Depending on how your season has gone so far, the first half of the 2024 season has either flown by or could not have taken longer. While players across the league take a few well-deserved days off, dedicated fantasy baseball managers can use the All-Star break to set their teams up for success. 

Today we zoom out from the weekly pitching matchup rankings to focus on the big picture — the rest of the season (ROS) rankings. These rankings are loosely based on the official FantasyPros ROS pitcher rankings and consider concerns such as fatigue and pitch count. Without wasting any more time, let’s list the top fifty fantasy baseball pitchers for the rest of the season. 

• Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
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• Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
• Rest-of-Season Rankings

Top 50 Starting Pitcher Rankings: Rest of Season

Youngster Watch

Young pitchers who could take the next step.

• Paul Skenes is the All-Star Game starter after being drafted only last year. It’s as crazy as it sounds. Although the rookie has some concerns regarding innings, he should continue to dominate even with a smaller workload. Skenes is the highest-rated rookie moving forward.
• Shane Baz made his return from Tommy John surgery and is back in the majors after extensive rehab. It feels like Baz has been a prospect forever — excitement began in 2021 and injuries have constantly derailed the hype before it could go off the rails. Baz demonstrates incredible strikeout potential with a career 10.68 K/9 in the minor leagues and a mid-to-upper 90s fastball. A healthy Baz has ace upside.
• Ryan Pepiot’s 2024 is great, albeit inconsistent. The Tampa Bay pitcher dominates one start and frustratingly blows up the next. However, flashes of greatness are as abundant as ever and Pepiot heads into the break with back-to-back wins, allowing only one run over 11.2 innings with 11 strikeouts. Look for Pepiot to bring it all together in the second half.

Returning From the Injured List

Proven starters with questionable health.

• Jacob deGrom is elite. Despite not being expected to pitch much in 2024, the storied veteran should bring extreme quality in a limited quantity. He is an excellent option for the fantasy playoffs and he is expected to return from Tommy John surgery sometime in August. 
• Kodai Senga will return from a shoulder injury soon after the All-Star break. Last year’s rookie phenom threw 166.1 innings to a 2.98 ERA, earning votes to both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards. Senga is a big-time reinforcement as he tries to live up to last year’s fairytale season.
• Merrill Kelly suffered a brutal right shoulder injury back in April. This injury cut off a year where Kelly was primed for another excellent campaign. The 35-year-old should be back in early August. As long as Kelly is in proper form and health, he will be a top option for fantasy managers.

Innings Limit

Pitchers who will probably have worse second halves than the first.

• Tarik Skubal threw 80.1 innings in 2023. He has already tossed 116.0 this year. The season is only halfway over and the ace is honing in on his career-high innings count of 149.1 in 2021. It is questionable how much longer Skubal can dominate. 
• Garrett Crochet has already surpassed his career-high innings limit. Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before. Every fantasy site has covered the fact that Crochet’s 107.1 innings are 53 innings over his previous record. Beware as fatigue sets in.
• Reynaldo Lopez tossed 95.2 innings in the first half. He only threw 66.0 last year. His saving grace is that he threw 182.2 and 184.0 innings in 2017 and 2018. Lopez’s body has handled a starter’s workload before and, ideally, he can do it again. Though there is a slim chance Lopez eclipses the 180-inning mark, his previous experience makes fatigue somewhat less of a concern. 

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