X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Top 101 Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Rankings: The Baller Ranks (Week 3)

Tyler Glasnow - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News

Nick Mariano's Baller Ranks is a weekly fantasy baseball rankings list for the top 101 starting pitchers. He ranks and analyzes updated pitcher values for Week 3.

Several high-profile pitcher injuries have hit early but we press on with my weekly top 101 SP Baller Ranks breakdown. And many early-round pitchers with good health have had poor performances. It's a crazy world but we do our best to make sense of it with the second 2024 edition of my weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks!

We are still trying not to overreact but there are some encouraging/discouraging signs rooted in velocity and pitch mixes. We'll wait until we emerge from small-sample territory to throw stats into the table beyond April. The intent is never to mislead with a waterfall of small-sample data so I present Ranking +/- from last week, Tier, Player, Rank, Market $ value, previous $ value (PV), and the trend between those two values.

These ranks are geared toward traditional 5x5 leagues and I typically exclude most injured SPs, lest a return is imminent. Last week, I included injury and minor-league stash leaderboards as well, but it doesn't change that often and isn't the primary focus for weekly changes. For now, let's dive into my top 101 healthy SPs and build a winner.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis

-Corbin Burnes had a wonderful Tuesday and is now 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA (2.81 FIP) and sparkling 20:2 K:BB through three starts. Injuries to other top arms will make Burnes even more valuable. Zack Wheeler also has a 20:2 K:BB alongside a 1.89 ERA (2.29 FIP) but is 0-2 across his three outings. Alas, baseball can be fickle.

-Tyler Glasnow’s upside was on full display against the Twins as Tuesday’s start supplied 14 strikeouts over seven shutout frames. He scattered three meaningless hits and walked none in the win. We’d only gotten 15 Ks through 17 IP going into this but now 29 in 24 IP looks more Glasnow-ian. Do note his .173 BABIP will surely regress so have mercy and remember these nights are why you spent a high pick.

-George Kirby is starting to frighten folks so let’s take a lap. His first start against Boston was incredible (6 ⅔ IP, 0 ER, 4 H+BB, 8 K) but he’s now surrendered 11 total runs in his last two turns against Cleveland and Toronto. There’s some rotten luck (6.91 ERA vs. 2.96 FIP) but Kirby has struggled to put away hitters. Most would accept a couple more walks if it meant he induced more whiffs, but it’s doubtful he’ll retool his entire approach just yet. He faces the Reds at home next.

-Luis Castillo, Kirby’s teammate, seems to have a similar thing going on. Through three starts, Castillo has a whopping .451 BABIP and a measly 8.2% swinging-strike rate. The ace isn’t issuing many free passes (5.3% BB) but any halfway mistake is getting tagged, especially by left-handed bats.

LHB have a 1.250 OPS (39 batters faced) while RHB are failing as usual, sporting a .611 OPS (36 BF). Lefties typically hit him a little better but this is ridiculous, so expect better form there moving forward. His overall 6.89 ERA covers up a 3.36 FIP and 3.48 SIERA. Back in 2021, Castillo posted a 6.29 April ERA before a whopping 8.04 ERA in May before recovering SP1 form. That narrative is rearing again, but April was his best month last year. He gets another tough test at home against the Cubs on Sunday.

-Shota Imanaga handled the Dodgers well, allowing just two hits over four scoreless innings before rain knocked him out early. The 30-year-old has faced two extremes in the road Rockies and the Dodgers, yet he handled both as if they were…well, the Rockies. No, a .174 BABIP and 0% BB rate will not last, but the 16.8% swinging-strike rate and the early wave of confidence are extremely encouraging. Fly balls at Wrigley when the weather warms could be troublesome, but we’ll enjoy the present moment.

-Jared Jones continues to look like a veteran on the bump and has enough innings in the chamber to be a fantasy force throughout much of 2024. Hopefully, Pittsburgh doesn’t stunt his innings if a playoff push appears on the horizon.

-A pair of nice bounce-backs from Michael King and Ryan Pepiot. King had walked 10 in his first 7 ⅓ IP of 2024 but then threw seven innings with just one walk and zero runs allowed. His early whiff rate is down but we won’t overcorrect given one good start in the fold. Pepiot got torched by Texas and then went to Coors and put up a historic whoopin’ with 11 Ks and no walks over six pristine innings. This is the upside we’re after.

-A.J. Puk isn’t long for Miami’s rotation at this rate. The promising southpaw battled a tough Yankee team on Tuesday, giving up one earned run on four hits and five walks (!) over 4 ⅔ IP. He’s now 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA (6.89 FIP) and disgusting 8:14 K:BB in 10 ⅔ IP. Puk’s incredible spring performance feels like a fever dream from a decade ago. Braxton Garrett’s return could shift Puk back to the bullpen.

-Spencer Turnbull has had two phenomenal appearances in 2024 and should stave off Taijuan Walker for the No. 5 rotation spot even when Walker is healthy. Turnbull limited the Cardinals to a pair of hits and one walk over six innings with a deep pitch arsenal. He’s majority four-seamer/sweeper now but with tricks up his sleeve. The 70% first-strike rate shows controlled aggression that sets the table for the at-bat. Let’s see how batters adjust but this is promising.

-Both Framber Valdez and Nick Pivetta fall off into the injury void, which we will periodically include, but each of their teams says they’re expecting minimal IL stays. I don’t have faith in that when it comes to elbow injuries for a pitcher, but it is a markedly different tone than most other early SP injuries that have ravaged us.

 

Top 101 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball

(+/-) Tier Player Rank $ PV Trend
1 1 Corbin Burnes 1 $44.00 43 1.0 ▲
1 1 Zack Wheeler 2 $43.00 42 1.0 ▲
2 2 Pablo Lopez 3 $42.00 41 1.0 ▲
4 2 Tyler Glasnow 4 $41.00 37 4.0 ▲
4 2 Tarik Skubal 5 $41.00 36.5 4.5 ▲
-2 2 George Kirby 6 $39.00 41 -2.0 ▼
0 2 Luis Castillo 7 $36.50 35 1.5 ▲
2 2 Logan Webb 8 $35.00 35 0.0 ▬
-3 2 Kevin Gausman 9 $37.00 39 -2.0 ▼
1 2 Freddy Peralta 10 $35.00 34 1.0 ▲
2 2 Cole Ragans 11 $34.00 33 1.0 ▲
0 3 Bobby Miller 12 $34.00 34 0.0 ▬
1 3 Zach Eflin 13 $33.00 31 2.0 ▲
1 3 Max Fried 14 $30.00 31 -1.0 ▼
1 3 Aaron Nola 15 $30.00 29 1.0 ▲
2 3 Zac Gallen 16 $29.50 28.5 1.0 ▲
2 3 Grayson Rodriguez 17 $29.50 28.5 1.0 ▲
2 3 Yoshinobu Yamamoto 18 $29.00 26 3.0 ▲
2 3 Joe Ryan 19 $26.00 25 1.0 ▲
3 3 Logan Gilbert 20 $26.00 23.5 2.5 ▲
5 4 Chris Sale 21 $25.00 21 4.0 ▲
7 4 Shota Imanaga 22 $24.00 19.5 4.5 ▲
2 4 Dylan Cease 23 $23.50 23 0.5 ▲
3 4 Blake Snell 24 $21.00 21 0.0 ▬
3 4 Tanner Bibee 25 $20.50 20.5 0.0 ▬
5 4 Joe Musgrove 26 $20.00 19 1.0 ▲
-3 4 Jesus Luzardo 27 $20.00 24 -4.0 ▼
N/A 4 Sonny Gray 28 $20.00 N/A N/A
3 4 Yu Darvish 29 $19.50 18 1.5 ▲
4 4 Michael King 30 $19.00 17 2.0 ▲
10 4 Jared Jones 31 $19.00 15 4.0 ▲
-2 5 Bailey Ober 32 $18.00 19 -1.0 ▼
2 5 Chris Bassitt 33 $17.00 17 0.0 ▬
2 5 Merrill Kelly 34 $17.00 17 0.0 ▬
3 5 Cristian Javier 35 $17.00 16 1.0 ▲
4 5 Nathan Eovaldi 36 $16.50 15 1.5 ▲
5 5 Ryan Pepiot 37 $15.50 14.5 1.0 ▲
6 5 Bryce Miller 38 $15.00 14 1.0 ▲
7 5 Jordan Montgomery 39 $15.00 13.5 1.5 ▲
5 5 Kutter Crawford 40 $15.00 13.5 1.5 ▲
6 5 Garrett Crochet 41 $15.00 13.5 1.5 ▲
-3 5 Cristopher Sanchez 42 $15.00 15.5 -0.5 ▼
6 5 Aaron Civale 43 $15.00 12 3.0 ▲
-11 6 Hunter Brown 44 $14.50 17 -2.5 ▼
-2 6 Carlos Rodon 45 $14.50 14.5 0.0 ▬
2 6 Jose Berrios 46 $13.50 13 0.5 ▲
3 6 Jack Flaherty 47 $13.00 11 2.0 ▲
4 6 Hunter Greene 48 $12.00 10.5 1.5 ▲
4 6 Brayan Bello 49 $11.00 10 1.0 ▲
5 7 Brandon Pfaadt 50 $10.50 10 0.5 ▲
5 7 Luis Gil 51 $10.00 10 0.0 ▬
6 7 Reid Detmers 52 $10.00 9 1.0 ▲
12 7 Reynaldo Lopez 53 $10.00 8 2.0 ▲
13 7 Garrett Whitlock 54 $10.00 8 2.0 ▲
11 7 Jordan Hicks 55 $9.50 8 1.5 ▲
1 7 Charlie Morton 56 $9.00 9.5 -0.5 ▼
5 7 MacKenzie Gore 57 $8.50 6 2.5 ▲
-7 6 Triston McKenzie 58 $8.50 10.5 -2.0 ▼
-5 7 Mitch Keller 59 $8.50 10 -1.5 ▼
10 7 Casey Mize 60 $8.00 5 3.0 ▲
10 7 Marcus Stroman 61 $8.00 4.5 3.5 ▲
1 7 Yusei Kikuchi 62 $8.00 6 2.0 ▲
10 8 Tanner Houck 63 $7.00 4.5 2.5 ▲
27 8 Ronel Blanco 64 $6.00 1.5 4.5 ▲
4 8 Nestor Cortes 65 $6.00 5 1.0 ▲
6 7 Reese Olson 66 $6.00 4.5 1.5 ▲
7 8 Zack Littell 67 $5.50 4.5 1.0 ▲
9 8 Seth Lugo 68 $5.50 4 1.5 ▲
-5 8 Gavin Stone 69 $5.50 6 -0.5 ▼
5 8 Sean Manaea 70 $5.00 4 1.0 ▲
8 8 Michael Wacha 71 $5.00 3.5 1.5 ▲
4 8 Erick Fedde 72 $4.50 4 0.5 ▲
-14 8 Louie Varland 73 $4.50 8.5 -4.0 ▼
-13 8 Luis Severino 74 $4.50 7 -2.5 ▼
-15 8 Kyle Harrison 75 $4.00 8 -4.0 ▼
7 8 Brady Singer 76 $4.00 2.5 1.5 ▲
1 8 DL Hall 77 $4.00 3.5 0.5 ▲
2 9 James Paxton 78 $3.50 3.5 0.0 ▬
3 9 Tyler Wells 79 $3.50 3 0.5 ▲
10 9 Ranger Suarez 80 $3.00 1.5 1.5 ▲
0 9 Max Meyer 81 $3.00 3 0.0 ▬
2 9 Dean Kremer 82 $2.50 2.5 0.0 ▬
3 9 Frankie Montas 83 $2.50 2 0.5 ▲
3 9 Clarke Schmidt 84 $2.00 2 0.0 ▬
14 9 Jordan Wicks 85 $2.00 1 1.0 ▲
-1 9 Lance Lynn 86 $2.00 2 0.0 ▬
2 9 Logan Allen 87 $2.00 1.5 0.5 ▲
4 10 Dane Dunning 88 $1.50 1.5 0.0 ▬
4 10 Trevor Rogers 89 $1.50 1.5 0.0 ▬
N/A 10 Spencer Turnbull 90 $1.50 N/A N/A
-23 10 A.J. Puk 91 $1.50 5.5 -4.0 ▼
4 10 Ryan Weathers 92 $1.50 1 0.5 ▲
-5 10 Kenta Maeda 93 $1.50 1.5 0.0 ▬
23 10 Paul Blackburn 94 $1.00 1 0.0 ▬
6 10 Javier Assad 95 $1.00 1 0.0 ▬
-2 10 J.P. France 96 $1.00 1 0.0 ▬
16 10 Graham Ashcraft 97 $1.00 1 0.0 ▬
N/A 10 Jose Soriano 98 $1.00 N/A N/A
5 10 Tyler Anderson 99 $1.00 1 0.0 ▬
3 10 Steven Matz 100 $1.00 1 0.0 ▬
-1 10 Keaton Winn 101 $1.00 1 0.0 ▬


Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kyle Stowers

Hits Game-Winning Grand Slam
Jake Meyers

Homers Twice, Drives In Seven On Saturday
Corbin Burnes

To Skip Next Start With Shoulder Inflammation
Anthony Volpe

Feels Pop In Shoulder, May Undergo MRI
Corey Seager

Activated From Injured List, Batting Third As Designated Hitter Saturday
Tommy Edman

Heading To 10-Day Injured List
Jackson Merrill

To Rehab At Double-A, Expected To Return Monday
Merrill Kelly

Still Dealing With Cramping
Fernando Tatis Jr.

In Saturday's Lineup
New York Mets

Mets, Cardinals Postponed On Saturday
José Ramírez

Jose Ramirez Out On Saturday
Triston Casas

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Patellar Tendon
Coby Mayo

Promoted To Major Leagues
Yordan Alvarez

Scratched With Hand Inflammation
Clarke Schmidt

Scratched On Saturday With Side Soreness
Riley Greene

Makes History, Homers Twice In The Ninth Inning
Cal Raleigh

Slugs Two Homers, Collects Five RBI On Friday
Pete Crow-Armstrong

Hits Two More Homers, Cubs Trounce Brewers
Hunter Greene

Shuts Down Nationals, Fans 12 Over Six Innings Pitched
Triston Casas

At The Hospital, Expected To Be Out A While
Fernando Tatis Jr.

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Forearm
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP
10
11
11
18
12
19
13
20
14
23
15
25
16
33
17
36
18
39
19
Max Fried NYY
42

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF