This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 14-20
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week April 14-20
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Anibal Sanchez - CLE, LAA |
| 2. Masahiro Tanaka - CHC, at TB Note: Now just imagine if he can avoid that HR per game he's allowed so far |
| 3. Chris Archer - at BAL, NYY Note: 2.68 ERA since July 2013 is the fifth-best in AL, his 1.01 WHIP is second |
| 4. Yordano Ventura - at HOU, MIN Note: Dazzling debut shows upside, but there will be command issues in spurts |
| 5. Yu Darvish - SEA Note: Ho-hum, just 15 scoreless IP to kick off his season |
| 6. Justin Verlander - LAA |
| 7. Max Scherzer - LAA |
| 8. Felix Hernandez - at TEX Note: Almost underrated at this point; don't love a trip to Texas, but can't bench him |
| 9. Alex Cobb - NYY |
| 10. James Shields - MIN |
| 11. Sonny Gray - HOU Note: Spent most of last year as 2-pitch pitcher, but using changeup and cutter 20 percent of the time this year |
| 12. David Price - at BAL |
| 13. Chris Sale - BOS |
| 14. Scott Kazmir - HOU Note: Gutted out win in MIN; can justify my big ranking last week with a gem in SEA |
| 15. |
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week April 14-20
AMERICAN LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week April 14-20
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Anibal Sanchez - CLE, LAA |
| 2. Masahiro Tanaka - CHC, at TB Note: Now just imagine if he can avoid that HR per game he's allowed so far |
| 3. Chris Archer - at BAL, NYY Note: 2.68 ERA since July 2013 is the fifth-best in AL, his 1.01 WHIP is second |
| 4. Yordano Ventura - at HOU, MIN Note: Dazzling debut shows upside, but there will be command issues in spurts |
| 5. Yu Darvish - SEA Note: Ho-hum, just 15 scoreless IP to kick off his season |
| 6. Justin Verlander - LAA |
| 7. Max Scherzer - LAA |
| 8. Felix Hernandez - at TEX Note: Almost underrated at this point; don't love a trip to Texas, but can't bench him |
| 9. Alex Cobb - NYY |
| 10. James Shields - MIN |
| 11. Sonny Gray - HOU Note: Spent most of last year as 2-pitch pitcher, but using changeup and cutter 20 percent of the time this year |
| 12. David Price - at BAL |
| 13. Chris Sale - BOS |
| 14. Scott Kazmir - HOU Note: Gutted out win in MIN; can justify my big ranking last week with a gem in SEA |
| 15. Michael Pineda - CHC Note: Might not even need the pineta ... er ... dirt against the Cubbies |
| 16. Jon Lester - at CWS |
| 17. Hiroki Kuroda - at TB |
| 18. John Lackey - BAL |
| 19. Jesse Chavez - at LAA, HOU Note: Doesn't quite get elite boost in 2-start week, but this experiment has gone swimmingly |
| 20. Justin Masterson - at DET Note: Masterson, Weaver get a bit of a penalty heading into DET in 1-start weeks |
| 21. Jered Weaver - at DET |
| 22. R.A. Dickey - at MIN Note: Hasn't shown consistency necessary to expect Cy Young version to ever return |
| 23. Corey Kluber - TOR Note: Much better second time around, but still bouts of inconsistency with command |
| 24. Chris Tillman - TB |
| 25. Tyler Skaggs - OAK |
| 26. Dan Straily - at LAA Note: All 4 ER have come via the homer |
| 27. Scott Feldman - KC Note: Has been downright Jarred Cosartian with 0.44 ERA, sub-1 K:BB ratio |
| 28. Erasmo Ramirez - at TEX |
| 29. CC Sabathia - at TB Note: Hard not like the 21:3 K:BB in 19 IP, but it's been more control than command |
| 30. Ivan Nova - at TB |
| 31. C.J. Wilson - at DET |
| 32. Danny Salazar - at DET Note: Start in CWS showed upside and downside all in one; HR were my big concern entering season |
| 33. Jason Vargas - MIN |
| 34. Martin Perez - CWS |
| 35. Clay Buchholz - at CWS Note: Never been a fan, but it'll get better |
| 36. Rick Porcello - CLE Note: Just like Porcello to waste great opportunity in Petco by being extremely hittable against inept offense |
| 37. Drew Smyly - CLE Note: 5,000 off days for DET have delayed his first start, but looked great out of the pen |
| 38. Hector Santiago - OAK, at DET Note: Ks don't do me any good if they come with a bundle of hits and runs, Hector! |
| 39. Colby Lewis - SEA, CWS |
| 40. Jake Peavy - at CWS, BAL |
| 41. Jake Odorizzi - at BAL, NYY |
| 42. Brandon Morrow - at MIN, at CLE Note: Sorry if a start vs. HOU doesn't fill me with confidence; still skeptical |
| 43. Phil Hughes - TOR, at KC Note: Still think we're going to see a much better version of Hughes this year |
| 44. Robbie Ross - SEA, CWS |
| 45. Zach McAllister - at DET, TOR |
| 46. Jose Quintana - at TEX Note: Handled Coors with aplomb so I'm still starting him in TEX, but still a bit nervous |
| 47. Ricky Nolasco - at KC |
| 48. Kyle Gibson - TOR Note: Hopefully he cleans up the BB before someone makes him pay |
| 49. Garrett Richards - OAK |
| 50. Brett Oberholtzer - at OAK Note: Finally draws a decent opponent/venue combo |
| 51. Mark Buehrle - at CLE |
CONSIDER
| 52. Dustin McGowan - at MIN |
| 53. Drew Hutchison - at CLE |
| 54. Bruce Chen - at HOU Note: Wouldn't personally start either Royal, but if you ever will, it's here |
| 55. Jeremy Guthrie - at HOU |
| 56. Tommy Milone - at LAA Note: Not an awful stream option in a pitcher-friendly venue |
| 57. Tanner Scheppers - SEA |
| 58. Chris Young - at MIA Note: Similar to Royals, I'm not really a fan, but these are starts streaming was made for |
| 59. Jarred Cosart - at OAK Note: Still unimpressive components, but still intriguing talent |
| 60. Cesar Ramos - NYY Note: Making his fourth MLB start |
| 61. Dallas Keuchel - KC |
SIT
| 62. Wei-Yin Chen - TB, at BOS |
| 63. Roenis Elias - at TEX, at MIA Note: Jury is still out, and trip to MIA might only be cleanup job for one to TEX |
| 64. Ubaldo Jimenez - at BOS |
| 65. John Danks - BOS |
| 66. Felipe Paulino - at TEX |
| 67. Miguel Gonzalez - TB |
| 68. Bud Norris - at BOS |
| 69. Felix Doubront - BAL |
| 70. Kevin Correia - at KC |
| 71. Carlos Carrasco - TOR |
| 72. Erik Johnson - BOS, at TEX |
| 73. Mariners Fifth - at TEX, at MIA Note: Zero interest if it's Blake Beavan, but that changes drastically if it's Taijuan Walker |
| 74. Lucas Harrell - KC, at OAK |
| 75. Mike Pelfrey - TOR |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Gerrit Cole - at CIN, at MIL |
| 2. Jordan Zimmermann - at MIA, STL Note: Can honestly say I didn't see his worst start ever coming against MIA |
| 3. Stephen Strasburg - at MIA, STL |
| 4. Ervin Santana - at PHI, at NYM Note: How do you go 8 IP in season debut after a truncated spring? Do so in 88 pitches! |
| 5. Cliff Lee - ATL, at COL |
| 6. Homer Bailey - PIT, at CHC Note: Two shellackings against powerful STL aren't enough to induce panic |
| 7. Jose Fernandez - WAS Note: Didn't see his worst start ever coming against the Phillies! |
| 8. Andrew Cashner - COL Note: An ace in the making? An ace in the making! |
| 9. Adam Wainwright - at WAS |
| 10. Zack Greinke - at SF |
| 11. Julio Teheran - at PHI Note: Want to see more Ks, but otherwise he's been excellent |
| 12. Madison Bumgarner - LAD |
| 13. Marco Estrada - STL, at PIT Note: Will give up HR, just need solo shots and rarer than they were last year |
| 14. Matt Garza - STL, at PIT |
| 15. Lance Lynn - at MIL, at WAS Note: Ugly 6.55 ERA, but comfort yourself with pair of wins he didn't deserve |
| 16. Robbie Erlin - COL, SF Note: Huge Erlin fan and excited to see him get a real shot |
| 17. Zack Wheeler - at ARI, ATL |
| 18. Eric Stults - COL, SF Note: Great streaming option in Petco |
| 19. Wandy Rodriguez - at CIN, MIL |
| 20. Dan Haren - ARI |
| 21. Matt Cain - at SD Note: Let yourself panic if SD does to him what LAD did last Sunday |
| 22. Michael Wacha - at WAS Note: Earning his obscene draft price |
| 23. Gio Gonzalez - STL |
| 24. Jeff Samardzija - CIN |
| 25. Johnny Cueto - PIT Note: Finally combined big Ks with the heavy GB rate, now if he can just stay healthy! |
| 26. Nathan Eovaldi - SEA Note: Deserved a much better fate last Sunday, but Alexi Amarista just golfed a great pitch out |
| 27. Francisco Liriano - at CIN |
| 28. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at SF Note: Still starting him against SF even after the 2 IP/6 ER disaster from Apr 4th |
| 29. Yovani Gallardo - at PIT |
| 30. Tony Cingrani - at CHC Note: Each of the spectrum with his starts, but can't be upset with a 2.45 ERA after two starts against STL |
| 31. Tim Hudson - at SD |
| 32. Bartolo Colon - ATL |
| 33. Alex Wood - at PHI |
| 34. Jenrry Mejia - at ARI Note: We've seen both ends of Mejia's value spectrum in two starts, but upside is high enough to see if he can rein in the control |
| 35. Kyle Lohse - at PIT |
| 36. Tyson Ross - SF |
| 37. Dillon Gee - at ARI Note: Another strong effort that went south after 75 pitches |
| 38. Wade Miley - at LAD |
| 39. Wily Peralta - STL |
| 40. Jason Hammel - at NYY Note: Surprising start early with component numbers to stay interested |
| 41. Travis Wood - at NYY Note: 17 K in 12.3 IP is intriguing, but is it legit or just easy oppoennts? |
| 42. Jon Niese - ATL |
| 43. Mike Leake - PIT |
| 44. Tanner Roark - at MIA |
| 45. Joe Kelly - at MIL Note: I still want more missed bats, but it's hard to complain about 0.75 ERA |
| 46. Charlie Morton - MIL |
| 47. Taylor Jordan - STL |
CONSIDER
| 48. Shelby Miller - at MIL, at WAS Note: Don't blame you for sitting him for a spell as he irons out his problems |
| 49. A.J. Burnett - ATL Note: Haven't seen these control struggles since his early time in NYY |
| 50. Aaron Harang - at NYM |
| 51. Tim Lincecum - LAD, at SD Note: Do you really want to have him disappoint you twice in a week? |
| 52. Brett Anderson - at SD |
| 53. Tom Koehler - WAS Note: Sneaky little pick-up in deep or NL-only leagues |
| 54. Henderson Alvarez - SEA |
| 55. Josh Beckett - at SF, ARI |
| 56. Jorge de la Rosa - at SD |
| 57. Alfredo Simon - at CHC |
SIT
| 58. Bronson Arroyo - NYM, at LAD |
| 59. Edwin Jackson - CIN |
| 60. Trevor Cahill - at LAD |
| 61. Ian Kennedy - COL |
| 62. Edinson Volquez - MIL Note: Need more than one start to invest given his track record of inadequacy |
| 63. Tyler Chatwood - PHI Note: Like him long-term, but let him get a few starts off the DL before starting him |
| 64. Brandon McCarthy - NYM |
| 65. Carlos Villanueva - CIN |
| 66. David Hale - at PHI, at NYM |
| 67. Brad Hand - WAS, SEA |
| 68. Jonathan Pettibone - ATL |
| 69. Ryan Vogelsong - LAD |
| 70. Randall Delgado - NYM |
| 71. Juan Nicasio - at SD, PHI |
| 72. Paul Maholm - ARI |
| 73. Kyle Kendrick - at COL |
| 74. Roberto Hernandez - ATL, at COL |
| 75. Jordan Lyles - at SD, PHI |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Gerrit Cole - at CIN, at MIL |
| 2. Jordan Zimmermann - at MIA, STL |
| 3. Stephen Strasburg - at MIA, STL |
| 4. Ervin Santana - at PHI, at NYM |
| 5. Anibal Sanchez - CLE, LAA |
| 6. Chris Archer - at BAL, NYY |
| 7. Masahiro Tanaka - CHC, at TB |
| 8. Cliff Lee - ATL, at COL |
| 9. Homer Bailey - PIT, at CHC |
| 10. Yordano Ventura - at HOU, MIN |
| 11. Yu Darvish - SEA |
| 12. Justin Verlander - LAA |
| 13. Max Scherzer - LAA |
| 14. Jose Fernandez - WAS |
| 15. Felix Hernandez - at TEX |
| 16. Alex Cobb - NYY |
| 17. Andrew Cashner - COL |
| 18. Adam Wainwright - at WAS |
| 19. Zack Greinke - at SF |
| 20. Madison Bumgarner - LAD |
| 21. Julio Teheran - at PHI |
| 22. James Shields - MIN |
| 23. Sonny Gray - HOU |
| 24. David Price - at BAL |
| 25. Chris Sale - BOS |
| 26. Marco Estrada - STL, at PIT |
| 27. Matt Garza - STL, at PIT |
| 28. Lance Lynn - at MIL, at WAS |
| 29. Robbie Erlin - COL, SF |
| 30. Zack Wheeler - at ARI, ATL |
| 31. Eric Stults - COL, SF |
| 32. Wandy Rodriguez - at CIN, MIL |
| 33. Dan Haren - ARI |
| 34. Matt Cain - at SD |
| 35. Scott Kazmir - HOU |
| 36. Michael Pineda - CHC |
| 37. Jon Lester - at CWS |
| 38. Hiroki Kuroda - at TB |
| 39. John Lackey - BAL |
| 40. Michael Wacha - at WAS |
| 41. Gio Gonzalez - STL |
| 42. Jeff Samardzija - CIN |
| 43. Johnny Cueto - PIT |
| 44. Jesse Chavez - at LAA, HOU |
| 45. Nathan Eovaldi - SEA |
| 46. Francisco Liriano - at CIN |
| 47. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at SF |
| 48. Yovani Gallardo - at PIT |
| 49. Justin Masterson - at DET |
| 50. Jered Weaver - at DET |
| 51. Tony Cingrani - at CHC |
| 52. Tim Hudson - at SD |
| 53. Bartolo Colon - ATL |
| 54. Alex Wood - at PHI |
| 55. Jenrry Mejia - at ARI |
| 56. Kyle Lohse - at PIT |
| 57. Tyson Ross - SF |
| 58. Dillon Gee - at ARI |
| 59. Wade Miley - at LAD |
| 60. Wily Peralta - STL |
| 61. Jason Hammel - at NYY |
| 62. Travis Wood - at NYY |
| 63. Jon Niese - ATL |
| 64. Mike Leake - PIT |
| 65. R.A. Dickey - at MIN |
| 66. Corey Kluber - TOR |
| 67. Chris Tillman - TB |
| 68. Tyler Skaggs - OAK |
| 69. Dan Straily - at LAA |
| 70. Scott Feldman - KC |
| 71. Erasmo Ramirez - at TEX |
| 72. CC Sabathia - at TB |
| 73. Ivan Nova - at TB |
| 74. C.J. Wilson - at DET |
| 75. Danny Salazar - at DET |
| 76. Jason Vargas - MIN |
| 77. Martin Perez - CWS |
| 78. Clay Buchholz - at CWS |
| 79. Rick Porcello - CLE |
| 80. Drew Smyly - CLE |
| 81. Tanner Roark - at MIA |
| 82. Joe Kelly - at MIL |
| 83. Charlie Morton - MIL |
| 84. Hector Santiago - OAK, at DET |
| 85. Colby Lewis - SEA, CWS |
| 86. Jake Peavy - at CWS, BAL |
| 87. Jake Odorizzi - at BAL, NYY |
| 88. Brandon Morrow - at MIN, at CLE |
| 89. Phil Hughes - TOR, at KC |
| 90. Robbie Ross - SEA, CWS |
| 91. Zach McAllister - at DET, TOR |
| 92. Taylor Jordan - STL |
| 93. Jose Quintana - at TEX |
| 94. Ricky Nolasco - at KC |
| 95. Kyle Gibson - TOR |
| 96. Garrett Richards - OAK |
| 97. Brett Oberholtzer - at OAK |
| 98. Mark Buehrle - at CLE |
| 99. Shelby Miller - at MIL, at WAS |
| 100. A.J. Burnett - ATL |
