I hope you all dig the new format of the rankings. Please note the data are season totals as of May 24, 2013.
Top Starters
|
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Opp. |
ERA |
K% |
BB% |
|
1 |
Adam Wainwright |
STL |
@KC, SF |
2.38 |
24.8% |
2.2% |
|
2 |
Yu Darvish |
TEX |
@ARI-2, KC |
2.83 |
34.7% |
8.4% |
|
3 |
Matt Harvey |
NYM |
NYY, @MIA |
1.93 |
28.0% |
6.4% |
|
4 |
Chris Sale |
CWS |
CHC, @OAK |
2.53 |
24.7% |
6.1% |
|
5 |
Justin Verlander |
DET |
PIT, @BAL |
3.66 |
27.3% |
8.3% |
|
6 |
Jered Weaver |
LAA |
@LAD, HOU |
4.91 |
12.5% |
12.5% |
|
7 |
Gio Gonzalez |
WSH |
BAL, @ATL |
3.66 |
23.2% |
10.6% |
|
8 |
Mat Latos |
CIN |
CLE, @PIT |
3.17 |
20.5% |
6.0% |
|
9 |
Madison Bumgarner |
SF |
@OAK, @STL |
2.89 |
24.2% |
6.5% |
|
10 |
James Shields |
KC |
STL, @TEX |
2.47 |
24.6% |
5.3% |
|
11 |
Jeff Samardzija |
CHC |
@CWS, ARI |
3.25 |
27.6% |
8.4% |
|
12 |
Cliff Lee |
PHI |
@BOS, MIL |
2.48 |
19.2% |
4.5% |
|
13 |
Clay Buchholz |
BOS |
PHI, @NYY |
1.73 |
26.0% |
9.6% |
|
14 |
Stephen Strasburg |
WSH |
@ATL |
2.66 |
23.7% |
8.0% |
|
15 |
Matt Moore |
TB |
@MIA |
2.29 |
24.0% |
11.6% |
|
16 |
Anibal Sanchez |
DET |
@PIT |
2.38 |
30.7% |
6.5% |
|
17 |
Felix Hernandez |
SEA |
@SD |
2.07 |
26.5% |
4.4% |
|
18 |
Hisashi Iwakuma |
SEA |
@MIN |
2.36 |
24.8% |
4.5% |
|
19 |
Max Scherzer |
DET |
@BAL |
3.61 |
31.8% |
5.5% |
|
20 |
Johnny Cueto |
CIN |
@PIT |
3.23 |
28.6% |
11.0% |
|
21 |
Hiroki Kuroda |
NYY |
@NYM, BOS |
2.67 |
16.0% |
5.8% |
|
22 |
Homer Bailey |
CIN |
@CLE |
3.09 |
23.4% |
6.4% |
|
23 |
Clayton Kershaw |
LAD |
@COL |
1.35 |
26.3% |
6.6% |
|
24 |
CC Sabathia |
NYY |
BOS |
3.42 |
20.0% |
5.4% |
Additional Information: Gio Gonzalez in his past four starts has a 1.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP with only eight walks in 27 innings. Three of starts in extremely pitcher friendly parks (San Diego, Pittsburgh and San Francisco), which aided those numbers, but I think he’s turning the corner. In ten career starts Clayton Kershaw has a 5.94 ERA. Kershaw has easily been the best pitcher in the majors and odds are, if you own him you’re stating him. Also, if Patrick Corbin can be successful, why not Kershaw?
Backend Starters
|
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Opp. |
ERA |
K% |
BB% |
|
25 |
C.J. Wilson |
LAA |
@LAD, HOU |
3.39 |
21.4% |
11.4% |
|
26 |
Jordan Zimmermann |
WSH |
@BAL |
1.71 |
16.4% |
3.2% |
|
27 |
Shelby Miller |
STL |
SF |
1.74 |
28.2% |
6.8% |
|
28 |
Jake Peavy |
CWS |
@CHC |
3.31 |
28.4% |
6.4% |
|
29 |
Lance Lynn |
STL |
KC |
2.95 |
26.8% |
9.8% |
|
30 |
Patrick Corbin |
ARI |
@CHC |
1.44 |
21.2% |
7.5% |
|
31 |
Andrew Cashner |
SD |
SEA |
3.02 |
18.1% |
9.3% |
|
32 |
Doug Fister |
DET |
@PIT |
3.62 |
18.0% |
3.8% |
|
33 |
Alex Cobb |
TB |
@CLE |
2.73 |
22.3% |
5.8% |
|
34 |
Derek Holland |
TEX |
ARI |
3.30 |
22.2% |
5.8% |
|
35 |
A.J. Burnett |
PIT |
DET |
2.57 |
30.1% |
8.9% |
|
36 |
Matt Cain |
SF |
@STL |
5.12 |
21.1% |
7.2% |
|
37 |
Mike Minor |
ATL |
TOR |
2.78 |
22.8% |
5.4% |
|
38 |
Zack Greinke |
LAD |
LAA, @COL |
3.48 |
17.2% |
4.6% |
Additional Information: Which Braves starting pitcher has the highest WAR? Mike Minor. I’m not surprised by his success and his matchup against Toronto isn’t as bad as you think. The Blue Jays only rank 20th in the majors in OBP against left handed pitchers. I’m extremely worried about Matt Cain pitching in St. Louis, but there’s no way I can bench him in favor of Ervin Santana or a Dan Straily.
Spot Starters
|
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Opp. |
ERA |
K% |
BB% |
|
39 |
Kris Medlen |
ATL |
TOR |
3.16 |
17.0% |
8.3% |
|
40 |
Jeremy Hellickson |
TB |
MIA, @CLE |
5.37 |
19.3% |
6.9% |
|
41 |
Cole Hamels |
PHI |
MIL |
4.45 |
21.5% |
9.1% |
|
42 |
Paul Maholm |
ATL |
@TOR, WSH |
3.38 |
18.4% |
7.7% |
|
43 |
Ervin Santana |
KC |
STL, @TEX |
3.14 |
20.6% |
3.6% |
|
44 |
Justin Masterson |
CLE |
CIN |
3.20 |
24.5% |
8.7% |
|
45 |
David Phelps |
NYY |
NYM |
3.96 |
23.6% |
8.7% |
|
46 |
Jose Fernandez |
MIA |
@TB, NYM |
3.31 |
22.8% |
8.9% |
|
47 |
Hyun-Jin Ryu |
LAD |
LAA, @COL |
3.30 |
23.2% |
8.5% |
|
48 |
Jon Lester |
BOS |
@PHI |
3.15 |
19.5% |
6.7% |
|
49 |
Dan Straily |
OAK |
SF, CWS |
5.73 |
23.0% |
8.6% |
|
50 |
Ryan Dempster |
BOS |
PHI, @NYY |
4.69 |
27.7% |
12.0% |
|
51 |
Ross Detwiler |
WSH |
BAL, @ATL |
2.76 |
11.7% |
5.1% |
|
52 |
Jake Odorizzi |
TB |
MIA, @CLE |
5.40 |
28.6% |
4.8% |
|
53 |
Trevor Cahill |
ARI |
TEX-2, @CHC |
2.81 |
16.7% |
9.1% |
|
54 |
Bronson Arroyo |
CIN |
@CLE |
3.39 |
14.1% |
4.5% |
|
55 |
Chris Tillman |
BAL |
WSH |
3.68 |
19.7% |
8.6% |
|
56 |
R.A. Dickey |
TOR |
@ATL |
4.50 |
20.2% |
10.7% |
|
57 |
Jarrod Parker |
OAK |
SF, CWS |
5.76 |
16.3% |
10.2% |
|
58 |
Ian Kennedy |
ARI |
TEX-2, @CHC |
4.70 |
19.0% |
8.7% |
|
59 |
Matt Garza |
CHC |
ARI |
0.00 |
26.3% |
15.8% |
|
60 |
A.J. Griffin |
OAK |
@SF |
3.59 |
18.3% |
6.7% |
|
61 |
Kyle Lohse |
MIL |
@MIN |
3.76 |
16.2% |
4.4% |
|
62 |
Yovani Gallardo |
MIL |
@PHI |
4.50 |
16.9% |
8.3% |
Additional Information: Jeremy Hellickson is my fantasy kryptonite and odds are I will pump him up all year no matter how many bad outings he has. Hellickson looked sharp in his last start and he now gets an opportunity to pitch the Marlins and the Indians. On the surface the Indians start looks extremely unfavorable, but I don’t believe the offense is as good as what we’ve seen the past couple of weeks. In Jon Lester’s last five games he has a 3.97 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and only a strikeout rate of 17 percent. I wasn’t a believer in Hyun-Jin Ryu in the preseason, last week and I don’t believe in him again this week. R.A. Dickey got lit up again today (May 25) and the velocity of the knuckleball is still down compared to last year. I’m officially worried. What I love about Bronson Arroyo is you know what you’re getting, which are starts that do not kill your team. Arroyo, often passed over for high “upside” pitchers, is a very underrated.
Proceed With Caution
|
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Opp. |
ERA |
K% |
BB% |
|
63 |
Jose Quintana |
CWS |
CHC, @OAK |
3.48 |
18.1% |
7.0% |
|
64 |
Zach McAllister |
CLE |
@CIN, TB |
2.89 |
16.7% |
7.3% |
|
65 |
Mike Leake |
CIN |
CLE, @PIT |
3.25 |
16.0% |
6.3% |
|
66 |
Kevin Slowey |
MIA |
@TB, NYM |
3.30 |
18.1% |
5.1% |
|
67 |
Brandon Morrow |
TOR |
ATL, @SD |
5.51 |
17.3% |
7.8% |
|
68 |
Kevin Gausman |
BAL |
@WSH, DET |
7.20 |
20.8% |
8.3% |
|
69 |
Jason Vargas |
LAA |
LAD |
3.42 |
14.9% |
8.5% |
|
70 |
Ricky Nolasco |
MIA |
TB |
3.96 |
19.8% |
5.5% |
|
71 |
Julio Teheran |
ATL |
WSH |
3.98 |
14.0% |
4.2% |
|
72 |
Jerome Williams |
LAA |
HOU |
2.53 |
15.4% |
6.4% |
|
73 |
Nick Tepesch |
TEX |
KC |
3.98 |
16.8% |
7.0% |
|
74 |
Wandy Rodriguez |
PIT |
CIN |
3.40 |
18.1% |
4.4% |
|
75 |
Tommy Milone |
OAK |
@SF |
3.80 |
20.6% |
4.5% |
|
76 |
Justin Grimm |
TEX |
ARI |
4.05 |
19.9% |
6.8% |
|
77 |
Brandon McCarthy |
ARI |
@TEX |
4.36 |
14.3% |
3.7% |
|
78 |
John Lackey |
BOS |
@PHI |
2.72 |
24.4% |
6.7% |
|
79 |
Wade Miley |
ARI |
@TEX |
3.67 |
18.0% |
8.8% |
|
80 |
Scott Feldman |
CHC |
CWS |
2.80 |
19.0% |
8.2% |
Additional Information: Brandon McCarthy has been nothing less of exceptional, only allowing one earned runs in his past three starts, but now faces the fourth best offense (in terms of OPS) in the majors. The only reason why Jerome Williams is rated so high is because he’s facing the Astros. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s pitching in long relief in a week. John Lackey has pitched very well in has past two starts. However, they’ve been against the Indians and the Twins. I’m not buying Lackey yet. Wandy Rodriguez has a 80 percent left-on-base rate and a .243 BABIP. The curtain will pulled up on Wandy sooner rather than later.
Avoid
|
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Opp. |
ERA |
K% |
BB% |
|
81 |
Edwin Jackson |
CHC |
@CWS, ARI |
6.11 |
21.2% |
9.0% |
|
82 |
Jeremy Guthrie |
KC |
@STL |
3.49 |
12.9% |
8.1% |
|
83 |
Bartolo Colon |
OAK |
CWS |
4.31 |
14.0% |
1.9% |
|
84 |
Dan Haren |
WSH |
@BAL |
5.55 |
16.0% |
3.6% |
|
85 |
Tyler Chatwood |
COL |
HOU |
1.90 |
16.2% |
8.1% |
|
86 |
Bud Norris |
HOU |
COL, @LAA |
3.86 |
14.6% |
8.3% |
|
87 |
Jordan Lyles |
HOU |
COL, @LAA |
5.40 |
17.2% |
7.8% |
|
88 |
Phil Hughes |
NYY |
@NYM, BOS |
5.52 |
20.1% |
6.2% |
|
89 |
Tim Hudson |
ATL |
@TOR, WSH |
4.98 |
18.6% |
6.4% |
|
90 |
John Danks |
CWS |
@CHC |
4.50 |
22.7% |
0.0% |
|
91 |
Dylan Axelrod |
CWS |
@OAK |
4.13 |
12.6% |
6.3% |
|
92 |
Travis Wood |
CHC |
CWS |
2.24 |
17.0% |
8.3% |
|
93 |
Chris Capuano |
LAD |
@LAA |
5.60 |
18.0% |
7.4% |
|
94 |
Ted Lilly |
LAD |
@LAA |
5.63 |
20.9% |
9.3% |
|
95 |
Marco Estrada |
MIL |
@MIN |
4.94 |
21.6% |
6.8% |
|
96 |
Brandon Maurer |
SEA |
SD, @MIN |
6.80 |
15.5% |
8.2% |
|
97 |
Joe Saunders |
SEA |
@SD |
6.08 |
11.1% |
8.4% |
|
98 |
Chad Jenkins |
TOR |
@SD |
3.60 |
9.1% |
4.5% |
|
99 |
Kyle Kendrick |
PHI |
BOS |
3.29 |
15.1% |
6.5% |
|
100 |
Jeanmar Gomez |
PIT |
@DET, CIN |
2.75 |
14.2% |
9.5% |
Additional Information: Edwin Jackson has been complete crap aall year. The problem has been simple: command. With an extensive track record of being above average-good Jackson could provide two solid starts at any moment. Just when you thought Dan Haren was starting to figure it out, he goes and allows seven earned runs in San Diego of all places. Jordan Lyles in his past two starts has only allowed two earned runs and seven strikeouts in 11 innings.
