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 |
1 | Drew Pomeranz | BOS | vs. TOR, vs. HOU | |
2 | CC Sabathia | NYY | vs. KC, vs. TOR | |
3 | Luis Severino | NYY | vs. TB | |
4 | Sonny Gray | NYY | vs. TB | |
5 | Chris Archer | TB | vs. BAL | |
6 | Justin Verlander | HOU | at TEX | |
7 | Carlos Carrasco | CLE | vs. MIN | |
8 | Masahiro Tanaka | NYY | vs. TB | Challenging Aaron Judge for club lead in homers |
9 | Felix Hernandez | SEA | at OAK, at LAA | Good setup to close season strong |
10 | Dallas Keuchel | HOU | at TEX, at BOS | Expecting early weekend exit |
11 | Jose Berrios | MIN | vs. DET | |
12 | Cole Hamels | TEX | vs. HOU, vs. OAK | |
13 | Danny Duffy | KC | vs. ARI | |
14 | Corey Kluber | CLE | vs. CWS | Could be pitching for Cy Young, though playoffs take precedence |
15 | Rick Porcello | BOS | vs. TOR | |
16 | Garrett Richards | LAA | at CWS | Pitching well, great spot to end season on high note |
17 | Parker Bridwell | LAA | at CWS, vs. SEA | |
18 | Kevin Gausman | BAL | at PIT | |
19 | Tyler |
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 |
1 | Drew Pomeranz | BOS | vs. TOR, vs. HOU | |
2 | CC Sabathia | NYY | vs. KC, vs. TOR | |
3 | Luis Severino | NYY | vs. TB | |
4 | Sonny Gray | NYY | vs. TB | |
5 | Chris Archer | TB | vs. BAL | |
6 | Justin Verlander | HOU | at TEX | |
7 | Carlos Carrasco | CLE | vs. MIN | |
8 | Masahiro Tanaka | NYY | vs. TB | Challenging Aaron Judge for club lead in homers |
9 | Felix Hernandez | SEA | at OAK, at LAA | Good setup to close season strong |
10 | Dallas Keuchel | HOU | at TEX, at BOS | Expecting early weekend exit |
11 | Jose Berrios | MIN | vs. DET | |
12 | Cole Hamels | TEX | vs. HOU, vs. OAK | |
13 | Danny Duffy | KC | vs. ARI | |
14 | Corey Kluber | CLE | vs. CWS | Could be pitching for Cy Young, though playoffs take precedence |
15 | Rick Porcello | BOS | vs. TOR | |
16 | Garrett Richards | LAA | at CWS | Pitching well, great spot to end season on high note |
17 | Parker Bridwell | LAA | at CWS, vs. SEA | |
18 | Kevin Gausman | BAL | at PIT | |
19 | Tyler Skaggs | LAA | vs. SEA | |
20 | James Paxton | SEA | at OAK | Not especially sharpsince coming off the DL |
21 | Blake Snell | TB | at NYY, vs. BAL | |
22 | Jake Odorizzi | TB | vs. BAL | |
23 | Josh Tomlin | CLE | vs. MIN, vs. CWS | Could be skipped for Danny Salazar |
24 | Jaime Garcia | NYY | vs. TOR | |
25 | Jordan Montgomery | NYY | vs. TOR | |
26 | Trevor Bauer | CLE | vs. CWS | |
27 | Ricky Nolasco | LAA | at CWS, vs. SEA | |
28 | Erasmo Ramirez | SEA | at OAK | |
29 | Ervin Santana | MIN | at CLE | |
30 | Jason Hammel | KC | vs. DET | |
31 | Alex Cobb | TB | at NYY | |
32 | Martin Perez | TEX | vs. OAK | |
33 | Marcus Stroman | TOR | at NYY | |
34 | Mike Leake | SEA | at LAA | |
35 | Jake Junis | KC | at NYY, vs. ARI | |
36 | Bud Norris | LAA | at CWS | |
37 | Danny Salazar | CLE | vs. MIN | |
38 | Kendall Graveman | OAK | vs. SEA | |
39 | Anibal Sanchez | DET | at KC, at MIN | My favorite "break glass in case of emergency" option for streamers |
40 | Jeremy Hellickson | BAL | at TB | |
41 | Daniel Mengden | OAK | vs. SEA, at TEX | |
42 | Gabriel Ynoa | BAL | at PIT | |
43 | Brad Peacock | HOU | at BOS | |
44 | Andrew Cashner | TEX | vs. HOU, vs. OAK | Sorry, but I refuse to believe he's all of a sudden good |
45 | Charlie Morton | HOU | at BOS | |
46 | Daniel Gossett | OAK | vs. SEA, at TEX | |
47 | Lance McCullers | HOU | at BOS | |
48 | Andrew Moore | SEA | at LAA | |
49 | Kyle Gibson | MIN | vs. DET | |
50 | Wade Miley | BAL | at TB | |
51 | Eduardo Rodriguez | BOS | vs. HOU | |
52 | Matt Andriese | TB | at NYY | |
53 | J.A. Happ | TOR | at BOS | |
54 | Ubaldo Jimenez | BAL | at TB | |
55 | Sam Gaviglio | SEA | vs. DET | |
56 | Doug Fister | BOS | vs. HOU | |
57 | Collin McHugh | HOU | at TEX | |
58 | Sean Manaea | OAK | at TEX | |
59 | Reynaldo Lopez | CWS | vs. LAA | |
60 | Joe Biagini | TOR | at NYY | |
61 | Jason Vargas | KC | vs. DET | |
62 | Miguel Gonzalez | TEX | vs. OAK | |
63 | Lucas Giolito | CWS | at CLE | |
64 | Carson Fulmer | CWS | vs. LAA, at CLE | |
65 | Daniel Norris | DET | at KC | |
66 | James Shields | CWS | vs. LAA, at CLE | |
67 | Marco Estrada | TOR | at BOS | |
68 | Bartolo Colon | MIN | at CLE, vs. DET | |
69 | Ian Kennedy | KC | vs. ARI | |
70 | Jharel Cotton | OAK | at TEX | |
71 | Matt Boyd | DET | at MIN | |
72 | Brett Anderson | TOR | at BOS, at NYY | |
73 | Adalberto Mejia | MIN | at CLE | |
74 | Buck Farmer | DET | at MIN | |
75 | Nick Martinez | TEX | vs. HOU | |
76 | Dylan Covey | CWS | vs. LAA | |
77 | Jordan Zimmermann | DET | at KC |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Rank | Pitcher | TEAM | Opponent(s) | Comments |
1 | Carlos Martinez | STL | vs. CHC, vs. MIL | Weekend start not definite. Could be skipped if wild card clinched. |
2 | Luke Weaver | STL | vs. CHC, vs. MIL | Second start dependent on wild card race |
3 | Gio Gonzalez | WAS | at PHI, vs. PIT | Weekend start will probably end early |
4 | Alex Wood | LAD | vs. SD, at COL | Could miss COL start, will be short if he goes |
5 | Yu Darvish | LAD | vs. SD, at COL | COL start in jeopardy |
6 | Madison Bumgarner | SF | vs. SD | |
7 | Johnny Cueto | SF | at ARI, vs. SD | 21 K but 9 BB in last 3 starts, spanning 17 1/3 IP |
8 | Zack Godley | ARI | vs. SF, at KC | |
9 | Jake Arrieta | CHC | at STL, vs. CIN | Expect truncated second start |
10 | Robbie Ray | ARI | vs. SF | Lines up nicely for wild card game |
11 | Rich Hill | LAD | vs. SD | |
12 | Zack Greinke | ARI | vs. SF | |
13 | Jacob deGrom | NYM | at PHI | |
14 | Jon Lester | CHC | at STL, vs. CIN | Heading in the wrong direction when he usually excels |
15 | R.A. Dickey | ATL | at NYM, at MIA | |
16 | Zach Davies | MIL | vs. CIN, at STL | |
17 | Aaron Nola | PHI | vs. WAS | |
18 | Max Scherzer | WAS | vs. PIT | Likely five and fly in last start |
19 | Jose Quintana | CHC | vs. CIN | |
20 | Julio Teheran | ATL | at MIA | |
21 | Stephen Strasburg | WAS | vs. PIT | |
22 | Tanner Roark | WAS | at PHI | |
23 | Seth Lugo | NYM | at PHI, vs. ATL | |
24 | Kyle Hendricks | CHC | at STL | |
25 | Dinelson Lamet | SD | at LAD | |
26 | Chase Anderson | MIL | at STL | Early clubhouse leader for being called the 2018 "Zola guy" |
27 | Brent Suter | MIL | vs. CIN | |
28 | Sean Newcomb | ATL | at NYM | |
29 | Gerrit Cole | PIT | at WAS | Finishing the season strong |
30 | Ben Lively | PHI | vs. NYM | |
31 | Lucas Sims | ATL | at NYM, at MIA | |
32 | Dan Straily | MIA | vs. ATL | |
33 | Patrick Corbin | ARI | at KC | |
34 | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | at COL | Anticipating just 3 or 4 IP in Coors |
35 | Brandon Woodruff | MIL | vs. CIN | |
36 | Jeff Samardzija | SF | at ARI | |
37 | Jose Urena | MIA | at COL, vs. ATL | Curious to see how he handles Coors |
38 | Trevor Williams | PIT | vs. BAL | |
39 | Chad Kuhl | PIT | vs. BAL | |
40 | Michael Wacha | STL | vs. CHC | |
41 | Lance Lynn | STL | vs. CHC | Strikeouts steadily declining over the second half |
42 | Jon Gray | COL | vs. MIA | |
43 | Chris Stratton | SF | vs. SD | |
44 | Nick Pivetta | PHI | vs. NYM | Strikeout potential intriguing for next season |
45 | Henderson Alvarez | PHI | vs. NYM | |
46 | A.J. Cole | WAS | at PHI | |
47 | John Lackey | CHC | at STL | |
48 | Jhoulys Chacin | SD | at SF | |
49 | Mark Leiter | PHI | vs. WAS | |
50 | Noah Syndergaard | NYM | at PHI | Token start, will only be an inning or two |
51 | Ivan Nova | PIT | at WAS | Extent of second half fall a bit mind-boggling |
52 | John Gant | STL | vs. MIL | |
53 | Luiz Gohara | ATL | at MIA | |
54 | Luis Perdomo | SD | at SF | |
55 | Sal Romano | CIN | at MIL | |
56 | Homer Bailey | CIN | at MIL | Strikeouts down, but with normal off-season, intriguing flier in 2018 |
57 | Taijuan Walker | ARI | at KC | |
58 | Jameson Taillon | PIT | at WAS | |
59 | Tyler Chatwood | COL | vs. MIA, vs. LAD | |
60 | German Marquez | COL | vs. LAD | |
61 | Tyler Anderson | COL | vs. MIA | |
62 | Robert Gsellman | NYM | vs. ATL | |
63 | Edwin Jackson | WAS | vs. PIT | |
64 | Aaron Wilkerson | MIL | at STL | |
65 | Steven Brault | PIT | at WAS | |
66 | Dillon Peters | MIA | vs. ATL | |
67 | Matt Moore | SF | at ARI | |
68 | Clayton Richard | SD | at LAD | |
69 | Max Fried | ATL | at NYM | |
70 | Deck McGuire | CIN | at MIL, at CHC | |
71 | Chris Flexen | NYM | vs. ATL | |
72 | Travis Wood | SD | at LAD | |
73 | Jake Thompson | PHI | vs. WAS | |
74 | Chad Bettis | COL | vs. LAD | |
75 | Odrisamer Despaigne | MIA | at COL, vs. ATL | |
76 | Jackson Stephens | CIN | at CHC | |
77 | Robert Stephenson | CIN | at CHC | |
78 | Adam Conley | MIA | at COL | |
79 | Jordan Lyles | SD | at SF | |
80 | Rafael Montero | NYM | vs. ATL |
MLB
RANK | PITCHER | TEAM | OPPONENT | COMMENT |
1 | Carlos Martinez | STL | vs. CHC, vs. MIL | Weekend start not definite. Could be skipped if wild card clinched. |
2 | Luke Weaver | STL | vs. CHC, vs. MIL | Second start dependent on wild card race |
3 | Chris Sale | BOS | vs. TOR, vs. HOU | With division in hand, don't expect much next weekend |
4 | Gio Gonzalez | WAS | at PHI, vs. PIT | Weekend start will probably end early |
5 | Alex Wood | LAD | vs. SD, at COL | Could miss COL start, will be short if he goes |
6 | Drew Pomeranz | BOS | vs. TOR, vs. HOU | |
7 | Yu Darvish | LAD | vs. SD, at COL | COL start in jeopardy |
8 | CC Sabathia | NYY | vs. KC, vs. TOR | |
9 | Madison Bumgarner | SF | vs. SD | |
10 | Luis Severino | NYY | vs. TB | |
11 | Johnny Cueto | SF | at ARI, vs. SD | 21 K but 9 BB in last 3 starts, spanning 17 1/3 IP |
12 | Zack Godley | ARI | vs. SF, at KC | |
13 | Jake Arrieta | CHC | at STL, vs. CIN | Expect truncated second start |
14 | Robbie Ray | ARI | vs. SF | Lines up nicely for wild card game |
15 | Rich Hill | LAD | vs. SD | |
16 | Zack Greinke | ARI | vs. SF | |
17 | Jacob deGrom | NYM | at PHI | |
18 | Sonny Gray | NYY | vs. TB | |
19 | Chris Archer | TB | vs. BAL | |
20 | Justin Verlander | HOU | at TEX | |
21 | Jon Lester | CHC | at STL, vs. CIN | Heading in the wrong direction when he usually excels |
22 | R.A. Dickey | ATL | at NYM, at MIA | |
23 | Carlos Carrasco | CLE | vs. MIN | |
24 | Masahiro Tanaka | NYY | vs. TB | Challenging Aaron Judge for club lead in homers |
25 | Felix Hernandez | SEA | at OAK, at LAA | Good setup to close season strong |
26 | Zach Davies | MIL | vs. CIN, at STL | |
27 | Aaron Nola | PHI | vs. WAS | |
28 | Max Scherzer | WAS | vs. PIT | Likely five and fly in last start |
29 | Jose Quintana | CHC | vs. CIN | |
30 | Dallas Keuchel | HOU | at TEX, at BOS | Expecting early weekend exit |
31 | Jose Berrios | MIN | vs. DET | |
32 | Julio Teheran | ATL | at MIA | |
33 | Stephen Strasburg | WAS | vs. PIT | |
34 | Cole Hamels | TEX | vs. HOU, vs. OAK | |
35 | Tanner Roark | WAS | at PHI | |
36 | Danny Duffy | KC | vs. ARI | |
37 | Corey Kluber | CLE | vs. CWS | Could be pitching for Cy Young, though playoffs take precedence |
38 | Rick Porcello | BOS | vs. TOR | |
39 | Garrett Richards | LAA | at CWS | Pitching well, great spot to end season on high note |
40 | Seth Lugo | NYM | at PHI, vs. ATL | |
41 | Parker Bridwell | LAA | at CWS, vs. SEA | |
42 | Kevin Gausman | BAL | at PIT | |
43 | Tyler Skaggs | LAA | vs. SEA | |
44 | James Paxton | SEA | at OAK | Not especially sharpsince coming off the DL |
45 | Kyle Hendricks | CHC | at STL | |
46 | Dinelson Lamet | SD | at LAD | |
47 | Chase Anderson | MIL | at STL | Early clubhouse leader for being called the 2018 "Zola guy" |
48 | Blake Snell | TB | at NYY, vs. BAL | |
49 | Brent Suter | MIL | vs. CIN | |
50 | Jake Odorizzi | TB | vs. BAL | |
51 | Sean Newcomb | ATL | at NYM | |
52 | Josh Tomlin | CLE | vs. MIN, vs. CWS | Could be skipped for Danny Salazar |
53 | Jaime Garcia | NYY | vs. TOR | |
54 | Gerrit Cole | PIT | at WAS | Finishing the season strong |
55 | Ben Lively | PHI | vs. NYM | |
56 | Lucas Sims | ATL | at NYM, at MIA | |
57 | Dan Straily | MIA | vs. ATL | |
58 | Jordan Montgomery | NYY | vs. TOR | |
59 | Patrick Corbin | ARI | at KC | |
60 | Trevor Bauer | CLE | vs. CWS | |
61 | Ricky Nolasco | LAA | at CWS, vs. SEA | |
62 | Erasmo Ramirez | SEA | at OAK | |
63 | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | at COL | Anticipating just 3 or 4 IP in Coors |
64 | Brandon Woodruff | MIL | vs. CIN | |
65 | Ervin Santana | MIN | at CLE | |
66 | Jason Hammel | KC | vs. DET | |
67 | Jeff Samardzija | SF | at ARI | |
68 | Jose Urena | MIA | at COL, vs. ATL | Curious to see how he handles Coors |
69 | Trevor Williams | PIT | vs. BAL | |
70 | Alex Cobb | TB | at NYY | |
71 | Martin Perez | TEX | vs. OAK | |
72 | Chad Kuhl | PIT | vs. BAL | |
73 | Michael Wacha | STL | vs. CHC | |
74 | Lance Lynn | STL | vs. CHC | Strikeouts steadily declining over the second half |
75 | Jon Gray | COL | vs. MIA | |
76 | Marcus Stroman | TOR | at NYY | |
77 | Chris Stratton | SF | vs. SD | |
78 | Mike Leake | SEA | at LAA | |
79 | Nick Pivetta | PHI | vs. NYM | Strikeout potential intriguing for next season |
80 | Henderson Alvarez | PHI | vs. NYM | |
81 | Jake Junis | KC | at NYY, vs. ARI | |
82 | Bud Norris | LAA | at CWS | |
83 | Danny Salazar | CLE | vs. MIN | |
84 | Kendall Graveman | OAK | vs. SEA | |
85 | A.J. Cole | WAS | at PHI | |
86 | John Lackey | CHC | at STL | |
87 | Jhoulys Chacin | SD | at SF | |
88 | Mark Leiter | PHI | vs. WAS | |
89 | Anibal Sanchez | DET | at KC, at MIN | My favorite "break glass in case of emergency" option for streamers |
90 | Noah Syndergaard | NYM | at PHI | Token start, will only be an inning or two |
91 | Ivan Nova | PIT | at WAS | Extent of second half fall a bit mind-boggling |
92 | John Gant | STL | vs. MIL | |
93 | Jeremy Hellickson | BAL | at TB | |
94 | Luiz Gohara | ATL | at MIA | |
95 | Daniel Mengden | OAK | vs. SEA, at TEX | |
96 | Luis Perdomo | SD | at SF | |
97 | Sal Romano | CIN | at MIL | |
98 | Gabriel Ynoa | BAL | at PIT | |
99 | Brad Peacock | HOU | at BOS | |
100 | Andrew Cashner | TEX | vs. HOU, vs. OAK | Sorry, but I refuse to believe he's all of a sudden good |
101 | Homer Bailey | CIN | at MIL | Strikeouts down, but with normal off-season, intriguing flier in 2018 |
102 | Charlie Morton | HOU | at BOS | |
103 | Daniel Gossett | OAK | vs. SEA, at TEX | |
104 | Lance McCullers | HOU | at BOS | |
105 | Andrew Moore | SEA | at LAA | |
106 | Taijuan Walker | ARI | at KC | |
107 | Jameson Taillon | PIT | at WAS | |
108 | Tyler Chatwood | COL | vs. MIA, vs. LAD | |
109 | Kyle Gibson | MIN | vs. DET | |
110 | German Marquez | COL | vs. LAD | |
111 | Tyler Anderson | COL | vs. MIA | |
112 | Wade Miley | BAL | at TB | |
113 | Eduardo Rodriguez | BOS | vs. HOU | |
114 | Matt Andriese | TB | at NYY | |
115 | J.A. Happ | TOR | at BOS | |
116 | Robert Gsellman | NYM | vs. ATL | |
117 | Edwin Jackson | WAS | vs. PIT | |
118 | Ubaldo Jimenez | BAL | at TB | |
119 | Sam Gaviglio | SEA | vs. DET | |
120 | Doug Fister | BOS | vs. HOU | |
121 | Aaron Wilkerson | MIL | at STL | |
122 | Collin McHugh | HOU | at TEX | |
123 | Steven Brault | PIT | at WAS | |
124 | Sean Manaea | OAK | at TEX | |
125 | Reynaldo Lopez | CWS | vs. LAA | |
126 | Dillon Peters | MIA | vs. ATL | |
127 | Matt Moore | SF | at ARI | |
128 | Joe Biagini | TOR | at NYY | |
129 | Jason Vargas | KC | vs. DET | |
130 | Clayton Richard | SD | at LAD | |
131 | Miguel Gonzalez | TEX | vs. OAK | |
132 | Lucas Giolito | CWS | at CLE | |
133 | Carson Fulmer | CWS | vs. LAA, at CLE | |
134 | Max Fried | ATL | at NYM | |
135 | Deck McGuire | CIN | at MIL, at CHC | |
136 | Chris Flexen | NYM | vs. ATL | |
137 | Travis Wood | SD | at LAD | |
138 | Jake Thompson | PHI | vs. WAS | |
139 | Daniel Norris | DET | at KC | |
140 | James Shields | CWS | vs. LAA, at CLE | |
141 | Chad Bettis | COL | vs. LAD | |
142 | Marco Estrada | TOR | at BOS | |
143 | Bartolo Colon | MIN | at CLE, vs. DET | |
144 | Ian Kennedy | KC | vs. ARI | |
145 | Jharel Cotton | OAK | at TEX | |
146 | Odrisamer Despaigne | MIA | at COL, vs. ATL | |
147 | Matt Boyd | DET | at MIN | |
148 | Jackson Stephens | CIN | at CHC | |
149 | Brett Anderson | TOR | at BOS, at NYY | |
150 | Robert Stephenson | CIN | at CHC | |
151 | Adalberto Mejia | MIN | at CLE | |
152 | Buck Farmer | DET | at MIN | |
153 | Adam Conley | MIA | at COL | |
154 | Nick Martinez | TEX | vs. HOU | |
155 | Jordan Lyles | SD | at SF | |
156 | Rafael Montero | NYM | vs. ATL | |
157 | Dylan Covey | CWS | vs. LAA | |
158 | Jordan Zimmermann | DET | at KC |