Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Halfway Home

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Halfway Home

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

That was fun, now let's run it back. While some teams have eclipsed 81 games others are still short, a little more than half of the 2021 MLB schedule was in the books heading into Fourth of July Weekend. Jacob deGrom was the first half's best hurler and barring injury, there is no reason to expect anything different the rest of the way. 

Brandon Woodruff has established himself as a true ace and is in fact, my second-ranked pitcher for the rest of the season. As it happens, deGrom and Woodruff sit atop this week's rankings with two starts each. This lines them both up for one the following week, so there will be no issue with All-Star Game availability.

Gerrit Cole remains the top dog in my American League second-half rankings. If he loses his grip on the spot, next up are a pair of White Sox with Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito neck and neck.

Please remember I pull the probable pitchers from the site's "best in the biz" Projected Starters grid. So while I am always happy to address rankings questions here, all inquiries pertaining to the schedule should be addressed to our crack staff doing the updates.

UPDATED: Monday July 5, 2:15 AM ET

Week of July 5 - July 11

Mixed Leagues

RankPitcherTMOPPComments
1Jacob deGromNYMMIL, PIT 
2Brandon WoodruffMIL@NYM, CIN 
3Walker BuehlerLAD@MIA, ARIMatchups don't get any better
4Kevin Gausman

That was fun, now let's run it back. While some teams have eclipsed 81 games others are still short, a little more than half of the 2021 MLB schedule was in the books heading into Fourth of July Weekend. Jacob deGrom was the first half's best hurler and barring injury, there is no reason to expect anything different the rest of the way. 

Brandon Woodruff has established himself as a true ace and is in fact, my second-ranked pitcher for the rest of the season. As it happens, deGrom and Woodruff sit atop this week's rankings with two starts each. This lines them both up for one the following week, so there will be no issue with All-Star Game availability.

Gerrit Cole remains the top dog in my American League second-half rankings. If he loses his grip on the spot, next up are a pair of White Sox with Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito neck and neck.

Please remember I pull the probable pitchers from the site's "best in the biz" Projected Starters grid. So while I am always happy to address rankings questions here, all inquiries pertaining to the schedule should be addressed to our crack staff doing the updates.

UPDATED: Monday July 5, 2:15 AM ET

Week of July 5 - July 11

Mixed Leagues

RankPitcherTMOPPComments
1Jacob deGromNYMMIL, PIT 
2Brandon WoodruffMIL@NYM, CIN 
3Walker BuehlerLAD@MIA, ARIMatchups don't get any better
4Kevin GausmanSFSTL, WAS 
5Joe MusgroveSDWAS, COL 
6Chris BassittOAK@HOU, @TEXSays he doesn't care, but deserves All Star nod
7Aaron NolaPHI@CHC, @BOS 
8Jose BerriosMINCWS, DETNot taking the next step, but remains solid
9Corbin BurnesMIL@NYM 
10Zack WheelerPHI@CHC 
11Max FriedATL@PIT, @MIA 
12Ian AndersonATL@PIT, @MIA 
13Yu DarvishSDWAS 
14Clayton KershawLAD@MIA 
15Tony GonsolinLAD@MIA, ARIStretched out enough to go with no restrictions
16Trevor RogersMIALAD, ATLGood test for the rookie, helps to be at home
17Max ScherzerWAS@SD 
18Yusei KikuchiSEANYYHopefully you bought into the helium
19Freddy PeraltaMILCIN 
20Taijuan WalkerNYMPIT 
21Framber ValdezHOUOAK, NYY 
22Julio UriasLAD@MIA 
23Rich HillTBCLE, TOR 
24Gerrit ColeNYY@HOU 
25Marcus StromanNYMPIT 
26Anthony DeSclafaniSFWAS 
27Robbie RayTOR@TB 
28Alek ManoahTOR@BALOrioles at home isn't a pushover
29Lance McCullers Jr.HOUOAK 
30Luis CastilloCIN@KC, @MILYes, he's better, but still not vintage form
31Kyle GibsonTEXDET 
32Jordan MontgomeryNYY@SEA 
33Luis GarciaHOUOAK 
34Adam WainwrightSTL@SF 
35Zack GreinkeHOUNYY 
36Sandy AlcantaraMIALAD 
37Pablo LopezMIALAD 
38Jose SuarezLAABOS, @SEA 
39Nathan EovaldiBOS@LAA 
40JT BrubakerPIT@NYM6 HR in last 18.2 IP skewing otherwise good skills
41Eduardo RodriguezBOS@LAAE-Rod regression was the easiest pitching call
42Kyle HendricksCHCSTL 
43Dylan CeaseCWS@MIN, @BALMaddeningly inconsistent
44Alex WoodSFSTL 
45Jon GrayCOL@ARI, @SD 
46Joe RossWAS@SFQuietly pitching well lately
47Ross StriplingTOR@TB 
48Alex CobbLAA@SEA 
49Lucas GiolitoCWS@BAL 
50Lance LynnCWS@MIN 
51Jameson TaillonNYY@SEA, @HOU 
52Collin McHughTBCLE 
53Carlos RodonCWS@MIN 
54Shane McClanahanTBTOR 
55German MarquezCOL@SD 
56Charlie MortonATL@MIA 
57Sonny GrayCIN@KC 
58Ryan YarbroughTBTOR 
59Hyun Jin RyuTOR@BAL 
60Tyler MahleCIN@MIL 
61Zach DaviesCHCPHI, STL 
62Chris PaddackSDWAS 
63Casey MizeDET@TEX 
64Chris FlexenSEALAA 
65Zach EflinPHI@CHC 
66Domingo GermanNYY@SEA 
67Kenta MaedaMINDETContinues to struggle
68Merrill KellyARICOL 
69Logan GilbertSEANYY 
70Tylor MegillNYMMIL, PIT 
71Ryan WeathersSDWAS, COL 
72James KaprielianOAK@TEX 
73Sean ManaeaOAK@HOU 
74J.C. MejiaCLE@TB, KC 
75Drew SmylyATL@PIT 
76Patrick SandovalLAA@SEA 
77Kwang Hyun KimSTL@SF, @CHC 
78Blake SnellSDCOL 
79Jake OdorizziHOUNYY 
80Tyler AndersonPIT@NYM 
81Kolby AllardTEXDET, OAK 
82Adbert AlzolayCHCPHI 
83Wade MileyCIN@MIL 
84Johnny CuetoSFSTL 
85Martin PerezBOS@LAA, PHI 
86Nick PivettaBOSPHI 
87Danny DuffyKC@CLE 
88Shohei OhtaniLAABOS 
89Mike MinorKCCIN, @CLEWorth checking to see if he's available
90Cole IrvinOAK@TEX 
91Mix 12 Reliever   
92Andrew HeaneyLAABOS 
93Adrian HouserMILCIN 
94Patrick CorbinWAS@SD, @SF 
95Michael PinedaMINCWS 
96Justus SheffieldSEANYY, LAA 
97Mix 15 Reliever   
98Taylor WidenerARICOL 
99Dane DunningTEXDET 
100Eric LauerMILCIN 
101Edwin UcetaLADARI 
102Steven MatzTOR@BAL, @TB 
103Sammy LongSFWAS 
104Tarik SkubalDET@MIN 
105Caleb SmithARI@LAD 
106Mike FoltynewiczTEXOAK 
107Marco GonzalesSEALAA 
108Zach ThompsonMIAATL 
109Antonio SenzatelaCOL@ARI 
110Michael WachaTBCLE 
111Dallas KeuchelCWS@BAL 
112Matt ManningDET@MIN 
113Frankie MontasOAK@HOU 
114Jordan LylesTEXOAK 
115Vince VelasquezPHI@BOS 
116Logan AllenCLE@TB, KC 
117Michael KingNYY@HOU 
118J.A. HappMINDET 
119Brady SingerKCCIN 
120Kyle FreelandCOL@SD 
121Carlos MartinezSTL@CHC 
122Robert StockNYMMIL 
123Eli MorganCLEKC 
124Chad KuhlPITATL 
125Vladimir GutierrezCIN@KC, @MIL 
126Cal QuantrillCLEKC 
127Jose UrenaDET@TEX, @MIN 
128Chi Chi GonzalezCOL@ARI 
129Kris BubicKCCIN, @CLE 
130Jake ArrietaCHCPHI, STL 
131Bailey OberMINCWS, DET 
132Jake FariaARI@LAD 
133David HessMIALAD, ATL 
134Garrett RichardsBOSPHILast week's in-season reincarnation was fascinating
135Wily PeraltaDET@TEX, @MIN 
136Trevor WilliamsCHCPHI 
137Cody PoncePIT@NYM 
138Matt MoorePHI@CHC, @BOS 
139Jon LesterWAS@SD, @SF 
140Brad KellerKC@CLE 
141Riley SmithARICOL, @LAD 
142Paolo EspinoWAS@SD 
143Wade LeBlancSTL@CHC 
144Chase De JongPITATL, @NYM 
145Dean KremerBALCWS 
146Johan OviedoSTL@SF 
147Sam HentgesCLE@TB 
148Wil CrowePITATL 
149Matt HarveyBALTOR, CWS 
150Brett AndersonMIL@NYM 
151Jorge LopezBALTOR 
152Keegan AkinBALTOR 
153Tom EshelmanBALCWS 

American League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
11Chris BassittOAK@HOU, @TEXSays he doesn't care, but deserves All Star nod
22Jose BerriosMINCWS, DETNot taking the next step, but remains solid
33Yusei KikuchiSEANYYHopefully you bought into the helium
44Framber ValdezHOUOAK, NYY 
55Rich HillTBCLE, TOR 
66Gerrit ColeNYY@HOU 
77Robbie RayTOR@TB 
88Alek ManoahTOR@BALOrioles at home isn't a pushover
99Lance McCullers Jr.HOUOAK 
1010Kyle GibsonTEXDET 
1111Jordan MontgomeryNYY@SEA 
1212Luis GarciaHOUOAK 
1313Zack GreinkeHOUNYY 
1414Jose SuarezLAABOS, @SEA 
1515Nathan EovaldiBOS@LAA 
1616Eduardo RodriguezBOS@LAAE-Rod regression was the easiest pitching call
1717Dylan CeaseCWS@MIN, @BALMaddeningly inconsistent
1818Ross StriplingTOR@TB 
1919Alex CobbLAA@SEA 
2020Lucas GiolitoCWS@BAL 
2121Lance LynnCWS@MIN 
2222Jameson TaillonNYY@SEA, @HOU 
2323Collin McHughTBCLE 
2424Carlos RodonCWS@MIN 
2525Shane McClanahanTBTOR 
2626Ryan YarbroughTBTOR 
2727Hyun Jin RyuTOR@BAL 
2828Casey MizeDET@TEX 
2929Chris FlexenSEALAA 
3030Domingo GermanNYY@SEA 
3131Kenta MaedaMINDETContinues to struggle
3232Logan GilbertSEANYY 
3333James KaprielianOAK@TEX 
3434Sean ManaeaOAK@HOU 
3535J.C. MejiaCLE@TB, KC 
3636Patrick SandovalLAA@SEA 
3737Jake OdorizziHOUNYY 
3838Kolby AllardTEXDET, OAK 
3939Martin PerezBOS@LAA, PHI 
4040Nick PivettaBOSPHI 
4141Danny DuffyKC@CLE 
4242Shohei OhtaniLAABOS 
4343Mike MinorKCCIN, @CLEWorth checking to see if he's available
4444Cole IrvinOAK@TEX 
4545Andrew HeaneyLAABOS 
4646Michael PinedaMINCWS 
4747Justus SheffieldSEANYY, LAA 
4848Dane DunningTEXDET 
4949Steven MatzTOR@BAL, @TB 
5050Tarik SkubalDET@MIN 
5151Mike FoltynewiczTEXOAK 
5252Marco GonzalesSEALAA 
5353AL Reliever   
5454Michael WachaTBCLE 
5555Dallas KeuchelCWS@BAL 
5656Matt ManningDET@MIN 
5757Frankie MontasOAK@HOU 
5858Jordan LylesTEXOAK 
5959Logan AllenCLE@TB, KC 
6060Michael KingNYY@HOU 
6161J.A. HappMINDET 
6262Brady SingerKCCIN 
6363Eli MorganCLEKC 
6464Cal QuantrillCLEKC 
6565Jose UrenaDET@TEX, @MIN 
6666Kris BubicKCCIN, @CLE 
6767Bailey OberMINCWS, DET 
6868Garrett RichardsBOSPHILast week's in-season reincarnation was fascinating
6969Wily PeraltaDET@TEX, @MIN 
7070Brad KellerKC@CLE 
7171Dean KremerBALCWS 
7272Sam HentgesCLE@TB 
7373Matt HarveyBALTOR, CWS 
7474Jorge LopezBALTOR 
7575Keegan AkinBALTOR 
7676Tom EshelmanBALCWS 

National League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Jacob deGromNYMMIL, PIT 
2Brandon WoodruffMIL@NYM, CIN 
3Walker BuehlerLAD@MIA, ARIMatchups don't get any better
4Kevin GausmanSFSTL, WAS 
5Joe MusgroveSDWAS, COL 
6Aaron NolaPHI@CHC, @BOS 
7Corbin BurnesMIL@NYM 
8Zack WheelerPHI@CHC 
9Max FriedATL@PIT, @MIA 
10Ian AndersonATL@PIT, @MIA 
11Yu DarvishSDWAS 
12Clayton KershawLAD@MIA 
13Tony GonsolinLAD@MIA, ARIStretched out enough to go with no restrictions
14Trevor RogersMIALAD, ATLGood test for the rookie, helps to be at home
15Max ScherzerWAS@SD 
16Freddy PeraltaMILCIN 
17Taijuan WalkerNYMPIT 
18Julio UriasLAD@MIA 
19Marcus StromanNYMPIT 
20Anthony DeSclafaniSFWAS 
21Luis CastilloCIN@KC, @MILYes, he's better, but still not vintage form
22Adam WainwrightSTL@SF 
23Sandy AlcantaraMIALAD 
24Pablo LopezMIALAD 
25JT BrubakerPIT@NYM6 HR in last 18.2 IP skewing otherwise good skills
26Kyle HendricksCHCSTL 
27Alex WoodSFSTL 
28Jon GrayCOL@ARI, @SD 
29Joe RossWAS@SFQuietly pitching well lately
30German MarquezCOL@SD 
31Charlie MortonATL@MIA 
32Sonny GrayCIN@KC 
33Tyler MahleCIN@MIL 
34Zach DaviesCHCPHI, STL 
35Chris PaddackSDWAS 
36Zach EflinPHI@CHC 
37Merrill KellyARICOL 
38Tylor MegillNYMMIL, PIT 
39Ryan WeathersSDWAS, COL 
40Drew SmylyATL@PIT 
41Kwang Hyun KimSTL@SF, @CHC 
42Blake SnellSDCOL 
43Tyler AndersonPIT@NYM 
44Adbert AlzolayCHCPHI 
45Wade MileyCIN@MIL 
46Johnny CuetoSFSTL 
47Adrian HouserMILCIN 
48Patrick CorbinWAS@SD, @SF 
49Taylor WidenerARICOL 
50Eric LauerMILCIN 
51Edwin UcetaLADARI 
52Sammy LongSFWAS 
53Caleb SmithARI@LAD 
54NL Reliever   
55Zach ThompsonMIAATL 
56Antonio SenzatelaCOL@ARI 
57Vince VelasquezPHI@BOS 
58Kyle FreelandCOL@SD 
59Carlos MartinezSTL@CHC 
60Robert StockNYMMIL 
61Chad KuhlPITATL 
62Vladimir GutierrezCIN@KC, @MIL 
63Chi Chi GonzalezCOL@ARI 
64Jake ArrietaCHCPHI, STL 
65Jake FariaARI@LAD 
66David HessMIALAD, ATL 
67Trevor WilliamsCHCPHI 
68Cody PoncePIT@NYM 
69Matt MoorePHI@CHC, @BOS 
70Jon LesterWAS@SD, @SF 
71Riley SmithARICOL, @LAD 
72Paolo EspinoWAS@SD 
73Wade LeBlancSTL@CHC 
74Chase De JongPITATL, @NYM 
75Johan OviedoSTL@SF 
76Wil CrowePITATL 
77Brett AndersonMIL@NYM 

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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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