Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Wheeling and Dealing

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Updated on May 17, 2021 2:24AM EST

Last season, Zack Wheeler seemingly sacrificed strikeouts for more more contact, most notably of the groundball variety. This season, Wheeler has ramped the punchouts back up while maintaining his grounder lean. The result is a No. 3 ranking for this week's double dip, ahead of a duo of Dodgers but behind a pair of the league's best pitchers the past couple seasons.

Elsewhere, this week will require some faith as a few struggling hurlers have two starts. The temptation is reserving guys until they show positive signs but you run the risk of losing two solid efforts. Of course, you may also tack on more damage, hence the conundrum.

Personally, I'm aggressive in these instances, especially if the underlying metrics are encouraging. As always, it's your team, hence your call.

Please realize I pull the probable starters from the site's Projected Starters page so kindly direct rotation question over there.

UPDATED: Monday May 17 2:20 AM ET

Week of May 17-23.

Mixed Leagues

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@TEX, CWS
2	Yu Darvish	SD	COL, SEA
3	Zack Wheeler	PHI	MIA, BOS	Maintaining high GB% while adding back high K%
4	Walker Buehler	LAD	ARI, @SF
5	Julio Urias	LAD	ARI, @SF	Love to see 7 IP for half of 8 GS
6	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@MIA	Fingers crossed
7	Sonny Gray	CIN	SF, MIL
8	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	BOS, TB
9	Max Scherzer	WAS	@CHC
10	Taijuan Walker

Personally, I'm aggressive in these instances, especially if the underlying metrics are encouraging. As always, it's your team, hence your call.

Please realize I pull the probable starters from the site's Projected Starters page so kindly direct rotation question over there.

UPDATED: Monday May 17 2:20 AM ET

Week of May 17-23.

Mixed Leagues

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@TEX, CWS
2	Yu Darvish	SD	COL, SEA
3	Zack Wheeler	PHI	MIA, BOS	Maintaining high GB% while adding back high K%
4	Walker Buehler	LAD	ARI, @SF
5	Julio Urias	LAD	ARI, @SF	Love to see 7 IP for half of 8 GS
6	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@MIA	Fingers crossed
7	Sonny Gray	CIN	SF, MIL
8	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	BOS, TB
9	Max Scherzer	WAS	@CHC
10	Taijuan Walker	NYM	@ATL, @MIA	Expecting control and command to continue to improve
11	Cristian Javier	HOU	@OAK, @TEX
12	Shane Bieber	CLE	MIN
13	Danny Duffy	KC	MIL, DET
14	Trevor Bauer	LAD	ARI
15	Charlie Morton	ATL	NYM, PIT	Hang in there, he's not pitching as poorly as it seems
16	Tyler Glasnow	TB	@TOR	At least 6 IP in 7 of 9 GS
17	Jack Flaherty	STL	PIT
18	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	DET
19	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@KC
20	Sean Manaea	OAK	HOU, @LAA	Just didn't have it vs. Boston, buy low if possible
21	Joe Musgrove	SD	COL
22	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	ARI
23	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@KC
24	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@NYY	Good test for the lefty
25	Aaron Nola	PHI	BOS
26	John Means	BAL	TB	Seen enough to greatly improve expectations
27	Michael Pineda	MIN	CWS, @CLE
28	Andrew Heaney	LAA	CLE, OAK
29	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	CLE
30	Freddy Peralta	MIL	@CIN
31	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	WAS, @STL	K-BB% is impressive 23.6%
32	Zach Plesac	CLE	@LAA	Two straight 8 IP efforts, but only 11 K in those 16 IP
33	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@CIN, LAD	Strikeouts down lately, should return
34	Zack Greinke	HOU	@OAK
35	Kevin Gausman	SF	@CIN
36	Jose Berrios	MIN	@LAA
37	Jameson Taillon	NYY	@TEX, CWS	8 HR in 33 IP driving high ERA
38	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@CHC, BAL
39	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@MIA
40	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	@TOR, @PHI
41	Alex Wood	SF	LAD
42	Lance Lynn	CWS	@MIN
43	Ian Anderson	ATL	PIT	Perfect game to get back on track
44	JT Brubaker	PIT	@STL, @ATL	Due ERA correction, but skills will keep landing soft
45	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	@TEX
46	Huascar Ynoa	ATL	PIT	Perfect game to stay on track
47	Pablo Lopez	MIA	NYM
48	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	CWS
49	Chris Paddack	SD	SEA
50	Max Fried	ATL	NYM, PIT	Ideal pair to continue turnaround
51	Dylan Bundy	LAA	MIN	ERA estimators all in the mid-threes, he's fine
52	Casey Mize	DET	@SEA, @KC	Stuff will eventually translate to more strikeouts
53	Zach Eflin	PHI	MIA
54	Rich Hill	TB	@BAL
55	Aaron Civale	CLE	@LAA
56	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	BAL	On track to return, should be good for 90 or so pitches
57	Dinelson Lamet	SD	SEA
58	Chris Bassitt	OAK	@LAA
59	Corey Kluber	NYY	@TEX	Maybe he is a slow starter; 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 27 K over last 26.1 IP
60	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@MIN, @NYY	Low strikeouts dampen ranking, even with a pair
61	Spencer Turnbull	DET	@SEA
62	Luis Castillo	CIN	SF, MIL	Not giving up and not benching him; your team, your call.
63	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@MIN
64	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@PHI
65	Adam Wainwright	STL	CHC
66	Miles Mikolas	STL	CHC	Slated to make 2021 debut
67	Mike Minor	KC	DET
68	J.A. Happ	MIN	CWS, @CLE
69	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@CLE
70	Robbie Ray	TOR	TB
71	Matthew Boyd	DET	@KC
72	Logan Gilbert	SEA	DET	No walks in debut but command was off - needs to locate better within the zone
73	Blake Snell	SD	COL
74	Brady Singer	KC	DET
75	Domingo German	NYY	@TEX
76	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@PHI
77	Luis Garcia	HOU	@OAK
78	Tarik Skubal	DET	@SEA
79	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	CHC
80	John Gant	STL	PIT
81	Jon Gray	COL	@SD
82	Nick Pivetta	BOS	@TOR
83	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@PHI
84	Mix 12 Reliever
85	Justin Dunn	SEA	DET
86	Shane McClanahan	TB	@TOR
87	Triston McKenzie	CLE	MIN
88	Kyle Gibson	TEX	HOU
89	Garrett Richards	BOS	@TOR
90	Tyler Mahle	CIN	SF
91	Alex Cobb	LAA	OAK
92	Mix 15 Reliever
93	Tyler Anderson	PIT	@ATL
94	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@STL
95	Griffin Canning	LAA	MIN
96	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@LAD, @COL
97	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	NYY, HOU
98	Josh Fleming	TB	@TOR
99	Logan Webb	SF	@CIN, LAD
100	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	@BAL
101	Cole Irvin	OAK	HOU	Fanning more than expected
102	James Kaprielian	OAK	@LAA
103	David Price	LAD	@SF
104	Frankie Montas	OAK	HOU
105	Steven Matz	TOR	BOS
106	Adrian Houser	MIL	@CIN
107	Vince Velasquez	PHI	MIA
108	Wade Miley	CIN	SF	Johnny Vander Meer's record remains intact
109	Austin Gomber	COL	@SD
110	Jose Urena	DET	@KC
111	Jake Arrieta	CHC	WAS
112	Jon Lester	WAS	@CHC, BAL
113	Randy Dobnak	MIN	@LAA
114	Chris Flexen	SEA	@SD
115	Zach Davies	CHC	WAS, @STL
116	Trevor Cahill	PIT	@STL
117	Matt Shoemaker	MIN	CWS
118	Jose Quintana	LAA	OAK
119	Jordan Holloway	MIA	NYM
120	Anthony Kay	TOR	TB
121	Johnny Cueto	SF	@CIN
122	Dane Dunning	TEX	NYY
123	Merrill Kelly	ARI	@LAD
124	Brad Keller	KC	MIL
125	Hyeon-Jong Yang	TEX	NYY
126	Joe Ross	WAS	@CHC
127	Chase Anderson	PHI	BOS
128	Dylan Cease	CWS	@NYY
129	Ross Stripling	TOR	BOS
130	Jordan Lyles	TEX	NYY, HOU
131	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	CLE
132	Martin Perez	BOS	@PHI
133	David Peterson	NYM	@ATL
134	Drew Smyly	ATL	NYM
135	Jeff Hoffman	CIN	MIL
136	Trevor Williams	CHC	WAS
137	Justus Sheffield	SEA	@SD
138	Mitch Keller	PIT	@ATL
139	Jorge Lopez	BAL	TB
140	Brett Anderson	MIL	@CIN
141	Matt Harvey	BAL	TB, @WAS
142	Luis Patino	TB	@BAL
143	Sam Hentges	CLE	@LAA, MIN
144	Nick Neidert	MIA	@PHI, NYM
145	German Marquez	COL	ARI
146	Thomas Szapucki	NYM	@ATL
147	Luke Weaver	ARI	@COL
148	Kent Emanuel	HOU	@TEX
149	Dean Kremer	BAL	@WAS
150	Wil Crowe	PIT	@ATL
151	Robert Dugger	SEA	@SD
152	Riley Smith	ARI	@LAD
153	Seth Frankoff	ARI	@LAD
154	Taylor Widener	ARI	@COL
155	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	@SD
156	Bruce Zimmermann	BAL	@WAS
157	Kyle Freeland	COL	ARI
158	Antonio Senzatela	COL	ARI

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@TEX, CWS
2	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	BOS, TB
3	Cristian Javier	HOU	@OAK, @TEX
4	Shane Bieber	CLE	MIN
5	Danny Duffy	KC	MIL, DET
6	Tyler Glasnow	TB	@TOR	At least 6 IP in 7 of 9 GS
7	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	DET
8	Sean Manaea	OAK	HOU, @LAA	Just didn't have it vs. Boston, buy low if possible
9	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@NYY	Good test for the lefty
10	John Means	BAL	TB	Seen enough to greatly improve expectations
11	Michael Pineda	MIN	CWS, @CLE
12	Andrew Heaney	LAA	CLE, OAK
13	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	CLE
14	Zach Plesac	CLE	@LAA	Two straight 8 IP efforts, but only 11 K in those 16 IP
15	Zack Greinke	HOU	@OAK
16	Jose Berrios	MIN	@LAA
17	Jameson Taillon	NYY	@TEX, CWS	8 HR in 33 IP driving high ERA
18	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	@TOR, @PHI
19	Lance Lynn	CWS	@MIN
20	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	@TEX
21	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	CWS
22	Dylan Bundy	LAA	MIN	ERA estimators all in the mid-threes, he's fine
23	Casey Mize	DET	@SEA, @KC	Stuff will eventually translate to more strikeouts
24	Rich Hill	TB	@BAL
25	Aaron Civale	CLE	@LAA
26	Chris Bassitt	OAK	@LAA
27	Corey Kluber	NYY	@TEX	Maybe he is a slow starter; 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 27 K over last 26.1 IP
28	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@MIN, @NYY	Low strikeouts dampen ranking, even with a pair
29	Spencer Turnbull	DET	@SEA
30	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@MIN
31	Mike Minor	KC	DET
32	J.A. Happ	MIN	CWS, @CLE
33	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@CLE
34	Robbie Ray	TOR	TB
35	Matthew Boyd	DET	@KC
36	Logan Gilbert	SEA	DET	No walks in debut but command was off - needs to locate better within the zone
37	Brady Singer	KC	DET
38	Domingo German	NYY	@TEX
39	Luis Garcia	HOU	@OAK
40	Tarik Skubal	DET	@SEA
41	Nick Pivetta	BOS	@TOR
42	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@PHI
43	Justin Dunn	SEA	DET
44	Shane McClanahan	TB	@TOR
45	Triston McKenzie	CLE	MIN
46	Kyle Gibson	TEX	HOU
47	Garrett Richards	BOS	@TOR
48	Alex Cobb	LAA	OAK
49	Griffin Canning	LAA	MIN
50	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	NYY, HOU
51	Josh Fleming	TB	@TOR
52	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	@BAL
53	Cole Irvin	OAK	HOU	Fanning more than expected
54	James Kaprielian	OAK	@LAA
55	Frankie Montas	OAK	HOU
56	Steven Matz	TOR	BOS
57	AL Reliever
58	Jose Urena	DET	@KC
59	Randy Dobnak	MIN	@LAA
60	Chris Flexen	SEA	@SD
61	Matt Shoemaker	MIN	CWS
62	Jose Quintana	LAA	OAK
63	Anthony Kay	TOR	TB
64	Dane Dunning	TEX	NYY
65	Brad Keller	KC	MIL
66	Hyeon-Jong Yang	TEX	NYY
67	Dylan Cease	CWS	@NYY
68	Ross Stripling	TOR	BOS
69	Jordan Lyles	TEX	NYY, HOU
70	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	CLE
71	Martin Perez	BOS	@PHI
72	Justus Sheffield	SEA	@SD
73	Jorge Lopez	BAL	TB
74	Matt Harvey	BAL	TB, @WAS
75	Luis Patino	TB	@BAL
76	Sam Hentges	CLE	@LAA, MIN
77	Kent Emanuel	HOU	@TEX
78	Dean Kremer	BAL	@WAS
79	Robert Dugger	SEA	@SD

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Yu Darvish	SD	COL, SEA
2	Zack Wheeler	PHI	MIA, BOS	Maintaining high GB% while adding back high K%
3	Walker Buehler	LAD	ARI, @SF
4	Julio Urias	LAD	ARI, @SF	Love to see 7 IP for half of 8 GS
5	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@MIA	Fingers crossed
6	Sonny Gray	CIN	SF, MIL
7	Max Scherzer	WAS	@CHC
8	Taijuan Walker	NYM	@ATL, @MIA	Expecting control and command to continue to improve
9	Trevor Bauer	LAD	ARI
10	Charlie Morton	ATL	NYM, PIT	Hang in there, he's not pitching as poorly as it seems
11	Jack Flaherty	STL	PIT
12	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@KC
13	Joe Musgrove	SD	COL
14	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	ARI
15	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@KC
16	Aaron Nola	PHI	BOS
17	Freddy Peralta	MIL	@CIN
18	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	WAS, @STL	K-BB% is impressive 23.6%
19	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@CIN, LAD	Strikeouts down lately, should return
20	Kevin Gausman	SF	@CIN
21	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@CHC, BAL
22	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@MIA
23	Alex Wood	SF	LAD
24	Ian Anderson	ATL	PIT	Perfect game to get back on track
25	JT Brubaker	PIT	@STL, @ATL	Due ERA correction, but skills will keep landing soft
26	Huascar Ynoa	ATL	PIT	Perfect game to stay on track
27	Pablo Lopez	MIA	NYM
28	Chris Paddack	SD	SEA
29	Max Fried	ATL	NYM, PIT	Ideal pair to continue turnaround
30	Zach Eflin	PHI	MIA
31	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	BAL	On track to return, should be good for 90 or so pitches
32	Dinelson Lamet	SD	SEA
33	Luis Castillo	CIN	SF, MIL	Not giving up and not benching him; your team, your call.
34	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@PHI
35	Adam Wainwright	STL	CHC
36	Miles Mikolas	STL	CHC	Slated to make 2021 debut
37	Blake Snell	SD	COL
38	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@PHI
39	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	CHC
40	John Gant	STL	PIT
41	Jon Gray	COL	@SD
42	Tyler Mahle	CIN	SF
43	Tyler Anderson	PIT	@ATL
44	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@STL
45	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@LAD, @COL
46	Logan Webb	SF	@CIN, LAD
47	David Price	LAD	@SF
48	Adrian Houser	MIL	@CIN
49	NL Reliever
50	Vince Velasquez	PHI	MIA
51	Wade Miley	CIN	SF	Johnny Vander Meer's record remains intact
52	Austin Gomber	COL	@SD
53	Jake Arrieta	CHC	WAS
54	Jon Lester	WAS	@CHC, BAL
55	Zach Davies	CHC	WAS, @STL
56	Trevor Cahill	PIT	@STL
57	Jordan Holloway	MIA	NYM
58	Johnny Cueto	SF	@CIN
59	Merrill Kelly	ARI	@LAD
60	Joe Ross	WAS	@CHC
61	Chase Anderson	PHI	BOS
62	David Peterson	NYM	@ATL
63	Drew Smyly	ATL	NYM
64	Jeff Hoffman	CIN	MIL
65	Trevor Williams	CHC	WAS
66	Mitch Keller	PIT	@ATL
67	Brett Anderson	MIL	@CIN
68	Nick Neidert	MIA	@PHI, NYM
69	German Marquez	COL	ARI
70	Thomas Szapucki	NYM	@ATL
71	Luke Weaver	ARI	@COL
72	Wil Crowe	PIT	@ATL
73	Riley Smith	ARI	@LAD
74	Seth Frankoff	ARI	@LAD
75	Taylor Widener	ARI	@COL
76	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	@SD