Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Sale Looks to Bounce Back

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Sale Looks to Bounce Back

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

After a short week to kick off the season, we're looking at the first full slate of games. In what will be a recurring theme throughout the 2019 campaign, there are only 26 two-start options, fewer than one per team. As such, it's even more important to identify those with single starts in a favorable spot. The problem is we really don't have a decent grasp on several lineups. Sure, we know the clubs at the extremes, but those in the middle need some time to differentiate.

For those new to the rankings, two-start weeks are more important than most perceive. This isn't the best week to demonstrate this, but soon enough there will be examples of lesser hurlers ranked higher than superior arms.

In future weeks, I'll include more comments. This is a crazy week since I'm in dual mode as many continue to draft the traditional first weekend of the season, so I'm still updating season-long projections along with focusing on the first few games of the year.

As always, be sure to check back Sunday night for the inevitable adjustments after rotations crystallize.

For the week of April 1-6

UPDATED: Monday April 1, 12:30 AM ET

MLB

RankPITCHERTEAMOPPCOMMENT
1Max ScherzerWASvs. PHI, at NYM 
2Mike ClevingerCLEvs. CWS, vs. TORIn a great spot to start off the season strong
3Blake SnellTBvs. COL, at SFVelo down first start, worth monitoring
4Jose BerriosMIN

After a short week to kick off the season, we're looking at the first full slate of games. In what will be a recurring theme throughout the 2019 campaign, there are only 26 two-start options, fewer than one per team. As such, it's even more important to identify those with single starts in a favorable spot. The problem is we really don't have a decent grasp on several lineups. Sure, we know the clubs at the extremes, but those in the middle need some time to differentiate.

For those new to the rankings, two-start weeks are more important than most perceive. This isn't the best week to demonstrate this, but soon enough there will be examples of lesser hurlers ranked higher than superior arms.

In future weeks, I'll include more comments. This is a crazy week since I'm in dual mode as many continue to draft the traditional first weekend of the season, so I'm still updating season-long projections along with focusing on the first few games of the year.

As always, be sure to check back Sunday night for the inevitable adjustments after rotations crystallize.

For the week of April 1-6

UPDATED: Monday April 1, 12:30 AM ET

MLB

RankPITCHERTEAMOPPCOMMENT
1Max ScherzerWASvs. PHI, at NYM 
2Mike ClevingerCLEvs. CWS, vs. TORIn a great spot to start off the season strong
3Blake SnellTBvs. COL, at SFVelo down first start, worth monitoring
4Jose BerriosMINat KC, at PHI 
5Corey KluberCLEvs. CWS 
6Jacob deGromNYMat MIA 
7Kyle HendricksCHCat ATL, at MILDon't love the matchups, but Hendricks rarely lit up
8Patrick CorbinWASat NYM 
9Justin VerlanderHOUat TEX 
10Chris SaleBOSat OAK, at ARII'm not worried. Maybe I'm a little bit concerned, but that's not the same thing.
11Chris ArcherPITvs. STL, vs. CINGetting benefit of the doubt… for now
12Brad PeacockHOUat TEX, vs. OAKCross your fingers in Arlington
13Jack FlahertySTLvs. SD 
14Masahiro TanakaNYYvs. DET 
15Domingo GermanNYYvs. DET, at BALWorth a healthy FAAB bid if available
16Ross StriplingLADvs. SF 
17Aaron NolaPHIat WAS 
18Matt StrahmSDvs. ARI, at STLDeserves chance in the rotation
19Trevor BauerCLEvs. TOR 
20Stephen StrasburgWASat NYM 
21Hyun-Jin RyuLADvs. SF 
22Carlos CarrascoCLEvs. TOR 
23James PaxtonNYYat BAL 
24Zack GreinkeARIat SDOK, here I'm a little more than concerned
25Noah SyndergaardNYMvs. WAS 
26German MarquezCOLat TB 
27Yonny ChirinosTBat SFLet's see if he starts or follows, either way, great set-up
28Steven MatzNYMat MIA, vs. WAS 
29Gerrit ColeHOUat TEX 
30Marco GonzalesSEAvs. LAAOn a pace for 32 wins
31Jonathan LoaisigaNYYvs. DET 
32Collin McHughHOUvs. OAK 
33Jameson TaillonPITvs. STL 
34Charlie MortonTBvs. COL 
35Yusei KikuchiSEAat CWSDoesn't have the typical arsenal of Japanese pitchers, but has the deception
36Joey LucchesiSDvs. ARI 
37Kevin GausmanATLvs. MIAExpected to be back
38Robbie RayARIat SD 
39Michael WachaSTLvs. SD 
40Caleb SmithMIAvs. NYM, at ATL 
41Luis CastilloCINat PITPromising debut
42J.A. HappNYYat BAL 
43Brad KellerKCvs. MIN, at DET 
44Tyler GlasnowTBat SF 
45Jakob JunisKCat DETShould take advanatge of several soft AL Central matchups all season
46David PriceBOSat OAK, at ARIRed Sox starters hindered by lack of spring innings
47Zack WheelerNYMvs. WAS 
48Madison BumgarnerSFat LAD 
49Tanner RoarkCINvs. MIL, at PIT 
50Matt ShoemakerTORvs. BALOutstanding debut, can he stay healthy?
51Nick PivettaPHIvs. MIN 
52Bryse WilsonATLvs. MIA 
53Tyler SkaggsLAAvs. TEX 
54Trevor CahillLAAat SEA 
55Merrill KellyARIat SD, vs. BOSHas unfamiliarity on his side
56Miles MikolasSTLat PIT 
57Zach EflinPHIat WAS, vs. MIN 
58Kyle WrightATLvs. MIA 
59Jake ArrietaPHIvs. MIN 
60Wade LeBlancSEAat CWS 
61Reynaldo LopezCWSvs. SEA 
62Chris PaddackSDat STL 
63Joe MusgrovePITvs. CIN 
64Jason VargasNYMat MIA 
65Pablo LopezMIAat ATL 
66Trevor RichardsMIAvs. NYMCheck out his change if you haven't seen it
67Mike FiersOAKvs. BOS, at HOU 
68Jose UrenaMIAvs. NYM 
69Marcus StromanTORvs. BAL, at CLE 
70Michael PinedaMINat PHI 
71Freddy PeraltaMILat CIN 
72Jhoulys ChacinMILat CIN 
73Trevor WilliamsPITvs. CIN 
74Kyle FreelandCOLat TB 
75Cole HamelsCHCat MIL 
76Anthony DeSclafaniCINvs. MIL, at PIT 
77Shane BieberCLEvs. TOR 
78Julio TeheranATLvs. CHC 
79Corbin BurnesMILvs. CHC 
80Yu DarvishCHCat ATL 
81Dereck RodriguezSFvs. TB 
82Mike LeakeSEAat CWS 
83Jon LesterCHCat ATL 
84Jose QuintanaCHCat MIL 
85Drew PomeranzSFat LAD, vs. TB 
86Chris StrattonSFat SEA, vs. TEX 
87Rick PorcelloBOSat ARI 
88Lucas GiolitoCWSvs. SEA 
89Jeff SamardzijaSFvs. TB 
90Felix PenaLAAvs. TEX 
91Zach DaviesMILat CIN, vs. CHC 
92Ivan NovaCWSat CLE, vs. SEA 
93Matthew BoydDETat NYYThings went south in a hurry vs. Blue Jays
94Wade MileyHOUvs. OAK 
95Anibal SanchezWASvs. PHI 
96Jake OdorizziMINat PHI 
97Sonny GrayCINat PIT 
98Eric LauerSDvs. ARI 
99Sean NewcombATLvs. CHC 
100Adam WainwrightSTLat PIT, vs. SD 
101Kyle GibsonMINat KC 
102Eduardo RodriguezBOSat OAK 
103Walker BuehlerLADat COL 
104Drew SmylyTEXvs. HOU, at LAA 
105Felix HernandezSEAvs. LAA 
106Matt HarveyLAAvs. TEX 
107Mike MinorTEXvs. HOU 
108Julio UriasLADvs. SF, at COL 
109Matt MooreDETvs. KC 
110Zack GodleyARIvs. BOS 
111Brandon WoodruffMILvs. CHC 
112Tyler MahleCINvs. MIL 
113Ryan YarbroughTBvs. COL 
114Nathan EovaldiBOSat OAK 
115Dylan BundyBALvs. NYY 
116Derek HollandSFat LAD 
117Kenta MaedaLADat COL 
118Marco EstradaOAKvs. BOS 
119Spencer TurnbullDETvs. KC 
120Jon GrayCOLvs. LAD 
121Tyler AndersonCOLvs. LAD 
122Sean Reid-FoleyTORvs. BAL, at CLE 
123Luke WeaverARIvs. BOS 
124Carlos RodonCWSat CLE 
125Lance LynnTEXat LAA 
126Sandy AlcantaraMIAat ATL 
127Jorge LopezKCat DET 
128Max FriedATLvs. CHC 
129Tyson RossDETat NYY, vs. KC 
130Edinson VolquezTEXat LAA 
131Jordan ZimmermannDETat NYY 
132Jordan LylesPITvs. CIN 
133Aaron BrooksOAKvs. BOS, at HOU 
134Chad BettisCOLat TB, vs. LAD 
135Shelby MillerTEXvs. HOU, at LAA 
136Alex CobbBALvs. NYY 
137Aaron SanchezTORat CLE 
138David HessBALat TOR, vs. NYY 
139Nick MargeviciusSDat STL 
140Frankie MontasOAKat HOU 
141Brett AndersonOAKvs. BOS 
142Mike Wright Jr.BALat TOR 
143Homer BaileyKCvs. MIN 
144Andrew CashnerBALat TOR 
145Trent ThorntonTORat CLE 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RankPITCHERTEAMOPPCOMMENT
1Mike ClevingerCLEvs. CWS, vs. TORIn a great spot to start off the season strong
2Blake SnellTBvs. COL, at SFVelo down first start, worth monitoring
3Jose BerriosMINat KC, at PHI 
4Corey KluberCLEvs. CWS 
5Justin VerlanderHOUat TEX 
6Chris SaleBOSat OAK, at ARII'm not worried. Maybe I'm a little bit concerned, but that's not the same thing.
7Brad PeacockHOUat TEX, vs. OAKCross your fingers in Arlington
8Masahiro TanakaNYYvs. DET 
9Domingo GermanNYYvs. DET, at BALWorth a healthy FAAB bid if available
10Trevor BauerCLEvs. TOR 
11Carlos CarrascoCLEvs. TOR 
12James PaxtonNYYat BAL 
13Yonny ChirinosTBat SFLet's see if he starts or follows, either way, great set-up
14Gerrit ColeHOUat TEX 
15Marco GonzalesSEAvs. LAAOn a pace for 32 wins
16Jonathan LoaisigaNYYvs. DET 
17Collin McHughHOUvs. OAK 
18Charlie MortonTBvs. COL 
19Yusei KikuchiSEAat CWSDoesn't have the typical arsenal of Japanese pitchers, but has the deception
20J.A. HappNYYat BAL 
21Brad KellerKCvs. MIN, at DET 
22Tyler GlasnowTBat SF 
23Jakob JunisKCat DETShould take advanatge of several soft AL Central matchups all season
24David PriceBOSat OAK, at ARIRed Sox starters hindered by lack of spring innings
25Matt ShoemakerTORvs. BALOutstanding debut, can he stay healthy?
26Tyler SkaggsLAAvs. TEX 
27Trevor CahillLAAat SEA 
28Wade LeBlancSEAat CWS 
29Reynaldo LopezCWSvs. SEA 
30Mike FiersOAKvs. BOS, at HOU 
31Marcus StromanTORvs. BAL, at CLE 
32Michael PinedaMINat PHI 
33Shane BieberCLEvs. TOR 
34Mike LeakeSEAat CWS 
35Rick PorcelloBOSat ARI 
36Lucas GiolitoCWSvs. SEA 
37Felix PenaLAAvs. TEX 
38Ivan NovaCWSat CLE, vs. SEA 
39Matthew BoydDETat NYYThings went south in a hurry vs. Blue Jays
40Wade MileyHOUvs. OAK 
41Jake OdorizziMINat PHI 
42Kyle GibsonMINat KC 
43Eduardo RodriguezBOSat OAK 
44Drew SmylyTEXvs. HOU, at LAA 
45Felix HernandezSEAvs. LAA 
46Matt HarveyLAAvs. TEX 
47Mike MinorTEXvs. HOU 
48Matt MooreDETvs. KC 
49Ryan YarbroughTBvs. COL 
50Nathan EovaldiBOSat OAK 
51Dylan BundyBALvs. NYY 
52Marco EstradaOAKvs. BOS 
53Spencer TurnbullDETvs. KC 
54Sean Reid-FoleyTORvs. BAL, at CLE 
55Carlos RodonCWSat CLE 
56Lance LynnTEXat LAA 
57Jorge LopezKCat DET 
58Tyson RossDETat NYY, vs. KC 
59Edinson VolquezTEXat LAA 
60Jordan ZimmermannDETat NYY 
61Aaron BrooksOAKvs. BOS, at HOU 
62Shelby MillerTEXvs. HOU, at LAA 
63Alex CobbBALvs. NYY 
64Aaron SanchezTORat CLE 
65David HessBALat TOR, vs. NYY 
66Frankie MontasOAKat HOU 
67Brett AndersonOAKvs. BOS 
68Mike Wright Jr.BALat TOR 
69Homer BaileyKCvs. MIN 
70Andrew CashnerBALat TOR 
71Trent ThorntonTORat CLE 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

RankPITCHERTEAMOPPCOMMENT
1Max ScherzerWASvs. PHI, at NYM 
2Jacob deGromNYMat MIA 
3Kyle HendricksCHCat ATL, at MILDon't love the matchups, but Hendricks rarely lit up
4Patrick CorbinWASat NYM 
5Chris ArcherPITvs. STL, vs. CINGetting benefit of the doubt… for now
6Jack FlahertySTLvs. SD 
7Ross StriplingLADvs. SF 
8Aaron NolaPHIat WAS 
9Matt StrahmSDvs. ARI, at STLDeserves chance in the rotation
10Stephen StrasburgWASat NYM 
11Hyun-Jin RyuLADvs. SF 
12Zack GreinkeARIat SDOK, here I'm a little more than concerned
13Noah SyndergaardNYMvs. WAS 
14German MarquezCOLat TB 
15Steven MatzNYMat MIA, vs. WAS 
16Jameson TaillonPITvs. STL 
17Joey LucchesiSDvs. ARI 
18Kevin GausmanATLvs. MIAExpected to be back
19Robbie RayARIat SD 
20Michael WachaSTLvs. SD 
21Caleb SmithMIAvs. NYM, at ATL 
22Luis CastilloCINat PITPromising debut
23Zack WheelerNYMvs. WAS 
24Madison BumgarnerSFat LAD 
25Tanner RoarkCINvs. MIL, at PIT 
26Nick PivettaPHIvs. MIN 
27Bryse WilsonATLvs. MIA 
28Merrill KellyARIat SD, vs. BOSHas unfamiliarity on his side
29Miles MikolasSTLat PIT 
30Zach EflinPHIat WAS, vs. MIN 
31Kyle WrightATLvs. MIA 
32Jake ArrietaPHIvs. MIN 
33Chris PaddackSDat STL 
34Joe MusgrovePITvs. CIN 
35Jason VargasNYMat MIA 
36Pablo LopezMIAat ATL 
37Trevor RichardsMIAvs. NYMCheck out his change if you haven't seen it
38Jose UrenaMIAvs. NYM 
39Freddy PeraltaMILat CIN 
40Jhoulys ChacinMILat CIN 
41Trevor WilliamsPITvs. CIN 
42Kyle FreelandCOLat TB 
43Cole HamelsCHCat MIL 
44Anthony DeSclafaniCINvs. MIL, at PIT 
45Julio TeheranATLvs. CHC 
46Corbin BurnesMILvs. CHC 
47Yu DarvishCHCat ATL 
48Dereck RodriguezSFvs. TB 
49Jon LesterCHCat ATL 
50Jose QuintanaCHCat MIL 
51Drew PomeranzSFat LAD, vs. TB 
52Chris StrattonSFat SEA, vs. TEX 
53Jeff SamardzijaSFvs. TB 
54Zach DaviesMILat CIN, vs. CHC 
55Anibal SanchezWASvs. PHI 
56Sonny GrayCINat PIT 
57Eric LauerSDvs. ARI 
58Sean NewcombATLvs. CHC 
59Adam WainwrightSTLat PIT, vs. SD 
60Walker BuehlerLADat COL 
61Julio UriasLADvs. SF, at COL 
62Zack GodleyARIvs. BOS 
63Brandon WoodruffMILvs. CHC 
64Tyler MahleCINvs. MIL 
65Derek HollandSFat LAD 
66Kenta MaedaLADat COL 
67Jon GrayCOLvs. LAD 
68Tyler AndersonCOLvs. LAD 
69Luke WeaverARIvs. BOS 
70Sandy AlcantaraMIAat ATL 
71Max FriedATLvs. CHC 
72Jordan LylesPITvs. CIN 
73Chad BettisCOLat TB, vs. LAD 
74Nick MargeviciusSDat STL 

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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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