Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Good News, Bad News?

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Good News, Bad News?

Written by

Updated on September 20, 2021 1:43AM EST

Let's start with the good news. Buoyed by three doubleheaders, there are a season-high 100 games on the docket, featuring a bountiful 37 two-start option.

The bad news is the quality of the double-dippers is lacking. Although, depending on your perspective, it may be beneficial if you're trying to make up ground on the pitching ledger as your opponents won't be able to extend the gap as much.

Something to keep in mind is barring a rainout pushed to Sept. 27, there are only two games on the slate that day, limiting the two-start options for the final week of the season.

Note: there are several double dippers in the 90-110 range. Deciding whether to take the chance is all about team needs and balancing categories.

As always, the probable pitchers are culled from the best Projected Starters grid on the planet. Ergo, please direct all rotation questions over there. If you have a query regarding a ranking, I'll be happy to address it below.

UPDATED: Monday September 20 1:45 AM ET

Week of Sept. 20-26

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Robbie Ray	TOR	@TB, @MIN	ERA estimators still trail Cole, but close enough to get my hypothetical AL Cy vote.
2	Alek Manoah	TOR	@TB, @MIN
3	Joe Musgrove	SD	SF, ATL	9 BB, 4 HR last 17.1 IP, needs to flip the script this week
4	Triston McKenzie	CLE	KC, CWS	1.50 ERA and .61 WHIP with 20 K, 3 BB over last 18 IP

Let's start with the good news. Buoyed by three doubleheaders, there are a season-high 100 games on the docket, featuring a bountiful 37 two-start option.

The bad news is the quality of the double-dippers is lacking. Although, depending on your perspective, it may be beneficial if you're trying to make up ground on the pitching ledger as your opponents won't be able to extend the gap as much.

Something to keep in mind is barring a rainout pushed to Sept. 27, there are only two games on the slate that day, limiting the two-start options for the final week of the season.

Note: there are several double dippers in the 90-110 range. Deciding whether to take the chance is all about team needs and balancing categories.

As always, the probable pitchers are culled from the best Projected Starters grid on the planet. Ergo, please direct all rotation questions over there. If you have a query regarding a ranking, I'll be happy to address it below.

UPDATED: Monday September 20 1:45 AM ET

Week of Sept. 20-26

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Robbie Ray	TOR	@TB, @MIN	ERA estimators still trail Cole, but close enough to get my hypothetical AL Cy vote.
2	Alek Manoah	TOR	@TB, @MIN
3	Joe Musgrove	SD	SF, ATL	9 BB, 4 HR last 17.1 IP, needs to flip the script this week
4	Triston McKenzie	CLE	KC, CWS	1.50 ERA and .61 WHIP with 20 K, 3 BB over last 18 IP
5	Freddy Peralta	MIL	STL, NYM	Innings may be limited in one or both
6	Corbin Burnes	MIL	NYM
7	Zack Wheeler	PHI	BAL	First to 200 IP
8	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@DET, @CLE
9	Huascar Ynoa	ATL	@ARI, @SD
10	Tyler Mahle	CIN	PIT, WAS
11	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	STL
12	Max Scherzer	LAD	@COL
13	Marco Gonzales	SEA	@OAK, @LAA	7-0 with a 2.53 ERA and .99 WHIP in 11 starts since the break
14	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@TB	1.93 ERA, .60 WHIP with 27 K and 1 BB over last 23.1 IP
15	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@ARI
16	Adam Wainwright	STL	@MIL
17	Lance Lynn	CWS	@CLE
18	Aaron Nola	PHI	PIT	HR have been an issue all season
19	Sonny Gray	CIN	WAS
20	Charlie Morton	ATL	@ARI
21	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@BOS
22	Luis Castillo	CIN	PIT
23	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	@LAA
24	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	SEA
25	Kevin Gausman	SF	@SD, @COL
26	Sean Manaea	OAK	SEA, HOU	Tough matchups, but 21 K with just 2 BB over last 19 IP
27	Ranger Suarez	PHI	BAL, PIT
28	John Means	BAL	@PHI, TEX
29	Julio Urias	LAD	@COL, @ARI
30	Shane Bieber	CLE	CWS	Good to see him back
31	Framber Valdez	HOU	@LAA, @OAK	Assuming cut on his finger has healed
32	Jose Berrios	TOR	@MIN
33	Cal Quantrill	CLE	KC
34	Chris Sale	BOS	NYM
35	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@CLE
36	Shane McClanahan	TB	MIA
37	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	NYY
38	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SEA	Assuming he doesn't need a rehab start
39	Nestor Cortes	NYY	TEX, @BOS
40	Jose Urquidy	HOU	@LAA
41	Logan Webb	SF	@SD	11 straight games with at least 6 IP, including 10 QS
42	Max Fried	ATL	@SD
43	Yu Darvish	SD	ATL
44	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@BOS
45	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	NYM, NYY	New York, New York
46	Zack Greinke	HOU	@OAK
47	Chris Flexen	SEA	@OAK
48	Luis Garcia	HOU	@LAA
49	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	WAS
50	Corey Kluber	NYY	TEX
51	Frankie Montas	OAK	HOU
52	Zach Plesac	CLE	CWS
53	Kyle Gibson	PHI	PIT	ERA correction in full force
54	Eric Lauer	MIL	NYM
55	Trevor Rogers	MIA	WAS
56	Tyler Anderson	SEA	@OAK, @LAA
57	Logan Gilbert	SEA	@LAA
58	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	@OAK
59	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	TEX, @BOS
60	Adrian Houser	MIL	STL
61	Alex Wood	SF	@SD
62	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	PIT, WAS	Prime matchups
63	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	ATL
64	Tarik Skubal	DET	KC
65	Bryce Elder	ATL	@ARI, @SD
66	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	@MIL
67	Edward Cabrera	MIA	@TB
68	Walker Buehler	LAD	@COL
69	Alex Cobb	LAA	HOU
70	Zac Gallen	ARI	LAD
71	Josiah Gray	WAS	@MIA
72	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@ARI
73	Erick Fedde	WAS	@MIA, @CIN	Good option if you need whiffs, but puts ratios at risk
74	Aaron Civale	CLE	CWS
75	Joe Ryan	MIN	@CHC
76	Taijuan Walker	NYM	@MIL
77	Dylan Cease	CWS	@CLE
78	Cole Irvin	OAK	SEA
79	Casey Mize	DET	CWS
80	Rich Hill	NYM	@MIL
81	Luis Patino	TB	MIA
82	Jose Suarez	LAA	SEA
83	Drew Rasmussen	TB	TOR
84	James Kaprielian	OAK	HOU
85	Mix 12 Reliever
86	Ian Anderson	ATL	@ARI
87	Miles Mikolas	STL	@MIL
88	Francisco Perez	CLE	KC
89	Nick Pivetta	BOS	NYY
90	Carlos Hernandez	KC	@CLE	10 BB over last 16 IP, but good matchups, albeit on the road
91	Mix 15 Reliever
92	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@DET, @CLE
93	Taylor Hearn	TEX	@NYY
94	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	@OAK
95	Michael Pineda	MIN	TOR
96	Brett Anderson	MIL	STL
97	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	MIN
98	Wade Miley	CIN	WAS
99	Shane Baz	TB	TOR
100	Jon Lester	STL	@MIL, @CHC
101	Alec Mills	CHC	MIN, STL
102	Paolo Espino	WAS	@CIN
103	Josh Rogers	WAS	@MIA, @CIN
104	Matt Manning	DET	CWS, KC
105	Zac Lowther	BAL	TEX
106	Luke Weaver	ARI	ATL
107	A.J. Alexy	TEX	@NYY, @BAL
108	Brady Singer	KC	@CLE, @DET
109	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	@DET
110	Nabil Crismatt	SD	SF
111	Wily Peralta	DET	KC
112	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	WAS, @TB
113	Jaime Barria	LAA	HOU, SEA
114	Paul Blackburn	OAK	SEA
115	Jake Woodford	STL	@MIL, @CHC
116	Eli Morgan	CLE	CWS
117	Merrill Kelly	ARI	ATL
118	Dakota Hudson	STL	@CHC
119	Michael Wacha	TB	TOR
120	Dane Dunning	TEX	@NYY
121	Humberto Mejia	ARI	ATL, LAD
122	Tylor Megill	NYM	@BOS
123	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@BAL
124	Vince Velasquez	SD	SF
125	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	MIA
126	Bailey Ober	MIN	TOR
127	Logan Allen	CLE	KC
128	J.A. Happ	STL	@CHC
129	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@CIN
130	Steven Matz	TOR	@MIN
131	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@COL
132	Zach Davies	CHC	STL
133	Ross Stripling	TOR	@TB
134	Kris Bubic	KC	@DET
135	Tyler Alexander	DET	CWS
136	Justin Steele	CHC	STL
137	Griffin Jax	MIN	@CHC, TOR
138	Spencer Howard	TEX	@BAL
139	Mitch Keller	PIT	@CIN, @PHI
140	Packy Naughton	LAA	HOU
141	Adonis Medina	PHI	BAL, PIT
142	Jon Gray	COL	SF
143	Antonio Senzatela	COL	LAD, SF
144	German Marquez	COL	LAD
145	Daniel Lynch	KC	@CLE
146	Kolby Allard	TEX	@BAL
147	Humberto Castellanos	ARI	LAD
148	Adrian Sampson	CHC	STL
149	Max Kranick	PIT	@PHI
150	Dillon Peters	PIT	@CIN, @PHI
151	Jake Arrieta	SD	ATL
152	Janson Junk	LAA	HOU
153	Charlie Barnes	MIN	TOR
154	Chris Ellis	BAL	@PHI, TEX
155	Keegan Akin	BAL	@PHI
156	Wil Crowe	PIT	@CIN
157	Alexander Wells	BAL	TEX
158	Jackson Kowar	KC	@DET
159	Jose Quintana	SF	@COL
160	Ervin Santana	KC	@CLE
161	Kyle Freeland	COL	LAD
162	Connor Overton	PIT	@PHI
163	Peter Lambert	COL	SF

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Robbie Ray	TOR	@TB, @MIN	ERA estimators still trail Cole, but close enough to get my hypothetical AL Cy vote.
2	Alek Manoah	TOR	@TB, @MIN
3	Triston McKenzie	CLE	KC, CWS	1.50 ERA and .61 WHIP with 20 K, 3 BB over last 18 IP
4	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@DET, @CLE
5	Marco Gonzales	SEA	@OAK, @LAA	7-0 with a 2.53 ERA and .99 WHIP in 11 starts since the break
6	Lance Lynn	CWS	@CLE
7	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@BOS
8	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	@LAA
9	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	SEA
10	Sean Manaea	OAK	SEA, HOU	Tough matchups, but 21 K with just 2 BB over last 19 IP
11	John Means	BAL	@PHI, TEX
12	Shane Bieber	CLE	CWS	Good to see him back
13	Framber Valdez	HOU	@LAA, @OAK	Assuming cut on his finger has healed
14	Jose Berrios	TOR	@MIN
15	Cal Quantrill	CLE	KC
16	Chris Sale	BOS	NYM
17	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@CLE
18	Shane McClanahan	TB	MIA
19	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	NYY
20	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SEA	Assuming he doesn't need a rehab start
21	Nestor Cortes	NYY	TEX, @BOS
22	Jose Urquidy	HOU	@LAA
23	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	NYM, NYY	New York, New York
24	Zack Greinke	HOU	@OAK
25	Chris Flexen	SEA	@OAK
26	Luis Garcia	HOU	@LAA
27	Corey Kluber	NYY	TEX
28	Frankie Montas	OAK	HOU
29	Zach Plesac	CLE	CWS
30	Tyler Anderson	SEA	@OAK, @LAA
31	Logan Gilbert	SEA	@LAA
32	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	@OAK
33	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	TEX, @BOS
34	Tarik Skubal	DET	KC
35	Alex Cobb	LAA	HOU
36	Aaron Civale	CLE	CWS
37	Joe Ryan	MIN	@CHC
38	Dylan Cease	CWS	@CLE
39	Cole Irvin	OAK	SEA
40	Casey Mize	DET	CWS
41	Luis Patino	TB	MIA
42	Jose Suarez	LAA	SEA
43	Drew Rasmussen	TB	TOR
44	James Kaprielian	OAK	HOU
45	Francisco Perez	CLE	KC
46	Nick Pivetta	BOS	NYY
47	Carlos Hernandez	KC	@CLE	10 BB over last 16 IP, but good matchups, albeit on the road
48	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@DET, @CLE
49	Taylor Hearn	TEX	@NYY
50	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	@OAK
51	Michael Pineda	MIN	TOR
52	Shane Baz	TB	TOR
53	AL Reliever
54	Matt Manning	DET	CWS, KC
55	Zac Lowther	BAL	TEX
56	A.J. Alexy	TEX	@NYY, @BAL
57	Brady Singer	KC	@CLE, @DET
58	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	@DET
59	Wily Peralta	DET	KC
60	Jaime Barria	LAA	HOU, SEA
61	Paul Blackburn	OAK	SEA
62	Eli Morgan	CLE	CWS
63	Michael Wacha	TB	TOR
64	Dane Dunning	TEX	@NYY
65	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@BAL
66	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	MIA
67	Bailey Ober	MIN	TOR
68	Logan Allen	CLE	KC
69	Steven Matz	TOR	@MIN
70	Ross Stripling	TOR	@TB
71	Kris Bubic	KC	@DET
72	Tyler Alexander	DET	CWS
73	Griffin Jax	MIN	@CHC, TOR
74	Spencer Howard	TEX	@BAL
75	Packy Naughton	LAA	HOU
76	Daniel Lynch	KC	@CLE
77	Kolby Allard	TEX	@BAL
78	Janson Junk	LAA	HOU
79	Charlie Barnes	MIN	TOR
80	Chris Ellis	BAL	@PHI, TEX
81	Keegan Akin	BAL	@PHI
82	Alexander Wells	BAL	TEX
83	Jackson Kowar	KC	@DET
84	Ervin Santana	KC	@CLE

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Joe Musgrove	SD	SF, ATL	9 BB, 4 HR last 17.1 IP, needs to flip the script this week
2	Freddy Peralta	MIL	STL, NYM	Innings may be limited in one or both
3	Corbin Burnes	MIL	NYM
4	Zack Wheeler	PHI	BAL	First to 200 IP
5	Huascar Ynoa	ATL	@ARI, @SD
6	Tyler Mahle	CIN	PIT, WAS
7	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	STL
8	Max Scherzer	LAD	@COL
9	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@TB	1.93 ERA, .60 WHIP with 27 K and 1 BB over last 23.1 IP
10	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@ARI
11	Adam Wainwright	STL	@MIL
12	Aaron Nola	PHI	PIT	HR have been an issue all season
13	Sonny Gray	CIN	WAS
14	Charlie Morton	ATL	@ARI
15	Luis Castillo	CIN	PIT
16	Kevin Gausman	SF	@SD, @COL
17	Ranger Suarez	PHI	BAL, PIT
18	Julio Urias	LAD	@COL, @ARI
19	Logan Webb	SF	@SD	11 straight games with at least 6 IP, including 10 QS
20	Max Fried	ATL	@SD
21	Yu Darvish	SD	ATL
22	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@BOS
23	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	WAS
24	Kyle Gibson	PHI	PIT	ERA correction in full force
25	Eric Lauer	MIL	NYM
26	Trevor Rogers	MIA	WAS
27	Adrian Houser	MIL	STL
28	Alex Wood	SF	@SD
29	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	PIT, WAS	Prime matchups
30	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	ATL
31	Bryce Elder	ATL	@ARI, @SD
32	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	@MIL
33	Edward Cabrera	MIA	@TB
34	Walker Buehler	LAD	@COL
35	Zac Gallen	ARI	LAD
36	Josiah Gray	WAS	@MIA
37	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@ARI
38	Erick Fedde	WAS	@MIA, @CIN	Good option if you need whiffs, but puts ratios at risk
39	Taijuan Walker	NYM	@MIL
40	Rich Hill	NYM	@MIL
41	Ian Anderson	ATL	@ARI
42	Miles Mikolas	STL	@MIL
43	Brett Anderson	MIL	STL
44	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	MIN
45	Wade Miley	CIN	WAS
46	Jon Lester	STL	@MIL, @CHC
47	NL Reliever
48	Alec Mills	CHC	MIN, STL
49	Paolo Espino	WAS	@CIN
50	Josh Rogers	WAS	@MIA, @CIN
51	Luke Weaver	ARI	ATL
52	Nabil Crismatt	SD	SF
53	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	WAS, @TB
54	Jake Woodford	STL	@MIL, @CHC
55	Merrill Kelly	ARI	ATL
56	Dakota Hudson	STL	@CHC
57	Humberto Mejia	ARI	ATL, LAD
58	Tylor Megill	NYM	@BOS
59	Vince Velasquez	SD	SF
60	J.A. Happ	STL	@CHC
61	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@CIN
62	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@COL
63	Zach Davies	CHC	STL
64	Justin Steele	CHC	STL
65	Mitch Keller	PIT	@CIN, @PHI
66	Adonis Medina	PHI	BAL, PIT
67	Jon Gray	COL	SF
68	Antonio Senzatela	COL	LAD, SF
69	German Marquez	COL	LAD
70	Humberto Castellanos	ARI	LAD
71	Adrian Sampson	CHC	STL
72	Max Kranick	PIT	@PHI
73	Dillon Peters	PIT	@CIN, @PHI
74	Jake Arrieta	SD	ATL
75	Wil Crowe	PIT	@CIN
76	Jose Quintana	SF	@COL
77	Kyle Freeland	COL	LAD
78	Connor Overton	PIT	@PHI
79	Peter Lambert	COL	SF

Want to Read More?

Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article

Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat

Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.

Join The Discussion

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Todd Zola

@toddzola

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.

MLB: Winter Meetings Recap

MLB: Winter Meetings Recap

Offseason Deep Dives: Garrett Crochet

Offseason Deep Dives: Garrett Crochet

Farm Futures: Rookie Infielder Targets

Farm Futures: Rookie Infielder Targets

Collette Calls: Does Controlling the Running Game Really Matter?

Collette Calls: Does Controlling the Running Game Really Matter?