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 June 9-15
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week June 9-15
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Masahiro Tanaka - at SEA, at OAK Note: Even without his best stuff, he went 6 IP/1 ER in gem vs. OAK last week |
| 2. Corey Kluber - at KC, at BOS |
| 3. Hisashi Iwakuma - NYY, TEX Note: Showing last year wasn't a fluke with each passing start |
| 4. David Price - SEA, at HOU Note: Don't be fooled by the 4.03 ERA, he's pitching brilliantly this year |
| 5. Yu Darvish - MIA |
| 6. Chris Sale - DET Note: He's allowed 1 ER in 18 IP since returning from the DL |
| 7. Felix Hernandez - TEX |
| 8. Max Scherzer - at CWS Note: He's been a bit wobbly of late, but nothing to get freaked out over |
| 9. James Shields - at CWS |
| 10. Jon Lester - CLE Note: He's allowed 14 ER in his last 6 starts, but 7 came vs. TOR in 6.3 IP; he has a 1.91 ERA in the other 33 IP |
| 11. Alex Cobb - at HOU |
| 12. Anibal Sanchez - MIN Note: Finally on track with 3 excellent efforts in a row in 7 scoreless against that beastly TOR offense |
| 13. Dallas Keuchel |
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 June 9-15
AMERICAN LEAGUE
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week June 9-15
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Masahiro Tanaka - at SEA, at OAK Note: Even without his best stuff, he went 6 IP/1 ER in gem vs. OAK last week |
| 2. Corey Kluber - at KC, at BOS |
| 3. Hisashi Iwakuma - NYY, TEX Note: Showing last year wasn't a fluke with each passing start |
| 4. David Price - SEA, at HOU Note: Don't be fooled by the 4.03 ERA, he's pitching brilliantly this year |
| 5. Yu Darvish - MIA |
| 6. Chris Sale - DET Note: He's allowed 1 ER in 18 IP since returning from the DL |
| 7. Felix Hernandez - TEX |
| 8. Max Scherzer - at CWS Note: He's been a bit wobbly of late, but nothing to get freaked out over |
| 9. James Shields - at CWS |
| 10. Jon Lester - CLE Note: He's allowed 14 ER in his last 6 starts, but 7 came vs. TOR in 6.3 IP; he has a 1.91 ERA in the other 33 IP |
| 11. Alex Cobb - at HOU |
| 12. Anibal Sanchez - MIN Note: Finally on track with 3 excellent efforts in a row in 7 scoreless against that beastly TOR offense |
| 13. Dallas Keuchel - ARI Note: Hasn't allowed more than 4 ER in any start; 1.36 ERA over his last 6 with a 6.2 K:BB ratio |
| 14. Sonny Gray - NYY |
| 15. Scott Kazmir - NYY Note: Are the Ks returning? He has 18 in his last two starts spanning 15.3 IP |
| 16. C.J. Wilson - at ATL |
| 17. Yordano Ventura - CLE |
| 18. Jose Quintana - KC Note: Not a star, but very consistent |
| 19. Collin McHugh - TB Note: I'm buying the strikeouts; that curveball is pure filth |
| 20. Jered Weaver - OAK |
| 21. John Lackey - CLE Note: Still seems to go relatively untrusted despite 269 great IP since returning from a missed 2012 |
| 22. Chris Archer - at HOU |
| 23. Mark Buehrle - at BAL Note: I'm stiiillll skeptical, but this is still a big jump from recent weeks |
| 24. Garrett Richards - OAK, at ATL |
| 25. Jesse Chavez - at LAA, NYY |
| 26. Justin Verlander - at CWS, MIN Note: Ugh, this is brutal, but can you really bench him? I can't |
| 27. Hiroki Kuroda - at OAK |
| 28. Trevor Bauer - at KC Note: Not a must-start option yet, but noticeable improvements are encouraging |
| 29. Tyler Skaggs - OAK |
| 30. Drew Smyly - at CWS Note: Nice rebound outing against BOS |
| 31. Danny Duffy - at CWS |
| 32. Rick Porcello - at CWS, MIN Note: Loved the bounce-back against TOR after that 6 BB effort in OAK |
| 33. John Danks - DET, KC Note: 1.21 ERA in 22.3 IP over his last three |
| 34. R.A. Dickey - MIN, at BAL Note: His inconsistency makes his Cy Young season that much more impressive given how difficult it is to be consistent as a knuckleballer |
| 35. Jason Vargas - NYY, at CWS Note: Great since the 7 ER dud vs. CWS with a 1.77 ERA |
| 36. Drew Pomeranz - at LAA |
| 37. Roenis Elias - NYY |
| 38. Phil Hughes - at TOR Note: This is more because of TOR than it is because of his rough outing vs. HOU |
| 39. David Phelps - at SEA |
| 40. Marcus Stroman - MIN |
| 41. Erik Bedard - STL Note: Baseball's worst team vs. LHP since 2013 |
| 42. Chase Whitley - at SEA Note: Finally topped 5 IP and looked very good doing so |
| 43. Josh Tomlin - at BOS Note: Needs to trim the HRs, but 6.0 K:BB ratio and 23.1% K rate are great |
| 44. Matt Shoemaker - at ATL Note: Matchup gives him a great shot to continue to miss plenty of bats |
| 45. Jarred Cosart - at ARI, TB Note: 2.96 ERA in last 8, but the skills call BS on that figure |
| 46. Brad Peacock - at ARI, TB Note: He's been solid since joining the rotation, possibly poised for a run |
| 47. Drew Hutchison - at BAL Note: He's been fantastic on the road including six scoreless in BAL earlier in April |
SIT
| 48. Justin Masterson - at BOS Note: Not ready to throw him back in just yet, but not cutting him either |
| 49. Jake Odorizzi - STL Note: Much better than a 5.31 ERA pitcher, but I'm sitting him unless Ks are a must |
| 50. Brandon Workman - at BAL, CLE Note: Two very tough matchups |
| 51. Tommy Milone - at LAA Note: One of the few road venues where you could try him out, but why risk it? |
| 52. Nick Tepesch - at SEA |
| 53. T.J. House - at TEX |
| 54. Zach McAllister - at BOS |
| 55. Jake Peavy - at BAL, CLE |
| 56. J.A. Happ - MIN, at BAL |
| 57. Bud Norris - BOS, TOR |
| 58. Vidal Nuno - at KC, at OAK |
| 59. Nick Martinez - CLE, at SEA Note: 1.1 K:BB ratio says that 3.22 ERA is in deep trouble |
| 60. Ubaldo Jimenez - TOR |
| 61. Chris Young - NYY |
| 62. Scott Feldman - ARI |
| 63. Kyle Gibson - at DET |
| 64. Colby Lewis - MIA |
| 65. Rubby De La Rosa - at BAL |
| 66. Wei-Yin Chen - BOS |
| 67. Jeremy Guthrie - CLE |
| 68. Samuel Deduno - at DET |
| 69. Joe Saunders - at SEA |
| 70. Hector Noesi - DET, KC |
| 71. Ricky Nolasco - at TOR, at DET |
| 72. Chris Tillman - BOS, TOR |
| 73. Kevin Correia - at TOR |
| 74. Andre Rienzo - DET |
| 75. SEA Fifth Starter - TEX Note:Brandon Maurer replacement unknown |
| 76. BAL Fifth Starter - TOR Note:Miguel Gonzalez replacement unknown |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Madison Bumgarner - WAS, COL Note: Has a 1.91 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in his last 8 GS with a 10.6 K:BB ratio |
| 2. Stephen Strasburg - at SF, at STL Note: Can he even meet the expectations on him? He has 9 straight QS with 2.09 ERA and 68 K in 60.3 IP yet many are still acting as if he's underperforming |
| 3. Doug Fister - at SF, at STL |
| 4. Gerrit Cole - CHC, at MIA Note: The Ks are back with 43 in his last 42.7 IP |
| 5. Clayton Kershaw - ARI Note: Responded to the ARI shellacking with 3 straight 9 K games |
| 6. Cole Hamels - SD Note: He's gone 7-plus in 6 straight: 2.11 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 45 Ks in 42.7 IP |
| 7. Adam Wainwright - at TB |
| 8. Johnny Cueto - LAD |
| 9. Zack Greinke - at CIN |
| 10. Michael Wacha - at TB |
| 11. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at CIN |
| 12. Mike Minor - at COL, LAA Note: Tough slate against two strong offenses, but he's been great since getting roughed up by STL |
| 13. Nathan Eovaldi - PIT Note: He's ripped off a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 28 IP since the 4.3 IP/6 ER dud in SF |
| 14. Zack Wheeler - SD Note: He's on fire and gets the lowly the Padres to build on his hot streak |
| 15. Jeff Samardzija - at PIT Note: A 3 IP/8 ER massacre pushed his ERA to 2.54 telling you how well he's been pitching |
| 16. Julio Teheran - at COL Note: Playing it cautiously with him headed to Coors, but I wouldn't be surprised if he rolled the Rockies |
| 17. Ian Kennedy - at PHI, at NYM |
| 18. Ryan Vogelsong - WAS, COL Note: Looking a lot like the 2011-12 version, but this pair won't be easy |
| 19. Josh Beckett - at CIN, ARI |
| 20. Gavin Floyd - at COL, LAA Note: The results have been great, but he's averaging fewer than 6 IP/start |
| 21. Mike Leake - LAD, at MIL |
| 22. Dan Haren - at CIN, ARI Note: Little worried that the back is an issue right now with 8 HR in his last 5 starts |
| 23. Lance Lynn - WAS Note: Despite 2 HR and 4 BB, he had a solid effort against MLB's hottest team in Toronto |
| 24. Homer Bailey - at MIL Note: Finally coming out of it with 3 straight QS? I say yes. |
| 25. Bartolo Colon - SD |
| 26. Jason Hammel - at PIT |
| 27. Andrew Cashner - at PHI Note: Returns Saturday vs. WAS |
| 28. Tim Hudson - WAS |
| 29. Jordan Zimmermann - at STL Note: I'm still buying despite the recent hit parade |
| 30. Aaron Harang - LAA Note: Remove your bias and look at the filthy skills |
| 31. Jon Niese - MIL |
| 32. Matt Cain - WAS |
| 33. Kyle Lohse - at NYM Note: He'd been excellent prior to get smashed for 8 ER by PIT |
| 34. Tanner Roark - at SF |
| 35. Gio Gonzalez - at SF Note: Playing it conservatively with Gio and Latos returning from injury |
| 36. Mat Latos - at MIL |
| 37. Travis Wood - at PIT, at PHI Note: 3 disasters have inflated his ERA; skills say high-3.00s as opposed to his 5.04 ERA |
| 38. Marco Estrada - at NYM, CIN Note: Strong matchups, but he's been such a homer machine that I can't trust him to cash them in |
| 39. A.J. Burnett - SD, CHC Note: If he can't rebound with these two matchups, it's time to consider dumping him everywhere |
| 40. Ervin Santana - at COL |
| 41. Henderson Alvarez - PIT Note: 21 straight scoreless IP |
| 42. Matt Garza - CIN |
| 43. Wily Peralta - at NYM |
| 44. Tyson Ross - at PHI Note: A lack of consistent command and control yields volatility |
| 45. Brandon McCarthy - at HOU |
| 46. Tony Cingrani - LAD Note: The Dodgers are brutal against lefties |
| 47. Charlie Morton - at MIA |
| 48. Yovani Gallardo - CIN |
| 49. Wade Miley - at HOU |
| 50. Edwin Jackson - at PIT, at PHI Note: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me 2,614 times ... still shame on you, ya jerk |
| 51. Francisco Liriano - CHC, at MIA Note: Hasn't finished 6 in any of his last four, but I think this pair of matchups is worth trying out |
| 52. Jaime Garcia - WAS |
| 53. Kyle Kendrick - SD Note: The matchup is too nice to pass on |
SIT
| 54. Jake Arrieta - at PHI |
| 55. Shelby Miller - WAS |
| 56. Alfredo Simon - LAD Note: Schedule should give him another shot to wrest the fifth spot from Cingrani as the Reds will use six starters this week if Latos is indeed ready |
| 57. Randy Wolf - PIT |
| 58. Jacob deGrom - MIL |
| 59. Chase Anderson - at LAD Note: I'm not buying his 3.32 ERA at all |
| 60. Tim Lincecum - COL |
| 61. Eddie Butler - ATL Note: Keep an eye on the intriguing youngster |
| 62. Daisuke Matsuzaka - MIL, SD Note: Squandered a chance to build some confidence with his start at CHC |
| 63. Tom Koehler - at TEX |
| 64. Tim Stauffer - at NYM |
| 65. Bronson Arroyo - HOU, at LAD |
| 66. Josh Collmenter - HOU, at LAD |
| 67. Edinson Volquez - CHC |
| 68. Jhoulys Chacin - ATL |
| 69. David Buchanan - CHC |
| 70. Roberto Hernandez - CHC |
| 71. Jorge de la Rosa - at SF |
| 72. Jacob Turner - at TEX |
| 73. Brandon Cumpton - CHC |
| 74. Eric Stults - at NYM |
| 75. Juan Nicasio - ATL, at SF |
| 76. COL Fifth Starter - ATL, at SF Note: Morales was removed for Butler, but then Lyles got hurt so maybe it's just Morales moving back in |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Madison Bumgarner - WAS, COL Note: Has a 1.91 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in his last 8 GS with a 10.6 K:BB ratio |
| 2. Stephen Strasburg - at SF, at STL Note: Can he even meet the expectations on him? He has 9 straight QS with 2.09 ERA and 68 K in 60.3 IP yet many are still acting as if he's underperforming |
| 3. Masahiro Tanaka - at SEA, at OAK Note: Even without his best stuff, he went 6 IP/1 ER in gem vs. OAK last week |
| 4. Corey Kluber - at KC, at BOS |
| 5. Hisashi Iwakuma - NYY, TEX Note: Showing last year wasn't a fluke with each passing start |
| 6. David Price - SEA, at HOU Note: Don't be fooled by the 4.03 ERA, he's pitching brilliantly this year |
| 7. Doug Fister - at SF, at STL |
| 8. Gerrit Cole - CHC, at MIA Note: The Ks are back with 43 in his last 42.7 IP |
| 9. Clayton Kershaw - ARI Note: Responded to the ARI shellacking with 3 straight 9 K games |
| 10. Cole Hamels - SD Note: He's gone 7-plus in 6 straight: 2.11 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 45 Ks in 42.7 IP |
| 11. Yu Darvish - MIA |
| 12. Chris Sale - DET Note: He's allowed 1 ER in 18 IP since returning from the DL |
| 13. Felix Hernandez - TEX |
| 14. Adam Wainwright - at TB |
| 15. Johnny Cueto - LAD |
| 16. Zack Greinke - at CIN |
| 17. Michael Wacha - at TB |
| 18. Max Scherzer - at CWS Note: He's been a bit wobbly of late, but nothing to get freaked out over |
| 19. James Shields - at CWS |
| 20. Jon Lester - CLE Note: He's allowed 14 ER in his last 6 starts, but 7 came vs. TOR in 6.3 IP; he has a 1.91 ERA in the other 33 IP |
| 21. Alex Cobb - at HOU |
| 22. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at CIN |
| 23. Anibal Sanchez - MIN Note: Finally on track with 3 excellent efforts in a row in 7 scoreless against that beastly TOR offense |
| 24. Dallas Keuchel - ARI Note: Hasn't allowed more than 4 ER in any start this season; has a 1.36 ERA over his last 6 with a 6.2 K:BB ratio |
| 25. Sonny Gray - NYY |
| 26. Scott Kazmir - NYY Note: Are the Ks returning? He has 18 in his last two starts spanning 15.3 IP |
| 27. C.J. Wilson - at ATL |
| 28. Mike Minor - at COL, LAA Note: Tough slate against two strong offenses, but he's been great since getting roughed up by STL |
| 29. Nathan Eovaldi - PIT Note: He's ripped off a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 28 IP since the 4.3 IP/6 ER dud in SF |
| 30. Zack Wheeler - SD Note: He's on fire and gets the lowly the Padres to build on his hot streak |
| 31. Jeff Samardzija - at PIT Note: A 3 IP/8 ER massacre pushed his ERA to 2.54 telling you how well he's been pitching |
| 32. Julio Teheran - at COL Note: Playing it cautiously with him headed to Coors, but I wouldn't be surprised if he rolled the Rockies |
| 33. Ian Kennedy - at PHI, at NYM |
| 34. Ryan Vogelsong - WAS, COL Note: Looking a lot like the 2011-12 version, but this pair won't be easy |
| 35. Josh Beckett - at CIN, ARI |
| 36. Yordano Ventura - CLE |
| 37. Jose Quintana - KC Note: Not a star, but very consistent |
| 38. Collin McHugh - TB Note: I'm buying the strikeouts; that curveball is pure filth |
| 39. Jered Weaver - OAK |
| 40. John Lackey - CLE Note: Still seems to go relatively untrusted despite 269 great IP since returning from a missed 2012 |
| 41. Chris Archer - at HOU |
| 42. Gavin Floyd - at COL, LAA Note: The results have been great, but he's averaging fewer than 6 IP/start |
| 43. Mike Leake - LAD, at MIL |
| 44. Dan Haren - at CIN, ARI Note: Little worried that the back is an issue right now with 8 HR in his last 5 starts |
| 45. Lance Lynn - WAS Note: Despite 2 HR and 4 BB, he had a solid effort against MLB's hottest team in Toronto |
| 46. Homer Bailey - at MIL Note: Finally coming out of it with 3 straight QS? I say yes. |
| 47. Bartolo Colon - SD |
| 48. Jason Hammel - at PIT |
| 49. Andrew Cashner - at PHI Note: Returns Saturday vs. WAS |
| 50. Tim Hudson - WAS |
| 51. Jordan Zimmermann - at STL Note: I'm still buying despite the recent hit parade |
| 52. Aaron Harang - LAA Note: Remove your bias and look at the filthy skills |
| 53. Jon Niese - MIL |
| 54. Matt Cain - WAS |
| 55. Mark Buehrle - at BAL Note: I'm stiiillll skeptical, but this is still a big jump from recent weeks |
| 56. Garrett Richards - OAK, at ATL |
| 57. Jesse Chavez - at LAA, NYY |
| 58. Justin Verlander - at CWS, MIN Note: Ugh, this is brutal, but can you really bench him? I can't |
| 59. Kyle Lohse - at NYM Note: He'd been excellent prior to get smashed for 8 ER by PIT |
| 60. Tanner Roark - at SF |
| 61. Gio Gonzalez - at SF Note: Playing it conservatively with Gio and Latos returning from injury |
| 62. Mat Latos - at MIL |
| 63. Travis Wood - at PIT, at PHI Note: 3 disasters have inflated his ERA; skills say high-3.00s as opposed to his 5.04 ERA |
| 64. Marco Estrada - at NYM, CIN Note: Strong matchups, but he's been such a homer machine that I can't trust him to cash them in |
| 65. A.J. Burnett - SD, CHC Note: If he can't rebound with these two matchups, it's time to consider dumping him everywhere |
| 66. Hiroki Kuroda - at OAK |
| 67. Trevor Bauer - at KC Note: Not a must-start option yet, but noticeable improvements are encouraging |
| 68. Tyler Skaggs - OAK |
| 69. Drew Smyly - at CWS Note: Nice rebound outing against BOS |
| 70. Danny Duffy - at CWS |
| 71. Rick Porcello - at CWS, MIN Note: Loved the bounce-back against TOR after that 6 BB effort in OAK |
| 72. John Danks - DET, KC Note: 1.21 ERA in 22.3 IP over his last three |
| 73. R.A. Dickey - MIN, at BAL Note: His inconsistency as a Jay makes his Cy Young season that much more impressive given how difficult it is to be consistent as a knuckleballer |
| 74. Jason Vargas - NYY, at CWS Note: Great since the 7 ER dud vs. CWS with a 1.77 ERA |
| 75. Drew Pomeranz - at LAA |
| 76. Ervin Santana - at COL |
| 77. Henderson Alvarez - PIT Note: 21 straight scoreless IP |
| 78. Matt Garza - CIN |
| 79. Wily Peralta - at NYM |
| 80. Tyson Ross - at PHI Note: A lack of consistent command and control yields volatility |
| 81. Roenis Elias - NYY |
| 82. Phil Hughes - at TOR Note: This is more because of TOR than it is because of his rough outing vs. HOU |
| 83. Brandon McCarthy - at HOU |
| 84. Tony Cingrani - LAD Note: The Dodgers are brutal against lefties |
| 85. David Phelps - at SEA |
| 86. Marcus Stroman - MIN |
| 87. Charlie Morton - at MIA |
| 88. Yovani Gallardo - CIN |
| 89. Wade Miley - at HOU |
| 90. Erik Bedard - STL Note: Baseball's worst team vs. LHP since 2013 |
| 91. Chase Whitley - at SEA Note: Finally topped 5 IP and looked very good doing so |
| 92. Josh Tomlin - at BOS Note: Needs to trim the HRs, but 6.0 K:BB ratio and 23.1% K rate are great |
| 93. Matt Shoemaker - at ATL Note: Matchup gives him a great shot to continue to miss plenty of bats |
| 94. Jarred Cosart - at ARI, TB Note: 2.96 ERA in last 8, but the skills call BS on that figure |
| 95. Brad Peacock - at ARI, TB Note: He's been solid since joining the rotation, possibly poised for a run |
| 96. Drew Hutchison - at BAL Note: He's been fantastic on the road including six scoreless in BAL earlier in April |
| 97. Edwin Jackson - at PIT, at PHI Note: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me 2,614 times ... still shame on you, ya jerk |
| 98. Francisco Liriano - CHC, at MIA Note: Hasn't finished 6 in any of his last four, but I think this pair of matchups is worth trying out |
| 99. Jaime Garcia - WAS |
| 100. Kyle Kendrick - SD Note: The matchup is too nice to pass on |
