The only thing that could taint the sweet nurturing glory of Mother’s Day is another Jacob deGrom injury. Naturally, because we can’t have nice things, that’s just what happened. The number one player in my Top 100 Starting Pitcher Rankings is still there (for now). That is because, at the time of this writing, we don’t know how bad his “side” injury is. Also, as a reminder, I don’t rank injured starters whose return is not imminent. Hopefully, his name will still be on the list next week. Now, some notes!
- Dustin May fell off the list last week, and this week we can confirm that he will undergo Tommy John surgery. It’s sad news for one of the most exciting young pitchers in the league, and we can do nothing but wish the hulking ginger all the best in his recovery.
- Daniel Lynch debuted for the Royals! The crowd roars! He doesn’t make the list. The crowd is aghast. A lefty who pumps 95 MPH heat with a sexy-time slider is obviously a tantalizing prospect. However, he, uhh, may not quite be ready. After all, he hadn’t previously pitched above A-ball in the minors, and his body of work across two starts leaves something to be desired. He was battered like a cod in his second start, specifically, yielding eight runs while recording just two outs. He now has five walks and three K’s across 5.1 innings…with 11 earned runs. I still love his profile long-term, but he needs some polish before I trust him in 2021. The crowd, bewildered, quietly shuffles toward the exits.
- In a pure revenge move after I dropped him off the list last week, Dallas Keuchel tossed seven scoreless innings against the Reds. However, he walked three and struck out just one, putting his K:BB ratio at 14:17 on the season. All of his ERA indicators are 4.50 or higher. Stop it Dallas, I don’t believe in you anymore! You and the Loch Ness Monster can start a club.
- Noah Syndergaard has his fedora and whip all packed and is set to head out on a rehab assignment. If all goes well, he is expected to join the Mets at some point in June. It’s a bit early to stash him in shallower formats, but in deeper leagues, I’d see if he’s available to help you out over the second half.
- If you started Charlie Morton for his 0.2 IP, six-run, zero earned run outing, keep sucking on that lucky rabbit’s foot. It’s working.
- Wade Miley gets a courtesy nod in the 100 spot this week after tossing a most improbable no-hitter. I mentioned just a week ago how his incredibly low BABIP won’t sustain. It now sits at .162. There is very little upside with his 8.8% SwStr% and 25% CSW. Ride it while it lasts, but the ride may be a short one.
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The Starting Pitcher Barometer
The Risers
Dylan Cease, CHW (+20) – Cease’s control is still erratic at best, with only one start in six with fewer than three walks. However, his strikeout upside is very sexy-time, and he has allowed just four total hits over his last two starts (with 20 K’s). He’s been very fortunate as a fly-ball heavy pitcher with a 7.1% HR/FB%, so I’d expect his 0.59 HR/9 to regress closer to his 1.85 marks from the past two seasons. I’ll be surprised if he climbs too much higher inside the top 50 the rest of the way.
John Means, BAL (+8) – You might have heard, but John Means tossed a no-hitter last week! He only actually rose eight spots in my starting pitcher rankings this week since I had him respectably ranked beforehand, but he’s got true ace numbers right now. His command has been impeccable, leading to a 9.78 K/9, 1.96 BB/9, and 1.37 ERA (3.00 FIP). His 15.7% SwStr% ranks 7th among starters thus far, higher than the likes of Gerrit Cole.
Means has posted the highest Zone% of his career at 42.6%, and he’s missing more bats within the zone (71.2% Z-Contact%) as well. That bodes very well for his future. On the other hand, he stunningly has a 100% strand rate and .158 BABIP. Those numbers will obviously be skewed with an early-season no-no, but just realize he’s not quite an uber-ace.
The Fallers
Kyle Hendricks, CHC (-20) – It’s always a bit of a high-wire act with Hendricks, whose fastball sits 86-87. 2021 has proven to be a gale-force wind blowing Hendricks off of said high-wire, sending him nose-diving towards the total doom that is a 6.07 ERA (7.32 FIP). In a year where homers have dissipated, Hendricks’ 2.86 HR/9 is more than double any previous season he’s posted.
Hendricks isn’t one to wow Statcast charts with his stuff. That said, he is near the bottom of the league in XBA (.309), xSLG (.577), and wOBA (.418). His .396 xwOBA doesn’t declare his results to be too fluky-bad, either. He’s had major mid-season turnarounds before, but until we see some evidence of that, he’s hard to start.
Patrick Corbin, WSH (-22) – Corbin drops even farther than Hendricks this week, outside of the top 70. Whereas Hendricks at least still has his command, Corbin has seen his K-BB% evaporate nearly to nothing.
The upside at this point is probably his 2020 numbers: 8.22 K/9, 2.47 BB/9, 4.17 FIP, 1.57 WHIP. That’s still feasible the rest of the way, but he’s more of a streamer at this point than the potential #2 on your fantasy staff.
The Newcomers
Cole Irvin, OAK (SP76) – Irvin is a 27-year-old lefty with little prospect prestige. He averages just under 91 MPH with the fastball, but that hasn’t hampered his early-season success. He now has a 3.29 ERA over 41 IP with an 8.12 K/9 and pristine 1.32 BB/9. His upside is limited by his inability to miss bats (9.7% SwStr%). That said, he’s worth a stream, particularly in favorable home matchups where his fly-ball tendencies can lead to more easy flyouts.
Nate Pearson, TOR (SP84) – As opposed to Irvin, Pearson is a prospect of great acclaim. He was the Jays first-round pick in 2017, coming equipped with a triple-digit fastball and a slider he throws in the low-90’s. There were command concerns when he was drafted, but his worst walk rate in the minors at any point was a 3.02 BB/9 at Double-A in 2019.
He may have been a bit rusty coming off the groin strain that delayed the start to his season, however, as he walked five in his season debut. He lasted only 2.1 innings, gave up three runs on four hits, and didn’t strike out a single batter. His 13 sliders didn’t earn a single whiff, throwing just 28 of 64 total pitches for strikes. His velocity was also down a bit from last year at 95.7 MPH, with the much-heralded slider coming in at a pretty normal 85.4 MPH. He’s worth owning in all but the shallowest of leagues for his upside, but I’d want to see a more promising start before I’d plug him into my lineup.
Top 100 Starting Pitcher Rankings
| Rnk | Name | Prev. Rnk |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob deGrom | 1 |
| 2 | Gerrit Cole | 2 |
| 3 | Shane Bieber | 3 |
| 4 | Aaron Nola | 4 |
| 5 | Trevor Bauer | 5 |
| 6 | Clayton Kershaw | 6 |
| 7 | Yu Darvish | 7 |
| 8 | Lucas Giolito | 8 |
| 9 | Walker Buehler | 9 |
| 10 | Tyler Glasnow | 10 |
| 11 | Corbin Burnes | 11 |
| 12 | Brandon Woodruff | 12 |
| 13 | Max Scherzer | 13 |
| 14 | Zack Wheeler | 15 |
| 15 | Jack Flaherty | 16 |
| 16 | Sandy Alcantara | 17 |
| 17 | Lance Lynn | 14 |
| 18 | Zac Gallen | 18 |
| 19 | Hyun Jin Ryu | NA |
| 20 | Blake Snell | 19 |
| 21 | Joe Musgrove | 20 |
| 22 | Charlie Morton | 21 |
| 23 | Julio Urias | 22 |
| 24 | Jose Berrios | 24 |
| 25 | Sonny Gray | 27 |
| 26 | Carlos Rodon | 39 |
| 27 | Luis Castillo | 23 |
| 28 | Lance McCullers | 25 |
| 29 | Pablo Lopez | 26 |
| 30 | Zack Greinke | 28 |
| 31 | Trevor Rogers | 29 |
| 32 | John Means | 40 |
| 33 | Max Fried | 30 |
| 34 | Aaron Civale | 31 |
| 35 | Dylan Bundy | 32 |
| 36 | Tyler Mahle | 33 |
| 37 | Eduardo Rodriguez | 34 |
| 38 | Freddy Peralta | 35 |
| 39 | Kenta Maeda | 36 |
| 40 | Zach Plesac | 45 |
| 41 | Ian Anderson | 37 |
| 42 | Kevin Gausman | 38 |
| 43 | Huascar Ynoa | 59 |
| 44 | Nathan Eovaldi | 41 |
| 45 | Marcus Stroman | 42 |
| 46 | Chris Paddack | 43 |
| 47 | Zach Eflin | 44 |
| 48 | JT Brubaker | 52 |
| 49 | Michael Pineda | 47 |
| 50 | Dylan Cease | 70 |
| 51 | Cristian Javier | 49 |
| 52 | Alex Wood | 50 |
| 53 | Brady Singer | 54 |
| 54 | Chris Bassitt | 64 |
| 55 | Danny Duffy | 56 |
| 56 | Matthew Boyd | 55 |
| 57 | Anthony DeSclafani | 57 |
| 58 | Sean Manaea | 67 |
| 59 | Frankie Montas | 46 |
| 60 | Jameson Taillon | 60 |
| 61 | Andrew Heaney | 62 |
| 62 | German Marquez | 58 |
| 63 | Shohei Ohtani | 53 |
| 64 | Corey Kluber | 66 |
| 65 | Taijuan Walker | 75 |
| 66 | Dinelson Lamet | NA |
| 67 | Robbie Ray | 71 |
| 68 | Kyle Hendricks | 48 |
| 69 | Jordan Montgomery | 63 |
| 70 | Mike Minor | 65 |
| 71 | Jose Urquidy | 61 |
| 72 | Madison Bumgarner | 81 |
| 73 | Patrick Corbin | 51 |
| 74 | Ryan Weathers | 68 |
| 75 | Shane McClanahan | 69 |
| 76 | Cole Irvin | NA |
| 77 | Kyle Gibson | 82 |
| 78 | Yusei Kikuchi | 73 |
| 79 | Domingo German | 74 |
| 80 | Alex Cobb | 76 |
| 81 | Logan Webb | 77 |
| 82 | Chris Flexen | 78 |
| 83 | Jon Gray | 96 |
| 84 | Nate Pearson | NA |
| 85 | Steven Matz | 79 |
| 86 | Luis Garcia | 80 |
| 87 | Garrett Richards | 91 |
| 88 | Carlos Martinez | 72 |
| 89 | Ryan Yarbrough | 83 |
| 90 | JA Happ | 84 |
| 91 | Adam Wainwright | 85 |
| 92 | Triston McKenzie | 86 |
| 93 | Spencer Turnbull | 87 |
| 94 | Kwang Hyun Kim | 88 |
| 95 | Dane Dunning | 89 |
| 96 | Adbert Alzolay | 92 |
| 97 | Rich Hill | NA |
| 98 | Jake Arrieta | 95 |
| 99 | Adrian Houser | 97 |
| 100 | Wade Miley | NA |
Fell Off The List:
Jakob Junis (Role), Matt Shoemaker (Performance), Luke Weaver (Performance), David Peterson (Performance), Jeff Hoffman (Performance), Justus Sheffield (Performance).
Like Nathan’s take on Starting Pitcher Rankings? For more help, check out Eric Cross’s latest Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire column.
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