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Nick Mariano's updated fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for Week 1 (2025). Baller Ranks is a weekly rankings list for the top-101 starting pitchers.
We hope you rested during the offseason because now we're off and running toward a finish line not to be crossed for six months. We had a great season last year and kept winning even after the World Series, taking down the FSWA award for Best Baseball Series with this column. Let's defend all our titles from start to finish with the first 2025 edition of my weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks!
The initial edition will look slightly different than other weeks due to the absence of a "previous week" for comparison's sake. But you can expect to find my SP musings with tiered ranks, complemented by a rest-of-season auction value ($), their Previous Week's Value (PV), the trend between the two, and a (+/-) column denoting the rank shift compared to last week. We only have a small sample to react to, so we'll check in on key performances on both ends of the spectrum.
A refresher for those wondering where injured pitchers go: These ranks are geared toward traditional 5x5 roto leagues, and I typically exclude most injured SPs, lest a return is imminent. If the demand is overwhelming for a perpetual injury table, please speak up and let me know. Now, let's get to it!
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Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis for Week 1
-MacKenzie Gore was robbed of a win by Washington’s offense, and that’s about all that went wrong for the 26-year-old on Opening Day. Kicking off his third year as a National, Gore logged 13 strikeouts over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit with zero walks.
Your brain is screaming regression, BABIP luck, and so forth. Well, it’s not that simple. He appeared to have a set plan and executed it to perfection. That doesn’t make this the norm, especially since he enjoyed afternoon shadows, but we must respect it.
He was a two-pitch arm against left-swinging bats, leaning on his four-seamer and a new slider with only two curveballs mixed in otherwise. Of the 23 sliders, only one was put into play, and it was a crummy pop-up. He iced six of his 13 Ks with the slidepiece.
His 14 curveballs and nine changeups did not result in a batted-ball event, with only one off six cutters. The big story is that his fastball avoided most danger. He used it equally against lefties and righties, allowing one single on three total batted balls with four strikeouts. More Ks than BBEs. That’s what I’m talking about!
-Nick Pivetta should enjoy brighter days at Petco compared to Fenway, but unlike Gore, his day was a bit luckier. Typically a strikeout maven, the 32-year-old only struck out four Braves over seven clean frames. (Though zero walks remain a big plus!)
Only one of the 17 batted balls found its way for a hit, even with three barrels surrendered. He threw his four-seamer 54 percent of the time, slightly up from last year’s 48.5 percent mark but not significantly.
We do know Boston emphasized the secondaries, so it’s worth monitoring. He’s still a curveball man against the lefties with the sweeper to put away righties, with three cutters rounding out the experience.
-Jeffrey Springs needed 83 pitches to ring up nine Mariners over six shutout innings, working around three hits and a walk in his A’s debut. While Seattle remains a key streaming target, these are familiar results for a healthy Springs.
Going back to his joining Tampa Bay, known pitcher technicians, the 6-foot-3 righty owns a 277:61 K:BB with a 2.57 ERA (3.18 FIP) over 235 IP. He missed most of 2023 and 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, so mind his workload, but 75-80 pitch outings still supply profits. TL;DR:
Simplified Jeffrey Springs summary for those unaware:
2021: Very good as RP
2022: Excellent as he transitioned from RP to SP. Once stretched out, CY Young-esque
2023: Dominant start to year that ended abruptly due to TJ
2024: Returned end of July and looked very good in his…— Rube Baker (@RubeBakersPig) March 29, 2025
-Jose Soriano blanked the White Sox over seven innings, striking out five with two hits and two walks on 73 pitches. This is great, but the one-start 13 percent K-BB% echoes last year’s middling 11.1 percent mark, which tied with Patrick Corbin for 102nd among 126 SPs (min. 100 IP).
We all know there is far more to pitching, but it does tend to cap upside. Let’s see how he fares against a more disciplined Guardians team next.
-Sean Burke halted the Halos with only three harmless hits allowed over six innings, recording three strikeouts without issuing any free passes. Would you believe his xERA on the outing was 7.14? He did a good job at keeping the breaking pitches low, but the four-seamer did live dangerously in the zone, rather than nipping at the edges.
-Tarik Skubal faced the Dodgers off the rip, and I know 99.99 percent of you are chilling, but just in case: Breathe, you’re good. For the rest of you, feel free to send a cheeky trade offer.
-Garrett Crochet disappointed fantasy managers with just four strikeouts over five gritty innings after he cruised to 30 Ks in 15 ⅔ IP this spring. Despite his last year, Crochet can’t always operate as if he’s playing a video game on “Rookie Mode.”
-Roki Sasaki has had a rough first two MLB outings due to poor control. In the Tokyo Series, he walked five but only surrendered one hit in three innings, so the damage was limited.
His first stateside start held three hits and four walks in 1 ⅔ IP, but the Dodgers pulled him before the game got away (two runs). Nine walks and a 35 percent first-strike rate are goofy for anyone, let alone a phenom with a track record of strong control.
There’s no metric for mentally adjusting, and the broadcast showed an emotional Sasaki reeling after being pulled. Let's not forget that Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up five runs in one inning to open his MLB career and then posted a 2.53 ERA the rest of the way.
-Michael King compensated for his first start’s lack of command by practically being a sniper with the strike zone in the second. It’s easy to overreact, and anyone who pounced with an early trade got paid off with 11 strikeouts over five stellar innings.
He induced 18 whiffs on 39 swings with an overall 40 percent CSW rate. The changeup devastated a Cleveland lineup stacked with lefty-swinging bats, while his fastball was nearly untouchable. Let this be a building block!
-Bailey Ober gave up eight runs in 2 ⅔ IP in his 2025 debut, and then we learned that he had been quite ill in the days leading up to his start. That would’ve been nice to know beforehand.
We’re not sure why Minnesota still ran with him and didn’t pull him once he showed signs of flagging, but here we are. It’s still not as bad as last year’s first start, where he gave up eight runs in just 1 ⅓ IP. Silver linings!
-Sandy Alcantara picked up his first win of the season with five healthy innings against the Mets, striking out four with no walks. But it was interesting seeing him get pulled after just 70 pitches and a two-tick drop on his average fastball velocity compared to Opening Day.
We must be patient and cannot expect the usual consistency from players returning from major injuries. But the velo won’t be handwaved, either.
Sandy Alcantara’s velocity was noticeably down today as he went five innings, allowing two runs and striking out four.
Most of his pitches were still around or above average, but it wasn’t the nasty stuff we grew accustomed to seeing in Spring Training and on Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/4InPHGwov4
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) April 2, 2025
-Jacob deGrom hit 98.1 mph and tallied 73 pitches over his five innings of scoreless work. It will take a while for the ace to feel comfortable letting it rip and may only top out at the 90th percentile of his capabilities this year, but that’s still incredibly good!
It’s easy to remain disciplined in how one mentally frames expectations for these returning pitchers during the preseason. But once the games are off, it is easy to get impatient.
-Jackson Jobe showcased appealing raw output but it looked more like "throwing" than "pitching." We're not worried about the career trajectory but it may take a while for him to enter the circle of trust. That said, his next outing comes against the White Sox so you may be tempted early!
Jackson Jobe graded out with truly elite stuff last night. The location is obviously a work in progress. pic.twitter.com/pJEckKJXl9
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) April 2, 2025
**Draft ranks won't shift much based on an opening week, but we can't just sit by with idle hands, either. You should have a general idea of how risky you want to play each of your leagues when it comes to waiver churning, making buy-low offers, etc. HAVE FUN!
Top 101 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 1
| Tier | Rank | Player | $ |
| 1 | 1 | Tarik Skubal | $44.00 |
| 1 | 2 | Paul Skenes | $43.00 |
| 1 | 3 | Zack Wheeler | $42.00 |
| 1 | 4 | Garrett Crochet | $41.00 |
| 2 | 5 | Jacob deGrom | $40.00 |
| 2 | 6 | Chris Sale | $39.00 |
| 2 | 7 | Logan Gilbert | $38.00 |
| 3 | 8 | Corbin Burnes | $36.00 |
| 3 | 9 | Cole Ragans | $36.00 |
| 3 | 10 | Blake Snell | $35.00 |
| 3 | 11 | Dylan Cease | $35.00 |
| 3 | 12 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | $34.00 |
| 3 | 13 | Michael King | $33.00 |
| 3 | 14 | Joe Ryan | $32.50 |
| 3 | 15 | Tyler Glasnow | $31.00 |
| 4 | 16 | Spencer Schwellenbach | $30.00 |
| 4 | 17 | Framber Valdez | $30.00 |
| 4 | 18 | Max Fried | $29.00 |
| 4 | 19 | Pablo Lopez | $28.00 |
| 4 | 20 | Tanner Bibee | $26.00 |
| 4 | 21 | Shota Imanaga | $25.50 |
| 4 | 22 | Bryce Miller | $25.00 |
| 4 | 23 | Hunter Greene | $24.00 |
| 4 | 24 | Justin Steele | $22.00 |
| 4 | 25 | Robbie Ray | $21.00 |
| 4 | 26 | Logan Webb | $20.00 |
| 5 | 27 | Sandy Alcantara | $20.00 |
| 5 | 28 | Bryan Woo | $20.00 |
| 5 | 29 | Hunter Brown | $19.00 |
| 5 | 30 | Luis Castillo | $19.00 |
| 5 | 31 | Aaron Nola | $18.00 |
| 5 | 32 | Bailey Ober | $18.00 |
| 5 | 33 | Sonny Gray | $17.00 |
| 5 | 34 | Freddy Peralta | $17.00 |
| 5 | 35 | Cristopher Sanchez | $16.50 |
| 5 | 36 | Carlos Rodon | $15.50 |
| 5 | 37 | Ryan Pepiot | $15.00 |
| 5 | 38 | Jack Flaherty | $15.00 |
| 5 | 39 | Kodai Senga | $15.00 |
| 5 | 40 | Zac Gallen | $15.00 |
| 5 | 41 | Nathan Eovaldi | $15.00 |
| 5 | 42 | Jeffrey Springs | $15.00 |
| 6 | 43 | MacKenzie Gore | $15.00 |
| 6 | 44 | Nick Pivetta | $14.50 |
| 6 | 45 | Taj Bradley | $14.50 |
| 6 | 46 | Zach Eflin | $14.00 |
| 6 | 47 | Seth Lugo | $12.00 |
| 6 | 48 | Spencer Arrighetti | $12.00 |
| 6 | 49 | Gavin Williams | $11.00 |
| 6 | 50 | Drew Rasmussen | $10.50 |
| 6 | 51 | Shane Baz | $10.00 |
| 6 | 52 | Kris Bubic | $10.00 |
| 6 | 53 | Dustin May | $10.00 |
| 6 | 54 | Nick Lodolo | $10.00 |
| 6 | 55 | Jesus Luzardo | $9.50 |
| 6 | 56 | Roki Sasaki | $9.50 |
| 7 | 57 | Yusei Kikuchi | $9.00 |
| 7 | 58 | Kevin Gausman | $8.50 |
| 7 | 59 | Bowden Francis | $8.50 |
| 7 | 60 | Grant Holmes | $8.50 |
| 7 | 61 | Clay Holmes | $8.00 |
| 7 | 62 | Reese Olson | $8.00 |
| 7 | 63 | Tylor Megill | $8.00 |
| 7 | 64 | Jackson Jobe | $6.50 |
| 8 | 65 | Brandon Pfaadt | $6.00 |
| 8 | 66 | Ronel Blanco | $6.00 |
| 8 | 67 | Richard Fitts | $6.00 |
| 8 | 68 | Jack Leiter | $5.50 |
| 8 | 69 | Max Meyer | $5.00 |
| 8 | 70 | Jose Soriano | $5.00 |
| 8 | 71 | Matthew Boyd | $4.50 |
| 8 | 72 | David Peterson | $4.50 |
| 8 | 73 | Landen Roupp | $4.00 |
| 8 | 74 | Casey Mize | $4.00 |
| 8 | 75 | Jordan Hicks | $4.00 |
| 8 | 76 | Nick Martinez | $4.00 |
| 9 | 77 | Mitch Keller | $3.50 |
| 9 | 78 | Luis Severino | $3.50 |
| 9 | 79 | Merrill Kelly | $3.50 |
| 9 | 80 | Justin Verlander | $3.50 |
| 9 | 81 | Chris Bassitt | $3.00 |
| 9 | 82 | AJ Smith-Shawver | $3.00 |
| 9 | 83 | Hayden Wesneski | $3.00 |
| 9 | 84 | Brady Singer | $2.50 |
| 9 | 85 | Michael Wacha | $2.50 |
| 9 | 86 | Tanner Houck | $2.50 |
| 10 | 87 | Will Warren | $2.00 |
| 10 | 88 | Sean Burke | $2.00 |
| 10 | 89 | Shane Smith | $1.50 |
| 10 | 90 | Jose Berrios | $1.50 |
| 10 | 91 | Nestor Cortes | $1.50 |
| 10 | 92 | Eduardo Rodriguez | $1.50 |
| 10 | 93 | Tyler Mahle | $1.50 |
| 10 | 94 | Andrew Heaney | $1.00 |
| 10 | 95 | JP Sears | $1.00 |
| 10 | 96 | Jack Kochanowicz | $1.00 |
| 10 | 97 | Kumar Rocker | $1.00 |
| 10 | 98 | Walker Buehler | $1.00 |
| 10 | 99 | Osvaldo Bido | $1.00 |
| 10 | 100 | Simeon Woods Richardson | $1.00 |
| 10 | 101 | Andre Pallante | $1.00 |
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