Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Season Finale

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Season Finale

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

The last week of the season is easily the most difficult to rank with so many starts in flux. As teams clinch, they'll often rearrange their rotation for optimal playoff order. Teams still in contention will extend their best starters while giving them an early shower next weekend if there's nothing to pitch for. The Cy Young race is a minor consideration for Chris Sale and Corey Kluber, though both have bigger goals in mind.

UPDATED: Sunday September 24, 8:30 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK PITCHER TEAM OPPONENT COMMENT
1Drew PomeranzBOSvs. TOR, vs. HOU
2CC SabathiaNYYvs. KC, vs. TOR
3Luis SeverinoNYYvs. TB
4Sonny GrayNYYvs. TB
5Chris ArcherTBvs. BAL
6Justin VerlanderHOUat TEX
7Carlos CarrascoCLEvs. MIN
8Masahiro TanakaNYYvs. TBChallenging Aaron Judge for club lead in homers
9Felix HernandezSEAat OAK, at LAAGood setup to close season strong
10Dallas KeuchelHOUat TEX, at BOSExpecting early weekend exit
11Jose BerriosMINvs. DET
12Cole HamelsTEXvs. HOU, vs. OAK
13Danny DuffyKCvs. ARI
14Corey KluberCLEvs. CWSCould be pitching for Cy Young, though playoffs take precedence
15Rick PorcelloBOSvs. TOR
16Garrett RichardsLAAat CWSPitching well, great spot to end season on high note
17Parker BridwellLAAat CWS, vs. SEA
18Kevin GausmanBALat PIT
19Tyler

The last week of the season is easily the most difficult to rank with so many starts in flux. As teams clinch, they'll often rearrange their rotation for optimal playoff order. Teams still in contention will extend their best starters while giving them an early shower next weekend if there's nothing to pitch for. The Cy Young race is a minor consideration for Chris Sale and Corey Kluber, though both have bigger goals in mind.

UPDATED: Sunday September 24, 8:30 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK PITCHER TEAM OPPONENT COMMENT
1Drew PomeranzBOSvs. TOR, vs. HOU
2CC SabathiaNYYvs. KC, vs. TOR
3Luis SeverinoNYYvs. TB
4Sonny GrayNYYvs. TB
5Chris ArcherTBvs. BAL
6Justin VerlanderHOUat TEX
7Carlos CarrascoCLEvs. MIN
8Masahiro TanakaNYYvs. TBChallenging Aaron Judge for club lead in homers
9Felix HernandezSEAat OAK, at LAAGood setup to close season strong
10Dallas KeuchelHOUat TEX, at BOSExpecting early weekend exit
11Jose BerriosMINvs. DET
12Cole HamelsTEXvs. HOU, vs. OAK
13Danny DuffyKCvs. ARI
14Corey KluberCLEvs. CWSCould be pitching for Cy Young, though playoffs take precedence
15Rick PorcelloBOSvs. TOR
16Garrett RichardsLAAat CWSPitching well, great spot to end season on high note
17Parker BridwellLAAat CWS, vs. SEA
18Kevin GausmanBALat PIT
19Tyler SkaggsLAAvs. SEA
20James PaxtonSEAat OAKNot especially sharpsince coming off the DL
21Blake SnellTBat NYY, vs. BAL
22Jake OdorizziTBvs. BAL
23Josh TomlinCLEvs. MIN, vs. CWSCould be skipped for Danny Salazar
24Jaime GarciaNYYvs. TOR
25Jordan MontgomeryNYYvs. TOR
26Trevor BauerCLEvs. CWS
27Ricky NolascoLAAat CWS, vs. SEA
28Erasmo RamirezSEAat OAK
29Ervin SantanaMINat CLE
30Jason HammelKCvs. DET
31Alex CobbTBat NYY
32Martin PerezTEXvs. OAK
33Marcus StromanTORat NYY
34Mike LeakeSEAat LAA
35Jake JunisKCat NYY, vs. ARI
36Bud NorrisLAAat CWS
37Danny SalazarCLEvs. MIN
38Kendall GravemanOAKvs. SEA
39Anibal SanchezDETat KC, at MINMy favorite "break glass in case of emergency" option for streamers
40Jeremy HellicksonBALat TB
41Daniel MengdenOAKvs. SEA, at TEX
42Gabriel YnoaBALat PIT
43Brad PeacockHOUat BOS
44Andrew CashnerTEXvs. HOU, vs. OAKSorry, but I refuse to believe he's all of a sudden good
45Charlie MortonHOUat BOS
46Daniel GossettOAKvs. SEA, at TEX
47Lance McCullersHOUat BOS
48Andrew MooreSEAat LAA
49Kyle GibsonMINvs. DET
50Wade MileyBALat TB
51Eduardo RodriguezBOSvs. HOU
52Matt AndrieseTBat NYY
53J.A. HappTORat BOS
54Ubaldo JimenezBALat TB
55Sam GaviglioSEAvs. DET
56Doug FisterBOSvs. HOU
57Collin McHughHOUat TEX
58Sean ManaeaOAKat TEX
59Reynaldo LopezCWSvs. LAA
60Joe BiaginiTORat NYY
61Jason VargasKCvs. DET
62Miguel GonzalezTEXvs. OAK
63Lucas GiolitoCWSat CLE
64Carson FulmerCWSvs. LAA, at CLE
65Daniel NorrisDETat KC
66James ShieldsCWSvs. LAA, at CLE
67Marco EstradaTORat BOS
68Bartolo ColonMINat CLE, vs. DET
69Ian KennedyKCvs. ARI
70Jharel CottonOAKat TEX
71Matt BoydDETat MIN
72Brett AndersonTORat BOS, at NYY
73Adalberto MejiaMINat CLE
74Buck FarmerDETat MIN
75Nick MartinezTEXvs. HOU
76Dylan CoveyCWSvs. LAA
77Jordan ZimmermannDETat KC

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank Pitcher TEAM Opponent(s) Comments
1Carlos MartinezSTLvs. CHC, vs. MILWeekend start not definite. Could be skipped if wild card clinched.
2Luke WeaverSTLvs. CHC, vs. MILSecond start dependent on wild card race
3Gio GonzalezWASat PHI, vs. PITWeekend start will probably end early
4Alex WoodLADvs. SD, at COLCould miss COL start, will be short if he goes
5Yu DarvishLADvs. SD, at COLCOL start in jeopardy
6Madison BumgarnerSFvs. SD
7Johnny CuetoSFat ARI, vs. SD21 K but 9 BB in last 3 starts, spanning 17 1/3 IP
8Zack GodleyARIvs. SF, at KC
9Jake ArrietaCHCat STL, vs. CINExpect truncated second start
10Robbie RayARIvs. SFLines up nicely for wild card game
11Rich HillLADvs. SD
12Zack GreinkeARIvs. SF
13Jacob deGromNYMat PHI
14Jon LesterCHCat STL, vs. CINHeading in the wrong direction when he usually excels
15R.A. DickeyATLat NYM, at MIA
16Zach DaviesMILvs. CIN, at STL
17Aaron NolaPHIvs. WAS
18Max ScherzerWASvs. PITLikely five and fly in last start
19Jose QuintanaCHCvs. CIN
20Julio TeheranATLat MIA
21Stephen StrasburgWASvs. PIT
22Tanner RoarkWASat PHI
23Seth LugoNYMat PHI, vs. ATL
24Kyle HendricksCHCat STL
25Dinelson LametSDat LAD
26Chase AndersonMILat STLEarly clubhouse leader for being called the 2018 "Zola guy"
27Brent SuterMILvs. CIN
28Sean NewcombATLat NYM
29Gerrit ColePITat WASFinishing the season strong
30Ben LivelyPHIvs. NYM
31Lucas SimsATLat NYM, at MIA
32Dan StrailyMIAvs. ATL
33Patrick CorbinARIat KC
34Clayton KershawLADat COLAnticipating just 3 or 4 IP in Coors
35Brandon WoodruffMILvs. CIN
36Jeff SamardzijaSFat ARI
37Jose UrenaMIAat COL, vs. ATLCurious to see how he handles Coors
38Trevor WilliamsPITvs. BAL
39Chad KuhlPITvs. BAL
40Michael WachaSTLvs. CHC
41Lance LynnSTLvs. CHCStrikeouts steadily declining over the second half
42Jon GrayCOLvs. MIA
43Chris StrattonSFvs. SD
44Nick PivettaPHIvs. NYMStrikeout potential intriguing for next season
45Henderson AlvarezPHIvs. NYM
46A.J. ColeWASat PHI
47John LackeyCHCat STL
48Jhoulys ChacinSDat SF
49Mark LeiterPHIvs. WAS
50Noah SyndergaardNYMat PHIToken start, will only be an inning or two
51Ivan NovaPITat WASExtent of second half fall a bit mind-boggling
52John GantSTLvs. MIL
53Luiz GoharaATLat MIA
54Luis PerdomoSDat SF
55Sal RomanoCINat MIL
56Homer BaileyCINat MILStrikeouts down, but with normal off-season, intriguing flier in 2018
57Taijuan WalkerARIat KC
58Jameson TaillonPITat WAS
59Tyler ChatwoodCOLvs. MIA, vs. LAD
60German MarquezCOLvs. LAD
61Tyler AndersonCOLvs. MIA
62Robert GsellmanNYMvs. ATL
63Edwin JacksonWASvs. PIT
64Aaron WilkersonMILat STL
65Steven BraultPITat WAS
66Dillon PetersMIAvs. ATL
67Matt MooreSFat ARI
68Clayton RichardSDat LAD
69Max FriedATLat NYM
70Deck McGuireCINat MIL, at CHC
71Chris FlexenNYMvs. ATL
72Travis WoodSDat LAD
73Jake ThompsonPHIvs. WAS
74Chad BettisCOLvs. LAD
75Odrisamer DespaigneMIAat COL, vs. ATL
76Jackson StephensCINat CHC
77Robert StephensonCINat CHC
78Adam ConleyMIAat COL
79Jordan LylesSDat SF
80Rafael MonteroNYMvs. ATL

MLB

RANK PITCHER TEAM OPPONENT COMMENT
1Carlos MartinezSTLvs. CHC, vs. MILWeekend start not definite. Could be skipped if wild card clinched.
2Luke WeaverSTLvs. CHC, vs. MILSecond start dependent on wild card race
3Chris SaleBOSvs. TOR, vs. HOUWith division in hand, don't expect much next weekend
4Gio GonzalezWASat PHI, vs. PITWeekend start will probably end early
5Alex WoodLADvs. SD, at COLCould miss COL start, will be short if he goes
6Drew PomeranzBOSvs. TOR, vs. HOU
7Yu DarvishLADvs. SD, at COLCOL start in jeopardy
8CC SabathiaNYYvs. KC, vs. TOR
9Madison BumgarnerSFvs. SD
10Luis SeverinoNYYvs. TB
11Johnny CuetoSFat ARI, vs. SD21 K but 9 BB in last 3 starts, spanning 17 1/3 IP
12Zack GodleyARIvs. SF, at KC
13Jake ArrietaCHCat STL, vs. CINExpect truncated second start
14Robbie RayARIvs. SFLines up nicely for wild card game
15Rich HillLADvs. SD
16Zack GreinkeARIvs. SF
17Jacob deGromNYMat PHI
18Sonny GrayNYYvs. TB
19Chris ArcherTBvs. BAL
20Justin VerlanderHOUat TEX
21Jon LesterCHCat STL, vs. CINHeading in the wrong direction when he usually excels
22R.A. DickeyATLat NYM, at MIA
23Carlos CarrascoCLEvs. MIN
24Masahiro TanakaNYYvs. TBChallenging Aaron Judge for club lead in homers
25Felix HernandezSEAat OAK, at LAAGood setup to close season strong
26Zach DaviesMILvs. CIN, at STL
27Aaron NolaPHIvs. WAS
28Max ScherzerWASvs. PITLikely five and fly in last start
29Jose QuintanaCHCvs. CIN
30Dallas KeuchelHOUat TEX, at BOSExpecting early weekend exit
31Jose BerriosMINvs. DET
32Julio TeheranATLat MIA
33Stephen StrasburgWASvs. PIT
34Cole HamelsTEXvs. HOU, vs. OAK
35Tanner RoarkWASat PHI
36Danny DuffyKCvs. ARI
37Corey KluberCLEvs. CWSCould be pitching for Cy Young, though playoffs take precedence
38Rick PorcelloBOSvs. TOR
39Garrett RichardsLAAat CWSPitching well, great spot to end season on high note
40Seth LugoNYMat PHI, vs. ATL
41Parker BridwellLAAat CWS, vs. SEA
42Kevin GausmanBALat PIT
43Tyler SkaggsLAAvs. SEA
44James PaxtonSEAat OAKNot especially sharpsince coming off the DL
45Kyle HendricksCHCat STL
46Dinelson LametSDat LAD
47Chase AndersonMILat STLEarly clubhouse leader for being called the 2018 "Zola guy"
48Blake SnellTBat NYY, vs. BAL
49Brent SuterMILvs. CIN
50Jake OdorizziTBvs. BAL
51Sean NewcombATLat NYM
52Josh TomlinCLEvs. MIN, vs. CWSCould be skipped for Danny Salazar
53Jaime GarciaNYYvs. TOR
54Gerrit ColePITat WASFinishing the season strong
55Ben LivelyPHIvs. NYM
56Lucas SimsATLat NYM, at MIA
57Dan StrailyMIAvs. ATL
58Jordan MontgomeryNYYvs. TOR
59Patrick CorbinARIat KC
60Trevor BauerCLEvs. CWS
61Ricky NolascoLAAat CWS, vs. SEA
62Erasmo RamirezSEAat OAK
63Clayton KershawLADat COLAnticipating just 3 or 4 IP in Coors
64Brandon WoodruffMILvs. CIN
65Ervin SantanaMINat CLE
66Jason HammelKCvs. DET
67Jeff SamardzijaSFat ARI
68Jose UrenaMIAat COL, vs. ATLCurious to see how he handles Coors
69Trevor WilliamsPITvs. BAL
70Alex CobbTBat NYY
71Martin PerezTEXvs. OAK
72Chad KuhlPITvs. BAL
73Michael WachaSTLvs. CHC
74Lance LynnSTLvs. CHCStrikeouts steadily declining over the second half
75Jon GrayCOLvs. MIA
76Marcus StromanTORat NYY
77Chris StrattonSFvs. SD
78Mike LeakeSEAat LAA
79Nick PivettaPHIvs. NYMStrikeout potential intriguing for next season
80Henderson AlvarezPHIvs. NYM
81Jake JunisKCat NYY, vs. ARI
82Bud NorrisLAAat CWS
83Danny SalazarCLEvs. MIN
84Kendall GravemanOAKvs. SEA
85A.J. ColeWASat PHI
86John LackeyCHCat STL
87Jhoulys ChacinSDat SF
88Mark LeiterPHIvs. WAS
89Anibal SanchezDETat KC, at MINMy favorite "break glass in case of emergency" option for streamers
90Noah SyndergaardNYMat PHIToken start, will only be an inning or two
91Ivan NovaPITat WASExtent of second half fall a bit mind-boggling
92John GantSTLvs. MIL
93Jeremy HellicksonBALat TB
94Luiz GoharaATLat MIA
95Daniel MengdenOAKvs. SEA, at TEX
96Luis PerdomoSDat SF
97Sal RomanoCINat MIL
98Gabriel YnoaBALat PIT
99Brad PeacockHOUat BOS
100Andrew CashnerTEXvs. HOU, vs. OAKSorry, but I refuse to believe he's all of a sudden good
101Homer BaileyCINat MILStrikeouts down, but with normal off-season, intriguing flier in 2018
102Charlie MortonHOUat BOS
103Daniel GossettOAKvs. SEA, at TEX
104Lance McCullersHOUat BOS
105Andrew MooreSEAat LAA
106Taijuan WalkerARIat KC
107Jameson TaillonPITat WAS
108Tyler ChatwoodCOLvs. MIA, vs. LAD
109Kyle GibsonMINvs. DET
110German MarquezCOLvs. LAD
111Tyler AndersonCOLvs. MIA
112Wade MileyBALat TB
113Eduardo RodriguezBOSvs. HOU
114Matt AndrieseTBat NYY
115J.A. HappTORat BOS
116Robert GsellmanNYMvs. ATL
117Edwin JacksonWASvs. PIT
118Ubaldo JimenezBALat TB
119Sam GaviglioSEAvs. DET
120Doug FisterBOSvs. HOU
121Aaron WilkersonMILat STL
122Collin McHughHOUat TEX
123Steven BraultPITat WAS
124Sean ManaeaOAKat TEX
125Reynaldo LopezCWSvs. LAA
126Dillon PetersMIAvs. ATL
127Matt MooreSFat ARI
128Joe BiaginiTORat NYY
129Jason VargasKCvs. DET
130Clayton RichardSDat LAD
131Miguel GonzalezTEXvs. OAK
132Lucas GiolitoCWSat CLE
133Carson FulmerCWSvs. LAA, at CLE
134Max FriedATLat NYM
135Deck McGuireCINat MIL, at CHC
136Chris FlexenNYMvs. ATL
137Travis WoodSDat LAD
138Jake ThompsonPHIvs. WAS
139Daniel NorrisDETat KC
140James ShieldsCWSvs. LAA, at CLE
141Chad BettisCOLvs. LAD
142Marco EstradaTORat BOS
143Bartolo ColonMINat CLE, vs. DET
144Ian KennedyKCvs. ARI
145Jharel CottonOAKat TEX
146Odrisamer DespaigneMIAat COL, vs. ATL
147Matt BoydDETat MIN
148Jackson StephensCINat CHC
149Brett AndersonTORat BOS, at NYY
150Robert StephensonCINat CHC
151Adalberto MejiaMINat CLE
152Buck FarmerDETat MIN
153Adam ConleyMIAat COL
154Nick MartinezTEXvs. HOU
155Jordan LylesSDat SF
156Rafael MonteroNYMvs. ATL
157Dylan CoveyCWSvs. LAA
158Jordan ZimmermannDETat KC

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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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