Welcome to the FantasyPros Week 9 starting pitcher rankings. On Fridays, we view the upcoming week and rank starting pitchers based on their talent and the team they play against. These rankings are for Monday, May 20, through Sunday, May 26.
These rankings use expert consensus rankings (ECR) as a starting point. Matchup information is found on the helpful Pitcher Planner’s resource for probable pitchers.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
As usual, remember that some starts are projected over a week in advance. Dates can change due to rain, injuries or anything else. Two-start weeks often end up as one-start weeks.
Sometimes it is best to treat a second start as a pleasant surprise rather than an expectation, especially during a rainy spring season. Be sure to check the Pitcher Planner for more up-to-date information.
Top 50 Starting Pitcher Rankings: Week 9
Pitchers (Hopefully) on Waivers
- Bryan Woo must be owned in more leagues than he is now. The Mariners starter is owned in 69% of Yahoo! leagues, yet only in ~25% of ESPN formats. The 24-year-old is worth owning, although he has injury risk after joining the injured list (IL) for elbow inflammation before the season.
- Taj Bradley is another young pitcher who shows promise. He dominated the majors upon his 2023 debut but imploded as the season went on. Perhaps 2024 will be the season where Bradley’s talent finally equates to high performance. The 23-year-old has impressed so far with the help of a new cutter pitch. Fantasy managers should consider claiming Bradley if he is a free agent.
- Christian Scott continues the list of young, high-potential pitchers. Scott was called up to the Mets in early May after throwing 25.1 innings of 3.20 ERA ball, with a 0.71 WHIP, six walks and 36 strikeouts. The exciting rookie racks up whiffs and strikeouts, and is undoubtedly worth adding.
Best Matchups
- Chris Sale happens to be one of the best pitchers in all of baseball when healthy. Luckily for fantasy managers who own Sale, he has been healthy so far this year. The veteran has what it takes to succeed in a two-start week against the Padres and Pirates.
- Ranger Suarez, confusingly, is pitching like an all-time great so far into 2024. He has 58 strikeouts in 59 innings, alongside a 1.37 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. Suarez also boasts an 8-0 record. The Phillies’ surprise ace should do well versus the Rangers and Rockies.
- Kyle Bradish appears rusty after an extended IL stint recovering from elbow issues. However, a two-start week against the Cardinals and White Sox provides the perfect opportunity for Bradish to get into the groove of the season.
Unfavorable Matchups
- Sonny Gray is a great pitcher on a cold streak. He has allowed 11 runs over his past two starts in just as many innings. It will be difficult for Gray to take on the Orioles and Cubs while on a cold streak.
- Hunter Greene gets strikeouts consistently. The flamethrower is much more inconsistent in other aspects of the game, such as control and runners allowed on base. Greene’s skill set should give fantasy managers pause before starting him against the Dodgers.
- Michael King shut out the Dodgers in seven beautiful innings, only to blow up facing the Rockies just five days later. While King’s matchups this week against the Reds and the Yankees are not all that horrible, his hot-and-cold tendencies cause extreme uncertainty over his upcoming performance.
- Paul Skenes made his long-awaited debut on May 11 in Chicago. The top prospect pitched decently, allowing six hits and two walks over four innings. Skenes has the stuff to be good, but adjusting to Major League Baseball is hard. Skenes needs to gain more experience before fantasy managers should feel confident in the 21-year-old’s ability to dominate tough lineups such as the Giants.
Top 50 Pitchers (5/20 – 5/26)
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