The time for chalking things up to “just April shenanigans” has come and gone, and we here at RotoBaller felt that it was time for a rankings update with roughly 20 percent of the season in the books. Of course, now we’re closer to 25 percent but don’t worry -- we’ll always bring you the latest analysis across the site for the best context possible. This round features rankings from myself and my Reddit-famous brochacho Kyle Bishop, so you know you’re getting the best.
The pitching world has been absolutely rocked by this 10-day disabled list, as many arms are finding themselves on the shelf when they might’ve simply skipped a start or just pitched through some general fatigue/ineffectiveness/dirt-bike incidents. We can’t say for certain that anything fishy is afoot, but DL trips are up roughly 50 percent and the fantasy world is still reacting to those ripple effects.
As a result, those who have stayed healthy look even better thus far, and some hot starts stand out even more than usual with so many others hurt. For instance, James Paxton and Corey Kluber both got hurt pretty much as soon as we submitted our updated ranks. Obviously, Jameson Taillon's rank should be ignored and we wish him all the best in his battle with cancer.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including Best MLB Series, NFL Series, NBA Writer, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Starting Pitchers (May Updates)
You can check out all of our updated rankings. Positional tiers, top prospects, dynasty ranks, and more. It's all free.
Ranking | Tier | Player | Position | Kyle | Nick | Composite |
1 | 1 | Clayton Kershaw | SP | 7 | 6 | 6.5 |
2 | 1 | Max Scherzer | SP | 10 | 14 | 12 |
3 | 1 | Chris Sale | SP | 18 | 20 | 19 |
4 | 1 | Corey Kluber | SP | 23 | 23 | 23 |
5 | 1 | Jacob deGrom | SP | 28 | 35 | 31.5 |
6 | 1 | Yu Darvish | SP | 48 | 26 | 37 |
7 | 2 | Stephen Strasburg | SP | 37 | 38 | 37.5 |
8 | 2 | Justin Verlander | SP | 54 | 30 | 42 |
9 | 2 | Jake Arrieta | SP | 50 | 42 | 46 |
10 | 2 | Jon Lester | SP | 44 | 48 | 46 |
11 | 2 | Carlos Carrasco | SP | 38 | 55 | 46.5 |
12 | 2 | Chris Archer | SP | 56 | 43 | 49.5 |
13 | 3 | Johnny Cueto | SP | 45 | 92 | 68.5 |
14 | 3 | James Paxton | SP | 74 | 65 | 69.5 |
15 | 3 | Masahiro Tanaka | SP | 89 | 52 | 70.5 |
16 | 3 | Gerrit Cole | SP | 75 | 70 | 72.5 |
17 | 3 | Carlos Martinez | SP | 96 | 58 | 77 |
18 | 3 | Dallas Keuchel | SP | 90 | 69 | 79.5 |
19 | 3 | Zack Greinke | SP | 85 | 96 | 90.5 |
20 | 4 | Danny Duffy | SP | 93 | 93 | 93 |
21 | 4 | Michael Fulmer | SP | 114 | 80 | 97 |
22 | 4 | Kenta Maeda | SP | 92 | 108 | 100 |
23 | 4 | Jose Quintana | SP | 110 | 105 | 107.5 |
24 | 4 | Lance McCullers | SP | 129 | 91 | 110 |
25 | 4 | David Price | SP | 98 | 123 | 110.5 |
26 | 4 | Marcus Stroman | SP | 123 | 99 | 111 |
27 | 4 | Danny Salazar | SP | 134 | 95 | 114.5 |
28 | 5 | Kyle Hendricks | SP | 137 | 106 | 121.5 |
29 | 5 | Rick Porcello | SP | 122 | 135 | 128.5 |
30 | 5 | Julio Teheran | SP | 154 | 107 | 130.5 |
31 | 5 | Rich Hill | SP | 148 | 127 | 137.5 |
32 | 5 | Julio Urias | SP | 142 | 133 | 137.5 |
33 | 5 | Jameson Taillon | SP | 188 | 89 | 138.5 |
34 | 5 | John Lackey | SP | 145 | 134 | 139.5 |
35 | 5 | Aaron Nola | SP | 149 | 138 | 143.5 |
36 | 5 | Cole Hamels | SP | 143 | 149 | 146 |
37 | 6 | Aaron Sanchez | SP | 184 | 110 | 147 |
38 | 6 | Sean Manaea | SP | 158 | 141 | 149.5 |
39 | 6 | Tanner Roark | SP | 159 | 144 | 151.5 |
40 | 6 | Noah Syndergaard | SP | 169 | 136 | 152.5 |
41 | 6 | Luis Severino | SP | 183 | 128 | 155.5 |
42 | 6 | Madison Bumgarner | SP | 170 | 145 | 157.5 |
43 | 6 | Matt Harvey | SP | 198 | 131 | 164.5 |
44 | 6 | Michael Pineda | SP | 157 | 182 | 169.5 |
45 | 6 | Jharel Cotton | SP | #N/A | 170 | 170 |
46 | 7 | Dylan Bundy | SP | 207 | 153 | 180 |
47 | 7 | Jeff Samardzija | SP | 203 | 175 | 189 |
48 | 7 | Steven Matz | SP | 178 | 210 | 194 |
49 | 7 | Adam Wainwright | SP | 204 | 185 | 194.5 |
50 | 7 | Drew Pomeranz | SP | 144 | 247 | 195.5 |
51 | 7 | Vincent Velasquez | SP | 185 | 206 | 195.5 |
52 | 7 | Jonathan Gray | SP | 150 | 243 | 196.5 |
53 | 7 | Sonny Gray | SP | 236 | 160 | 198 |
54 | 7 | J.A. Happ | SP | 180 | 218 | 199 |
55 | 8 | Jerad Eickhoff | SP | 212 | 188 | 200 |
56 | 8 | Ervin Santana | SP | 244 | 159 | 201.5 |
57 | 8 | Ivan Nova | SP | 252 | 154 | 203 |
58 | 8 | Robbie Ray | SP | 190 | 217 | 203.5 |
59 | 8 | Chris Devenski | SP/RP | 168 | 254 | 211 |
60 | 8 | Lance Lynn | SP | 247 | 181 | 214 |
61 | 8 | Matt Shoemaker | SP | 235 | 199 | 217 |
62 | 8 | Felix Hernandez | SP | #N/A | 221 | 221 |
63 | 8 | Gio Gonzalez | SP | 241 | 203 | 222 |
64 | 8 | Jake Odorizzi | SP | 200 | 249 | 224.5 |
65 | 8 | Ian Kennedy | SP | 245 | 213 | 229 |
66 | 8 | Marco Estrada | SP | 237 | 227 | 232 |
67 | 8 | Robert Gsellman | SP | 275 | 197 | 236 |
68 | 9 | Zack Wheeler | SP | 271 | 205 | 238 |
69 | 9 | Jeremy Hellickson | SP | 279 | 216 | 247.5 |
70 | 9 | Carlos Rodon | SP | 249 | 252 | 250.5 |
71 | 9 | Blake Snell | SP | #N/A | 251 | 251 |
72 | 9 | Alex Cobb | SP | #N/A | 255 | 255 |
73 | 9 | Joe Ross | SP | 286 | 225 | 255.5 |
74 | 9 | Eduardo Rodriguez | SP | 264 | 250 | 257 |
75 | 9 | Michael Wacha | SP | #N/A | 259 | 259 |
76 | 9 | Daniel Norris | SP | 299 | 220 | 259.5 |
77 | 9 | Taijuan Walker | SP | 201 | 322 | 261.5 |
78 | 9 | Kevin Gausman | SP | 298 | 228 | 263 |
79 | 10 | Francisco Liriano | SP | 291 | 236 | 263.5 |
80 | 10 | Alex Wood | SP | 269 | 262 | 265.5 |
81 | 10 | Daniel Straily | SP | 268 | #N/A | 268 |
82 | 10 | Andrew Triggs | SP | 272 | 266 | 269 |
83 | 10 | Garrett Richards | SP | #N/A | 270 | 270 |
84 | 10 | Chris Tillman | SP | #N/A | 272 | 272 |
85 | 10 | Matt Moore | SP | #N/A | 273 | 273 |
86 | 11 | Kendall Graveman | SP | #N/A | 278 | 278 |
87 | 11 | Michael Foltynewicz | SP | 282 | 277 | 279.5 |
88 | 11 | Zach Davies | SP | #N/A | 283 | 283 |
89 | 11 | Brandon McCarthy | SP | 263 | 310 | 286.5 |
90 | 11 | Jason Hammel | SP | #N/A | 287 | 287 |
91 | 11 | Mike Leake | SP | 262 | 319 | 290.5 |
92 | 12 | Miguel Gonzalez | SP | #N/A | 293 | 293 |
93 | 12 | Hector Santiago | SP | #N/A | 299 | 299 |
94 | 12 | Raisel Iglesias | SP/RP | 161 | 462 | 311.5 |
95 | 12 | Patrick Corbin | SP | 274 | 356 | 315 |
96 | 12 | Drew Smyly | SP | #N/A | 323 | 323 |
97 | 12 | Wily Peralta | SP | #N/A | 329 | 329 |
98 | 12 | Bartolo Colon | SP | #N/A | 330 | 330 |
99 | 13 | Anthony DeSclafani | SP | #N/A | 333 | 333 |
100 | 13 | Junior Guerra | SP | #N/A | 336 | 336 |
101 | 13 | Archie Bradley | SP | 267 | 406 | 336.5 |
102 | 13 | Jaime Garcia | SP | #N/A | 340 | 340 |
103 | 13 | Tyler Anderson | SP | #N/A | 342 | 342 |
104 | 13 | Collin McHugh | SP | #N/A | 343 | 343 |
105 | 13 | Tyler Chatwood | SP | #N/A | 344 | 344 |
106 | 13 | Joe Musgrove | SP | #N/A | 355 | 355 |
107 | 13 | Derek Holland | SP | #N/A | 362 | 362 |
108 | 13 | Jose Berrios | SP | #N/A | 363 | 363 |
109 | 13 | Brandon Finnegan | SP | #N/A | 364 | 364 |
110 | 14 | Tyler Skaggs | SP | #N/A | 369 | 369 |
111 | 14 | Chad Kuhl | SP | #N/A | 397 | 397 |
112 | 14 | Adam Conley | SP | #N/A | 400 | 400 |
113 | 14 | Trevor Bauer | SP | #N/A | 410 | 410 |
114 | 14 | Matt Boyd | SP | #N/A | 411 | 411 |
115 | 14 | Jordan Zimmermann | SP | #N/A | 422 | 422 |
116 | 14 | Hisashi Iwakuma | SP | #N/A | 425 | 425 |
117 | 14 | Bud Norris | SP | #N/A | 429 | 429 |
118 | 14 | Wade Miley | SP | #N/A | 433 | 433 |
119 | 14 | Jimmy Nelson | SP | #N/A | 452 | 452 |
120 | 14 | Tyler Glasnow | SP | #N/A | 455 | 455 |
121 | 14 | James Shields | SP | #N/A | 467 | 467 |
122 | 14 | Wei-Yin Chen | SP | #N/A | 474 | 474 |
123 | 14 | Tyson Ross | SP | #N/A | 475 | 475 |
124 | 14 | David Phelps | SP | #N/A | 476 | 476 |
125 | 14 | Matt Garza | SP | #N/A | 477 | 477 |
126 | 14 | Mike Montgomery | SP | #N/A | 482 | 482 |
127 | 14 | Nate Karns | SP | #N/A | 492 | 492 |
128 | 14 | Homer Bailey | SP | #N/A | 493 | 493 |
129 | 14 | Scott Kazmir | SP | #N/A | 494 | 494 |
130 | 14 | Tom Koehler | SP | #N/A | 495 | 495 |
131 | 14 | Ariel Miranda | SP | #N/A | 496 | 496 |
132 | 14 | Tyler Duffey | SP | #N/A | 497 | 497 |
133 | 14 | Seth Lugo | SP | #N/A | 498 | 498 |
Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis: May
50 percent of the preseason Tier One guys are on the DL, with Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard both out for the foreseeable future. Yu Darvish takes a small step forward into the bottom of the tier, but Jacob deGrom is the real mover and shaker here. He’s leapt from No. 14 to No. 5 here, though two of his three May starts haven’t gone so hot. Still, only one of them was a real clunker (May 3, five walks and five earned against the Braves) and he bounced back from that to strike out 11 Giants in a quality start.
Heck, he won that game against Atlanta. He’s just 2-1 through eight starts, but owns an absurd 12.39 K/9 that leads the National League and his 3.16 SIERA ranks inside the top 10 as well. His K’s are no fluke either, as his 15.3 percent swinging-strike rate trails only Danny Salazar, Chris Sale and Max Scherzer. Those guys can bring the electricity. Buy in to the stuff and hope the Mets can support him.
Dallas Keuchel, eh? He skyrockets to No. 18 from No. 39 here thanks to a perfect, MLB-leading 7-0 record with the third-best ERA out of qualified starters (1.84). He also leads the league in innings as of May 17 with 63 2/3 frames under his belt, which just makes him all the more sweeter for those of you in points leagues. Sure, his 7.63 K/9 won’t win anything on its own but it’s more than serviceable enough to go along with his league-leading 66.9 percent ground-ball rate. He seems to have regained his ability to just relentlessly snipe the edges of the strike zone and leave hitters with nothing good to hit while still limiting walks (1.98 BB/9,) so it’s hard to ignore this.
Aaron Sanchez drops from No. 23 to No. 37 thanks to gaining a bit of a Rich Hill vibe to him with Blister: The Sequel popping up far too often. It doesn’t help that when he’s been on the mound he’s surviving on some luck rather than skill, as his 4.77 FIP/4.40 xFIP/4.62 SIERA are pretty ugly with a relatively-low 43.6 percent ground-ball rate thus far (54.4 percent in ’16.) Yes, 18 1/3 innings where he hasn’t even been healthy for all of them make for an incredible tilted sample size to analyze, but there’s no questioning that his stock takes a hit regardless. He also made some real value with his 15-2 record last season, and Toronto needs to get their bats back in order before we can see Sanchez getting enough support for serious wins in ’17.
Ervin Santana only sits at No. 56 (for good reason,) though I’ve still got him nearly 100 slots higher than Kyle. I hate/am astounded by his peripherals as well, but his turnaround began in the middle of 2016 and he’s got the seventh-best ERA over the last calendar year (2.88) and seems to be channeling his early-2010s form when he habitually outpitched his underlying metrics. However, he never posted rates like these: .128 BABIP, 98.4 percent strand rate, 25.9 percent soft-contact rate, 52.5 percent pull rate. What that says is he’s getting lucky, but is also inducing terrible contact and batters are out in front of a lot of his offerings. It’s not an ideal (or sustainable) path to success, but he’s not going to suddenly become a pumpkin either.
Other notable risers are types like Luis Severino, Ivan Nova, Lance Lynn, Eduardo Rodriguez, Alex Wood and Andrew Triggs. I would put Wood higher today now that I feel more secure about his slot in the rotation, though I fear the Dodgers will place him on the DL with some minor injury as they continue to utilize their pitching depth to conserve innings. I guess that comes off as accusatory -- just calling it as I see it, and it’s smart baseball by them with their roster. And I would boost Nate Karns up a ton today as well, toward the SP50 range. Matt Garza, Ariel Miranda and even Wade Miley would draw a small bump up from that last group as well.