Top 100 Starting Pitchers For 2026 Fantasy Baseball: 3/20 UPDATE

I’ve updated my Top 100 Starting Pitcher Rankings for fantasy baseball drafts on March 20th – Read the February ranks for a deeper understanding of each pitcher, and use this order for help in your drafts.

Have questions? My “office hours” are on Twitch 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday – Friday + the aforementioned stream of The List.

For each edition of The List, I have a set of rules to outline my thought process and how to best use these rankings. Please take note:

1. This is 5×5, 12-teamer, H2H format focused. It generally is the same as roto as well, but make sure you adjust accordingly.
2. Before the notes and rankings, an injury table outlines where players would be relatively ranked if they were fully healthy. It’s the best way to tackle how to value players on the IL.
3. If a player is on the IL or not confirmed inside the rotation, they aren’t on the List. That includes injuries and guys in the minors, but there are exceptions for players who are expected to be in the rotation but are being skipped this week. (Spring edition: I have a few hypothetical rotation arms on The List who will be off the ranks if they leave camp out of the rotation).
4. Since this is a 12-teamer, I heavily weigh upside in the back-half of the rankings. The HIPSTER players are likely going to underperform those labeled as a Toby across a full season, but it’s in your best interest to chase ceiling vs. floor in many cases. Pick the one that you need most in your situation, of course.
5. I’ve made a decision to limit labels to just two labels per player, with few exceptions for a second. It streamlines the process much better and hopefully gives you a more targeted understanding of the player.
6. The notes outline oh-so-much to help your team. Please read the notes if you can instead of just scrolling to the bottom.

Before we begin, here is the Top 100 List table without scrolling for those with PL Pro:

Next, here is a table of the expected rotations by team, including their opponents for the first two series of the year:

 

Expected Rotations By Team

 

Lastly, I heavily recommend you follow my daily SP Roundup that outlines all pitcher performances through the season, as each week’s update will reflect the comments and findings from those daily articles. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the players listed, I highly recommend reading my 75,000+ word Top 400 Starting Pitchers from February. Many things will have changed, but the root of my perception of these players is outlined there.

Let’s get to it.

 

Ranking Notes

 

• This is your reminder to please read these notes as they’ll tell you plenty about why “someone moved up” or “why is he at #X?!”
• Seriously. Read the notes.

• I know there are going to be a ton of comments about I hate how much these rankings change each week and I’m going to get out ahead of them here.
• These rankings mostly change in the back half of The List as that’s your waiver wire. Those aren’t the players you hold onto throughout the year like your SPs 1-4, which means we’re going to be a bit more chaotic and roll with the waves more aggressively. If I see elements that suggest a pitcher could be a Top 40 arm, I’m going to move up a ton from the 80s to the 60s. Shazam, there we go.

 

Tier 1 – The True Aces

 

1. Garrett Crochet – Aces.

2. Paul Skenes – Gonna.

3. Tarik Skubal – Ace. I prefer Crochet due to highest Win potential. I prefer Skenes due to being the more complete pitcher. And yet, you can pick whoever you want. It’s so razor thin between the three of them, so take your pick.

 

Tier 2 – AGA With Something To Prove

 

4. Bryan Woo – He’s Wheeler 2.0.

5. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Likely six-man = lower ceiling.

6. Hunter Brown – He’s already sitting 97 mph again with a better four-seamer. Only worry is a six-man and lack of secondary support.

7. Cristopher Sánchez – Sinker gained movement last year + tighter slider. Love that.

8. Max Fried – His ratios are absurdly safe + great win potential. Lowered from last week due to lower velocity in spring. Highly likely it’s not a problem, but anything negative among norm with Sánchez and Brown makes me ask “Why risk it?”

9. Shohei Ohtani – Ohtani hasn’t had a bad season as a starter since before COVID. Don’t care if it’s six-man?

10. Jacob deGrom – He’s looking like deGrom and the only reason he was lower is the injury risk, which he overcame last season.

11. Logan Gilbert – Gilbert had a strain last season and I’m concerned it’ll appear again. The talent is incredible, though, in a phenomenal situation.

 

Tier 3 – Just Stay On The Field

 

12. Logan Webb – Here’s to hoping his WHIP improves, because the volume is otherwise incredible for ERA, Wins. and strikeouts

13. Freddy Peralta – Peralta has been oddly consistent despite his Professor Chaos nickname.

14. Chris Sale – I’m more worried about Sale being injury prone, despite the freak incidents. Not everyone fractures a rib diving for a ball.

15. Cole Ragans – Rotator Cuff strains are no joke. Y’all know I love him, but it’s a high risk pick.

16. George Kirby – Kirby’s slider is absurd and if he wields it correctly, 30% strikeouts are coming. Hard to bank on a full season, though.

17. Tyler Glasnow – Even at 130 IP, I love that in a 12-teamer when Glasnow obliterates when healthy.

18. Joe Ryan – The recent back issues are concerning, but he returned to the bump and sat 92 mph. Glistening WHIP arm.

 

Tier 4 – So Dang Close To Greatness

 

19. Kyle Bradish – Slider and Curve are cooking, leaning into sinker more than four-seamer vs. RHB is a lovely thing. Ready for 180+ IP.

20. Cam Schlittler – He’s just too good. I’m amazed I have him this high and yet, I watch him with an expanded arsenal (sinker now and better cutter!) and I can’t help myself.

21. Jesús Luzardo – I’m shocked I have him this high, but he’s gained three inches of drop on his sinker and started to use it against RHB. It’s a great plan given how poor of a four-seamer he has. Think normal Luzardo but fewer extremes if he’s suddenly a groundball guy + destroy LHBs.

22. Eury Pérez – Four-seamer is elite, and I’m expecting more growth in the TJS honeymoon season.

23. Framber Valdez – He can be oh-so-frustrating, but the curveball is looking good so far and he’ll likely be a strong force all year.

24. Nolan McLean – McLean has already improved his sweeper and curve to ridiculous levels, while leaning into a cutter to deal with LHB. I’m a believer now.

25. Nick Pivetta – I fell for him until the news of arm fatigue. Then he pitched and threw harder than last year. I’m so glad we’re past that.

 

Tier 5 – Quality Volume

 

26. Kevin Gausman – He is who he is. And that’s fine with me.

27. Shota Imanaga – Despite all the bad doom and gloom of last year, he still had a low WHIP and sub 4.00 ERA. Now his four-seamer is back up two ticks in the spring, with elite pitch separation between the four-seamer and splitter. I’m so in.

28. Nathan Eovaldi – He’s healthy and that’s all I need to see. He had a sub 2.00 ERA in 130 IP, ya’ll.

29. Trevor Rogers – The SWATCH life is real. He’s also improved his fastball since last season.

30. Sandy Alcantara – His four-seamer and sinker overpower, with a dominant changeup, and now there’s a cutter. Expect far better, though I have to put him underneath others who have been productive for longer more recently.

31. Bubba Chandler – His four-seamer is 98 mph with elite vert and command. One of the best in the game. Give him time to find the rest and I find it hard to envision a season where he hurts your teams.

 

Tier 5.5 – The Pitcher List Hall Of Famers

 

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Tier 6 – Why Do I Feel So Scared?

 

32. Dylan Cease – Who. Knows.

33. Ryan Pepiot – I lowered him only because we haven’t truly seen Pepiot soar yet. He’s had command questions before and I trust the ones above to be six-inning arms more often. McClean gets the nod for a larger arsenal.

34. Jacob Misiorowski – He’s dope, but doesn’t command well, is a bit inefficient, and is a huge health risk.

35. Drew Rasmussen – He’s stupid hard to hit and now gets a much better home park. Downside is just 150 IP.

 

Tier 7 – Youngins’ with a Chaperone

 

36. Tatsuya Imai – I’m not as impressed as I thought I’d be, but he was 96/97 mph in his last spring game and the reverse slider may be weird enough to get more whiffs than expected.

37. Nick Lodolo – I see last season as a peak year and I’m worried he won’t have the same rhythm.

38. Edward Cabrera – We have yet to see a season from Cabrera where he’s fully in rhythm and consistent with his mix. I dig the situation, though.

39. Cade Horton – Horton’s four-seamer is a legit cut-fastball and with the Cubs defense, he’s a surprise quality volume arm with more strikeout potential to find.

40. Robbie Ray – I could have put him in the next tier, but I highly doubt we’ll be pulling Ray out of our lineups again like we did in September of last season.

 

Tier 8 – Innings But Are They Worth It?

 

41. Michael King – I found myself wishcasting that he’d have his full-on command. If he does, he’s Top 15. If he doesn’t, he destroys your teams.

42. Kris Bubic – He’s at 92 mph and looking healthy, but the command is off. The skills should be there, more of a question of longevity.

43. MacKenzie Gore – The move to Texas will help immensely. This is the breakout season we’ve been waiting for…if he can find a little more consistency with his command. He’s testing a sinker to LHB now, though! YAY!

44. Chase Burns – I prefer Burns’ skills to Jay Mis, but his whole limited usage situation and six-man rotation suggest piggybacking + injury scare…it’s all so weird. I hate weird.

45. Zack Wheeler – I see him as someone you want to roster when he returns in…mid April?! This is where I settled upon the risk/reward of chasing Wheeler.

46. Gerrit Cole – I see him as someone you want to roster when he returns in late May and after witnessing 98+ mph on his four-seamer (a rare sight in his year before surgery!), I’m buying into a phenomenal return.

47. Shane McClanahan – He was 93 mph then 94 mph in his first two starts, and his last outing was…fine. It’s a high risk/reward pick right now before we know more. Better than Strider given the ramp up and a better arsenal outside of the formerly upper-90s fastball. I dig the home park and his legit changeup with two solid breakers to pair with the now 94/95 mph four-seamer.

 

Tier 9 – WILD CARD BABY

 

48. Aaron Nola – I see last year as a lost year. His skills are still present and I’m buying back in.

49. Sonny Gray – He’s Sonny and Gray. The volatility is annoying, but he’ll help in the end. The strikeout uptick lately is real with sweeper and sinker command.

50. Matthew Boyd – Boyd will soar in Wrigley during the early months, though the HRs could arrive with the warm weather in the summer.

51. Zac Gallen – Same with Gallen, on a great defensive squad in Arizona. Opening Day = all good to go.

52. Kodai Senga – Velocity is up on the four-seamer, and I realized he should be right where the rest of these potential Holly types should go, as a guy who can earn a QS each night on the bump. Wish the cutter was a little better, though.

53. Ranger Suárez – If Suárez can find his rhythm early, he’ll be solid for another year as he goes underrated for the nth straight year.

54. Andrew Abbott – Alright, alright. Eno sold me on Abbott’s regression more and he’s been shaky this spring. I still think his changeup and curveball gains are real, but why favor him over the rest?

 

Tier 10 – Hurt And You Miss Work

 

55. Ryan Weathers – I’d love to grab him and get whatever we can as he’s healthy. Changeup can be so good.

56. Gavin Williams – I just don’t know what he’ll look like. Sure hope he finds something that sticks.

57. Shane Baz – The new Baltimore scene may help him plenty, but we just haven’t seen it yet. Could be HRs galore again, even out of George Steinbrenner.

58. Connelly Early – This might be really foolish and I thank you for reading the notes. As of 5:00pm ET on Friday, 3/20, the Red Sox replaced Oviedo with “TBD” in their rotation. That, to me, screams Connelly getting the spot. It’s not 100% confirmed, but I’d rather take a shot on this instead of an injury stash as Early is Top 30 Holly talent.

 

Tier 11 – Fine, You Need Some Innings

 

59. Blake Snell – He’s out until the end of April? Will we have to wait until June for him to be good per usual?

60. Carlos Rodón – Seems to be out until mid-May or so. You want to roster him when he returns.

61. Bryce Miller – We may see him by the middle of April and hot dang I’d love to have Miller in those situations.

62. Jared Jones – TJS recovery stash, who could be back before June.

 

Tier 12 – “Take Chances, Make Mistakes, Get Messy!”

 

63. Cody Ponce – Love the security in the rotation, I love he gets Rockie Road in his first start, and his four-seamer gets legit vert. I see a Holly label in his future.

64. Mike Burrows – New slider is harder and that’s cool. I’m starting to believe the Astros have actually made him a solid arm. I really like that slider + changeup now.

65. Mick Abel – He got the rotation spot and I love the fella…eventually. He has elite fastballs with great command, but he needs to work on his secondary feel before a true breakout appears. This has HIPSTER potential.

66. Emmet Sheehan – His four-seamer is fantastic, especially with his feel to keep it upstairs. Great slider and changeup too, but I had to lower him after seeing his velocity dip to ghastly levels (91.8 mph?!). It’s likely a product of his illness from early spring, though you have to be concerned this close to opening day.

67. Brandon Sproat – He’s throwing harder with a much better arsenal this spring for the Brewers and I’d be shocked at this point if he’s not in the rotation given all their SP woes. Legit sleeper right now.

68. Braxton Ashcraft – The slider is dope, but he has little experience going deep into games and the four-seamer is Empty Velocity. I worry it’s not enough, but let’s take a shot and see what happens.

69. Will Warren – Expanding arsenal this spring and gets to head to Seattle for his first start. Let’s see how it goes in Seattle and take it from there.

70. Kyle Harrison – New changeup is dope and he’s at 94+ mph. Can he command it all? May be super difficult given the new blister caused by said changeup. I was going to raise him further before the news broke.

71. Spencer Strider – I don’t trust him to be great without the four-seamer dominance, but why not take a chance at this point? There’s no way I get to with this ranking.

72. Andrew Painter – Take a chance given he has the opportunity to start the year. I’m not seeing the precision he needs, nor anything close to the 100+ velocity he had at 19 years old (he’s around 95/96 mph). Kinda love the four-seamer’s cut-action, but he needs to spot it well to take advantage against LHB, while RHB should get sinkers and a slew of secondaries instead.

 

Tier 13 – Solid Back-End Starters

 

73. Ryne Nelson – Four-seamer is great, everything else is still a mystery. Shockingly good but boring?

74. Zach Eflin – Overlooked after adding a tick of velocity this spring following back surgery. Great situation in Baltimore.

75. Noah Cameron – I want to believe he’ll be better in his sophomore season, and yet, he’s looked ragged this spring. I’ve found myself pushing Cameron further and further down my board during drafts and realized “I don’t need to chase this.”

76. Brayan Bello – Yes, the curveball is here, but the sweeper isn’t, and I don’t see a big enough difference between the two to say he’s anything different. It’s fine with a suspect WHIP.

77. Luis Castillo – I see him regressing more, but the home park is great. Fastball velocity keeps going down.

78. Merrill Kelly – It’s weird sticking an IL guy on here, but he should be back around the 12th and be normal Kelly. Probably.

79. Tanner Bibee – Bibee followed a high strikeout game with absolute chaos, eliciting feelings of 2025’s hot summer. I understand there’s a chance it works out, I’m awfully skeptical.

80. Dustin May – Looks ridiculous, but up two ticks in velocity AND has his cutter working to LHB. It’s kinda wild. Great situation in St. Louis and I want to see if it works out.

81. Matthew Liberatore – Great job security and generally more polished arsenal. He could jump into Holly land in time.

82. Max Scherzer – His first start will be hosting Rockie Road. ALLLLL ABBOOOARRRD.

 

Tier 14 – HIPSTERs Who Will Haunt You

 

83. Joey Cantillo – Many love him, I hate his four-seamer and overall command. He’ll have a great outing then a rough one. I really don’t like that I won’t be able to trust him until it’s too late.

84. Spencer Arrighetti – He’s up to 50+ pitches and will likely start in the rotation. The Astros’ rotation is a bit weird, though, especially with Ryan Weiss pitching in relief and looking absolutely horrific. Follow closely in the final week.

85. Jack Leiter – Cutter is cool, sinker has absurd potential, but the command and consistency are maddening.

86. Landen Roupp – Great curveball should return more whiffs this year with a stable rotation spot. Needs a touch more polish to get over the hump.

87. Max Meyer – His slider is downright disgusting, but will the rest of the arsenal step up? Feels like this could be another season of “Here’s a dope eight strikeout game, good luck figuring out when the next one comes.”

88. Jack Flaherty – A bit underrated as a strikeout arm. Will be a HIPSTER plenty of the year.

89. Luis Gil – Gets to pitch in Seattle to start the year. He’s been rough in the spring and even in that good matchup, I don’t think I’ll have the courage to start him unless he has a great final outing of the spring.

 

Tier 15 – Quick Decisions Are The Best Decisions

 

90. Justin Wrobleski – I think he earns a rotation spot and has a solid overall mix, but it’s still unclear if he has the spot and when he’ll first go.

91. Parker Messick – He’s a SWATCH who should have the rotation spot over Allen in Cleveland. If he’s the guy, I’m down, though he hasn’t been incredibly impressive this spring.

92. Didier Fuentes – I have no idea if Atlanta will actually let the kid start out of the gate. However, he’s the cost of free and you can drop him right away if he doesn’t make it. Fuentes’ is like a Strider-lite, in-between what Strider used to be and what he is now.

 

Tier 16 – Late Tobys To Consider

93. Slade Cecconi – Can I join the Slade Brigade? 34% cutters after throwing it sub-3% of the time last year. 89 mph with great cut action. It’s awesome. He’ll go 90+ pitches for the Guardians, too. I wish I liked everything else, though.

94. Anthony Kay – He’s sitting 95/96 as a SWATCH for the White Sox?! Not a bad “let’s see what happens” play

95. Tyler Mahle – He’s at 91/92 mph (not 92/93), but that’s in line with where he was during a ridiculously good 2025 season. I hope he dodges the Yankee series in San Francisco…

96. Brandon Williamson – It’s a great early schedule for Williamson and he’s done an excellent job of getting his cutter inside and changeup down-and-away.

97. Justin Verlander – He’s boring, alright, but he’s at the same velocity and could be a decent six-inning arm out of the gate.

98. Kyle Leahy – He has a rotation spot and a legit slider + wide arsenal. I worry his 93+ mph heater is too mid, even if he has excellent extension. A wonderful situation with the Cardinals, too.

 

Tier 17 – More Injured Stashes

 

99. Justin Steele – UCL surgery recovery stash. May be back before end of June.

100. Shane Bieber – He’s had arm fatigue and I’m not sure when he returns and if he can stay on the field when he does.

 

Tier 15 -19 (15-Teamer ranks)

Instead of ending it right at #100, I elected to go the extra mile for those with PL+ and PL Pro (You can find these rankings inside our subscriber Discord! Just ask in any channel):

I ranked all the way through #145 for this edition of The List, acting as the guys I’m generally interested about and keeping a close eye across the spring and early in the season.

I’ll be updating this List one final time on Wednesday before opening night, before the regular cadence every Monday in-season.

Good luck everyone!

 

 

Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)