
62Jordan LylesTEX@SEA 
63Logan GilbertSEA@OAK 
64AL Reliever   
65Jake OdorizziHOUSD 
66Jose QuintanaLAA@OAK 
67Ross StriplingTORTB, @CLE 
68Jorge LopezBAL@MIN 
69Casey MizeDETNYY 
70Jose UrenaDETCLE 
71Bruce ZimmermannBAL@CWS 
72Nate PearsonTOR@NYY 
73Dean KremerBAL@MIN, @CWS 
74Kris BubicKC@MIN 
75Daniel LynchKC@MIN 
76Sam HentgesCLE@DET, TOR 
77Cal QuantrillCLE@DET 
78Matt HarveyBAL@CWS 

National League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Jacob deGromNYMCOL, ATL 
2Max ScherzerWASCIN, MIL 
3Brandon WoodruffMILSD, @WAS 
4Clayton KershawLAD@HOU, SF 
5Corbin BurnesMILSD, @WAS 
6Jack FlahertySTL@CWS, @ARI 
7Joe MusgroveSD@MIL, @HOU 
8Kevin GausmanSF@ARI, @LAD27 K with just 3 BB last 20 IP
9Zach EflinPHI@MIA, @TBTwo great pitching venues boost ranking
10Walker BuehlerLADSF 
11Zack WheelerPHI@TB 
12Trevor BauerLAD@HOU 
13Julio UriasLADSF 
14Trevor RogersMIAPHI, @BOS 
15Charlie MortonATL@BOS, @NYMERA starting to correct
16Aaron NolaPHI@MIA4 HR last 15 IP
17Yu DarvishSD@HOU 
18Ian AndersonATL@NYM 
19Sandy AlcantaraMIAPHI, @BOS 
20Marcus StromanNYMCOL 
21David PetersonNYMCOL, ATLSneaky good 20.1% K-BB%
22Dinelson LametSD@MIL 
23Blake SnellSD@MIL, @HOUThrew 6 innings for the first time this season last time out
24Pablo LopezMIAPHI 
25Madison BumgarnerARISTL 
26Freddy PeraltaMIL@WAS 
27Chris PaddackSD@MILGetting back on track
28German MarquezCOL@NYM 
29Austin GomberCOL@NYM, @PIT3.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP with 24 K in 22.1 IP since beating by the Bay.
30Jon GrayCOL@PIT 
31Adbert AlzolayCHCCIN 
32Kwang Hyun KimSTL@CWS, @ARI 
33Joey LucchesiNYMCOL 
34Stephen StrasburgWASCIN 
35Anthony DeSclafaniSF@LAD 
36Max FriedATL@NYM 
37Tyler AndersonPITCHC 
38Tyler MahleCIN@WAS, @CHC 
39JT BrubakerPITCOL 
40Antonio SenzatelaCOL@NYM 
41Carlos MartinezSTL@ARI 
42Miguel YajurePITCHC 
43Kyle HendricksCHC@PIT 
44Alex WoodSF@LAD 
45Sonny GrayCIN@WAS 
46Vince VelasquezPHI@MIA 
47Jake ArrietaCHC@PIT, CIN 
48Merrill KellyARISF 
49Adam WainwrightSTL@ARI 
50Jordan YamamotoNYMATL 
51Spencer HowardPHI@MIA 
52David PriceLADSF 
53Kyle FreelandCOL@NYM, @PIT 
54NL Reliever   
55Luis CastilloCIN@CHC 
56Johnny CuetoSF@ARI 
57John GantSTL@CWS 
58Adrian HouserMILSD 
59Daniel CastanoMIAPHI 
60Taylor WidenerARISTL 
61Drew SmylyATL@BOS 
62Zach DaviesCHCCIN 
63Trevor CahillPITCOL 
64Patrick CorbinWASMIL 
65Joe RossWASCIN 
66Mitch KellerPITCOL 
67Brett AndersonMILSD 
68Cody PoteetMIA@BOS 
69Jon LesterWASMIL 
70Trevor WilliamsCHC@PIT 
71Scott KazmirSF@LAD 
72Jeff HoffmanCIN@WAS 
73Riley SmithARISF, STL 
74Seth FrankoffARISTL 
75Wil CrowePITCHC 
76Tony SantillanCIN@CHC 

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Todd Zola
Todd has been writing about fantasy baseball since 1997. He won NL Tout Wars and Mixed LABR in 2016 as well as a multi-time league winner in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship. Todd is now setting his sights even higher: The Rotowire Staff League. Lord Zola, as he's known in the industry, won the 2013 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Article of the Year award and was named the 2017 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year. Todd is a five-time FSWA awards finalist.
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, October 3
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Thursday, October 3
MLB Wild Card Bets Today: Expert MLB Picks for Wednesday, October 2
MLB Wild Card Bets Today: Expert MLB Picks for Wednesday, October 2
MLB Wild Card Expert Picks and Props for Brewers vs. Mets
MLB Wild Card Expert Picks and Props for Brewers vs. Mets
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 2
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 2