Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Subject to Change

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Updated on April 21, 2019 11:02PM EST

It's become customary to review the two-start pitching options on the Friday RotoWire podcast. It's also become a tongue-in-cheek running gag to warn the schedule is subject to change as there's always a shake-up based on the weekend's action.

Well, this week's edition is subject to even more change than usual, not all of which will be fleshed out by Sunday night. The rain plaguing the Midwest has moved East. The entire fantasy community is waiting with bated breath as Jacob deGrom undergoes an MRI on his balky elbow. A much smaller portion is curious if Brad Keller will drop his suspension.

As things stand now, the docket is much weaker than the last couple weeks. At the top is a struggling Carlos Carrasco followed by a rejuvenated Jake Arrieta. There's not much to pick up off waivers for those looking to stream a double-dipper.

As always, a Sunday night update will be posted, but keep in mind shuffling will continue into the week.

For the week of April 22-28

UPDATED: Sunday April 21, 11:00 PM ET

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. MIA, at HOU	Looking to build off 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 12 K vs. Mariners last time out
2	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at NYM, vs. MIA	Strikeouts low, but so are homers allowed
3	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. MIL, vs. CIN	.412 BABIP and 21% HR/FB due for a big downturn
4	Patrick Corbin	WAS	at COL, vs. SD

As always, a Sunday night update will be posted, but keep in mind shuffling will continue into the week.

For the week of April 22-28

UPDATED: Sunday April 21, 11:00 PM ET

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. MIA, at HOU	Looking to build off 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 12 K vs. Mariners last time out
2	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at NYM, vs. MIA	Strikeouts low, but so are homers allowed
3	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. MIL, vs. CIN	.412 BABIP and 21% HR/FB due for a big downturn
4	Patrick Corbin	WAS	at COL, vs. SD	Hope the Rockies don't finally break out
5	Mike Minor	TEX	at OAK, at SEA	Very good pitcher (when healthy), benefitting from a pair on the road
6	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. DET, vs. TB	Underlying metrics returning, now it's time for the results to follow
7	Brad Peacock	HOU	vs. MIN, vs. CLE	Tough draws, but at least they're at home
8	Erik Swanson	SEA	at SD, vs. TEX	Nice debut, in good spot to continue at home
9	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. SD
10	Domingo German	NYY	at LAA, at SF	A pair of lesser lineups in very good pitching venues
11	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. ARI, at LAD	Continues to get it done without a ton of whiffs
12	Zach Eflin	PHI	at NYM, vs. MIA	Survived Coors
13	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. ARI, at LAD	Rewarding those anticipating break out
14	J.A. Happ	NYY	at LAA, at SF	Homers big issue, should be OK this week facing less powerful bats
15	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. MIL	Insert Mets medical staff joke here
16	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. CLE
17	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. MIN
18	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at HOU
19	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. PIT
20	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. MIA	Perfect panacea for a slow start
21	Corey Kluber	CLE	at HOU
22	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. MIL
23	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. SD
24	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. BAL
25	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. NYY, at KC	Pitching well before IL visit, though homers an issue
26	Chris Paddack	SD	vs. SEA
27	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. NYY
28	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. PIT
29	Rich Hill	MIL	vs. PIT	Expected to make 2019 debut
30	Collin McHugh	HOU	vs. CLE
31	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	vs. TEX	Needs to pick up the strikeouts for long term success
32	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PHI, vs. MIL	Coming off disaster, but playable for a home pair
33	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. ARI	May not have ceiling of dominant ace but need an elevator to get to the floor
34	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. COL	Long-awaited season debut
35	Zack Greinke	ARI	at PIT
36	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. DET
37	Luis Castillo	CIN	at STL
38	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at HOU, vs. BAL	Walks way too high
39	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. LAD, at ARI	Consecutive 7-innings outings with 18 K, 1 BB and no HR
40	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. CIN
41	Wade Miley	HOU	vs. MIN, vs. CLE	Hardly any strikeouts, but in play with home double dip
42	Clay Buchholz	TOR	vs. SF
43	Matthew Boyd	DET	at BOS, at CWS	Continues to be one of the early good stories
44	Shane Bieber	CLE	at HOU	Good test for the youngster
45	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at LAA
46	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. LAD	Missing more bats this season
47	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. PHI
48	James Paxton	NYY	at SF
49	Lance Lynn	TEX	at OAK, at SEA	Keeping the ball in the yard
50	Cole Hamels	CHC	vs. LAD	Off to a solid start
51	Blake Snell	TB	at BOS	Rays hoping for a short IL stint
52	CC Sabathia	NYY	at LAA	Veteran giving Yankees rotation much needed boost
53	Freddy Peralta	MIL	at NYM
54	David Price	BOS	vs. TB
55	Mike Soroka	ATL	at CIN
56	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. KC	May not start, but worth playing
57	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. DET	Getting closer, still needs to get over 5th inning hump
58	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX
59	Chase Anderson	MIL	at NYM
60	Matt Strahm	SD	at WAS
61	Walker Buehler	LAD	at CHC	Rounding into form
62	Chris Archer	PIT	at LAD	Working on extra rest coming off suspension
63	Jon Gray	COL	at ATL
64	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. COL
65	Michael Pineda	MIN	at HOU	Velocity picking up
66	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. CHC
67	Jakob Junis	KC	at TB	Not sharp, but 8.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 not terrible. .354 BABIP and 19% HR/FB hurting
68	Zack Godley	ARI	at PIT, vs. CHC
69	Trent Thornton	TOR	vs. SF, vs. OAK
70	Charlie Morton	TB	at BOS	3.96 xFIP and 3.98 SIERA warn of impending comeuppance
71	Sonny Gray	CIN	vs. ATL, at STL	Deserves better than 0-3 record
72	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	vs. MIA	Taking Nick Pivetta's rotation spot after 4 IP, 6 K relief stint
73	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at WAS
74	Ivan Nova	CWS	at BAL, vs. DET
75	Pablo Lopez	MIA	at CLE, at PHI	Risk to ratios, but should pile up punch outs
76	Tanner Roark	CIN	vs. ATL	Sorting career high 23% K-rate
77	Derek Holland	SF	vs. NYY
78	Luke Weaver	ARI	at PIT, vs. CHC	17 K, 1 BB over last two starts, spanning 11.1 IP
79	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. DET	Only needs 40 IP without issuing a walk to get BB/9 to career level
80	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	vs. NYY
81	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. DET
82	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. KC	Pretty sure Yarbrough means "Win vulture" in Latin
83	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at CIN	Dylan Bundy is jealous
84	German Marquez	COL	vs. WAS
85	Nick Margevicius	SD	vs. SEA
86	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at STL
87	Ross Stripling	LAD	at CHC
88	Antonio Senzatela	COL	at ATL
89	Max Fried	ATL	vs. COL
90	Michael Wacha	STL	vs. MIL
91	Hector Velazquez	BOS	vs. DET, vs. TB
92	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. WAS, at ATL
93	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. OAK
94	Brad Keller	KC	at TB
95	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. ATL
96	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at CHC	Uncharacteristically wild early on
97	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at NYM
98	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. LAA
99	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at TOR
100	Yu Darvish	CHC	at ARI
101	Caleb Smith	MIA	at PHI
102	Spencer Turnbull	DET	at BOS, at CWS
103	Felix Pena	LAA	vs. NYY
104	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TEX
105	Tyler Glasnow	TB	at BOS
106	Trevor Richards	MIA	at PHI
107	Merrill Kelly	ARI	at PIT
108	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. KC
109	Trevor Cahill	LAA	at KC
110	Zach Davies	MIL	at STL	Can't keep this up without more punch outs
111	Jon Lester	CHC	at ARI
112	Aaron Brooks	OAK	vs. TEX
113	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at STL
114	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. BAL
115	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. PHI
116	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. OAK
117	Bryse Wilson	ATL	at CIN
118	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. WAS
119	Drew Smyly	TEX	at OAK
120	Drew Pomeranz	SF	at TOR
121	Jefry Rodriguez	CLE	vs. MIA
122	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	at NYM
123	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. MIL
124	Dakota Hudson	STL	vs. CIN
125	Jordan Lyles	PIT	vs. ARI
126	Jose Urena	MIA	at PHI
127	Zack Littell	MIN	at HOU
128	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. TEX
129	Marco Estrada	OAK	at TOR
130	Ervin Santana	CWS	at BAL
131	Mike Fiers	OAK	at TOR
132	John Means	BAL	vs. CWS
133	Matt Harvey	LAA	vs. NYY, at KC
134	Homer Bailey	KC	at TB, vs. LAA
135	Eric Lauer	SD	at WAS
136	Daniel Norris	DET	at CWS
137	Chris Bassitt	OAK	vs. TEX
138	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at SD
139	Dan Straily	BAL	at MIN
140	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at COL
141	David Hess	BAL	vs. CWS
142	Tyson Ross	DET	at BOS
143	Brett Anderson	OAK	at TOR
144	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. CWS
145	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	at COL
146	Manny Banuelos	CWS	at BAL
147	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	at CLE
148	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at MIN
149	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at BOS
150	Alex Cobb	BAL	at MIN
151	Adrian Sampson	TEX	at SEA
152	Chris Stratton	LAA	vs. NYY
153	Shelby Miller	TEX	at SEA
154	Jorge Lopez	KC	vs. LAA
155	Adrian Houser	MIL	at STL

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. MIA, at HOU	Looking to build off 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 12 K vs. Mariners last time out
2	Mike Minor	TEX	at OAK, at SEA	Very good pitcher (when healthy), benefitting from a pair on the road
3	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. DET, vs. TB	Underlying metrics returning, now it's time for the results to follow
4	Brad Peacock	HOU	vs. MIN, vs. CLE	Tough draws, but at least they're at home
5	Erik Swanson	SEA	at SD, vs. TEX	Nice debut, in good spot to continue at home
6	Domingo German	NYY	at LAA, at SF	A pair of lesser lineups in very good pitching venues
7	J.A. Happ	NYY	at LAA, at SF	Homers big issue, should be OK this week facing less powerful bats
8	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. CLE
9	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. MIN
10	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at HOU
11	Corey Kluber	CLE	at HOU
12	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. BAL
13	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. NYY, at KC	Pitching well before IL visit, though homers an issue
14	Collin McHugh	HOU	vs. CLE
15	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	vs. TEX	Needs to pick up the strikeouts for long term success
16	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. DET
17	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at HOU, vs. BAL	Walks way too high
18	Wade Miley	HOU	vs. MIN, vs. CLE	Hardly any strikeouts, but in play with home double dip
19	Clay Buchholz	TOR	vs. SF
20	Matthew Boyd	DET	at BOS, at CWS	Continues to be one of the early good stories
21	Shane Bieber	CLE	at HOU	Good test for the youngster
22	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at LAA
23	James Paxton	NYY	at SF
24	Lance Lynn	TEX	at OAK, at SEA	Keeping the ball in the yard
25	Blake Snell	TB	at BOS	Rays hoping for a short IL stint
26	CC Sabathia	NYY	at LAA	Veteran giving Yankees rotation much needed boost
27	David Price	BOS	vs. TB
28	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. KC	May not start, but worth playing
29	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. DET	Getting closer, still needs to get over 5th inning hump
30	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX
31	Michael Pineda	MIN	at HOU	Velocity picking up
32	Jakob Junis	KC	at TB	Not sharp, but 8.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 not terrible. .354 BABIP and 19% HR/FB hurting
33	Trent Thornton	TOR	vs. SF, vs. OAK
34	Charlie Morton	TB	at BOS	3.96 xFIP and 3.98 SIERA warn of impending comeuppance
35	Ivan Nova	CWS	at BAL, vs. DET
36	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. DET	Only needs 40 IP without issuing a walk to get BB/9 to career level
37	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. DET
38	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. KC	Pretty sure Yarbrough means "Win vulture" in Latin
39	Hector Velazquez	BOS	vs. DET, vs. TB
40	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. OAK
41	Brad Keller	KC	at TB
42	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. LAA
43	Spencer Turnbull	DET	at BOS, at CWS
44	Felix Pena	LAA	vs. NYY
45	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TEX
46	Tyler Glasnow	TB	at BOS
47	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. KC
48	Trevor Cahill	LAA	at KC
49	Aaron Brooks	OAK	vs. TEX
50	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. BAL
51	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. OAK
52	Drew Smyly	TEX	at OAK
53	Jefry Rodriguez	CLE	vs. MIA
54	Zack Littell	MIN	at HOU
55	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. TEX
56	Marco Estrada	OAK	at TOR
57	Ervin Santana	CWS	at BAL
58	Mike Fiers	OAK	at TOR
59	John Means	BAL	vs. CWS
60	Matt Harvey	LAA	vs. NYY, at KC
61	Homer Bailey	KC	at TB, vs. LAA
62	Daniel Norris	DET	at CWS
63	Chris Bassitt	OAK	vs. TEX
64	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at SD
65	Dan Straily	BAL	at MIN
66	David Hess	BAL	vs. CWS
67	Tyson Ross	DET	at BOS
68	Brett Anderson	OAK	at TOR
69	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. CWS
70	Manny Banuelos	CWS	at BAL
71	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at MIN
72	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at BOS
73	Alex Cobb	BAL	at MIN
74	Adrian Sampson	TEX	at SEA
75	Chris Stratton	LAA	vs. NYY
76	Shelby Miller	TEX	at SEA
77	Jorge Lopez	KC	vs. LAA

NATIONAL LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at NYM, vs. MIA	Strikeouts low, but so are homers allowed
2	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. MIL, vs. CIN	.412 BABIP and 21% HR/FB due for a big downturn
3	Patrick Corbin	WAS	at COL, vs. SD	Hope the Rockies don't finally break out
4	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. SD
5	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. ARI, at LAD	Continues to get it done without a ton of whiffs
6	Zach Eflin	PHI	at NYM, vs. MIA	Survived Coors
7	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. ARI, at LAD	Rewarding those anticipating break out
8	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. MIL	Insert Mets medical staff joke here
9	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. PIT
10	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. MIA	Perfect panacea for a slow start
11	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. MIL
12	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. SD
13	Chris Paddack	SD	vs. SEA
14	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. NYY
15	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. PIT
16	Rich Hill	MIL	vs. PIT	Expected to make 2019 debut
17	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PHI, vs. MIL	Coming off disaster, but playable for a home pair
18	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. ARI	May not have ceiling of dominant ace but need an elevator to get to the floor
19	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. COL	Long-awaited season debut
20	Zack Greinke	ARI	at PIT
21	Luis Castillo	CIN	at STL
22	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. LAD, at ARI	Consecutive 7-innings outings with 18 K, 1 BB and no HR
23	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. CIN
24	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. LAD	Missing more bats this season
25	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. PHI
26	Cole Hamels	CHC	vs. LAD	Off to a solid start
27	Freddy Peralta	MIL	at NYM
28	Mike Soroka	ATL	at CIN
29	Chase Anderson	MIL	at NYM
30	Matt Strahm	SD	at WAS
31	Walker Buehler	LAD	at CHC	Rounding into form
32	Chris Archer	PIT	at LAD	Working on extra rest coming off suspension
33	Jon Gray	COL	at ATL
34	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. COL
35	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. CHC
36	Zack Godley	ARI	at PIT, vs. CHC
37	Sonny Gray	CIN	vs. ATL, at STL	Deserves better than 0-3 record
38	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	vs. MIA	Taking Nick Pivetta's rotation spot after 4 IP, 6 K relief stint
39	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at WAS
40	Pablo Lopez	MIA	at CLE, at PHI	Risk to ratios, but should pile up punch outs
41	Tanner Roark	CIN	vs. ATL	Sorting career high 23% K-rate
42	Derek Holland	SF	vs. NYY
43	Luke Weaver	ARI	at PIT, vs. CHC	17 K, 1 BB over last two starts, spanning 11.1 IP
44	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	vs. NYY
45	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at CIN	Dylan Bundy is jealous
46	German Marquez	COL	vs. WAS
47	Nick Margevicius	SD	vs. SEA
48	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at STL
49	Ross Stripling	LAD	at CHC
50	Antonio Senzatela	COL	at ATL
51	Max Fried	ATL	vs. COL
52	Michael Wacha	STL	vs. MIL
53	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. WAS, at ATL
54	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. ATL
55	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at CHC	Uncharacteristically wild early on
56	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at NYM
57	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at TOR
58	Yu Darvish	CHC	at ARI
59	Caleb Smith	MIA	at PHI
60	Trevor Richards	MIA	at PHI
61	Merrill Kelly	ARI	at PIT
62	Zach Davies	MIL	at STL	Can't keep this up without more punch outs
63	Jon Lester	CHC	at ARI
64	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at STL
65	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. PHI
66	Bryse Wilson	ATL	at CIN
67	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. WAS
68	Drew Pomeranz	SF	at TOR
69	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	at NYM
70	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. MIL
71	Dakota Hudson	STL	vs. CIN
72	Jordan Lyles	PIT	vs. ARI
73	Jose Urena	MIA	at PHI
74	Eric Lauer	SD	at WAS
75	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at COL
76	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	at COL
77	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	at CLE
78	Adrian Houser	MIL	at STL