Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Halfway Home

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Updated on July 5, 2021 2:18AM EST

That was fun, now let's run it back. While some teams have eclipsed 81 games others are still short, a little more than half of the 2021 MLB schedule was in the books heading into Fourth of July Weekend. Jacob deGrom was the first half's best hurler and barring injury, there is no reason to expect anything different the rest of the way.

Brandon Woodruff has established himself as a true ace and is in fact, my second-ranked pitcher for the rest of the season. As it happens, deGrom and Woodruff sit atop this week's rankings with two starts each. This lines them both up for one the following week, so there will be no issue with All-Star Game availability.

Gerrit Cole remains the top dog in my American League second-half rankings. If he loses his grip on the spot, next up are a pair of White Sox with Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito neck and neck.

Please remember I pull the probable pitchers from the site's "best in the biz" Projected Starters grid. So while I am always happy to address rankings questions here, all inquiries pertaining to the schedule should be addressed to our crack staff doing the updates.

UPDATED: Monday July 5, 2:15 AM ET

Week of July 5 - July 11

Mixed Leagues

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	MIL, PIT
2	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@NYM, CIN
3	Walker Buehler	LAD	@MIA, ARI	Matchups don't get any better
4	Kevin Gausman

Gerrit Cole remains the top dog in my American League second-half rankings. If he loses his grip on the spot, next up are a pair of White Sox with Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito neck and neck.

UPDATED: Monday July 5, 2:15 AM ET

Week of July 5 - July 11

Mixed Leagues

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	MIL, PIT
2	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@NYM, CIN
3	Walker Buehler	LAD	@MIA, ARI	Matchups don't get any better
4	Kevin Gausman	SF	STL, WAS
5	Joe Musgrove	SD	WAS, COL
6	Chris Bassitt	OAK	@HOU, @TEX	Says he doesn't care, but deserves All Star nod
7	Aaron Nola	PHI	@CHC, @BOS
8	Jose Berrios	MIN	CWS, DET	Not taking the next step, but remains solid
9	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@NYM
10	Zack Wheeler	PHI	@CHC
11	Max Fried	ATL	@PIT, @MIA
12	Ian Anderson	ATL	@PIT, @MIA
13	Yu Darvish	SD	WAS
14	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@MIA
15	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@MIA, ARI	Stretched out enough to go with no restrictions
16	Trevor Rogers	MIA	LAD, ATL	Good test for the rookie, helps to be at home
17	Max Scherzer	WAS	@SD
18	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	NYY	Hopefully you bought into the helium
19	Freddy Peralta	MIL	CIN
20	Taijuan Walker	NYM	PIT
21	Framber Valdez	HOU	OAK, NYY
22	Julio Urias	LAD	@MIA
23	Rich Hill	TB	CLE, TOR
24	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@HOU
25	Marcus Stroman	NYM	PIT
26	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	WAS
27	Robbie Ray	TOR	@TB
28	Alek Manoah	TOR	@BAL	Orioles at home isn't a pushover
29	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	OAK
30	Luis Castillo	CIN	@KC, @MIL	Yes, he's better, but still not vintage form
31	Kyle Gibson	TEX	DET
32	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	@SEA
33	Luis Garcia	HOU	OAK
34	Adam Wainwright	STL	@SF
35	Zack Greinke	HOU	NYY
36	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	LAD
37	Pablo Lopez	MIA	LAD
38	Jose Suarez	LAA	BOS, @SEA
39	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@LAA
40	JT Brubaker	PIT	@NYM	6 HR in last 18.2 IP skewing otherwise good skills
41	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	@LAA	E-Rod regression was the easiest pitching call
42	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	STL
43	Dylan Cease	CWS	@MIN, @BAL	Maddeningly inconsistent
44	Alex Wood	SF	STL
45	Jon Gray	COL	@ARI, @SD
46	Joe Ross	WAS	@SF	Quietly pitching well lately
47	Ross Stripling	TOR	@TB
48	Alex Cobb	LAA	@SEA
49	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@BAL
50	Lance Lynn	CWS	@MIN
51	Jameson Taillon	NYY	@SEA, @HOU
52	Collin McHugh	TB	CLE
53	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@MIN
54	Shane McClanahan	TB	TOR
55	German Marquez	COL	@SD
56	Charlie Morton	ATL	@MIA
57	Sonny Gray	CIN	@KC
58	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	TOR
59	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	@BAL
60	Tyler Mahle	CIN	@MIL
61	Zach Davies	CHC	PHI, STL
62	Chris Paddack	SD	WAS
63	Casey Mize	DET	@TEX
64	Chris Flexen	SEA	LAA
65	Zach Eflin	PHI	@CHC
66	Domingo German	NYY	@SEA
67	Kenta Maeda	MIN	DET	Continues to struggle
68	Merrill Kelly	ARI	COL
69	Logan Gilbert	SEA	NYY
70	Tylor Megill	NYM	MIL, PIT
71	Ryan Weathers	SD	WAS, COL
72	James Kaprielian	OAK	@TEX
73	Sean Manaea	OAK	@HOU
74	J.C. Mejia	CLE	@TB, KC
75	Drew Smyly	ATL	@PIT
76	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	@SEA
77	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	@SF, @CHC
78	Blake Snell	SD	COL
79	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	NYY
80	Tyler Anderson	PIT	@NYM
81	Kolby Allard	TEX	DET, OAK
82	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	PHI
83	Wade Miley	CIN	@MIL
84	Johnny Cueto	SF	STL
85	Martin Perez	BOS	@LAA, PHI
86	Nick Pivetta	BOS	PHI
87	Danny Duffy	KC	@CLE
88	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	BOS
89	Mike Minor	KC	CIN, @CLE	Worth checking to see if he's available
90	Cole Irvin	OAK	@TEX
91	Mix 12 Reliever
92	Andrew Heaney	LAA	BOS
93	Adrian Houser	MIL	CIN
94	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@SD, @SF
95	Michael Pineda	MIN	CWS
96	Justus Sheffield	SEA	NYY, LAA
97	Mix 15 Reliever
98	Taylor Widener	ARI	COL
99	Dane Dunning	TEX	DET
100	Eric Lauer	MIL	CIN
101	Edwin Uceta	LAD	ARI
102	Steven Matz	TOR	@BAL, @TB
103	Sammy Long	SF	WAS
104	Tarik Skubal	DET	@MIN
105	Caleb Smith	ARI	@LAD
106	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	OAK
107	Marco Gonzales	SEA	LAA
108	Zach Thompson	MIA	ATL
109	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@ARI
110	Michael Wacha	TB	CLE
111	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@BAL
112	Matt Manning	DET	@MIN
113	Frankie Montas	OAK	@HOU
114	Jordan Lyles	TEX	OAK
115	Vince Velasquez	PHI	@BOS
116	Logan Allen	CLE	@TB, KC
117	Michael King	NYY	@HOU
118	J.A. Happ	MIN	DET
119	Brady Singer	KC	CIN
120	Kyle Freeland	COL	@SD
121	Carlos Martinez	STL	@CHC
122	Robert Stock	NYM	MIL
123	Eli Morgan	CLE	KC
124	Chad Kuhl	PIT	ATL
125	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	@KC, @MIL
126	Cal Quantrill	CLE	KC
127	Jose Urena	DET	@TEX, @MIN
128	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	@ARI
129	Kris Bubic	KC	CIN, @CLE
130	Jake Arrieta	CHC	PHI, STL
131	Bailey Ober	MIN	CWS, DET
132	Jake Faria	ARI	@LAD
133	David Hess	MIA	LAD, ATL
134	Garrett Richards	BOS	PHI	Last week's in-season reincarnation was fascinating
135	Wily Peralta	DET	@TEX, @MIN
136	Trevor Williams	CHC	PHI
137	Cody Ponce	PIT	@NYM
138	Matt Moore	PHI	@CHC, @BOS
139	Jon Lester	WAS	@SD, @SF
140	Brad Keller	KC	@CLE
141	Riley Smith	ARI	COL, @LAD
142	Paolo Espino	WAS	@SD
143	Wade LeBlanc	STL	@CHC
144	Chase De Jong	PIT	ATL, @NYM
145	Dean Kremer	BAL	CWS
146	Johan Oviedo	STL	@SF
147	Sam Hentges	CLE	@TB
148	Wil Crowe	PIT	ATL
149	Matt Harvey	BAL	TOR, CWS
150	Brett Anderson	MIL	@NYM
151	Jorge Lopez	BAL	TOR
152	Keegan Akin	BAL	TOR
153	Tom Eshelman	BAL	CWS

American League

	Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	1	Chris Bassitt	OAK	@HOU, @TEX	Says he doesn't care, but deserves All Star nod
2	2	Jose Berrios	MIN	CWS, DET	Not taking the next step, but remains solid
3	3	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	NYY	Hopefully you bought into the helium
4	4	Framber Valdez	HOU	OAK, NYY
5	5	Rich Hill	TB	CLE, TOR
6	6	Gerrit Cole	NYY	@HOU
7	7	Robbie Ray	TOR	@TB
8	8	Alek Manoah	TOR	@BAL	Orioles at home isn't a pushover
9	9	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	OAK
10	10	Kyle Gibson	TEX	DET
11	11	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	@SEA
12	12	Luis Garcia	HOU	OAK
13	13	Zack Greinke	HOU	NYY
14	14	Jose Suarez	LAA	BOS, @SEA
15	15	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@LAA
16	16	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	@LAA	E-Rod regression was the easiest pitching call
17	17	Dylan Cease	CWS	@MIN, @BAL	Maddeningly inconsistent
18	18	Ross Stripling	TOR	@TB
19	19	Alex Cobb	LAA	@SEA
20	20	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@BAL
21	21	Lance Lynn	CWS	@MIN
22	22	Jameson Taillon	NYY	@SEA, @HOU
23	23	Collin McHugh	TB	CLE
24	24	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@MIN
25	25	Shane McClanahan	TB	TOR
26	26	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	TOR
27	27	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	@BAL
28	28	Casey Mize	DET	@TEX
29	29	Chris Flexen	SEA	LAA
30	30	Domingo German	NYY	@SEA
31	31	Kenta Maeda	MIN	DET	Continues to struggle
32	32	Logan Gilbert	SEA	NYY
33	33	James Kaprielian	OAK	@TEX
34	34	Sean Manaea	OAK	@HOU
35	35	J.C. Mejia	CLE	@TB, KC
36	36	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	@SEA
37	37	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	NYY
38	38	Kolby Allard	TEX	DET, OAK
39	39	Martin Perez	BOS	@LAA, PHI
40	40	Nick Pivetta	BOS	PHI
41	41	Danny Duffy	KC	@CLE
42	42	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	BOS
43	43	Mike Minor	KC	CIN, @CLE	Worth checking to see if he's available
44	44	Cole Irvin	OAK	@TEX
45	45	Andrew Heaney	LAA	BOS
46	46	Michael Pineda	MIN	CWS
47	47	Justus Sheffield	SEA	NYY, LAA
48	48	Dane Dunning	TEX	DET
49	49	Steven Matz	TOR	@BAL, @TB
50	50	Tarik Skubal	DET	@MIN
51	51	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	OAK
52	52	Marco Gonzales	SEA	LAA
53	53	AL Reliever
54	54	Michael Wacha	TB	CLE
55	55	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@BAL
56	56	Matt Manning	DET	@MIN
57	57	Frankie Montas	OAK	@HOU
58	58	Jordan Lyles	TEX	OAK
59	59	Logan Allen	CLE	@TB, KC
60	60	Michael King	NYY	@HOU
61	61	J.A. Happ	MIN	DET
62	62	Brady Singer	KC	CIN
63	63	Eli Morgan	CLE	KC
64	64	Cal Quantrill	CLE	KC
65	65	Jose Urena	DET	@TEX, @MIN
66	66	Kris Bubic	KC	CIN, @CLE
67	67	Bailey Ober	MIN	CWS, DET
68	68	Garrett Richards	BOS	PHI	Last week's in-season reincarnation was fascinating
69	69	Wily Peralta	DET	@TEX, @MIN
70	70	Brad Keller	KC	@CLE
71	71	Dean Kremer	BAL	CWS
72	72	Sam Hentges	CLE	@TB
73	73	Matt Harvey	BAL	TOR, CWS
74	74	Jorge Lopez	BAL	TOR
75	75	Keegan Akin	BAL	TOR
76	76	Tom Eshelman	BAL	CWS

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	MIL, PIT
2	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@NYM, CIN
3	Walker Buehler	LAD	@MIA, ARI	Matchups don't get any better
4	Kevin Gausman	SF	STL, WAS
5	Joe Musgrove	SD	WAS, COL
6	Aaron Nola	PHI	@CHC, @BOS
7	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@NYM
8	Zack Wheeler	PHI	@CHC
9	Max Fried	ATL	@PIT, @MIA
10	Ian Anderson	ATL	@PIT, @MIA
11	Yu Darvish	SD	WAS
12	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@MIA
13	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@MIA, ARI	Stretched out enough to go with no restrictions
14	Trevor Rogers	MIA	LAD, ATL	Good test for the rookie, helps to be at home
15	Max Scherzer	WAS	@SD
16	Freddy Peralta	MIL	CIN
17	Taijuan Walker	NYM	PIT
18	Julio Urias	LAD	@MIA
19	Marcus Stroman	NYM	PIT
20	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	WAS
21	Luis Castillo	CIN	@KC, @MIL	Yes, he's better, but still not vintage form
22	Adam Wainwright	STL	@SF
23	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	LAD
24	Pablo Lopez	MIA	LAD
25	JT Brubaker	PIT	@NYM	6 HR in last 18.2 IP skewing otherwise good skills
26	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	STL
27	Alex Wood	SF	STL
28	Jon Gray	COL	@ARI, @SD
29	Joe Ross	WAS	@SF	Quietly pitching well lately
30	German Marquez	COL	@SD
31	Charlie Morton	ATL	@MIA
32	Sonny Gray	CIN	@KC
33	Tyler Mahle	CIN	@MIL
34	Zach Davies	CHC	PHI, STL
35	Chris Paddack	SD	WAS
36	Zach Eflin	PHI	@CHC
37	Merrill Kelly	ARI	COL
38	Tylor Megill	NYM	MIL, PIT
39	Ryan Weathers	SD	WAS, COL
40	Drew Smyly	ATL	@PIT
41	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	@SF, @CHC
42	Blake Snell	SD	COL
43	Tyler Anderson	PIT	@NYM
44	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	PHI
45	Wade Miley	CIN	@MIL
46	Johnny Cueto	SF	STL
47	Adrian Houser	MIL	CIN
48	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@SD, @SF
49	Taylor Widener	ARI	COL
50	Eric Lauer	MIL	CIN
51	Edwin Uceta	LAD	ARI
52	Sammy Long	SF	WAS
53	Caleb Smith	ARI	@LAD
54	NL Reliever
55	Zach Thompson	MIA	ATL
56	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@ARI
57	Vince Velasquez	PHI	@BOS
58	Kyle Freeland	COL	@SD
59	Carlos Martinez	STL	@CHC
60	Robert Stock	NYM	MIL
61	Chad Kuhl	PIT	ATL
62	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	@KC, @MIL
63	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	@ARI
64	Jake Arrieta	CHC	PHI, STL
65	Jake Faria	ARI	@LAD
66	David Hess	MIA	LAD, ATL
67	Trevor Williams	CHC	PHI
68	Cody Ponce	PIT	@NYM
69	Matt Moore	PHI	@CHC, @BOS
70	Jon Lester	WAS	@SD, @SF
71	Riley Smith	ARI	COL, @LAD
72	Paolo Espino	WAS	@SD
73	Wade LeBlanc	STL	@CHC
74	Chase De Jong	PIT	ATL, @NYM
75	Johan Oviedo	STL	@SF
76	Wil Crowe	PIT	ATL
77	Brett Anderson	MIL	@NYM