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Paul Sporer’s Updated 2025 Starting Pitcher Rankings

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

I posted a preview of this in today’s SP Chart, but even that Top 75 has since changed so please use this as the reference going forward. Please feel free to post your questions & comments below, I’ll be in there responding all weekend. These aren’t meant o be ironclad through the rest of the season, any rankings update is a 4-6 week outlook for me so I’m not yet concerned about potential workload shutdowns and things of that nature. Additionally, this ranking specifically might have more of a 1-3 week shelf life with the Trade Deadline looming so I will run another update shortly after that if there are substantive changes across the league. I say “if” just because the deadline could be a dud if too many teams think they’re in it and no one really sells, but I don’t expect that as there should be enough true sellers already identified to facilitate some real movement.

Injured guys aren’t ranked outside a couple who are close to returning if I recall correctly. You can ask about someone, but if they’re not due back in the next week or two, I won’t really have much insight as it’ll be dependent on their health & return. There may be a few 6th-starter types ranked here as opposed to making sure I got 5 guys per team in the Top 150 as we don’t really need every Rockie on the list.

Without further ado:

Zebby & Sheehan added Saturday AM (7/19)

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 18th, 2025

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Daily SP Chart archive

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Here’s a preview of my SP rankings with the Top 75. I’ll have a separate post with the Top 150 sometime Friday.

Top 75 SPs for 2H
PITCHER TM IP ERA WHIP K-BB PITCH+
1 Tarik Skubal DET 121 2.23 0.83 30% 121
2 Paul Skenes PIT 121 2.01 0.93 22% 117
3 Zack Wheeler PHI 122 2.36 0.86 27% 121
4 Garrett Crochet BOS 129.1 2.23 1.04 25% 110
5 Hunter Brown HOU 115 2.43 0.96 23% 107
6 Yoshinobu Yamamoto LAD 104.1 2.59 1.04 19% 107
7 Jacob deGrom TEX 112.1 2.32 0.91 21% 121
8 Max Fried NYY 122 2.43 1.01 18% 114
9 Carlos Rodón NYY 119.2 3.08 1.00 20% 101
10 Spencer Strider ATL 61.2 3.94 1.17 20% 92
11 Logan Gilbert SEA 61 3.39 1.05 29% 111
12 Joe Ryan MIN 109.1 2.72 0.91 23% 105
13 Bryan Woo SEA 114.2 2.75 0.93 20% 111
14 George Kirby SEA 54 4.50 1.15 20% 108
15 Framber Valdez HOU 121 2.75 1.12 17% 112
16 Logan Webb SFG 125.2 2.94 1.17 22% 113
17 Robbie Ray SFG 119 2.65 1.08 18% 93
18 Freddy Peralta MIL 111.2 2.66 1.06 18% 105
19 Nick Pivetta SDP 109.1 2.88 1.02 21% 108
20 Cristopher Sánchez PHI 115 2.50 1.14 19% 114
21 Tyler Glasnow LAD 23 3.52 1.22 14% 90
22 Nathan Eovaldi TEX 91 1.58 0.85 23% 105
23 MacKenzie Gore WAS 110.1 3.02 1.20 23% 102
24 Sonny Gray STL 108 3.50 1.08 23% 101
25 Jacob Misiorowski MIL 25.2 2.81 0.90 22% 128
26 Dylan Cease SDP 103.1 4.88 1.33 20% 108
27 Kris Bubic KCR 108.2 2.48 1.16 18% 102
28 Kodai Senga NYM 77.2 1.39 1.13 13% 95
29 Shota Imanaga CHC 68 2.65 0.93 12% 105
30 Ranger Suárez PHI 83.2 2.15 1.06 17% 106
31 Matthew Boyd CHC 111.2 2.34 1.03 18% 99
32 Nick Lodolo CIN 106.2 3.38 1.11 17% 99
33 Ryan Pepiot TBR 114.1 3.38 1.15 16% 109
34 Seth Lugo KCR 101 2.67 1.08 14% 91
35 Jesús Luzardo PHI 104.1 4.14 1.41 19% 108
36 Chase Burns CIN 16 6.19 1.63 22% 118
37 Merrill Kelly 켈리 ARI 116 3.34 1.05 17% 97
38 Casey Mize DET 88.2 3.15 1.22 15% 103
39 Jack Flaherty DET 100.2 4.65 1.24 20% 99
40 Reese Olson DET 58 2.95 1.24 14% 97
41 Eury Pérez MIA 34 3.18 0.91 18% 107
42 Brandon Woodruff MIL 10.1 2.61 0.68 47% 111
43 Drew Rasmussen TBR 91.1 2.86 1.03 15% 109
44 Trevor Rogers BAL 35.1 1.53 0.82 16% 96
45 Andrew Abbott CIN 91.1 2.07 1.08 16% 96
46 Will Warren NYY 95.1 4.63 1.42 16% 103
47 Noah Cameron KCR 70 2.31 1.00 13% 100
48 Michael Soroka WAS 67.1 5.35 1.16 19% 93
49 Luis Castillo SEA 108.1 3.41 1.24 13% 102
50 Shane Baz TBR 110 4.17 1.25 15% 108
51 Ryne Nelson ARI 78.1 3.68 1.07 13% 106
52 Lucas Giolito BOS 72.1 3.36 1.23 15% 94
53 Yusei Kikuchi LAA 113 3.11 1.37 14% 103
54 Kevin Gausman TOR 109.2 4.19 1.16 16% 104
55 Sean Manaea NYM 3.1 2.70 1.50 47% 124
56 Jacob Lopez ATH 55.2 4.20 1.33 19% 91
57 Cam Schlittler NYY 5.1 5.06 1.13 24% 100
58 Grant Holmes ATL 105 3.77 1.30 16% 94
59 José Berríos TOR 115.1 3.75 1.24 12% 93
60 Mitch Keller PIT 119 3.48 1.14 13% 97
61 Matthew Liberatore STL 100.1 4.13 1.25 14% 98
62 Chris Bassitt TOR 107 4.12 1.35 16% 99
63 Brandon Walter HOU 40.2 3.98 1.01 23% 100
64 Zack Littell TBR 116.1 3.56 1.08 14% 94
65 David Peterson NYM 109 3.06 1.24 12% 95
66 Clayton Kershaw LAD 50.2 3.38 1.24 10% 94
67 Edward Cabrera MIA 82.1 3.61 1.26 16% 107
68 Tanner Bibee CLE 109 4.29 1.24 14% 100
69 Yu Darvish SDP 8.1 6.48 1.68 3% 82
70 Clay Holmes NYM 103.1 3.31 1.26 10% 103
71 Gavin Williams CLE 97.1 3.70 1.43 9% 94
72 Joe Boyle TBR 14 1.29 0.71 19% 89
73 Janson Junk MIA 50.1 2.68 0.99 17% 110
74 Richard Fitts BOS 33.2 4.28 1.22 13% 104
75 Michael Wacha KCR 106 3.74 1.27 11% 100

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Sunday Night Waiver Wire & FAAB Chat

7:30
Jeff Zimmerman: Welcome

7:30
Jeff Zimmerman: Two things

7:31
Jeff Zimmerman: First, no Tout Wars FAAB. It runs on Wednesday night.

7:32
Jeff Zimmerman: Second, the chat has a new interface, so I might run into an issue(s).

7:32
Keith Hernandez’ cat: Hi Jeff – I dropped Ras

7:32
Jeff Zimmerman: As long as there is a reasonable waiver wire pickup

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FAAB & Waiver Wire Report (Week 15)

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now, while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference, grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »


Lineup Analysis (7/12/25)

American League

Angels

• Since coming off the IL, Yoán Moncada has hit sixth and started every game.

• Jorge Soler started in seven of nine games since coming off the IL while batting in the lower half of the lineup. Read the rest of this entry »


Mining the News (7/11/25)

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Pitcher Playing Time Changes: July 11, 2025

Kim Klement Neitzel – Imagn Images

Below are the latest significant playing time projection changes for starters and relievers over the past week. The biggest news is Cam Schlittler‘s call-up, with his debut coming at the unfortunate cost of Clarke Schmidt’s UCL.

Change in Proj. % of Team’s Remaining GS, 7/4 to 7/11
Name Team Old PT New PT PT Change Reason
Cam Schlittler NYY 1% 11% 10% Called up to replace Schmidt
Shinnosuke Ogasawara WSN 3% 8% 5% Taking Williams’ rotation spot
Stephen Kolek SDP 12% 6% -6% Sent to AAA + Darvish back, King soon
Jameson Taillon CHC 18% 11% -7% Calf strain, out about a month
Trevor Williams WSN 11% 0% -11% UCL surgery
Didier Fuentes ATL 14% 0% -14% Sent back to AAA after looking nowhere near ready
Clarke Schmidt NYY 15% 0% -15% Tommy John surgery

 

% Change in Proj. RP IP, 7/4 to 7/11
Name Team % Chg in Proj RP IP Reason
Carson Fulmer LAA 206% Back in MLB as innings-eating reliever
Rico Garcia NYM 154% Has pitched well since call-up
Kolby Allard CLE 150% Back in MLB to take Herrin’s spot
Scott Alexander SFG 127% Back in MLB
Andrew Saalfrank ARI 100% Back in MLB after gambling suspension
Bailey Horn DET 100% Pitching well since callup
Blake Treinen LAD 53% Making good progress in return from injury
Chris Murphy BOS 49% Has quickly become key member of bullpen
Jordan Wicks CHC 35% Should continue to work in Flexen-y innings-eating role
Ben Casparius LAD 33% Back to bullpen with Glasnow back
Joey Lucchesi SFG 33% Miller injury means his lefty-ness is important
Ryan Thompson ARI -31% Scap strain
Mark Leiter Jr. NYY -31% Fibular stress fracture
Shelby Miller ARI -32% Forearm strain
Michael Soroka WSN -33% Likelier to stick in rotation with Williams out for year
Alex Lange DET -33% Setback in rehab
Tim Herrin CLE -34% Sent to AAA
Erik Miller SFG -36% Elbow sprain
Michael Kopech LAD -44% Meniscus surgery
Liam Hendriks BOS -46% Transferred to 60-day IL amidst setback
Janson Junk MIA -46% Pitching great since move to rotation
Hunter Strickland LAA -60% Shoulder inflammation, on 60-day IL
Joey Wentz MIN -80% DFA’d
Trevor Williams WSN -100% UCL surgery
Mitchell Parker WSN -100% Likelier to stick in rotation with Williams out for year
Slade Cecconi CLE -100% Pitching like rotation mainstay
T.J. McFarland ATH -100% DFA’d + elected FA
Zach Pop NYM -100% DFA’d
Ryne Nelson ARI -100% Pitching too well to move back to bullpen

Three Appearance Analysis with Tanner Houck: Part 3

Apr 20, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck (89) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Fenway Park.
Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Had you been rostering and starting Tanner Houck on April 14th, you likely wouldn’t have started him in his next outing on April 20th, assuming you were paying attention. On the 14th, he got blown up by the Tampa Bay Rays and exited the game early in the third inning after 11 earned runs crossed the plate. If that performance deterred you from staring him on April 20th, you were likely doubly annoyed when he turned in a decent outing against the White Sox. But look a little closer, and you will see pitches that should have been down, left up in the zone. You’ll see strikeouts on pitches that hitters who are not on the White Sox may have put over the fence. Who am I to call a good start bad? Houck got it done, but in this article, I’ll dive a little deeper to put it in context with his previous two starts in this final installment of The Three Appearance Analysis.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 11th, 2025

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Daily SP Chart archive

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Enjoy the All-Star break. I’ll finally have an updated SP ranking as we enter the second half.

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Starting Pitcher Chart – July 10th, 2025

Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Daily SP Chart archive

The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more valuable focusing on roto.

Even for a Thursday short slate, this board is remarkably light on bankable options. I wouldn’t get too cute with these arms. Instead focus on offense Thursday and then turn back toward streaming arms for the weekend!

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