Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Kluber's May to Remember

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Updated on June 2, 2018 2:56PM EST

Last week was one of the plushest in terms of two-start options, this week is one of the more vacuous weeks we'll encounter this season. The effect is elevating some seemingly pedestrian pitchers higher than usual as the extra whiffs and chance for a win propel them higher than many one-start hurlers.

Something to keep in mind is the followers, my name for the likes of Ryan Yarbrough and his Rays bullpen mates could be non-listed options. The problem is we're not exactly sure who'll they'll follow as their availability in the bullpen games revolves around when they last worked. Of the group, Yarbrough is the safest to use, consider him a middle-of-the-pack option.

For the week, June 4-10

UPDATED: Sunday, June 3, 10:30 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Luis Severino	NYY	at DET, at NYM
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. MIL, at DET	41 K with just 1 BB in May, spanning 39.1 IP
3	James Paxton	SEA	at HOU, at TB
4	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. SEA, at TEX	In a bit of a rut, only tossing 16 innings over last three efforts
5	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TEX
6	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TEX
7	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS	Back in groove - 1.99 ERA, . 75 WHIP last 3 games with 27 K, 4 BB in 22.2 IP
8	Sean Manaea	OAK	at TEX, vs. KC
9	David Price	BOS	vs. CWS
10	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. BAL	May was

For the week, June 4-10

UPDATED: Sunday, June 3, 10:30 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Luis Severino	NYY	at DET, at NYM
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. MIL, at DET	41 K with just 1 BB in May, spanning 39.1 IP
3	James Paxton	SEA	at HOU, at TB
4	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. SEA, at TEX	In a bit of a rut, only tossing 16 innings over last three efforts
5	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TEX
6	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TEX
7	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS	Back in groove - 1.99 ERA, . 75 WHIP last 3 games with 27 K, 4 BB in 22.2 IP
8	Sean Manaea	OAK	at TEX, vs. KC
9	David Price	BOS	vs. CWS
10	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. BAL	May was mix of mediocre skills (5.5 K/9, 1.7 HR/9) with low 59.6 LOB%
11	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. CWS
12	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	vs. KC
13	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	vs. SEA
14	Charlie Morton	HOU	at TEX
15	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at NYM	3.21 ERA, .96 WHIP since blow up, but has allowed 6 HR over last three games
16	Blake Snell	TB	vs. SEA
17	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at DET
18	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. MIL
19	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. CWS	2.25 ERA, 1.14 WHIP with 33 K and 7 BB in last 5 starts covering 28 IP
20	Bartolo Colon	TEX	vs. OAK
21	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. DET
22	Chris Archer	TB	vs. SEA
23	Domingo German	NYY	at NYM, at DET
24	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at NYM
25	Danny Duffy	KC	at LAA, at OAK	Walks remain high, favorable venues
26	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at DET
27	Jakob Junis	KC	at OAK
28	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. KC
29	Sonny Gray	NYY	at TOR	Four quality starts in last six efforts
30	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. BAL
31	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	at WAS, vs. SEA	Hit 100 mph on the gun in return from two Tommy John procedures
32	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY, vs. BAL	Risky pair if ratios are a concern
33	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. CWS
34	Jaime Garcia	TOR	vs. BAL
35	Alex Cobb	BAL	at NYM, at TOR
36	Nick Tropeano	LAA	vs. KC, at MIN	5 HR allowed over last three outings
37	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. CLE
38	Zack Littell	MIN	vs. CWS
39	Mike Leake	SEA	at TB
40	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at TB
41	Trevor Cahill	OAK	vs. KC
42	Kevin Gausman	BAL	at TOR
43	Garrett Richards	LAA	at MIN
44	Fernando Romero	MIN	vs. CWS, vs. LAA	High risk, medium reward
45	Jason Hammel	KC	at OAK
46	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at TB
47	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. CLE, vs. NYY
48	Daniel Gossett	OAK	vs. KC
49	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TOR	Could get second start would jump to the 50s
50	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at MIN, at BOS	Regression hit hard last time
51	Steven Wright	BOS	vs. DET
52	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. LAA
53	Lance Lynn	MIN	vs. LAA
54	Artie Lewicki	DET	at BOS, vs. CLE
55	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at HOU
56	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at MIN
57	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at TEX	Lack of punch outs hurts in this type of ranking
58	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. KC
59	Ian Kennedy	KC	at LAA
60	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. HOU	5.26 FIP/4.26 xFIP suggest actual 3.74 ERA is a bit fortunate
61	Andrew Cashner	BAL	at TOR
62	Matt Moore	TEX	vs. OAK, vs. HOU
63	Matt Boyd	DET	at BOS
64	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	vs. DET	Weak link in Red Sox rotation continues to lack control
65	Blaine Hardy	DET	at BOS
66	Brad Keller	KC	at LAA, at OAK
67	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at BOS
68	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. HOU
69	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN
70	Hector Santiago	CWS	at MIN
71	James Shields	CWS	at MIN
72	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. NYY
73	David Hess	BAL	at TOR
74	Doug Fister	TEX	vs. HOU
75	Drew VerHagen	DET	vs. NYY
76	Dylan Covey	CWS	at BOS
77	Sergio Romo	TB	vs. SEA
78	Ryne Stanek	TB	at WAS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. TB, vs. SF
2	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. MIA, at CIN	On target to come of on DL on Tuesday
3	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. PHI, vs. PIT	Low strikeout rate mitigated by two starts
4	Ross Stripling	LAD	at PIT, vs. ATL	Will be counted on to hold the fort while Clayton Kershaw is out
5	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. LAD, at CHC	Pair of seven inning outings off the DL
6	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. SF
7	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at SD	Stifled daunting Red Sox and Nationals last two outings
8	Julio Teheran	ATL	at SD, at LAD	Mediocre pitcher with two excellent matchups
9	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. NYY
10	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. MIA
11	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. MIA
12	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. NYY
13	Aaron Nola	PHI	at CHC
14	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at SD, at LAD	Walks high, likely won't matter versus Padres
15	Tyson Ross	SD	at MIA
16	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SF
17	Jose Urena	MIA	at STL, vs. SD	Pedestrian skills boosted by paucity of two-start options this week
18	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. ARI	Expected to make return on Tuesday
19	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. COL, vs. STL	Reds in dire need of shot in the arm
20	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. ATL, at MIA	Tough draw vs. Atlanta, but averaging an impressive 7.1 IP last 5 starts
21	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. STL
22	Zack Godley	ARI	at SF, at COL	Better last time out, hopefully momentum won't be halted by Coors in second start
23	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. MIL
24	Michael Wacha	STL	at CIN
25	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	vs. SF
26	Jon Gray	COL	at CIN
27	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at CHC
28	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. LAD
29	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. ATL	Tentative, the hope is DL visit is minimum
30	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. PIT	Pirates one of top offenses versus southpaws
31	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. SD
32	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. TB
33	Zack Greinke	ARI	at COL	Coors turns a 3.00 ERA into 4.20. It. Just. Does.
34	Walker Buehler	LAD	at PIT
35	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. BAL
36	Zach Eflin	PHI	at CHC, vs. MIL	10.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 borderline elite, but victimized by .306 BABIP and 13% HR/FB
37	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. PHI	Pitched well versus Mets, but Mets are horrible versus southpaws.
38	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. ARI	First June start better than any of his May efforts
39	Zach Davies	MIL	at PHI	Tentative, hoping to miss only one start while on DL
40	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. COL
41	Caleb Smith	MIA	vs. SD
42	Luke Weaver	STL	at CIN
43	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC
44	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at CHC
45	Eric Lauer	SD	at MIA
46	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. ATL
47	Kyle Freeland	COL	at CIN, vs. ARI
48	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	at LAD
49	German Marquez	COL	vs. ARI
50	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at PHI
51	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. LAD
52	Vince Velasquez	PHI	vs. MIL
53	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	at STL
54	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	vs. PHI	Another outing with more BB than K last time, up to 49 BB to 47 K on the season
55	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. BAL
56	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. PIT
57	Chad Bettis	COL	vs. ARI
58	Clay Buchholz	ARI	at SF
59	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. NYY
60	Matt Harvey	CIN	vs. STL
61	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at WAS
62	Tyler Anderson	COL	at CIN
63	Chase Anderson	MIL	at CLE
64	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	at STL
65	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. COL
66	Jordan Lyles	SD	vs. ATL
67	Brent Suter	MIL	at PHI
68	Derek Holland	SF	vs. ARI, at WAS
69	Junior Guerra	MIL	at CLE
70	Dennis Santana	LAD	at PIT
71	Andrew Suarez	SF	at WAS
72	Matt Koch	ARI	at COL
73	Miguel Diaz	SD	vs. ATL

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. TB, vs. SF
2	Luis Severino	NYY	at DET, at NYM
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. MIL, at DET	41 K with just 1 BB in May, spanning 39.1 IP
4	James Paxton	SEA	at HOU, at TB
5	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. MIA, at CIN	On target to come of on DL on Tuesday
6	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. PHI, vs. PIT	Low strikeout rate mitigated by two starts
7	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. SEA, at TEX	In a bit of a rut, only tossing 16 innings over last three efforts
8	Ross Stripling	LAD	at PIT, vs. ATL	Will be counted on to hold the fort while Clayton Kershaw is out
9	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. LAD, at CHC	Pair of seven inning outings off the DL
10	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TEX
11	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. SF
12	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at SD	Stifled daunting Red Sox and Nationals last two outings
13	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TEX
14	Julio Teheran	ATL	at SD, at LAD	Mediocre pitcher with two excellent matchups
15	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. NYY
16	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. MIA
17	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS	Back in groove - 1.99 ERA, . 75 WHIP last 3 games with 27 K, 4 BB in 22.2 IP
18	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. MIA
19	Sean Manaea	OAK	at TEX, vs. KC
20	David Price	BOS	vs. CWS
21	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. NYY
22	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. BAL	May was mix of mediocre skills (5.5 K/9, 1.7 HR/9) with low 59.6 LOB%
23	Aaron Nola	PHI	at CHC
24	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. CWS
25	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at SD, at LAD	Walks high, likely won't matter versus Padres
26	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	vs. KC
27	Tyson Ross	SD	at MIA
28	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	vs. SEA
29	Charlie Morton	HOU	at TEX
30	Dylan Bundy	BAL	at NYM	3.21 ERA, .96 WHIP since blow up, but has allowed 6 HR over last three games
31	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SF
32	Blake Snell	TB	vs. SEA
33	Jose Urena	MIA	at STL, vs. SD	Pedestrian skills boosted by paucity of two-start options this week
34	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at DET
35	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. MIL
36	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. CWS	2.25 ERA, 1.14 WHIP with 33 K and 7 BB in last 5 starts covering 28 IP
37	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. ARI	Expected to make return on Tuesday
38	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. COL, vs. STL	Reds in dire need of shot in the arm
39	Bartolo Colon	TEX	vs. OAK
40	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. DET
41	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. ATL, at MIA	Tough draw vs. Atlanta, but averaging an impressive 7.1 IP last 5 starts
42	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. STL
43	Zack Godley	ARI	at SF, at COL	Better last time out, hopefully momentum won't be halted by Coors in second start
44	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. MIL
45	Michael Wacha	STL	at CIN
46	Chris Archer	TB	vs. SEA
47	Domingo German	NYY	at NYM, at DET
48	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at NYM
49	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	vs. SF
50	Jon Gray	COL	at CIN
51	Danny Duffy	KC	at LAA, at OAK	Walks remain high, favorable venues
52	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at CHC
53	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. LAD
54	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at DET
55	Jakob Junis	KC	at OAK
56	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. KC
57	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. ATL	Tentative, the hope is DL visit is minimum
58	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. PIT	Pirates one of top offenses versus southpaws
59	Sonny Gray	NYY	at TOR	Four quality starts in last six efforts
60	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. SD
61	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. BAL
62	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	at WAS, vs. SEA	Hit 100 mph on the gun in return from two Tommy John procedures
63	Tanner Roark	WAS	vs. TB
64	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY, vs. BAL	Risky pair if ratios are a concern
65	Zack Greinke	ARI	at COL	Coors turns a 3.00 ERA into 4.20. It. Just. Does.
66	Walker Buehler	LAD	at PIT
67	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. CWS
68	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. BAL
69	Zach Eflin	PHI	at CHC, vs. MIL	10.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 borderline elite, but victimized by .306 BABIP and 13% HR/FB
70	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. PHI	Pitched well versus Mets, but Mets are horrible versus southpaws.
71	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. ARI	First June start better than any of his May efforts
72	Zach Davies	MIL	at PHI	Tentative, hoping to miss only one start while on DL
73	Jaime Garcia	TOR	vs. BAL
74	Alex Cobb	BAL	at NYM, at TOR
75	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. COL
76	Nick Tropeano	LAA	vs. KC, at MIN	5 HR allowed over last three outings
77	Caleb Smith	MIA	vs. SD
78	Luke Weaver	STL	at CIN
79	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. CLE
80	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC
81	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at CHC
82	Eric Lauer	SD	at MIA
83	Zack Littell	MIN	vs. CWS
84	Mike Leake	SEA	at TB
85	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at TB
86	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. ATL
87	Kyle Freeland	COL	at CIN, vs. ARI
88	Trevor Cahill	OAK	vs. KC
89	Kevin Gausman	BAL	at TOR
90	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	at LAD
91	Garrett Richards	LAA	at MIN
92	German Marquez	COL	vs. ARI
93	Fernando Romero	MIN	vs. CWS, vs. LAA	High risk, medium reward
94	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at PHI
95	Jason Hammel	KC	at OAK
96	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. LAD
97	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at TB
98	Vince Velasquez	PHI	vs. MIL
99	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. CLE, vs. NYY
100	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	at STL
101	Daniel Gossett	OAK	vs. KC
102	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	vs. PHI	Another outing with more BB than K last time, up to 49 BB to 47 K on the season
103	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. BAL
104	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. PIT
105	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TOR	Could get second start would jump to the 50s
106	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at MIN, at BOS	Regression hit hard last time
107	Steven Wright	BOS	vs. DET
108	Chad Bettis	COL	vs. ARI
109	Clay Buchholz	ARI	at SF
110	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. LAA
111	Lance Lynn	MIN	vs. LAA
112	Artie Lewicki	DET	at BOS, vs. CLE
113	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. NYY
114	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at HOU
115	Matt Harvey	CIN	vs. STL
116	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at MIN
117	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at WAS
118	Tyler Anderson	COL	at CIN
119	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at TEX	Lack of punch outs hurts in this type of ranking
120	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. KC
121	Chase Anderson	MIL	at CLE
122	Ian Kennedy	KC	at LAA
123	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	at STL
124	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. HOU	5.26 FIP/4.26 xFIP suggest actual 3.74 ERA is a bit fortunate
125	Andrew Cashner	BAL	at TOR
126	Matt Moore	TEX	vs. OAK, vs. HOU
127	Matt Boyd	DET	at BOS
128	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. COL
129	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	vs. DET	Weak link in Red Sox rotation continues to lack control
130	Jordan Lyles	SD	vs. ATL
131	Brent Suter	MIL	at PHI
132	Blaine Hardy	DET	at BOS
133	Brad Keller	KC	at LAA, at OAK
134	Derek Holland	SF	vs. ARI, at WAS
135	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at BOS
136	Junior Guerra	MIL	at CLE
137	Dennis Santana	LAD	at PIT
138	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. HOU
139	Andrew Suarez	SF	at WAS
140	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at MIN
141	Hector Santiago	CWS	at MIN
142	James Shields	CWS	at MIN
143	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. NYY
144	David Hess	BAL	at TOR
145	Matt Koch	ARI	at COL
146	Miguel Diaz	SD	vs. ATL
147	Doug Fister	TEX	vs. HOU
148	Drew VerHagen	DET	vs. NYY
149	Dylan Covey	CWS	at BOS
150	Sergio Romo	TB	vs. SEA
151	Ryne Stanek	TB	at WAS