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Way Too Early Rankings – Pitcher: American League

Fantasy Baseball
Dave Funnell
Author: Dave Funnell
9 min.read
Tarik Skubal 2026 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings

Welcome to the Way Too Early Starting Pitcher Rankings: American League Edition for December 2025. Here, I will go over my Top 10 starting pitchers from the American League, reviewing what we saw this past season, what we’re looking for this offseason, and what we can expect in 2026. I will be doing this for every position, so get ready for the ride.

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Previous Rankings

Catcher  |  First Base  |  Second Base  |  Third Base  |  Shortstop  |  Outfield Part 1  |  Outfield Part 2  |  Utility  |  Starting Pitcher Part 1  |  Starting Pitcher Part 2  |  Closers  |

Way Too Early Starting Pitcher Rankings: American League

1. Tarik Skubal – Detroit Tigers

What more is there to say about Tarik Skubal that hasn’t yet been said? The reigning and defending, back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner has been nothing short of dominant over the past two seasons, tossing 387.1 innings with a 2.30 ERA and a cool 0.91 WHIP in the process. What’s even more incredible is that his strikeout rate went up last season while his walk rate went down. He is the epitome of what baseball’s best pitcher should look like. If there’s any worry, it’s that he has a significant injury history in his past, and has thrown a ton of high-intensity pitches since his return. Will that mean potential weardown in the future? It could, but all pitchers carry risk.

2. Garrett Crochet – Boston Red Sox

Garrett Crochet has done well to overcome the injury issues he had earlier in his career. Gone are the days of managing his innings, and now we have him grinding out impressive performances over long innings of work. In both 2024 and 2025, he started 32 games, but he rose an incredible 60 innings to surpass 200 innings pitched in a season for the first time in his career. Full steam ahead, as he will be 27 next year and entering his prime. Just enjoy the ride.

3. Logan Gilbert – Seattle Mariners

Logan Gilbert was once considered a workhorse, and while that still might be true going forward, it wasn’t in 2025. The 28-year-old righty suffered his first Major League injury, as he missed extensive time with a right elbow flexor, resulting in him only starting in 25 games this season. Despite that setback, he still managed to finish with a career-best 32.3% strikeout rate. Going forward, this is a reminder that he pitches in an extreme pitcher’s ballpark and should continue to be an ace. The hope is that his extreme workload over the last few years doesn’t come back to haunt him in 2026.

4. Hunter Brown – Houston Astros

This is the part of the rankings where some concerns come into play, though this one is merely skeptical and minimal. Regarding Hunter Brown, his drop in strikeout production in the second half is something to monitor, and it also coincided with a slight drop in velocity. Whether or not those are a precursor to an underlying injury remains to be seen, but he does have a lot of innings under his belt over the past three seasons. Still, he induces a ton of weak contact, and as such, he does a great job of generating outs. He feels like a safe bet to be a fantasy SP1 with the confidence of being an ace. He also has the upside to finish the year as the best pitcher in baseball.

5. Max Fried – New York Yankees

Max Fried did well last year to alleviate my personal worries about his health. After suffering through two consecutive seasons with strained left forearms, the 31-year-old southpaw tossed 195.1 innings over 32 games started, and did so in such a way that his 2025 season was one of his best. The problem herein lies with an eight-game stretch where he looked lost on the mound and ineffective. Over that time, he went 3-3 with a 6.80 ERA. While this is primarily due to a blister that he developed, this is actually something that he’s dealt with many times over his career. Sure, this might be nitpicking, but it’s also the reason why I have Hunter Brown ranked higher.

5. Bryan Woo – Seattle Mariners

Bryan Woo’s performance has befuddled me for years, and I really don’t know how to explain his sustained success. In 2023, he suffered from both forearm and elbow inflammation, resulting in limited outings and some missed time. Through it all, he tossed 87+ innings in a season that began for him in June. Since then, he has remained relatively healthy and has given us some of the best end-of-season results in all of fantasy baseball. I still think that he eventually succumbs to an injury, but until he actually does, I can only rank him for what he’s been able to do, not the limitations that I feel he will have. It’s because of this that I will call him the fifth-best pitcher of the American League, but like an older grandmother, I remain ready with a squinty-eyed gaze that remembers every time she was scorned and an “I-told-you-so” mentality.

6. Jacob deGrom – Texas Rangers

Jacob deGrom did exactly what he intended to do last year, and that was to throw with less velocity to stay healthy. His 97.5 miles per hour fastball was the lowest it’s averaged since his 2019 season, making it almost two miles per hour slower than its peak. The result was him tossing more innings in 2025 than he had since 2021, all while making 30 starts in the process. If this trend continues, he should be able to put in at least one more season similar to that in his future before he decides to retire. Be warned, though, his results will not be what they once were, as he can’t dominate batters with a mid-90s fastball. However, what we achieved last season was a 27.2% strikeout rate, a walk rate of 5.5%, and an ERA under three with a WHIP under one. That’s still pretty damn good.

7. George Kirby – Seattle Mariners

Here is another Seattle pitcher, but this one is someone with whom my confidence level is the lowest on this list. After suffering through right shoulder inflammation early in the season last year, Kirby wound up making his debut in late May. He struggled to start the season, but with no Spring Training, that is to be expected. However, what we got from him was a less-than-stellar and inconsistent season with mediocre results. My Spidey senses are tingling here. I’m unsure if there’s an underlying issue with that shoulder or his arm, or if it was just a season where he couldn’t get settled and feel like his normal self. Before 2025, he had thrown 380+ innings over two seasons, which made him one of the true workhorses of baseball. There could be some wear and tear there. For now, I’m ranking him high, but this might change with second thought.

8. Framber Valdez – Houston Astros

Framber Valdez has worked a lot of innings over the years, and it’s all been pretty good. He does give up a lot of hard contact, but he is also a groundball specialist. What that means going forward is that he should continue doing what he’s been doing, regardless of where he plays in 2026. His 767.2 innings since 2021 rank him second in all of baseball, giving me some pause to rank him too high. It feels like eventually, something has to give physically, though he doesn’t throw overly hard, so perhaps he can mitigate that risk with his good stuff. Regardless, he is a solid SP2, or can be relied on as an SP1, but should be backed up quickly afterward.

9. Joe Ryan – Minnesota Twins

There were moments last year where Joe Ryan looked like the best pitcher in baseball, and others where he couldn’t even buy an out. The end result was a 3.42 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 30 starts, making him Minnesota’s best option by far. His velocity dropped a bit from 2024, and it’s unclear if that was purposeful after his teres major injury, which cost him significant time a year ago. He is still susceptible to the long ball, as his 1.4 HR/9 seems to be his kryptonite, preventing him from being one of the game’s elite. There have been murmurs of him getting traded, and it’s unclear what his value would be, given his home run problems, in a new ballpark.

10. Cole Ragans – Kansas City Royals

Cole Ragans’ ranking would be a lot higher if not for a torn rotator cuff injury that he suffered last year. While he did return after missing significant time, those injuries are worrisome without a surgical procedure to fix them, as the tear isn’t necessarily healed. Instead, he received extensive rest before returning late in September. His late-season starts were short and geared toward peace of mind heading into the offseason. He feels like a candidate to be shut down in April with renewed soreness, once the ramp-up begins. For now, I’ll trust the opinions of others, as I’m by no means a doctor, but I’m incredibly worried here.

Quick Hits

Kyle Bradish returned from Tommy John Surgery in the summer and looked incredibly good on the mound. His 37.3% strikeout rate is not sustainable, but if he continues to utilize his sinker and slider as well as he has, there’s definitely something there for 2026… Meanwhile, Trevor Rogers returned from a knee injury that sidelined him for months and looked like the second coming of Cy Young. While this is also unsustainable, if he can maintain the gains he made on his secondaries, he could be a solid SP3 for your fantasy team… While Kevin Gausman had a very good 2025 season, he also pitched deep into the postseason, adding another 56.1 innings to his already high 193.0 regular-season innings. This is something to monitor from a health perspective… Gavin Williams showed everyone in the second half of the season what we’ve always wanted to see from him. Chances are that he continues this surge and remains one of the best pitchers in the American League… Both Nathan Eovaldi and Carlos Rodon remain viable options if healthy, but the word “if” is bigger here than in other instances. Eovaldi finished the season with a rotator cuff strain and received offseason hernia surgery as well. He’s expected to be ready for Opening Day, but his injury history suggests that an offseason filled with recovery instead of normal throwing could create a tough start to 2026. Meanwhile, Rodon had surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow, which will delay his start to the year by at least a month. He’s someone to remember in drafts, and is worth stashing with or without injured list spots.

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Dave Funnell
Dave Funnell
Dave has been playing fantasy baseball for many years and plans on doing so for many more.

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