Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Season Finale

Written by

Updated on September 22, 2018 12:34PM EST

Can you believe it's the final week of the regular season? If you're still evaluating matchups to set your rotation, you're either in contention for a league title or grinding until the end. Either way, you deserve a hearty pat on the back, great job.

You no doubt know these ranking are even more subject to change than normal. Not just over the weekend, but there will no doubt be alterations from the Sunday night updated rankings. All you can do is approach each matchup with common sense, keeping the team stead in mind.

For those looking for every little edge, the Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Rockies and Dodgers all have a chance to play a 163rd game on Monday to decide a playoff berth. The prospective starting pitchers are likely already on a fantasy roster, but since these contests are often all hands on deck, grabbing some relievers from the involved teams could prove fruitful.

Good luck everyone. Before signing off for the season, I'd like to thank everyone for their constructive criticism and patience as we continue to work together, making these the best rankings of their kind anywhere.

For the week, Sept. 24 - Oct. 1

UPDATED: Sunday September 23, 9:00 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Corey Kluber	CLE	at CWS, at KC	Weekend start will be truncated, but not too much, won't pitch again for 6 days
2	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TOR, at BAL
3	Blake Snell	TB	vs. TOR	Helping

For the week, Sept. 24 - Oct. 1

UPDATED: Sunday September 23, 9:00 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Corey Kluber	CLE	at CWS, at KC	Weekend start will be truncated, but not too much, won't pitch again for 6 days
2	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TOR, at BAL
3	Blake Snell	TB	vs. TOR	Helping take home a lot of fantasy championships
4	Justin Verlander	HOU	at BAL
5	Luis Severino	NYY	at TB, at BOS	Second start will be abbreviated
6	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TB, at BOS	Pitching well to close the season
7	David Price	BOS	vs. BAL	Not an excuse, but was victimized by short porch in the Bronx several times last start
8	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
9	James Paxton	SEA	vs. OAK, vs. TEX	Wants to pitch both games… we'll see
10	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at KC
11	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. OAK, vs. TEX
12	Charlie Morton	HOU	at BAL
13	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. BAL	Expect another 75 or so pitch effort
14	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. DET
15	Lance Lynn	NYY	at TB	4.47 ERA in pinstripes misleading, 2.14 FIP and 2.90 xFIP says he pitched much better
16	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. CWS
17	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at CWS, at KC	Would be nice to get him up to at least 75 pitches/5 IP
18	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. TOR	Will be primary pitcher, not starter, but deserves ranking among regular starters
19	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. TEX
20	Mike Minor	TEX	at SEA
21	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. OAK
22	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TOR
23	Matthew Boyd	DET	at MIN
24	Matt Shoemaker	LAA	vs. TEX
25	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at CWS
26	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at BOS, vs. HOU	Only if you need strikeouts - though facing high contact offenses
27	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. NYY
28	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at SEA
29	Felix Pena	LAA	vs. TEX, vs. OAK	Helped by home starts in great pitcher's park
30	Trevor Cahill	OAK	at LAA
31	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN
32	Ryan Borucki	TOR	at TB
33	Brett Anderson	OAK	at SEA, at LAA
34	Yohander Mendez	TEX	at LAA	Two of league's bottom offenses vs. LHP, both games in pitching venues
35	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	vs. BAL	Also likely to see some work out of the bullpen
36	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. TEX
37	Dylan Covey	CWS	vs. CLE, at MIN
38	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX
39	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. NYY
40	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TB
41	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. NYY
42	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. CLE
43	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. NYY, vs. TOR	Like Yarbrough, will work middle innings
44	J.A. Happ	NYY	at BOS
45	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. HOU
46	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. OAK
47	Sean Reid-Foley	TOR	at TB
48	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. HOU
49	Jaime Barria	LAA	vs. OAK
50	Shane Bieber	CLE	at KC
51	Josh James	HOU	at TOR, at BAL
52	Francisco Liriano	DET	at MIN
53	Mike Fiers	OAK	at LAA
54	Martin Perez	TEX	at SEA
55	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at MIN
56	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at MIN
57	Hector Velazquez	BOS	vs. NYY
58	Chase De Jong	MIN	vs. CWS
59	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. CLE
60	Diego Castillo	TB	vs. NYY
61	Adrian Sampson	TEX	at LAA, at SEA
62	Hector Santiago	CWS	vs. CLE
63	Edwin Jackson	OAK	at SEA
64	Thomas Pannone	TOR	at TB
65	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at MIL
66	Jimmy Yacabonis	BAL	at BOS, vs. HOU
67	James Shields	CWS	vs. CLE
68	Tyler Glasnow	TB	vs. NYY
69	Spencer Turnbull	DET	at MIN, at MIL
70	Stephen Gonsalves	MIN	vs. DET
71	Kohl Stewart	MIN	vs. DET, vs. CWS
72	Heath Fillmyer	KC	at CIN
73	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	at SEA
74	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. HOU
75	Eric Skoglund	KC	at CIN, vs. CLE
76	Jorge Lopez	KC	vs. CLE
77	Ariel Jurado	TEX	at LAA
78	Daniel Norris	DET	at MIL
79	Yefry Ramirez	BAL	at BOS
80	Sean Gilmartin	BAL	vs. HOU
81	David Hess	BAL	vs. HOU

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. MIA, at COL
2	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. MIA	Pitching for another Cy Young is great motivation
3	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. MIL, at CHC
4	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. ATL, vs. MIA
5	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. LAD, at SD
6	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. ATL
7	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. SD
8	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at CHC, at CIN	Looking to put exclamation point on an outstanding year
9	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. ATL
10	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. LAD
11	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at ARI	Could miss last start if Dodgers ticketed for Wild Card game
12	Chris Archer	PIT	at CHC, at CIN
13	Derek Holland	SF	vs. SD, vs. LAD	Pair of teams weak versus southpaw pitching
14	Zack Godley	ARI	at SD
15	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. PIT	2.44 ERA, .96 WHIP with 69 K and 14 BB in 66.1 IP since the break. Unfortunately, first half numbers count too
16	Rich Hill	LAD	at SF
17	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SD
18	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	at SF
19	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. SD
20	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. STL
21	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. STL
22	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. MIA
23	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at NYM
24	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. PIT
25	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. DET
26	Cole Hamels	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. STL	Jumps up into top-ten if weekend start means something.
27	Cody Reed	CIN	vs. KC
28	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. PIT
29	Walker Buehler	LAD	at ARI
30	Julio Teheran	ATL	at NYM
31	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. PHI, vs. WAS	Nicked with pair at home
32	Bryan Mitchell	SD	at SF, vs. ARI	Getting results but not missing any bats - very risky
33	Alex Wood	LAD	at SF
34	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. ATL	Stop shaking your head. Has been league-average since the break and even better lately
35	Ross Stripling	LAD	at ARI
36	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. MIA
37	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. PIT
38	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. WAS
39	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at PHI	Since he won't be starting one of the early playoff games, shouldn't leave last start early
40	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at STL
41	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	at PHI
42	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CHC
43	John Gant	STL	vs. MIL
44	Corey Oswalt	NYM	vs. MIA
45	Zach Eflin	PHI	at COL, vs. ATL	hurt by Coors start
46	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. ARI
47	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	vs. LAD
48	Eric Lauer	SD	at SF
49	Jon Gray	COL	vs. PHI, vs. WAS	After initial surge after recall, Gray has really struggled lately
50	Robbie Erlin	SD	at SF
51	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at PHI
52	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	at WAS, at NYM	Those pesky walks…
53	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. DET	Could be held for wild card game
54	Miles Mikolas	STL	at CHC
55	Touki Toussaint	ATL	at NYM
56	German Marquez	COL	vs. PHI
57	Jacob Nix	SD	vs. ARI
58	Trevor Richards	MIA	at NYM
59	Jose Urena	MIA	at NYM
60	Adam Wainwright	STL	at CHC	Jump up 20 spots if Cubs have nothing to play for
61	Matt Harvey	CIN	vs. KC
62	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at COL, vs. ATL
63	Gio Gonzalez	MIL	at STL
64	Austin Gomber	STL	vs. MIL
65	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	at WAS
66	Michael Lorenzen	CIN	vs. PIT
67	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC
68	Junior Guerra	MIL	at STL
69	Andrew Suarez	SF	vs. LAD
70	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. PHI
71	Joe Ross	WAS	at COL
72	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at COL
73	Wade Miley	MIL	vs. DET
74	Nick Kingham	PIT	at CIN
75	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at COL
76	Matt Koch	ARI	vs. LAD
77	Jeff Brigham	MIA	at WAS
78	Erick Fedde	WAS	at COL

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. MIA, at COL
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at CWS, at KC	Weekend start will be truncated, but not too much, won't pitch again for 6 days
3	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. MIA	Pitching for another Cy Young is great motivation
4	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. MIL, at CHC
5	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. ATL, vs. MIA
6	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. LAD, at SD
7	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TOR, at BAL
8	Blake Snell	TB	vs. TOR	Helping take home a lot of fantasy championships
9	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. ATL
10	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. SD
11	Justin Verlander	HOU	at BAL
12	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at CHC, at CIN	Looking to put exclamation point on an outstanding year
13	Luis Severino	NYY	at TB, at BOS	Second start will be abbreviated
14	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. ATL
15	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. LAD
16	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at ARI	Could miss last start if Dodgers ticketed for Wild Card game
17	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TB, at BOS	Pitching well to close the season
18	Chris Archer	PIT	at CHC, at CIN
19	David Price	BOS	vs. BAL	Not an excuse, but was victimized by short porch in the Bronx several times last start
20	Derek Holland	SF	vs. SD, vs. LAD	Pair of teams weak versus southpaw pitching
21	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
22	James Paxton	SEA	vs. OAK, vs. TEX	Wants to pitch both games… we'll see
23	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at KC
24	Zack Godley	ARI	at SD
25	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. PIT	2.44 ERA, .96 WHIP with 69 K and 14 BB in 66.1 IP since the break. Unfortunately, first half numbers count too
26	Rich Hill	LAD	at SF
27	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SD
28	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. OAK, vs. TEX
29	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	at SF
30	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. SD
31	Charlie Morton	HOU	at BAL
32	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. STL
33	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. STL
34	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. MIA
35	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. BAL	Expect another 75 or so pitch effort
36	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at NYM
37	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. PIT
38	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. DET
39	Lance Lynn	NYY	at TB	4.47 ERA in pinstripes misleading, 2.14 FIP and 2.90 xFIP says he pitched much better
40	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. DET
41	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. CWS
42	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at CWS, at KC	Would be nice to get him up to at least 75 pitches/5 IP
43	Cole Hamels	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. STL	Jumps up into top-ten if weekend start means something.
44	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. TOR	Will be primary pitcher, not starter, but deserves ranking among regular starters
45	Cody Reed	CIN	vs. KC
46	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. TEX
47	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. PIT
48	Walker Buehler	LAD	at ARI
49	Mike Minor	TEX	at SEA
50	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. OAK
51	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TOR
52	Julio Teheran	ATL	at NYM
53	Matthew Boyd	DET	at MIN
54	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. PHI, vs. WAS	Nicked with pair at home
55	Matt Shoemaker	LAA	vs. TEX
56	Bryan Mitchell	SD	at SF, vs. ARI	Getting results but not missing any bats - very risky
57	Alex Wood	LAD	at SF
58	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. ATL	Stop shaking your head. Has been league-average since the break and even better lately
59	Ross Stripling	LAD	at ARI
60	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at CWS
61	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at BOS, vs. HOU	Only if you need strikeouts - though facing high contact offenses
62	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. MIA
63	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. NYY
64	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at SEA
65	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. PIT
66	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. WAS
67	Felix Pena	LAA	vs. TEX, vs. OAK	Helped by home starts in great pitcher's park
68	Trevor Cahill	OAK	at LAA
69	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN
70	Kevin Gausman	ATL	at PHI	Since he won't be starting one of the early playoff games, shouldn't leave last start early
71	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at STL
72	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	at PHI
73	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CHC
74	Ryan Borucki	TOR	at TB
75	John Gant	STL	vs. MIL
76	Corey Oswalt	NYM	vs. MIA
77	Brett Anderson	OAK	at SEA, at LAA
78	Yohander Mendez	TEX	at LAA	Two of league's bottom offenses vs. LHP, both games in pitching venues
79	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	vs. BAL	Also likely to see some work out of the bullpen
80	Zach Eflin	PHI	at COL, vs. ATL	hurt by Coors start
81	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. ARI
82	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	vs. LAD
83	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. TEX
84	Eric Lauer	SD	at SF
85	Jon Gray	COL	vs. PHI, vs. WAS	After initial surge after recall, Gray has really struggled lately
86	Dylan Covey	CWS	vs. CLE, at MIN
87	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX
88	Robbie Erlin	SD	at SF
89	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. NYY
90	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TB
91	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at PHI
92	Yonny Chirinos	TB	vs. NYY
93	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	at WAS, at NYM	Those pesky walks…
94	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. DET	Could be held for wild card game
95	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. CLE
96	Miles Mikolas	STL	at CHC
97	Jalen Beeks	TB	vs. NYY, vs. TOR	Like Yarbrough, will work middle innings
98	Touki Toussaint	ATL	at NYM
99	J.A. Happ	NYY	at BOS
100	German Marquez	COL	vs. PHI
101	Jacob Nix	SD	vs. ARI
102	Trevor Richards	MIA	at NYM
103	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. HOU
104	Jose Urena	MIA	at NYM
105	Adam Wainwright	STL	at CHC	Jump up 20 spots if Cubs have nothing to play for
106	Matt Harvey	CIN	vs. KC
107	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. OAK
108	Sean Reid-Foley	TOR	at TB
109	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at COL, vs. ATL
110	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. HOU
111	Jaime Barria	LAA	vs. OAK
112	Shane Bieber	CLE	at KC
113	Gio Gonzalez	MIL	at STL
114	Josh James	HOU	at TOR, at BAL
115	Austin Gomber	STL	vs. MIL
116	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	at WAS
117	Michael Lorenzen	CIN	vs. PIT
118	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC
119	Francisco Liriano	DET	at MIN
120	Mike Fiers	OAK	at LAA
121	Martin Perez	TEX	at SEA
122	Junior Guerra	MIL	at STL
123	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at MIN
124	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at MIN
125	Andrew Suarez	SF	vs. LAD
126	Hector Velazquez	BOS	vs. NYY
127	Chase De Jong	MIN	vs. CWS
128	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. CLE
129	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. PHI
130	Diego Castillo	TB	vs. NYY
131	Adrian Sampson	TEX	at LAA, at SEA
132	Hector Santiago	CWS	vs. CLE
133	Edwin Jackson	OAK	at SEA
134	Thomas Pannone	TOR	at TB
135	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at MIL
136	Jimmy Yacabonis	BAL	at BOS, vs. HOU
137	James Shields	CWS	vs. CLE
138	Tyler Glasnow	TB	vs. NYY
139	Spencer Turnbull	DET	at MIN, at MIL
140	Stephen Gonsalves	MIN	vs. DET
141	Joe Ross	WAS	at COL
142	Kohl Stewart	MIN	vs. DET, vs. CWS
143	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at COL
144	Wade Miley	MIL	vs. DET
145	Heath Fillmyer	KC	at CIN
146	Nick Kingham	PIT	at CIN
147	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at COL
148	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	at SEA
149	Matt Koch	ARI	vs. LAD
150	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. HOU
151	Eric Skoglund	KC	at CIN, vs. CLE
152	Jorge Lopez	KC	vs. CLE
153	Ariel Jurado	TEX	at LAA
154	Daniel Norris	DET	at MIL
155	Yefry Ramirez	BAL	at BOS
156	Sean Gilmartin	BAL	vs. HOU
157	David Hess	BAL	vs. HOU
158	Jeff Brigham	MIA	at WAS
159	Erick Fedde	WAS	at COL