Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Lonely at the Top

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Lonely at the Top

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

Usually, there are at least five double-dippers in the Top-10 overall, but this week there is just one with Zac Gallen on top, then the next highest guy with two starts, Blake Snell, checks in as No. 13. The fifth-highest ranked two-start hurler is Bailey Ober, way down at No. 41.

This is no doubt due a combination of the schedule, quality of two-start options as well as the quantity. More teams are using a six-man rotation, and/or deploying the opener and bulk reliever combo.

It irks me how some are blindly attributing cause and effect to the new rules, so I'll stop short of saying injuries and the other factors affecting rotations are offshoots of the changes to the game. But it certainly has to be considered, and not necessarily in a good way.

The rescheduling of three games in Southern California introduces even more questions to some rotations. We'll do the best to sort it out over the weekend. As usual, please direct scheduling question to the Probable Pitchers page. I'm here to answer all rankings questions posted below.

UPDATED: Monday August 21, 1:40 AM ET

Week of August 21 - 27

Mixed

RankPitcherTMOPPCommentsMIX12MIX15
1Zac GallenARITEX, CINIn the mix for NL Cy Young  
2Luis CastilloSEA@CWS, KC   
3Spencer StriderATL@SF2.47 xFIP, should be running away with NL Young  
4Shohei OhtaniLAACIN 

Usually, there are at least five double-dippers in the Top-10 overall, but this week there is just one with Zac Gallen on top, then the next highest guy with two starts, Blake Snell, checks in as No. 13. The fifth-highest ranked two-start hurler is Bailey Ober, way down at No. 41.

This is no doubt due a combination of the schedule, quality of two-start options as well as the quantity. More teams are using a six-man rotation, and/or deploying the opener and bulk reliever combo.

It irks me how some are blindly attributing cause and effect to the new rules, so I'll stop short of saying injuries and the other factors affecting rotations are offshoots of the changes to the game. But it certainly has to be considered, and not necessarily in a good way.

The rescheduling of three games in Southern California introduces even more questions to some rotations. We'll do the best to sort it out over the weekend. As usual, please direct scheduling question to the Probable Pitchers page. I'm here to answer all rankings questions posted below.

UPDATED: Monday August 21, 1:40 AM ET

Week of August 21 - 27

Mixed

RankPitcherTMOPPCommentsMIX12MIX15
1Zac GallenARITEX, CINIn the mix for NL Cy Young  
2Luis CastilloSEA@CWS, KC   
3Spencer StriderATL@SF2.47 xFIP, should be running away with NL Young  
4Shohei OhtaniLAACIN   
5Blake SnellSDMIA, @MIL   
6Gerrit ColeNYYWAS   
7Tyler GlasnowTBCOL   
8Corbin BurnesMILMIN   
9Clayton KershawLAD@CLE   
10Max FriedATL@SF   
11Framber ValdezHOU@DET   
12Bryce MillerSEAKC   
13Aaron NolaPHISF, STLEnduring bad luck all season, but last 3 GS, .368 BABIP, 69.1% LOB has inflated ERA to 5.87 over last 15.1 IP, compared to 3.50 xFIP in that span
14Logan GilbertSEAKC   
15Max ScherzerTEX@MIN3-0 with 1.80 ERA, .80 WHIP and 26 K in 20 IP since the trade 
16Sandy AlcantaraMIA@SDPacing for >200 IP for third straight season  
17Zack WheelerPHISTL   
18Mike ClevingerCWSSEA, OAK4.62 xFIP and 3.26 ERA indicates good fortune, but these matchups are too juicy39% 
19Jordan MontgomeryTEX@ARI, @MIN   
20Brandon WoodruffMILSD5 HR allowed over last 16.2 IP inflating ERA  
21Zach EflinTBNYY   
22Kyle BradishBALCOL   
23Pablo LopezMINTEX   
24Cristian JavierHOUBOS, @DET   
25George KirbySEA@CWS   
26Lance LynnLAD@CLE   
27Yusei KikuchiTOR@BAL, CLEQuietly having a solid campaign  
28Kevin GausmanTOR@BAL   
29Freddy PeraltaMILSD   
30Cole RagansKC@OAK   
31Justin SteeleCHC@PITIn a run, but should rebound here  
32Merrill KellyARICIN   
33Tarik SkubalDETCHC   
34Michael LorenzenPHISFJohnny Van de Meer's family can rest easy, record still intact 
35Kodai SengaNYMLAA   
36Bailey OberMIN@MIL, TEX   
37Dylan CeaseCWSOAK   
38Brady SingerKC@SEA   
39Kenta MaedaMIN@MIL   
40Sonny GrayMINTEX   
41Braxton GarrettMIAWAS0%  
42Tanner BibeeCLE@TOR   
43Andrew AbbottCIN@LAA   
44Zack LittellTBCOL, NYY   
45Aaron CivaleTBCOL   
46Julio UriasLAD@BOS   
47Jon GrayTEX@ARI   
48Bobby MillerLAD@CLE, @BOS   
49Graham AshcraftCIN@LAA, @ARI   
50Chris BassittTORCLE   
51Dane DunningTEX@MIN29 K in last 20.2 IP, where did that come from?  
52Lucas GiolitoLAACIN   
53Justin VerlanderHOUBOS   
54Javier AssadCHC@DET, @PIT 5% 
55Logan WebbSFATL   
56Chris SaleBOS@HOU   
57Johnny CuetoMIA@SD, WAS 5% 
58James PaxtonBOS@HOU, LAD   
59Kyle HendricksCHC@PIT   
60Eury PerezMIAWAS   
61Hyun Jin RyuTORCLE 42% 
62Eduardo RodriguezDETHOU   
63Yu DarvishSD@MIL   
64Hunter BrownHOU@DET   
65Chase SilsethLAA@NYM   
66Cristopher SanchezPHISTL   
67Angel ZerpaKC@OAK 0%0%
68Cole IrvinBALCOL 2%43%
69Patrick SandovalLAA@NYM   
70Wade MileyMILMIN   
71Bryce ElderATLNYM   
72Michael WachaSD@MIL   
73Joe RyanMINTEX   
74Jose BerriosTOR@BAL   
75Johan OviedoPITSTL, CHC   
76Allan WinansATLNYM, @SF 9%49%
77Jameson TaillonCHC@DET   
78Alec MarshKC@OAK, @SEA 1%15%
79Carlos RodonNYYWAS, @TB   
80Mitch KellerPITCHC   
81Mix 12 Reliever     
82Brandon WilliamsonCIN@ARI 37% 
83Gavin WilliamsCLELAD   
84Jordan LylesKC@SEA 0%8%
85J.P. FranceHOUBOS   
86Tanner HouckBOS@HOU, LAD 12% 
87Brayan BelloBOS@HOU   
88Andrew HeaneyTEX@MIN   
89Grayson RodriguezBALTOR   
90Brandon PfaadtARICIN   
91Mix 15 Reliever     
92Sean ManaeaSF@PHI 4%30%
93Seth LugoSDMIA   
94Charlie MortonATLNYM   
95Jesus LuzardoMIA@SD   
96Reese OlsonDETCHC 32% 
97Paul BlackburnOAKKC, @CWS 11% 
98Kyle GibsonBALCOL   
99Taijuan WalkerPHISF   
100Dean KremerBALTOR   
101Tyler AndersonLAA@NYM 7% 
102MacKenzie GoreWAS@NYY   
103Reid DetmersLAACIN   
104Austin GomberCOL@TB 4%30%
105Kutter CrawfordBOSLAD   
106Alex FaedoDETCHC, HOU 8% 
107Nick LodoloCIN@ARI   
108Hunter GreeneCIN@ARIGood to see him back  
109Logan AllenCLE@TOR   
110Erasmo RamirezTBNYY 0%0%
111Michael KopechCWSSEA   
112Peter LambertCOL@TB 0%0%
113Jesse ScholtensCWSOAK 5% 
114Touki ToussaintCWSSEA, OAK 2% 
115JP SearsOAK@CWS   
116Ty BlachCOL@TB, @BAL 0%0%
117Jose UrquidyHOUBOS   
118Drew SmylyCHC@DET, @PIT 33% 
119Jose QuintanaNYM@ATL 37% 
120Kyle FreelandCOL@BAL 5%26%
121Adrian HouserMILSD 3% 
122Jake IrvinWAS@MIA 2%49%
123Jhony BritoNYY@TB 2%8%
124Emmet SheehanLAD@BOS 21%28%
125Bryan WooSEA@CWS   
126Luis MedinaOAKKC 15% 
127Clarke SchmidtNYY@TB   
128Miles MikolasSTL@PHI   
129Matt ManningDETHOU 27% 
130Kyle HarrisonSF@PHI, ATL 0%0%
131Drew RomSTL@PIT 0%0%
132Josiah GrayWAS@NYY   
133Dakota HudsonSTL@PHI 18% 
134Jack FlahertyBALTOR   
135Cal QuantrillCLE@TOR 8%13%
136Xzavion CurryCLELAD 2%28%
137Luis SeverinoNYYWAS   
138Bailey FalterPITSTL, CHC 0%13%
139Rich HillSDMIA 6% 
140Zach DaviesARICIN 0%4%
141Kyle MullerOAKKC, @CWS 0%0%
142Matthew LiberatoreSTL@PIT 27% 
143Alex CobbSF@PHI   
144Osvaldo BidoPITCHC 1%2%
145Ken WaldichukOAK@CWS 1%9%
146David PetersonNYM@ATL, LAA 16% 
147Joan AdonWAS@MIA 0%4%
148Patrick CorbinWAS@NYY 0%11%
149Carlos CarrascoNYMLAA 23% 
150Brett KennedyCIN@LAA 0%0%
151Trevor WilliamsWAS@MIA 0%8%
152Jakob JunisSFATL 0%0%
153Noah SyndergaardCLELAD 6%30%
154Zack ThompsonSTL@PHI 0%6%
155Chris FlexenCOL@BAL 0%0%
156Slade CecconiARITEX 0%0%
157Andre JacksonPITSTL 0%0%
158Adam WainwrightSTL@PIT 5%0%
159Tylor MegillNYM@ATL 14%26%

American League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Luis CastilloSEA@CWS, KC 
2Shohei OhtaniLAACIN 
3Gerrit ColeNYYWAS 
4Tyler GlasnowTBCOL 
5Framber ValdezHOU@DET 
6Bryce MillerSEAKC 
7Logan GilbertSEAKC 
8Max ScherzerTEX@MIN3-0 with 1.80 ERA, .80 WHIP and 26 K in 20 IP since the trade
9Mike ClevingerCWSSEA, OAK4.62 xFIP and 3.26 ERA indicates good fortune, but these matchups are too juicy
10Jordan MontgomeryTEX@ARI, @MIN 
11Zach EflinTBNYY 
12Kyle BradishBALCOL 
13Pablo LopezMINTEX 
14Cristian JavierHOUBOS, @DET 
15George KirbySEA@CWS 
16Yusei KikuchiTOR@BAL, CLEQuietly having a solid campaign
17Kevin GausmanTOR@BAL 
18Cole RagansKC@OAK 
19Tarik SkubalDETCHC 
20Bailey OberMIN@MIL, TEX 
21Dylan CeaseCWSOAK 
22Brady SingerKC@SEA 
23Kenta MaedaMIN@MIL 
24Sonny GrayMINTEX 
25Tanner BibeeCLE@TOR 
26Zack LittellTBCOL, NYY 
27Aaron CivaleTBCOL 
28Jon GrayTEX@ARI 
29Chris BassittTORCLE 
30Dane DunningTEX@MIN29 K in last 20.2 IP, where did that come from?
31Lucas GiolitoLAACIN 
32Justin VerlanderHOUBOS 
33Chris SaleBOS@HOU 
34James PaxtonBOS@HOU, LAD 
35Hyun Jin RyuTORCLE 
36Eduardo RodriguezDETHOU 
37Hunter BrownHOU@DET 
38Chase SilsethLAA@NYM 
39Angel ZerpaKC@OAK 
40Cole IrvinBALCOL 
41Patrick SandovalLAA@NYM 
42Joe RyanMINTEX 
43Jose BerriosTOR@BAL 
44Alec MarshKC@OAK, @SEA 
45Carlos RodonNYYWAS, @TB 
46Gavin WilliamsCLELAD 
47Jordan LylesKC@SEA 
48J.P. FranceHOUBOS 
49Tanner HouckBOS@HOU, LAD 
50Brayan BelloBOS@HOU 
51Andrew HeaneyTEX@MIN 
52Grayson RodriguezBALTOR 
53Reese OlsonDETCHC 
54Paul BlackburnOAKKC, @CWS 
55Kyle GibsonBALCOL 
56Dean KremerBALTOR 
57Tyler AndersonLAA@NYM 
58Reid DetmersLAACIN 
59Kutter CrawfordBOSLAD 
60Alex FaedoDETCHC, HOU 
61AL Reliever   
62Logan AllenCLE@TOR 
63Erasmo RamirezTBNYY 
64Michael KopechCWSSEA 
65Jesse ScholtensCWSOAK 
66Touki ToussaintCWSSEA, OAK 
67JP SearsOAK@CWS 
68Jose UrquidyHOUBOS 
69Jhony BritoNYY@TB 
70Bryan WooSEA@CWS 
71Luis MedinaOAKKC 
72Clarke SchmidtNYY@TB 
73Matt ManningDETHOU 
74Jack FlahertyBALTOR 
75Cal QuantrillCLE@TOR 
76Xzavion CurryCLELAD 
77Luis SeverinoNYYWAS 
78Kyle MullerOAKKC, @CWS 
79Ken WaldichukOAK@CWS 
80Noah SyndergaardCLELAD 

National League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Zac GallenARITEX, CINIn the mix for NL Cy Young
2Spencer StriderATL@SF2.47 xFIP, should be running away with NL Young
3Blake SnellSDMIA, @MIL 
4Corbin BurnesMILMIN 
5Clayton KershawLAD@CLE 
6Max FriedATL@SF 
7Aaron NolaPHISF, STLEnduring bad luck all season, but last 3 GS, .368 BABIP, 69.1% LOB has inflated ERA to 5.87 over last 15.1 IP, compared to 3.50 xFIP in that span
8Sandy AlcantaraMIA@SDPacing for >200 IP for third straight season
9Zack WheelerPHISTL 
10Brandon WoodruffMILSD5 HR allowed over last 16.2 IP inflating ERA
11Lance LynnLAD@CLE 
12Freddy PeraltaMILSD 
13Justin SteeleCHC@PITIn a run, but should rebound here
14Merrill KellyARICIN 
15Michael LorenzenPHISFJohnny Van de Meer's family can rest easy, record still intact
16Kodai SengaNYMLAA 
17Braxton GarrettMIAWAS0
18Andrew AbbottCIN@LAA 
19Julio UriasLAD@BOS 
20Bobby MillerLAD@CLE, @BOS 
21Graham AshcraftCIN@LAA, @ARI 
22Javier AssadCHC@DET, @PIT 
23Logan WebbSFATL 
24Johnny CuetoMIA@SD, WAS 
25Kyle HendricksCHC@PIT 
26Eury PerezMIAWAS 
27Yu DarvishSD@MIL 
28Cristopher SanchezPHISTL 
29Wade MileyMILMIN 
30Bryce ElderATLNYM 
31Michael WachaSD@MIL 
32Johan OviedoPITSTL, CHC 
33Allan WinansATLNYM, @SF 
34Jameson TaillonCHC@DET 
35Mitch KellerPITCHC 
36Brandon WilliamsonCIN@ARI 
37Brandon PfaadtARICIN 
38Sean ManaeaSF@PHI 
39Seth LugoSDMIA 
40Charlie MortonATLNYM 
41Jesus LuzardoMIA@SD 
42Taijuan WalkerPHISF 
43MacKenzie GoreWAS@NYY 
44Austin GomberCOL@TB 
45NL Reliever   
46Nick LodoloCIN@ARI 
47Hunter GreeneCIN@ARIGood to see him back
48Peter LambertCOL@TB 
49Ty BlachCOL@TB, @BAL 
50Drew SmylyCHC@DET, @PIT 
51Jose QuintanaNYM@ATL 
52Kyle FreelandCOL@BAL 
53Adrian HouserMILSD 
54Jake IrvinWAS@MIA 
55Emmet SheehanLAD@BOS 
56Miles MikolasSTL@PHI 
57Kyle HarrisonSF@PHI, ATL 
58Drew RomSTL@PIT 
59Josiah GrayWAS@NYY 
60Dakota HudsonSTL@PHI 
61Bailey FalterPITSTL, CHC 
62Rich HillSDMIA 
63Zach DaviesARICIN 
64Matthew LiberatoreSTL@PIT 
65Alex CobbSF@PHI 
66Osvaldo BidoPITCHC 
67David PetersonNYM@ATL, LAA 
68Joan AdonWAS@MIA 
69Patrick CorbinWAS@NYY 
70Carlos CarrascoNYMLAA 
71Brett KennedyCIN@LAA 
72Trevor WilliamsWAS@MIA 
73Jakob JunisSFATL 
74Zack ThompsonSTL@PHI 
75Chris FlexenCOL@BAL 
76Slade CecconiARITEX 
77Andre JacksonPITSTL 
78Adam WainwrightSTL@PIT 
79Tylor MegillNYM@ATL 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Todd Zola
Todd has been writing about fantasy baseball since 1997. He won NL Tout Wars and Mixed LABR in 2016 as well as a multi-time league winner in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship. Todd is now setting his sights even higher: The Rotowire Staff League. Lord Zola, as he's known in the industry, won the 2013 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Article of the Year award and was named the 2017 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year. Todd is a five-time FSWA awards finalist.
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