Top 101 Starting Pitchers: Rest-Of-Season Rankings for Fantasy Baseball Week 1 (2026)

April 4, 2026

Nick Mariano's updated fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for Week 1 (2026). Baller Ranks is a weekly rankings list for the top-101 starting pitchers.

Welcome to the 2026 regular season, where you're likely either ordering champagne bottles or torching your computer depending on how this first week has gone. We're all trying to keep two feet on the ground with our preseason priors, and yet we can't ignore these early data points either! Let's check early temps with the FSWA-award-winning Best Baseball Series, our weekly updated "Top 101 Starting Pitchers", where my weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks look to help with the mound madness!

Readers will find my SP thoughts with tiered ranks (the tiers matter more than individual ranks), complemented by a rest-of-season auction value orientation point ($), with future weeks also bringing their Previous Week's Value (PV), the trend between the two, and a (+/-) column denoting the rank shift compared to the previous week. There is also a prospect table at the end from our star evaluator, Eric Cross. This is written throughout Tuesday so that the table reflects some games (but not all), and the stats cited are typically gathered through Monday.

As is tradition around here, these ranks are geared toward traditional 5x5 roto leagues, and I typically exclude most injured SPs unless they're about to return. We will try to harp on firmer observations this early, such as new pitches or velocity. All I can say is that you shouldn't be afraid to get aggressive if your gut is calling out to you, especially the further "down" in the ranks you get!

Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis for Week 1

-Paul Skenes was notoriously pulled after an escalating pitch count (37) in the first inning against the Mets, resulting in a memeable 67.50 ERA/9.00 WHIP on the ledger. In case you only panicked at the box score, allow me to hammer home the context.

You may have seen how the sun beat Oneil Cruz in center field, as he took steps in on a bases-loaded Brett Baty shot that wound up over his head for a bases-clearing triple before losing an innocent fly ball that turned into an RBI double.

But Jorge Polanco also hit a perfect squib shot down the third-base line at 44.2 mph. Juan Soto’s 83 mph flare into right-center had a middling .300 expected BA. It was very unlucky!

He’s not without fault, as he fell behind Francisco Lindor 3-0 before the leadoff walk, and he couldn’t locate the outer edge when he walked Luis Robert Jr. either. But the mental boulder bearing down on him, watching this unfol,d must’ve been Indiana Jones-esque. Stay calm. I know many other aces pitched like aces, but stay calm.

-Cristopher Sanchez rewarded those who climbed the ladder to get him as the No. 4 SP off the board after the “big three.” He racked up 10 strikeouts while only three baserunners got scattered across six pristine innings.

-Cole Ragans had a roller-coaster spring after missing roughly four months of action last year (groin, rotator cuff), resulting in 13 runs allowed on 21 hits in 16 IP, though the 23:5 K:BB was nice! The latter carries the most weight for spring training.

But then the Braves smacked him for three home runs and he issued four walks with five Ks across four innings. Seven of the 12 batted balls against were at least 96.6 mph. His slider and changeup did not have the necessary edges of the zone either, combining for a mere 23% called strike/whiff (CSW) rate. I’m trying to stay calm, but this one is harder.

-Dylan Cease ticked many, many boxes in his first start of the year (5 ⅓ IP, 1 ER, 12:2 K:BB). He threw a wider arsenal of pitches compared to last season, when his four-seamer and slider combined for about 83% of his arm. The knuckle curve was 8%, with the sinker, sweeper, and changeup between 1-4%.

On Saturday, those four true secondaries each sat around 8-10%, with a 37% slider clip and 27% fastball rate. Cease showed off a new changeup (up to 83 mph from 78 last year) that got three whiffs on three swings, used mostly against lefties.

It’s also notable that Cease has made 32-33 starts in five straight seasons. If this new approach and Toronto’s support can play out with his durability, then we’re cooking with gas.

-Cam Schlittler fanned eight Giants over 5 ⅓ IP of one-hit ball, working to 68 pitches before getting lifted after a minor back issue stunted his spring ramp-up. The raw talent here is capable of winning leagues, though workload management may be a constant as the Yanks eye October innings. His three-headed fastball Hydra is a formidable beast!

Why Cam Schlittler's 3 Variations of Fastballs are a problem for hitters.

99 mph Sinker
96 mph Cutter
98 mph Elevated Four Seam Fastball

Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/1JyAs2dJjk

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 28, 2026

-Jesus Luzardo gave up six runs over six innings against the Texas, with the bulk of the damage coming on a pair of homers. At least we got seven Ks? The looming issue for those seeking a quick rebound is his next start is at Coors. It’s a long season, but I know it’s hard to start on a low note.

-Jose Soriano made waves with seven strikeouts over six scoreless frames, carving up Houston’s righty-heavy lineup with 19 whiffs on 91 pitches. His fastball averaged 99.1 mph and hit 101.3, with his sinker and knuckle curve.

That fell to 97.5 and 96.7, respectively, in his second start, with a max of 99.3 against a more balanced Cubs team. However, it was still more than enough to keep CHC scoreless for six innings of two-hit action (4:2 K:BB).

-Kodai Senga’s fastball was up 2.7 mph compared to last year, which hit 99.2 mph with re-tooled mechanics en route to nine strikeouts against the Cardinals. The polished delivery still resulting in three walks, though (60.9% strike rate). This is encouraging, but the arsenal can still lose the zone if hitters don’t bite. The good heavily outweighs the bad.

Kodai Senga strikes out the side on 99, 99, and 98 MPH fastballs! ⛽ pic.twitter.com/Ox1N9d50OX

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 1, 2026

-Chase Burns eased many worries with five sharp innings to open his season after a limited spring led to speculation that he’d begin 2026 in the minors to build up his stamina. But striking out seven Pirates with a heater that touched 99 mph across 78 pitches is a great first chapter.

-Emerson Hancock went up against a lefty-heavy Guardians team and dialed up the fastball usage to 53%, attacking high up relentlessly, trading a little speed for more spin. The sweeper that he only threw 3% of the time last year was fully incorporated as his No. 2 pitch at 26% in his first outing. He’ll face the whiff-happy Angels next.

Seattle Mariners' starting pitcher Emerson Hancock had a career-high 9 strikeouts against the Guardians on Sunday. The Guardians stacked LHH against Hancock (94%), and he adjusted his pitch mix.

🧹Hancock threw 43 of 46 sweepers to RHH in 2025, but threw 23 (25%) to lefties on… https://t.co/V0AghwqGYD pic.twitter.com/oMawlRXVVQ

— Corbin (@corbin_young21) March 30, 2026

-Randy Vasquez saw a rise in velocity last September that has carried into 2026, as he ripped in 95 mph onto hitters (the sinker averaged 95.5). This helped him keep the Tigers off the scoreboard with eight Ks over six innings, with the fastball finishing off six of those punchouts.

-Parker Messick turned heads by silencing a potent Dodger lineup over six innings on Monday. It’s quite the reversal after some projected Messick for the minors to start the year in favor of Logan Allen, but talent won over team control (for now).

He doesn’t overwhelm with velocity, but the changeup is filthy and he’s comfortable throwing it against each side of the plate (including to ring up Shohei Ohtani on a 2-2 count in the sixth inning). If Messick also looks sharp against the Cubs at home on Sunday, then that 26% rostered rate is going to skyrocket.

-Landen Roupp displayed more life on his pitches and a new cutter grip, which Eno Sarris asked about after the impressive six-strikeout effort. More importantly, Roupp passed along that he thought having more time since shifting back to starting from relief work.

-Michael Soroka punctuated his dazzling 10-strikeout gem on Monday with an immaculate inning in his Arizona debut. We’ll have to see how team reports adjust to him after he flexed his slurve on nearly half of his pitches, throwing them to righties and lefties alike. Then it was the fastball with a couple of changeups against LHB with sinker/cutter versus RHB.

-Lance McCullers Jr. is another longshot arm that came out of the gate on fire, which was unexpected after a 6.51 ERA and ugly 61:39 K:BB following a lost 2023 and 2024. The Astros let him go 96 pitches, with a heavy sinker-cutter-knuckle curve mix. This was complemented by a few high fastballs, scattered changeups, and a few wide sweepers.

As with many of these waiver-level SPs, we’re going to maintain modest expectations after one turn. But McCullers’ location was solid.

**Before scanning the table and directing agita towards me over Pitcher XYZ... we both know it's early. I promise that the ranks are going to shift a lot over the next few weeks! The beauty of our silly little game is that you can be as bold as you'd like in moving guys up or down based on early returns. I'm happy to discuss anyone further, but always stay respectful!

Top 101 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 1

Top Starting Pitcher Stashes for Fantasy Baseball - Week 1

Here are the key SP stashes, including honorable mentions, from our esteemed, industry-leading prospect analyst, Eric Cross. You should also read his full Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash article, which is updated weekly!

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