2018 STARTING PITCHER RANKS
Updated: 3/20/18 by Max Freeze
Rank | Name | Team |
Ace of Aces | ||
1 | Max Scherzer | WAS |
2 | Corey Kluber | CLE |
3 | Clayton Kershaw | LAD |
4 | Chris Sale | BOS |
Still Fantasy Ace only question is Health | ||
5 | Stephen Strasburg | WAS |
6 | Noah Syndergaard | NYM |
7 | Luis Severino | NYY |
8 | Jacob DeGrom | NYM |
9 | Carlos Carrassco | CLE |
Talent to Be Fantasy Ace but Questions | ||
10 | Justin Verlander | HOU |
11 | Zack Greinke | ARI |
12 | Ghost of Mad Bum (drop 15 spots) | SF |
13 | Carlos Martinez | STL |
14 | Yu Darvish | CHC |
15 | Masahiro Tanaka | NYY |
16 | Robbie Ray | ARI |
Could be Aces but solid #2 | ||
17 | Aaron Nola | PHI |
18 | Chris Archer | TB |
19 | Jose Quintana | CHC |
20 | James Paxton | SEA |
21 | Zack Godley | ARI |
22 | Luis Castillo | CIN |
Solid but Boring Vet Tier | ||
23 | Sonny Gray | NYY |
24 | David Price | BOS |
25 | Dallas Keuchel | HOU |
26 | Jake Arrieta | FA |
27 | Rich Hill | LAD |
28 | Marcus Stroman | TOR |
29 | Luke Weaver | STL |
30 | Charlie Morton | HOU |
31 | Alex Wood | LAD |
32 | Gerrit Cole | PIT |
Ohtani Tier – Low Inning Talent / Reliable Vets | ||
33 | Shohei Ohtani | LAA |
34 | Jeff Samardzija | SF |
35 | Jon Lester | CHC |
36 | Danny Duffy | KC |
37 | Michael Fulmer | DET |
38 | Kyle Hendricks | CHC |
39 | Garrett Richards | LAA |
40 | Jameson Taillon | PIT |
41 | Kenta Maeda | LAD |
42 | Patrick Corbin | ARI |
43 | Chase Anderson | MIL |
44 | Drew Pomeranz | BOS |
45 | Johnny Cueto | SF |
Exciting Young Studs / Lots of Upside | ||
46 | Luiz Gohara | ATL |
47 | Blake Snell | TB |
48 | Jose Berrios | MIN |
49 | Lance McCullers | HOU |
50 | Jon Gray | COL |
51 | Trevor Bauer | CLE |
52 | Mike Clevenger | CLE |
53 | Jordan Montgomery | NYY |
54 | Michael Wacha | STL |
55 | Tanner Roark | WAS |
56 | Dinelson Lamet | SD |
57 | Jacob Faria | TB |
Solid #5s / Innings Eaters Tier | ||
58 | Gio Gonzalez | WAS |
59 | Marco Estrada | TOR |
60 | Brad Peacock | HOU |
61 | Dylan Bundy | BAL |
62 | Danny Salazar | CLE |
63 | Sean Manaea | OAK |
64 | Aaron Sanchez | TOR |
65 | Ervin Santana | MIN |
66 | Joe Musgrove | PIT |
67 | Tyler Anderson | COL |
68 | Dan Straily | MIA |
Sexy / Boring AF Combo | ||
69 | Michael Kopech | CHW |
70 | Brent Honeywell | TB |
71 | Chad Kuhl | Pirates |
72 | J.A. Happ | Blue Jays |
73 | Rick Porcello | Red Sox |
74 | Kevin Gausman | Orioles |
75 | Mike Mikolas | Cardinals |
76 | German Marquez | COL |
77 | Jack Flaherty | STL |
So 77 is an odd number to stop at. I’m still doing some late round research for pitchers so I’d like to get this to 100 for those deep leagues and dynasty leagues. What I’m looking for in my pitching staff for a standard 12 team league is this: One pitcher from the either the Ace of Aces tier or Still Fantasy Ace only question is Health tier. Obviously that’s my ace. Picking from the second tier, I like DeGrom and Carrasco the most. Ideally, I like to grab two guys from the next two tiers. I have guys Like Tanaka, Quintana, Godley, and Castillo higher than others so you can likely grab them between rounds 7 and 9.
At this point, I’ve got three solid starters and a great foundation. I’ll grab one starter from each of the next tiers between the Solid but Boring Vet Tier and Exciting Young Studs / Lots of Upside tiers. Some guys I love wothin these tiers include but are not limited to Weaver, Morton, Samardzija, Richards, Taillon, Corbin, Maeda, Anderson, Gohara, Snell & Wacha. That leaves you with five SPs and generally I like to draft seven starters in standard leagues. For my last two starters I like one floor guy and one ceiling guy. Oh what’s that, the next two tiers include “innings eaters” and “Sexy AF” in the tier names, PERFECT! Pair them up, if you go with Marco Estrada, then grab Kopech or Honeywell and you’re all set!