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 Sept. 1-7
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week Sept. 1-7
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Corey Kluber - DET, CWS Note: Has 8-plus Ks in 10 of his last 12 (99 in 89 IP) |
| 2. David Price - at CLE, SF Note: I'm not really panicking about the NYY start |
| 3. Chris Sale - at CLE |
| 4. Felix Hernandez - at OAK Note: Allowed homers in four straight culminating with career-high four against WAS |
| 5. Jon Lester - SEA |
| 6. Hisashi Iwakuma - at TEX |
| 7. Max Scherzer - at CLE Note: CLE notably tough on righties all year and Scherzer has felt the brunt (4.81 ERA in three starts) |
| 8. Alex Cobb - BAL |
| 9. Drew Smyly - BOS, BAL Note: He's been fantastic since joining TB (1.50 ERA in 36 IP) |
| 10. Yordano Ventura - TEX, at NYY |
| 11. Shane Greene - BOS, KC Note: This waiver wire find is helping decide leagues after a huge August (2.93 ERA, 35 Ks in 30.7 IP) |
| 12. James Paxton - at OAK, at TEX Note: Has picked up where his two April starts left off (1.65 ERA in 27.3 Aug IP) |
| 13. Michael Pineda - KC Note: Also showing his April was real (2.08 ERA |
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 Sept. 1-7
AMERICAN LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week Sept. 1-7
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Corey Kluber - DET, CWS Note: Has 8-plus Ks in 10 of his last 12 (99 in 89 IP) |
| 2. David Price - at CLE, SF Note: I'm not really panicking about the NYY start |
| 3. Chris Sale - at CLE |
| 4. Felix Hernandez - at OAK Note: Allowed homers in four straight culminating with career-high four against WAS |
| 5. Jon Lester - SEA |
| 6. Hisashi Iwakuma - at TEX |
| 7. Max Scherzer - at CLE Note: CLE notably tough on righties all year and Scherzer has felt the brunt (4.81 ERA in three starts) |
| 8. Alex Cobb - BAL |
| 9. Drew Smyly - BOS, BAL Note: He's been fantastic since joining TB (1.50 ERA in 36 IP) |
| 10. Yordano Ventura - TEX, at NYY |
| 11. Shane Greene - BOS, KC Note: This waiver wire find is helping decide leagues after a huge August (2.93 ERA, 35 Ks in 30.7 IP) |
| 12. James Paxton - at OAK, at TEX Note: Has picked up where his two April starts left off (1.65 ERA in 27.3 Aug IP) |
| 13. Michael Pineda - KC Note: Also showing his April was real (2.08 ERA in 17.3 Aug IP) |
| 14. James Shields - at NYY |
| 15. Matt Shoemaker - at MIN Note: Another in-season pickup playing a major role down the stretch (2.22 ERA in 56.7 IP since July 3) |
| 16. Sonny Gray - SEA |
| 17. Jeff Samardzija - HOU Note: Bounced back brilliantly from his disaster vs. NYM with an 8 IP/2 ER gem against the same Astros he'll face this week |
| 18. Jose Quintana - at CLE |
| 19. Brandon McCarthy - KC |
| 20. Dallas Keuchel - at OAK |
| 21. Collin McHugh - LAA Note: Ks have been real all year; these division foes haven't been a problem (2.25 ERA in 16 IP with 15 Ks vs. LAA) |
| 22. Chris Archer - TOR |
| 23. Jake Odorizzi - TOR |
| 24. Hiroki Kuroda - BOS Note: He's really been "himself" since that rough April (3.59 ERA, 3.2 K:BB ratio in 138 IP) |
| 25. Scott Kazmir - HOU Note: Perhaps fatiguing a bit? He's now matched his 2013 IP total (158) |
| 26. Phil Hughes - at BAL, LAA Note: He's been excellent of late, but these are two very tough matchups for someone who hits the zone that often |
| 27. Justin Verlander - at CLE |
| 28. Rick Porcello - SF |
| 29. Marcus Stroman - at TB Note: Seems to rebound well from his disasters as he's obviously learning on the fly |
| 30. Chris Tillman - CIN (2.15 ERA in his last 15 starts) |
| 31. Jered Weaver - at MIN Note: Beast at home (2.69 ERA in 103.7 IP); marginal on the road (4.75 ERA in 77.7 IP) |
| 32. Danny Duffy - at NYY |
| 33. Wei-Yin Chen - at TB Note: TB has handled him better than normal (4.71 ERA in four starts; 3.04 in eight before that) |
| 34. Hector Santiago - at HOU, at MIN Note: He seems to have a 6 IP cap, but he's maximized his impact in those given constraints (1.47 ERA in his last 43 IP) |
| 35. Jeremy Hellickson - TOR, BAL |
| 36. Carlos Carrasco - DET, CWS Note: I was kind of expecting this kind of production from him… 2-3 years ago |
| 37. Chris Young - at OAK, at TEX Note: He was pushed back as he threw just 37 IP (all in the minors) last year and he's up over 150 this year |
| 38. Jason Hammel - SEA, HOU |
| 39. R.A. Dickey - at TB, at BOS |
| 40. Miguel Gonzalez - CIN |
| 41. Drew Hutchison - at BOS Note: A frighteningly volatile August - 1, 6, 7, 1 ER during his four starts (though all made it into the sixth inning) |
| 42. Chris Capuano - BOS |
| 43. Trevor Bauer - DET Note: We are watching the maturation of these two CLE arms and both will be popular sleeper picks in 2015 |
| 44. Danny Salazar - DET |
| 45. Rubby De La Rosa - at TB, TOR |
| 46. Roenis Elias - at TEX |
| 47. Jason Vargas - TEX Note: A bit too hittable in his last two (22 H in 12 IP) incl. 11 vs. these Rangers |
| 48. C.J. Wilson - at HOU Note: He's allowed at least five hits in each of his last 10 (67 H in 47.7 IP) |
CONSIDER
| 49. Kevin Gausman - MIN, at TB Note: You might only get 10 IP, but they could be solid; also if you're desperate for some K potential |
| 50. Joe Kelly - at NYY, TOR |
| 51. Bud Norris - CIN, at TB |
| 52. Brett Oberholtzer - at OAK Note: The problem of these guys is that their downside can often erase a nice stretch of outings |
| 53. Anthony Ranaudo - at NYY |
| 54. Derek Holland - at KC, SEA Note: Making his season debut |
SIT
| 55. Kyle Gibson - LAA |
| 56. Jeremy Guthrie - TEX |
| 57. Scott Feldman - at OAK |
| 58. J.A. Happ - at BOS |
| 59. John Danks - at MIN |
| 60. Tommy Milone - CWS, LAA |
| 61. Mark Buehrle - at TB |
| 62. Nick Tepesch - at KC |
| 63. Nick Martinez - SEA |
| 64. Brad Peacock - LAA |
| 65. Ricky Nolasco - LAA |
| 66. Allen Webster - at NYY |
| 67. Colby Lewis - at KC, SEA |
| 68. Hector Noesi -at MIN |
| 69. Clay Buchholz - TOR |
| 70. T.J. House - CWS |
| 71. Scott Carroll - at CLE |
| 72. Wade LeBlanc - at MIN |
| 73. Trevor May - CWS |
| 74. Robbie Ray - at CLE, SF |
| 75. Miles Mikolas Replacement - SEA Note: Scratched Saturday with shoulder fatigue; no word if he'll make this start (perhaps Robbie Ross) |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Cole Hamels - at ATL, at WAS Note: Has allowed more than 3 ER just once since May 11 (2.09 ERA in 146.7 IP) |
| 2. Clayton Kershaw - WAS Note: Yes, he's so good he could outdo some two-start studs with just one |
| 3. Julio Teheran - PHI, at MIA Note: Back on track results-wise in his last three, but just 8 Ks in 18.3 IP |
| 4. Lance Lynn - PIT, at MIL Note: He's been the ace the last two months (1.85 ERA in 10 starts with 56 Ks in 63 IP) |
| 5. Adam Wainwright - PIT, at MIL Note: Not that Waino has *struggled* (3.52 ERA in 11 starts with 45 Ks in 71.7 IP) |
| 6. Tyson Ross - ARI, at COL |
| 7. Gerrit Cole - at STL, at CHC Note: He certainly appears to be back, albeit in just two starts (2.77 ERA, 15 Ks, and 3.0 K:BB ratio in 13 IP) |
| 8. Zack Wheeler - at MIA, at CIN |
| 9. Johnny Cueto - NYM |
| 10. Madison Bumgarner - at DET |
| 11. Jordan Zimmermann - at LAD Note: Has quietly bumped his K/9 rate from 6.8 last year to 8.0 this year; he's a fantasy ace |
| 12. Stephen Strasburg - PHI Note: Bit of a fantasy annoyance because of the massive expectations, but he dominates PHI (1.40 ERA and 35 Ks in 25.7 IP this year) |
| 13. Zack Greinke - ARI |
| 14. Gio Gonzalez - at LAD, PHI Note: Great matchups and massive strikeout potential |
| 15. Mat Latos - at BAL, NYM Note: This month has been more Latosian (2.95 ERA, 7.9 K/9 in 39.7 IP) |
| 16. Yovani Gallardo - at CHC, STL |
| 17. John Lackey - at MIL |
| 18. Doug Fister - at LAD |
| 19. Jake Arrieta - MIL Note: I certainly didn't expect that against an anemic CIN offense, but he's entitled to a dud here and there |
| 20. Ian Kennedy - ARI |
| 21. Ervin Santana - PHI Note: Had an ERA north of 4.00 as late as July 22nd, but since then he's had a 2.41 ERA in 52.3 IP with 58 Ks and a 3.2 K:BB ratio |
| 22. Tanner Roark - PHI |
| 23. Andrew Cashner - ARI Note: Brilliant in his second start back and needed only 89 pitches; should be allowed 90+ next time out |
| 24. Jacob deGrom - at MIA |
| 25. Mike Minor - PHI Note: What an up-and-down season, but I've been impressed with his turnaround (2.22 ERA with 24 Ks in his last 28.3 IP) |
| 26. Mike Fiers - STL Note: We've seen him go off before (1.80 ERA with 80 Ks in 80 IP to start his 2012) |
| 27. Alex Wood - at MIA |
| 28. Bartolo Colon - at CIN |
| 29. Hyun-Jin Ryu - ARI Note: Keep an eye to make sure everything goes well on Sunday |
| 30. Wily Peralta - at CHC Note: If you just set it and forget it with Peralta and Lohse, you're going to be pleased with the end result |
| 31. Kyle Lohse - STL |
| 32. Tsuyoshi Wada - PIT Note: The two Cubs newcomers have both impressed, though they're on opposite ends of the age spectrum (Wada 33, Hendricks 24) |
| 33. Kyle Hendricks - MIL |
| 34. Jon Niese - at MIA |
| 35. Aaron Harang - at MIA |
| 36. Wade Miley - at SD, at LAD Note: Not sure what's up with 10 BB in his last two, but he somehow managed to allow just 3 ER |
| 37. Jimmy Nelson - at CHC, STL Note: Could see himself pushed into the pen when Garza returns, but pitching well as a starter in the interim |
| 38. Trevor Cahill - at SD, at LAD |
| 39. Henderson Alvarez - NYM, ATL Note: Kinda what you expect from someone of his caliber going to LAA and COL, but he'll be fine |
| 40. Jeff Locke - at STL |
| 41. Tom Koehler - NYM |
| 42. Chase Anderson - at LAD |
| 43. Edinson Volquez - at STL Note: Y'all weren't surprised by Volquez's 7.7 IP/1 ER gem vs. CIN, the PVM has been on his emergence for a bit |
| 44. Francisco Liriano - at CHC |
| 45. Nathan Eovaldi - ATL |
| 46. David Buchanan - at ATL Note: Now 11 straight of 3 or fewer ER (3.29 ERA in 65.7 IP) |
| 47. Roberto Hernandez - WAS, ARI |
| 48. Alfredo Simon - NYM Note: Nice rebound start vs. ATL and another easy opponent keeps him in the lineup. |
| 49. Jorge De La Rosa - SD |
| 50. Dillon Gee - at CIN Note: He doesn't really wow you, but he's a solid back of the rotation piece |
CONSIDER
| 51. Jarred Cosart - ATL Note: He's found periods of success despite thoroughly unimpressive component numbers |
| 52. Vance Worley - at CHC Note: He's been frighteningly hittable of late (30 H in 17.7 IP), but it is a juicy matchup |
| 53. Dan Haren - WAS Note: He's a roll of the dice each time, but there is some upside |
| 54. Jake Peavy - at DET Note: How desperate are you? Because this could go horribly |
| 55. Josh Collmenter - at SD Note: Collmenter, Nuno, and Matzek are obviously matchup-based considerations |
| 56. Vidal Nuno - at SD |
| 57. Tyler Matzek - SD |
| 58. Mike Leake - at BAL Note: I don't love this matchup for him |
| 59. Dylan Axelrod - at BAL Note: He could be bumped if Homer Bailey comes back |
SIT
| 60. Tim Hudson - at COL, at DET Note: That is a rough slate of games |
| 61. Shelby Miller - PIT |
| 62. Ryan Vogelsong - at COL Note: Vogey and Petit are the kinds of guys you sit at Coors no matter what, the risk is just too high |
| 63. Yusmeiro Petit - at COL |
| 64. Jordan Lyles - SF |
| 65. A.J. Burnett - at WAS |
| 66. Jerome Williams - at WAS |
| 67. Kyle Kendrick - at ATL |
| 68. Justin Masterson - at MIL |
| 69. Travis Wood - PIT |
| 70. Franklin Morales - SF, SD |
| 71. Jacob Turner - MIL, PIT |
| 72. Odrisamer Despaigne - ARI, at COL |
| 73. Eric Stults - at COL |
| 74. Brad Hand - NYM |
| 75. Christian Bergman - SF |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Corey Kluber - DET, CWS Note: Has 8-plus Ks in 10 of his last 12 (99 in 89 IP) |
| 2. Cole Hamels - at ATL, at WAS Note: Has allowed more than 3 ER just once since May 11 (2.09 ERA in 146.7 IP) |
| 3. Clayton Kershaw - WAS Note: Yes, he's so good he could outdo some two-start studs with just one |
| 4. David Price - at CLE, SF Note: I'm not really panicking about the NYY start |
| 5. Julio Teheran - PHI, at MIA Note: Back on track results-wise in his last three, but just 8 Ks in 18.3 IP |
| 6. Lance Lynn - PIT, at MIL Note: He's been the ace the last two months (1.85 ERA in 10 starts with 56 Ks in 63 IP) |
| 7. Chris Sale - at CLE |
| 8. Adam Wainwright - PIT, at MIL Note: Not that Waino has *struggled* (3.52 ERA in 11 starts with 45 Ks in 71.7 IP) |
| 9. Tyson Ross - ARI, at COL |
| 10. Gerrit Cole - at STL, at CHC Note: He certainly appears to be back, albeit in just two starts (2.77 ERA, 15 Ks, and 3.0 K:BB ratio in 13 IP) |
| 11. Zack Wheeler - at MIA, at CIN |
| 12. Felix Hernandez - at OAK Note: Allowed homers in four straight culminating with career-high four against WAS |
| 13. Johnny Cueto - NYM |
| 14. Jon Lester - SEA |
| 15. Madison Bumgarner - at DET |
| 16. Jordan Zimmermann - at LAD Note: Has quietly bumped his K/9 rate from 6.8 last year to 8.0 this year; he's a fantasy ace |
| 17. Hisashi Iwakuma - at TEX |
| 18. Max Scherzer - at CLE Note: CLE notably tough on righties all year and Scherzer has felt the brunt (4.81 ERA in three starts) |
| 19. Stephen Strasburg - PHI Note: Bit of a fantasy annoyance because of the massive expectations, but he dominates PHI (1.40 ERA and 35 Ks in 25.7 IP this year) |
| 20. Zack Greinke - ARI |
| 21. Alex Cobb - BAL |
| 22. Drew Smyly - BOS, BAL Note: He's been fantastic since joining TB (1.50 ERA in 36 IP) |
| 23. Yordano Ventura - TEX, at NYY |
| 24. Shane Greene - BOS, KC Note: This waiver wire find is helping decide leagues after a huge August (2.93 ERA, 35 Ks in 30.7 IP) |
| 25. James Paxton - at OAK, at TEX Note: Has picked up where his two April starts left off (1.65 ERA in 27.3 Aug IP) |
| 26. Gio Gonzalez - at LAD, PHI Note: Great matchups and massive strikeout potential |
| 27. Mat Latos - at BAL, NYM Note: This month has been more Latosian (2.95 ERA, 7.9 K/9 in 39.7 IP) |
| 28. Yovani Gallardo - at CHC, STL |
| 29. Michael Pineda - KC Note: Also showing his April was real (2.08 ERA in 17.3 Aug IP) |
| 30. James Shields - at NYY |
| 31. Matt Shoemaker - at MIN Note: Another in-season pickup playing a major role down the stretch (2.22 ERA in 56.7 IP since July 3) |
| 32. John Lackey - at MIL |
| 33. Doug Fister - at LAD |
| 34. Jake Arrieta - MIL Note: I certainly didn't expect that against an anemic CIN offense, but he's entitled to a dud here and there |
| 35. Ian Kennedy - ARI |
| 36. Ervin Santana - PHI Note: Had an ERA north of 4.00 as late as July 22nd, but since then he's had a 2.41 ERA in 52.3 IP with 58 Ks and a 3.2 K:BB ratio |
| 37. Sonny Gray - SEA |
| 38. Jeff Samardzija - HOU Note: Bounced back brilliantly from his disaster vs. NYM with an 8 IP/2 ER gem against the same Astros he'll face this week |
| 39. Jose Quintana - at CLE |
| 40. Brandon McCarthy - KC |
| 41. Dallas Keuchel - at OAK |
| 42. Collin McHugh - LAA Note: Ks have been real all year; these division foes haven't been a problem (2.25 ERA in 16 IP with 15 Ks vs. LAA) |
| 43. Tanner Roark - PHI |
| 44. Andrew Cashner - ARI Note: Brilliant in his second start back and needed only 89 pitches; should be allowed 90+ next time out |
| 45. Jacob deGrom - at MIA |
| 46. Mike Minor - PHI Note: What an up-and-down season, but I've been impressed with his turnaround (2.22 ERA with 24 Ks in his last 28.3 IP) |
| 47. Mike Fiers - STL Note: We've seen him go off before (1.80 ERA with 80 Ks in 80 IP to start his 2012) |
| 48. Alex Wood - at MIA |
| 49. Chris Archer - TOR |
| 50. Jake Odorizzi - TOR |
| 51. Hiroki Kuroda - BOS Note: He's really been "himself" since that rough April (3.59 ERA, 3.2 K:BB ratio in 138 IP) |
| 52. Scott Kazmir - HOU Note: Perhaps fatiguing a bit? He's now matched his 2013 IP total (158) |
| 53. Phil Hughes - at BAL, LAA Note: He's been excellent of late, but these are two very tough matchups for someone who hits the zone that often |
| 54. Justin Verlander - at CLE |
| 55. Rick Porcello - SF |
| 56. Marcus Stroman - at TB Note: Seems to rebound well from his disasters as he's obviously learning on the fly |
| 57. Chris Tillman - CIN (2.15 ERA in his last 15 starts) |
| 58. Bartolo Colon - at CIN |
| 59. Hyun-Jin Ryu - ARI Note: Keep an eye to make sure everything goes well on Sunday |
| 60. Wily Peralta - at CHC Note: If you just set it and forget it with Peralta and Lohse, you're going to be pleased with the end result |
| 61. Kyle Lohse - STL |
| 62. Tsuyoshi Wada - PIT Note: The two Cubs newcomers have both impressed, though they're on opposite ends of the age spectrum (Wada 33, Hendricks 24) |
| 63. Jered Weaver - at MIN Note: Beast at home (2.69 ERA in 103.7 IP); marginal on the road (4.75 ERA in 77.7 IP) |
| 64. Danny Duffy - at NYY |
| 65. Kyle Hendricks - MIL |
| 66. Jon Niese - at MIA |
| 67. Aaron Harang - at MIA |
| 68. Wade Miley - at SD, at LAD Note: Not sure what's up with 10 BB in his last two, but he somehow managed to allow just 3 ER |
| 69. Jimmy Nelson - at CHC, STL Note: Could see himself pushed into the pen when Garza returns, but pitching well as a starter in the interim |
| 70. Trevor Cahill - at SD, at LAD |
| 71. Wei-Yin Chen - at TB Note: TB has handled him better than normal (4.71 ERA in four starts; 3.04 in eight before that) |
| 72. Hector Santiago - at HOU, at MIN Note: He seems to have a 6 IP cap, but he's maximized his impact in those given constraints (1.47 ERA in his last 43 IP) |
| 73. Jeremy Hellickson - TOR, BAL |
| 74. Carlos Carrasco - DET, CWS Note: I was kind of expecting this kind of production from him… 2-3 years ago |
| 75. Henderson Alvarez - NYM, ATL Note: Kinda what you expect from someone of his caliber going to LAA and COL, but he'll be fine |
| 76. Jeff Locke - at STL |
| 77. Tom Koehler - NYM |
| 78. Chase Anderson - at LAD |
| 79. Edinson Volquez - at STL Note: Y'all weren't surprised by Volquez's 7.7 IP/1 ER gem vs. CIN, the PVM has been on his emergence for a bit |
| 80. Francisco Liriano - at CHC |
| 81. Chris Young - at OAK, at TEX Note: He was pushed back as he threw just 37 IP (all in the minors) last year and he's up over 150 this year |
| 82. Jason Hammel - SEA, HOU |
| 83. R.A. Dickey - at TB, at BOS |
| 84. Miguel Gonzalez - CIN |
| 85. Drew Hutchison - at BOS Note: A frighteningly volatile August - 1, 6, 7, 1 ER during his four starts (though all made it into the sixth inning) |
| 86. Chris Capuano - BOS |
| 87. Trevor Bauer - DET Note: We are watching the maturation of these two CLE arms and both will be popular sleeper picks in 2015 |
| 88. Danny Salazar - DET |
| 89. Rubby De La Rosa - at TB, TOR |
| 90. Nathan Eovaldi - ATL |
| 91. David Buchanan - at ATL Note: Now 11 straight of 3 or fewer ER (3.29 ERA in 65.7 IP) |
| 92. Roberto Hernandez - WAS, ARI |
| 93. Alfredo Simon - NYM Note: Nice rebound start vs. ATL and another easy opponent keeps him in the lineup. |
| 94. Jorge De La Rosa - SD |
| 95. Dillon Gee - at CIN Note: He doesn't really wow you, but he's a solid back of the rotation piece |
| 96. Roenis Elias - at TEX |
| 97. Jason Vargas - TEX Note: A bit too hittable in his last two (22 H in 12 IP) incl. 11 vs. these Rangers |
| 98. C.J. Wilson - at HOU Note: He's allowed at least five hits in each of his last 10 (67 H in 47.7 IP) |
| 99. Jarred Cosart - ATL Note: He's found periods of success despite thoroughly unimpressive component numbers |
| 100. Vance Worley - at CHC Note: He's been frighteningly hittable of late (30 H in 17.7 IP), but it is a juicy matchup |
