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 May 19-25
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week May 19-25
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Masahiro Tanaka - at CHC, at CWS Note: The Chicagos are both in the top five of strikeout rate, this will be fun |
| 2. Hisashi Iwakuma - at TEX, HOU Note: So much for the finger lingering upon return |
| 3. Felix Hernandez - HOU |
| 4. Max Scherzer - at CLE Note: Verlander has officially passed the torch |
| 5. Yu Darvish - at DET |
| 6. Corey Kluber - DET, at BAL Note: 2.04 ERA and 47 Ks in his last five spanning 35.3 IP |
| 7. Justin Verlander - at CLE, TEX Note: Where are the Ks?! |
| 8. Jon Lester - TOR Note: His 4-5 rec. is criminal given how great he's been |
| 9. James Shields - at LAA |
| 10. David Price - BOS |
| 11. Sonny Gray - at TB Note: Gray and Kaz dominating has made the Griffin/Parker losses in the preseason much more palatable |
| 12. Scott Kazmir - at TOR |
| 13. Chris Sale - NYY Note: A conservative ranking upon returning from the DL, but I'm definitely putting him right back in my lineup |
| 14. Jered Weaver - HOU Note: Allowed 3, 4, and 5 ER first three starts; hasn't |
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 May 19-25
AMERICAN LEAGUE
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week May 19-25
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Masahiro Tanaka - at CHC, at CWS Note: The Chicagos are both in the top five of strikeout rate, this will be fun |
| 2. Hisashi Iwakuma - at TEX, HOU Note: So much for the finger lingering upon return |
| 3. Felix Hernandez - HOU |
| 4. Max Scherzer - at CLE Note: Verlander has officially passed the torch |
| 5. Yu Darvish - at DET |
| 6. Corey Kluber - DET, at BAL Note: 2.04 ERA and 47 Ks in his last five spanning 35.3 IP |
| 7. Justin Verlander - at CLE, TEX Note: Where are the Ks?! |
| 8. Jon Lester - TOR Note: His 4-5 rec. is criminal given how great he's been |
| 9. James Shields - at LAA |
| 10. David Price - BOS |
| 11. Sonny Gray - at TB Note: Gray and Kaz dominating has made the Griffin/Parker losses in the preseason much more palatable |
| 12. Scott Kazmir - at TOR |
| 13. Chris Sale - NYY Note: A conservative ranking upon returning from the DL, but I'm definitely putting him right back in my lineup |
| 14. Jered Weaver - HOU Note: Allowed 3, 4, and 5 ER first three starts; hasn't allowed more than 2 ER in the six starts since then yielding a 1.86 ERA in 38.7 IP |
| 15. Yordano Ventura - CWS Note: Could log his second double-digit K game of the season against the White Sox |
| 16. C.J. Wilson - KC |
| 17. Anibal Sanchez - TEX Note: Similar to Sale with the conservatism, but the Rangers aren't as scary as we thought… not yet, at least |
| 18. Jose Quintana - at KC Note: Quietly improving every year |
| 19. Jesse Chavez - at TOR |
| 20. Garrett Richards - HOU, KC |
| 21. Drew Smyly - at CLE, TEX Note: After a wobbly first start v. LAA, he's got a 2.22 ERA and 22 Ks in 24.3 IP over four starts |
| 22. Dallas Keuchel - at LAA, at SEA Note: He has been really impressive |
| 23. Jason Vargas - CWS, at LAA Note: Tough slate, but the skills are solid and can support an ERA in the 3.00s |
| 24. Drew Pomeranz - at TB, at TOR |
| 25. Phil Hughes - at SD Note: Had 3 straight 5 IP/4 ER to start the season; 1.95 ERA and 23/1 K/BB ratio in 32.3 IP since |
| 26. John Lackey - at TB |
| 27. Jake Odorizzi - OAK, BOS Note: Riding 11 scoreless inning streak with 18 Ks |
| 28. Miguel Gonzalez - at PIT, CLE |
| 29. Trevor Bauer - DET, at BAL Note: He's shown some real improvements in the minors and now he gets a chance |
| 30. Colby Lewis - SEA, at DET |
| 31. Rick Porcello - TEX Note: The K rate has dipped back down, but the BB rate has dipped even more to make up for it |
| 32. Tyler Skaggs - HOU Note: He only has one true disaster; deserves an ERA better than his 4.53 |
| 33. Hiroki Kuroda - at CWS |
| 34. Chris Archer - OAK Note: 5 BB in LAA, but otherwise a positive start with 5.7 scoreless and just two hits |
| 35. R.A. Dickey - OAK |
| 36. Roenis Elias - HOU Note: Not a stud, but definitely useful in the right matchups |
| 37. Chris Tillman - CLE |
| 38. Justin Masterson - at BAL Note: The lefties issues have returned with a vengeance |
| 39. Ubaldo Jimenez - CLE Note: He's been insane in May with an 0.46 ERA and 20 Ks in 19.7 IP, but CLE is tough on righties |
| 40. Danny Duffy - at LAA |
| 41. Wei-Yin Chen - at PIT Note: Allowed 8 ER in his first two starts, but just 11 in his next six (2.78 ERA in 35.7 IP) |
| 42. Tommy Milone - at TB Note: It's not at home, but the Rays seem to crumble against mid-tier lefties |
| 43. John Danks - NYY |
| 44. Erik Bedard - OAK Note: Cobb may be back, but Bedard has been really good of late with just 2 ER in his last four |
| 45. Bud Norris - CLE Note: The Ks have dipped again, but a career-best BB rate has mitigated that decline |
SIT
| 46. Kyle Gibson - at SF |
| 47. Mark Buehrle - at BOS Note: He gets the one team that has ripped him this year |
| 48. Chris Young - HOU |
| 49. Collin McHugh - at LAA Note: The component numbers are there, but I remain skeptical after just five starts |
| 50. J.A. Happ - OAK |
| 51. Ricky Nolasco - at SF Note: Three straight QS have only brought his ERA down to 5.51 |
| 52. Jarred Cosart - at SEA |
| 53. Drew Hutchison - at BOS |
| 54. David Phelps - at CWS |
| 55. Jake Peavy - at TB Note: A complete lack of command-and-control is worrisome |
| 56. Zach McAllister - DET Note: He's guardrail-to-guardrail making it tough to trust him |
| 57. Vidal Nuno - at CWS |
| 58. Carson Whitley - at CHC |
| 59. Marcus Stroman or Todd Redmond - OAK |
| 60. Nick Tepesch - SEA |
| 61. Robbie Ross - at DET |
| 62. Nick Martinez - at DET |
| 63. Felix Doubront - TOR, at TB |
| 64. Scott Feldman - at LAA, at SEA Note: When two starts is actually a negative |
| 65. Brad Peacock - at SEA |
| 66. Cesar Ramos - BOS |
| 67. Clay Buchholz - TOR Note: Pitching machines miss bats more frequently |
| 68. Samuel Deduno - at SF |
| 69. Kevin Correia - at SD |
| 70. Matt Shoemaker - KC |
| 71. Jeremy Guthrie - CWS |
| 72. Josh Tomlin - DET |
| 73. Brandon Maurer - at TEX |
| 74. Andre Rienzo - at KC, NYY |
| 75. Scott Carroll - at KC, NYY |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Adam Wainwright - ARI, at CIN Note: Hard to say he's underrated, but doesn't get enough love in "Best Overall" discussion |
| 2. Stephen Strasburg - CIN, at PIT Note: Had a 6.00 ERA thru four starts, but has a 1.89 ERA in his last four; he's fine |
| 3. Julio Teheran - MIL, COL Note: After 13 Ks in his first four, he has 33 in his last five; still has ace-potential |
| 4. Clayton Kershaw - at PHI Note: He and Cueto can do more in one than many can do in two |
| 5. Johnny Cueto - at WAS |
| 6. Zack Greinke - at NYM Note: He has 61 Ks in nine starts despite one getting rain-shortened |
| 7. Jeff Samardzija - at SD |
| 8. Wily Peralta - at ATL, at MIA Note: He's allowed more than 2 ER just once (and it was 3 ER); there's still K upside here, too |
| 9. Mike Minor - MIL, COL |
| 10. Jordan Zimmermann - at PIT |
| 11. Andrew Cashner - CHC Note: He's gone fewer than 6 IP just once; also tons of K upside here |
| 12. Cliff Lee - LAD Note: His 69 hits are the most allowed in baseball, but LAD is lagging v. lefties |
| 13. Ervin Santana - MIL |
| 14. Michael Wacha - ARI Note: Having him at 14 just shows how deep NL pitching is right now |
| 15. Marco Estrada - at MIA |
| 16. Gio Gonzalez - at PIT |
| 17. Madison Bumgarner - at COL, MIN Note: Still using him regardless of matchup, but don't feel as confident as in the past |
| 18. A.J. Burnett - at MIA, LAD |
| 19. Ian Kennedy - MIN, CHC Note: I figured we'd see a dud sooner or later, but still really liking what he's shown |
| 20. Josh Beckett - at NYM, at PHI |
| 21. Francisco Liriano - BAL, WAS |
| 22. Yovani Gallardo - at ATL, at MIA |
| 23. Mike Leake - at WAS, STL |
| 24. Dan Haren - at PHI Note: I hate hearing that the back is acting up, that's the root of all of his issues the last two years |
| 25. Homer Bailey - STL Note: Turning it around, stay the course |
| 26. Tyson Ross - MIN Note: A little worried with him facing a walk-heavy team like Minny |
| 27. Gerrit Cole - WAS |
| 28. Cole Hamels - at MIA Note: Miami headed back home… will they turn back into the '27 Yankees? |
| 29. Nathan Eovaldi - PHI |
| 30. Travis Wood - at SD |
| 31. Doug Fister - CIN Note: Actually Fister at 31 shows the NL's depth more than Wacha at 14 |
| 32. Tony Cingrani - STL |
| 33. Lance Lynn - ARI Note: We're seeing more of the same from last year which was plenty good, but I'm hoping for some consistency |
| 34. Kyle Lohse - at ATL |
| 35. Matt Garza - at ATL |
| 36. Jason Hammel - NYY Note: First rough outing as a Cub shouldn't make you lose your faith entirely |
| 37. Aaron Harang - MIL Note: Focus less on the name and more on the skills he's showing |
| 38. Wade Miley - at STL Note: Cardinals are a nightmare against lefties |
| 39. Tim Hudson - at COL |
| 40. Alfredo Simon - at WAS Note: The Reds couldn't have asked for a better fill-in for Latos |
| 41. Jon Niese - LAD Note: He's still yet to allow more than 3 ER in an outing |
| 42. Gavin Floyd - COL |
| 43. Robbie Erlin - CHC Note: A perfect streamer at home, especially against a meager Cubs offense |
| 44. Shelby Miller - at CIN |
| 45. Brandon McCarthy - at STL, at NYM Note: I'm buying the strikeout gains |
| 46. Tanner Roark - CIN |
| 47. Henderson Alvarez - PHI |
| 48. Bronson Arroyo - at NYM Note: His last four have yielded a 0.91 ERA and WHIP in 29.7 IP |
| 49. Jordan Lyles - at ATL |
| 50. Edwin Jackson - at SD Note: If you can't use him here, where can you use him? |
CONSIDER
| 51. Jake Arrieta - NYY, at SD Note: The former prospect has some intrigue, especially in a two-start week |
| 52. Anthony DeSclafani - PHI, MIL Note: I like both recently called rookies in a two-start week, but let your league format dictate the usage |
| 53. Rafael Montero - LAD, ARI |
| 54. Jorge De La Rosa - SF |
| 55. Zack Wheeler - ARI Note: His inconsistency has been a bit of a surprise |
| 56. Bartolo Colon - ARI Note: He either dominates or gets killed, I think he irons out the issues |
| 57. Jaime Garcia - at CIN Note: It'll be his first start in just over a year |
| 58. Ryan Vogelsong - MIN |
SIT
| 59. Matt Cain - at COL Note: I just have to pass here right now |
| 60. Charlie Morton - WAS |
| 61. Tim Lincecum - MIN |
| 62. Jacob DeGrom - LAD Note: An unheralded prospect who should be watched |
| 63. Tom Koehler - MIL |
| 64. Wandy Rodriguez - BAL |
| 65. Eric Stults - CHC |
| 66. Edinson Volquez - WAS |
| 67. Chase Anderson - at NYM |
| 68. Franklin Morales - SF, at ATL |
| 69. Kyle Kendrick - at MIA |
| 70. Paul Maholm - at NYM |
| 71. Juan Nicasio - at ATL |
| 72. Jacob Turner - MIL |
| 73. Jhoulys Chacin - SF |
| 74. Roberto Hernandez - LAD |
| 75. Josh Collmenter - at STL |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Masahiro Tanaka - at CHC, at CWS |
| 2. Adam Wainwright - ARI, at CIN |
| 3. Stephen Strasburg - CIN, at PIT |
| 4. Hisashi Iwakuma - at TEX, HOU |
| 5. Julio Teheran - MIL, COL |
| 6. Clayton Kershaw - at PHI |
| 7. Johnny Cueto - at WAS |
| 8. Felix Hernandez - HOU |
| 9. Max Scherzer - at CLE |
| 10. Zack Greinke - at NYM |
| 11. Yu Darvish - at DET |
| 12. Corey Kluber - DET, at BAL |
| 13. Justin Verlander - at CLE, TEX |
| 14. Jeff Samardzija - at SD |
| 15. Wily Peralta - at ATL, at MIA |
| 16. Mike Minor - MIL, COL |
| 17. Jordan Zimmermann - at PIT |
| 18. Andrew Cashner - CHC |
| 19. Cliff Lee - LAD |
| 20. Ervin Santana - MIL |
| 21. Michael Wacha - ARI |
| 22. Marco Estrada - at MIA |
| 23. Gio Gonzalez - at PIT |
| 24. Jon Lester - TOR |
| 25. James Shields - at LAA |
| 26. David Price - BOS |
| 27. Sonny Gray - at TB |
| 28. Scott Kazmir - at TOR |
| 29. Chris Sale - NYY |
| 30. Jered Weaver - HOU |
| 31. Yordano Ventura - CWS |
| 32. Madison Bumgarner - at COL, MIN |
| 33. A.J. Burnett - at MIA, LAD |
| 34. Ian Kennedy - MIN, CHC |
| 35. Josh Beckett - at NYM, at PHI |
| 36. Francisco Liriano - BAL, WAS |
| 37. Yovani Gallardo - at ATL, at MIA |
| 38. Mike Leake - at WAS, STL |
| 39. Anibal Sanchez - TEX |
| 40. C.J. Wilson - KC |
| 41. Jose Quintana - at KC |
| 42. Jesse Chavez - at TOR |
| 43. Dan Haren - at PHI |
| 44. Homer Bailey - STL |
| 45. Tyson Ross - MIN |
| 46. Gerrit Cole - WAS |
| 47. Cole Hamels - at MIA |
| 48. Nathan Eovaldi - PHI |
| 49. Travis Wood - at SD |
| 50. Doug Fister - CIN |
| 51. Tony Cingrani - STL |
| 52. Garrett Richards - HOU, KC |
| 53. Drew Smyly - at CLE, TEX |
| 54. Dallas Keuchel - at LAA, at SEA |
| 55. Jason Vargas - CWS, at LAA |
| 56. Drew Pomeranz - at TB, at TOR |
| 57. Phil Hughes - at SD |
| 58. Lance Lynn - ARI |
| 59. Kyle Lohse - at ATL |
| 60. Matt Garza - at ATL |
| 61. John Lackey - at TB |
| 62. Jason Hammel - NYY |
| 63. Aaron Harang - MIL |
| 64. Wade Miley - at STL |
| 65. Tim Hudson - at COL |
| 66. Alfredo Simon - at WAS |
| 67. Jon Niese - LAD |
| 68. Gavin Floyd - COL |
| 69. Robbie Erlin - CHC |
| 70. Shelby Miller - at CIN |
| 71. Brandon McCarthy - at STL, at NYM |
| 72. Jake Odorizzi - OAK, BOS |
| 73. Miguel Gonzalez - at PIT, CLE |
| 74. Trevor Bauer - DET, at BAL |
| 75. Colby Lewis - SEA, at DET |
| 76. Rick Porcello - TEX |
| 77. Tyler Skaggs - HOU |
| 78. Hiroki Kuroda - at CWS |
| 79. Chris Archer - OAK |
| 80. R.A. Dickey - OAK |
| 81. Roenis Elias - HOU |
| 82. Tanner Roark - CIN |
| 83. Chris Tillman - CLE |
| 84. Justin Masterson - at BAL |
| 85. Ubaldo Jimenez - CLE |
| 86. Danny Duffy - at LAA |
| 87. Henderson Alvarez - PHI |
| 88. Bronson Arroyo - at NYM |
| 89. Jordan Lyles - at ATL |
| 90. Edwin Jackson - at SD |
| 91. Wei-Yin Chen - at PIT |
| 92. Tommy Milone - at TB |
| 93. John Danks - NYY |
| 94. Erik Bedard - OAK |
| 95. Bud Norris - CLE |
| 96. Jake Arrieta - NYY, at SD |
| 97. Anthony DeSclafani - PHI, MIL |
| 98. Rafael Montero - LAD, ARI |
| 99. Jorge De La Rosa - SF |
| 100. Zack Wheeler - ARI |
