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Nick Mariano's updated fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for Week 9 (2026). Baller Ranks is a weekly rankings list for the top-101 starting pitchers.
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our weekly starting pitcher rankings. Each week, Nick Mariano updates his "Top 101 Starting Pitchers" for the rest of the season. This FSWA-award-winning Best Baseball Series gives fantasy managers an inside look at the best starting pitchers. Be sure to also check out Nick's Weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks to help you with your lineup decisions.
Like last week, Joey Pollizze will provide the starting pitcher analysis write-ups, while Nick Mariano will provide the top 101 starting pitcher rankings. We will dive into the new pitcher ranked in the No. 2 spot, a pitcher rapidly climbing up these rankings, and a Cubs pitcher who is showing signs of breaking out. There is also a section at the bottom of this article of Eric Cross' top pitching prospects to stash.
So, let's take a look at the biggest movers and fallers on this week's starting pitcher rankings.
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Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis for Week 9
- Jacob Misiorowski moves up to the No. 2 spot after another dominant start on Monday. He threw seven innings of one-run ball with a season-high 12 strikeouts against the Cardinals on Memorial Day. Misiorowski has now allowed just one run over his last 31 1/3 innings pitched and leads all pitchers in strikeouts (100) on the season. The right-hander has an impressive 0.29 ERA across five May starts.
Jacob Misiorowski tied his career-high with 12 strikeouts pic.twitter.com/P7FQhxvu9L
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 25, 2026
-Nolan McLean has had back-to-back uneven starts. He has allowed 16 combined runs (13 earned runs) in his last two starts and failed to complete four innings for the first time this season in his most recent outing against the Reds. These two performances have McLean dropping outside the top-15 in Nick's updated pitcher rankings.
- Shane McClanahan continues to rise up these rankings each week. He has risen eight more spots from last week and is now a top-25 fantasy pitcher the rest of the season. McClanahan threw 5 1/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts on Monday, marking the fifth time in his last six starts in which he allowed zero runs. The southpaw has a 1.13 ERA and 32 strikeouts in his last six outings dating back to April 25.
- Gavin Williams' six-spot rise in Nick's rankings does not come as a surprise. Williams is coming off his best start of the season, where he threw eight scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts against the Phillies last week. With an elite 31.1% whiff rate and a 93rd percentile strikeout rate (30.3%), the Guardians right-hander is a top-20 fantasy pitcher moving forward.
-Max Meyer has been on another level on the mound recently. He allowed zero runs across 13 innings last week, which included a seven-shutout-inning effort against the Mets on Saturday. Meyer has been able to miss a ton of bats in his last few starts, and that has helped his overall numbers. The Marlins right-hander has a 29.7% strikeout rate in the month of May.
Tonight was another Max Meyer masterclass for the #Marlins
The right-hander's stat line:
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 KHis 97-pitch outing lowered his ERA to 2.85
John King is now on the mound#FightinFish pic.twitter.com/bCfgWRzeQN
— Ricardo Urrusuno (@RickScores) May 19, 2026
-Trey Yesavage gave up a season-high five runs in his last start, but Toronto's defense didn't do him any favors in that game. Despite that "rough" outing, Yesavage is still a top-45 fantasy pitcher moving forward. He has a 2.25 ERA and 35 strikeouts across 32 innings pitched this season and has allowed one run or fewer in four of his six starts.
-Sandy Alcantara has been so hit or miss on the mound this season. He allowed one run (zero earned runs) with six strikeouts against the Rays on May 16 and then gave up six earned runs across six innings against the Braves on May 21. His inability to miss bats at a high level (16.4% strikeout rate) makes him a questionable fantasy option. Alcantara drops eight spots from last week.
-Randy Vasquez has finally regressed following a strong start to the year. Vasquez has a 4.55 ERA across his last six starts and just allowed four runs across 5 2/3 innings against the Phillies on Tuesday. What made the Padres right-hander such an appealing fantasy option earlier in the year was his increased strikeout rate. But that has disappeared, as he has struck out only five batters in his last three outings.
-Ben Brown is the biggest riser in Nick's rankings. He moves up 40 spots from the No. 92 slot to the No. 52 slot in these rest-of-season rankings. Since moving to the Cubs' rotation to become a starter on May 8, Brown has a 1.89 ERA, a 1.76 FIP, and a 29.9% strikeout rate. After throwing six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts against the Pirates on Monday, he's deserving of this big jump.
Ben Brown's 2Ks in the 4th pic.twitter.com/R1F9ANKUc3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 25, 2026
-Trevor Rogers is the biggest faller in Nick's rankings for Week 9. He has dropped 20 spots from last week and now sits at No. 85 overall. Another poor outing against the Blue Jays this weekend could drop him out of Nick's rankings altogether next week. Rogers has an 11.84 ERA and 15 strikeouts in his last five starts.
-Foster Griffin might be coming off a dominant outing, but he still drops nine spots in these rest-of-season rankings. Before throwing six shutout innings against the Braves last week, Griffin allowed nine runs across 4 1/3 innings against the Reds on May 14 and five runs across five innings against the Mets on May 19. It's hard to predict which version of the left-hander will show up each week.
-Ryan Weathers has been a solid fantasy option this season. He has a 3.14 ERA, a 1.116 WHIP, and a 28.3% strikeout rate across 57 1/3 innings pitched and has had multiple dominant outings on the mound. In his most recent start, Weathers threw seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts against a really good Rays offense. That strong performance moves him up to the No. 39 spot in this set of rankings.
Top 101 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 9
| Rank | Tier | Player | (+/-) | $ | PV | Trend |
| 1 | 1 | Paul Skenes | 0 | $45.5 | 45.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 2 | 2 | Jacob Misiorowski | 5 | $42.0 | 39.5 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 3 | 2 | Shohei Ohtani | -1 | $41.0 | 41.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 4 | 2 | Chris Sale | -1 | $41.0 | 41.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 5 | 2 | Cam Schlittler | -1 | $41.0 | 41.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 6 | 2 | Cristopher Sanchez | 0 | $41.0 | 40.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 7 | 3 | Jacob deGrom | -2 | $39.5 | 40.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 8 | 3 | Bryan Woo | 0 | $39.0 | 39.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 9 | 3 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | 0 | $38.5 | 38.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 10 | 3 | Zack Wheeler | 0 | $38.0 | 36.5 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 11 | 3 | Chase Burns | 1 | $37.0 | 35.5 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 12 | 3 | Joe Ryan | 1 | $36.0 | 33.0 | 3.0 ▲ |
| 13 | 4 | Logan Gilbert | 2 | $31.0 | 31.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 14 | 4 | Nathan Eovaldi | 2 | $30.5 | 30.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 15 | 4 | Kevin Gausman | 2 | $30.5 | 30.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 16 | 4 | Nolan McLean | -5 | $30.0 | 35.5 | -5.5 ▼ |
| 17 | 4 | George Kirby | 2 | $27.0 | 27.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 18 | 4 | Jesus Luzardo | 3 | $27.0 | 26.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 19 | 4 | Drew Rasmussen | 1 | $27.0 | 26.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 20 | 4 | Gavin Williams | 6 | $26.5 | 21.0 | 5.5 ▲ |
| 21 | 4 | Shane McClanahan | 8 | $26.5 | 20.0 | 6.5 ▲ |
| 22 | 4 | Michael King | 0 | $26.5 | 26.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 23 | 5 | Shota Imanaga | -5 | $25.0 | 29.0 | -4.0 ▼ |
| 24 | 5 | Parker Messick | 0 | $23.0 | 23.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 25 | 5 | Braxton Ashcraft | 0 | $22.0 | 21.0 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 26 | 5 | Kyle Harrison | 4 | $22.0 | 20.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 27 | 5 | Freddy Peralta | -4 | $22.0 | 24.5 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 28 | 5 | Carlos Rodon | 0 | $21.0 | 20.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 29 | 5 | Logan Webb | N/A | $21.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 30 | 5 | Sonny Gray | 5 | $19.0 | 17 | 2.5 ▲ |
| 31 | 5 | Max Meyer | 13 | $19.0 | 14.0 | 5.0 ▲ |
| 32 | 5 | Will Warren | -1 | $18.0 | 18.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 33 | 5 | Framber Valdez | -1 | $18.0 | 18.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 34 | 6 | Kyle Bradish | -1 | $17.5 | 17.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 35 | 6 | Jose Soriano | -1 | $16.0 | 16.5 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 36 | 6 | Payton Tolle | 1 | $16.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 37 | 6 | Connelly Early | -1 | $16.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 38 | 6 | Spencer Strider | 0 | $16.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 39 | 6 | Ryan Weathers | 6 | $15.5 | 14.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 40 | 6 | Gerrit Cole | N/A | $15.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 41 | 7 | Robbie Ray | -2 | $15.5 | 16.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 42 | 7 | Michael Soroka | -2 | $15.5 | 15.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 43 | 7 | Davis Martin | -2 | $15.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 44 | 7 | Emerson Hancock | -2 | $15.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 45 | 7 | Trey Yesavage | 7 | $14.0 | 11.0 | 3.0 ▲ |
| 46 | 7 | Landen Roupp | -3 | $13.5 | 14.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 47 | 7 | Ranger Suarez | 10 | $13.5 | 8.5 | 5.0 ▲ |
| 48 | 7 | Emmet Sheehan | -2 | $13.5 | 13.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 49 | 7 | Jared Jones | N/A | $12.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 50 | 7 | Connor Prielipp | -3 | $12.0 | 12.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 51 | 7 | Bryce Elder | -3 | $12.0 | 12.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 52 | 7 | Ben Brown | 40 | $11.5 | 1.5 | 10.0 ▲ |
| 53 | 7 | Ryne Nelson | -4 | $11.5 | 12.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 54 | 7 | Bryce Miller | -4 | $11.5 | 11.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 55 | 7 | Michael Wacha | -4 | $11.5 | 11.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 56 | 7 | Casey Mize | 3 | $10.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 57 | 7 | Nick Lodolo | -4 | $9.5 | 10.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 58 | 7 | Eury Perez | 3 | $9.5 | 7.5 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 59 | 7 | Zebby Matthews | 1 | $9.0 | 7.5 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 60 | 7 | Taj Bradley | N/A | $8.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 61 | 7 | Reid Detmers | 3 | $7.5 | 5.5 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 62 | 7 | MacKenzie Gore | N/A | $7.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 63 | 8 | Sandy Alcantara | -8 | $6.5 | 9.0 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 64 | 8 | Troy Melton | N/A | $6.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 65 | 8 | Christian Scott | -3 | $5.5 | 6.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 66 | 8 | Randy Vasquez | -12 | $5.5 | 9.0 | -3.5 ▼ |
| 67 | 8 | Foster Griffin | -9 | $5.5 | 8.0 | -2.5 ▼ |
| 68 | 8 | Nick Martinez | -5 | $5.5 | 5.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 69 | 8 | Spencer Arrighetti | -3 | $5.0 | 4.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 70 | 8 | Merrill Kelly | 2 | $4.5 | 3.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 71 | 8 | Cade Cavalli | 2 | $4.5 | 3.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 72 | 8 | Bubba Chandler | 7 | $4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 ▲ |
| 73 | 8 | Peter Lambert | -6 | $3.5 | 4.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 74 | 8 | Justin Wrobleski | -6 | $3.5 | 4.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 75 | 8 | Tanner Bibee | -6 | $3.0 | 3.5 | -0.5 ▼ |
| 76 | 8 | J.T. Ginn | -2 | $3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 77 | 8 | Griffin Jax | -2 | $3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 78 | 9 | Joey Cantillo | -7 | $2.5 | 3.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 79 | 9 | Matthew Liberatore | 7 | $2.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 ▲ |
| 80 | 9 | Michael McGreevy | -4 | $2.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 81 | 9 | Bailey Ober | -4 | $2.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 82 | 9 | Walbert Urena | 1 | $2.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 83 | 9 | Roki Sasaki | 11 | $2.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 ▲ |
| 84 | 9 | Jack Leiter | -14 | $2.5 | 3.5 | -1.0 ▼ |
| 85 | 9 | Trevor Rogers | -20 | $2.5 | 4.5 | -2.0 ▼ |
| 86 | 9 | Trevor McDonald | -8 | $2.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 87 | 10 | Seth Lugo | -7 | $2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 88 | 10 | Andrew Abbott | -7 | $2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 89 | 10 | Grant Holmes | N/A | $2.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 90 | 10 | Mitch Keller | 0 | $2.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 91 | 10 | Eduardo Rodriguez | -9 | $2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 ▬ |
| 92 | 10 | Noah Cameron | 4 | $1.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 93 | 10 | Stephen Kolek | 2 | $1.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
| 94 | 10 | Kai-Wei Teng | N/A | $1.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 95 | 11 | Shane Baz | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 96 | 11 | Gage Jump | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 97 | 11 | Tatsuya Imai | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 98 | 11 | Anthony Kay | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 99 | 11 | Jonah Tong | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 100 | 11 | Kumar Rocker | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 101 | 11 | David Peterson | N/A | $1.0 | N/A | N/A |
Top Starting Pitcher Prospects for Fantasy Baseball - Week 9
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!
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners | August |
| 2 | River Ryan | SP | Dodgers | June |
| 3 | Gage Jump | SP | Athletics | NOW |
| 4 | Thomas White | SP | Marlins | July |
| 5 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees | July |
| 6 | Carlos Lagrange | SP | Yankees | July |
| 7 | Jaxon Wiggins | SP | Cubs | July |
| HM | Hagen Smith | SP | White Sox | - |
| HM | Brody Hopkins | SP | Rays | - |
| HM | Jack Wenninger | SP | Mets | - |
| HM | Hunter Barco | SP | Pirates | - |
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