X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Nick Mariano's 2023 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings

David Peterson - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB News

2023 fantasy baseball tiered starting pitcher rankings and analysis for 5x5 roto mixed leagues, featuring ranks from RotoBaller's rankings expert Nick Mariano.

I hope you've enjoyed the March Madness of preparing for the fantasy baseball season! That's what that phrase references, right? We here at RotoBaller are here to help with all kinds of content to help you win, and with that in mind, my fantasy baseball rankings series heads to the mound. And in case you missed any earlier pieces, you can see the rest of the positional rankings articles here:

Starting pitcher is deep and we've talked about most of the top arms backward and forward throughout the preseason. So instead, I'm going to list my top 150 in the table and talk more about the fringe and deeper names that have risen to relevance later in the offseason.

Beyond the top 150, I'll also list some key rookies at the end for those who like a zesty NA stash. Remember the tiers are more important than one spot ahead of another. Now, let's dive into the tiered table and analysis below.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Rankings - Roto Leagues

Rank Tier Name Team RB Pos
1 1 Gerrit Cole NYY SP
2 1 Corbin Burnes MIL SP
3 2 Jacob deGrom TEX SP
4 2 Spencer Strider ATL SP
5 2 Sandy Alcantara MIA SP
6 2 Aaron Nola PHI SP
7 2 Brandon Woodruff MIL SP
8 2 Justin Verlander NYM SP
9 2 Shane McClanahan TB SP
10 2 Zack Wheeler PHI SP
11 2 Max Scherzer NYM SP
12 2 Shohei Ohtani LAA DH/SP
13 3 Cristian Javier HOU SP/RP
14 3 Dylan Cease CWS SP
15 3 Julio Urias LAD SP
16 3 Shane Bieber CLE SP
17 3 Luis Castillo SEA SP
18 3 Kevin Gausman TOR SP
19 3 Max Fried ATL SP
20 3 Yu Darvish SD SP
21 4 Alek Manoah TOR SP
22 4 Zac Gallen ARI SP
23 4 Framber Valdez HOU SP
24 4 Triston McKenzie CLE SP
25 4 Robbie Ray SEA SP
26 5 Nestor Cortes NYY SP/RP
27 5 George Kirby SEA SP
28 5 Hunter Greene CIN SP
29 5 Blake Snell SD SP
30 5 Luis Severino NYY SP
31 5 Joe Musgrove SD SP
32 5 Logan Webb SF SP
33 5 Clayton Kershaw LAD SP
34 5 Kyle Wright ATL SP
35 6 Chris Sale BOS SP
36 6 Logan Gilbert SEA SP
37 6 Carlos Rodon NYY SP
38 6 Freddy Peralta MIL SP
39 6 Lance Lynn CWS SP
40 6 Chris Bassitt TOR SP
41 6 Nick Lodolo CIN SP
42 6 Joe Ryan MIN SP
43 6 Jesus Luzardo MIA SP
44 6 Charlie Morton ATL SP
45 6 Lucas Giolito CWS SP
46 6 Pablo Lopez MIN SP
47 6 Luis Garcia (SP) HOU SP
48 6 Jordan Montgomery STL SP
49 6 Jeffrey Springs TB SP/RP
50 7 Drew Rasmussen TB SP
51 7 Brady Singer KC SP
52 7 Dustin May LAD SP
53 7 Kodai Senga NYM SP
54 7 Grayson Rodriguez BAL SP
55 7 Jon Gray TEX SP
56 7 Patrick Sandoval LAA SP
57 7 Andrew Heaney TEX SP
58 8 Reid Detmers LAA SP
59 8 Tyler Glasnow TB SP
60 8 Nathan Eovaldi TEX SP
61 8 Alex Cobb SF SP
62 8 Hunter Brown HOU SP/RP
63 8 Jose Berrios TOR SP
64 8 Edward Cabrera MIA SP
65 8 Tony Gonsolin LAD SP
66 8 Sonny Gray MIN SP
67 8 Jack Flaherty STL SP
68 8 Miles Mikolas STL SP
69 8 Tyler Mahle MIN SP
70 8 Merrill Kelly ARI SP
71 8 Carlos Carrasco NYM SP
72 8 Trevor Rogers MIA SP
73 8 Eric Lauer MIL SP
74 8 Tyler Anderson LAA SP
75 8 Jameson Taillon CHC SP
76 9 Jose Urquidy HOU SP
77 9 Michael Kopech CWS SP
78 9 Lance McCullers Jr. HOU SP
79 9 Roansy Contreras PIT SP
80 9 Marcus Stroman CHC SP
81 9 Ross Stripling SF SP/RP
82 9 David Peterson NYM SP/RP
83 9 Michael Wacha SD SP
84 9 Sean Manaea SF SP
85 9 Eduardo Rodriguez DET SP
86 10 Martin Perez TEX SP
87 10 Justin Steele CHC SP
88 10 Garrett Whitlock BOS SP/RP
89 10 Tanner Houck BOS SP/RP
90 10 Kenta Maeda MIN SP
91 10 MacKenzie Gore WSH SP
92 10 Cal Quantrill CLE SP
93 10 Hayden Wesneski CHC SP
94 10 Steven Matz STL SP/RP
95 10 Taijuan Walker PHI SP
96 10 Aaron Civale CLE SP
97 10 Alex Wood SF SP
98 10 Jose Suarez LAA SP
99 10 Noah Syndergaard LAD SP
100 10 Domingo German NYY SP
101 10 Ranger Suarez PHI SP
102 10 Drey Jameson ARI SP
103 10 Adam Wainwright STL SP
104 10 Josiah Gray WSH SP
105 10 Michael Soroka ATL SP
106 10 Mike Clevinger CWS SP
107 10 Brayan Bello BOS SP
108 10 Kyle Bradish BAL SP
109 10 Ken Waldichuk OAK SP
110 10 Braxton Garrett MIA SP
111 10 Aaron Ashby MIL SP/RP
112 10 Mitch Keller PIT SP
113 10 Clarke Schmidt NYY SP/RP
114 10 Tylor Megill NYM SP/RP
115 11 Cole Irvin BAL SP
116 11 Bailey Falter PHI SP
117 11 Corey Kluber BOS SP
118 11 Nick Martinez SD SP/RP
119 11 Shintaro Fujinami OAK SP
120 11 Nick Pivetta BOS SP
121 11 Kyle Gibson BAL SP
122 11 Dean Kremer BAL SP
123 11 Ryne Nelson ARI SP
124 11 James Paxton BOS SP
125 11 German Marquez COL SP
126 12 Drew Smyly CHC SP
127 12 Matt Manning DET SP
128 12 Jared Shuster ATL SP
129 12 Michael Lorenzen DET SP
130 12 Andrew Painter PHI SP
131 12 Spencer Turnbull DET SP
132 12 Anthony DeSclafani SF SP
133 12 Rich Hill PIT SP
134 13 Daniel Lynch KC SP
135 13 Marco Gonzales SEA SP
136 13 James Kaprielian OAK SP
137 13 Wade Miley MIL SP
138 13 Johnny Cueto MIA SP
139 13 Bailey Ober MIN SP
140 13 JT Brubaker PIT SP
141 13 Graham Ashcraft CIN SP
142 13 Drew Rucinski OAK SP
143 13 Zack Greinke KC SP
144 13 Kyle Muller OAK SP
145 13 Yusei Kikuchi TOR SP/RP
146 13 Luis Patino TB SP
147 13 JP Sears OAK SP
148 13 Zach Davies ARI SP
149 13 Vince Velasquez PIT SP/RP
150 13 Jordan Lyles KC SP
151 14 Ryan Pepiot LAD SP
152 14 Brandon Pfaadt ARI SP
153 14 Gavin Stone LAD SP
154 14 Kyle Harrison SF SP
155 14 Bryce Miller SEA SP
156 14 Taj Bradley TB SP
157 14 Eury Perez MIA SP
158 14 Tanner Bibee CLE SP
159 14 Bobby Miller LAD SP
160 14 Ricky Tiedemann TOR SP

 

Starting Pitcher Recent Riser Analysis

Hunter Brown is currently dealing with back soreness but that shouldn’t stop “JV Jr.” from stepping into Houston’s No. 5 slot. With a delivery modeled after the ace, Brown boasts a powerful fastball, sharp slider, and devastating curve that yielded 134 strikeouts in 106 Triple-A innings last year. The 2.55 ERA/1.08 WHIP weren’t bad either!

We then got 20 ⅓ hybrid innings in Houston, where we allowed just two runs (1.98 FIP) with a 68% groundball rate and a 22/7 K/BB ratio. How they’ll manage him if Houston’s pitchers are all at full health is another story, but that’s hardly a given and we’re targeting talent and short-term opportunity here.

David Peterson looks to have the edge over Tylor Megill for the Mets’ No. 5 rotation spot following the news that Jose Quintana has a lesion on his rib. He’s likely out until at least July, which gives Peterson a chance to build on last year’s momentum.

The 27-year-old squeezed in 105 ⅔ IP, posting a 3.83 ERA (3.64 FIP, 3.31 xFIP, 3.57 SIERA) with a hefty 27.8% strikeout rate. I could do without the double-digit walk rate (10.6% last year) but a groundball rate near 50%, the whiffs, the Mets being a winning club, and the pitcher-friendly park makes him a fun target at the end of your draft.

Hayden Wesneski and his plus slider are once again ready to torment MLB hitters in 2023. Kyle Hendricks is still recovering from a July 2022 capsular tear in his shoulder, so Wesneski gets a chance. The 25-year-old flashed with 33 big-league innings in ‘22, posting a 2.18 ERA/0.94 WHIP backed by a little luck (.244 BABIP) and a little attacking of the zone (5.3% BB rate, 62.9% first-strike rate).

Drey Jameson is battling with Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry for Arizona’s final rotation spot. He’d looked brilliant through three scoreless spring appearances but has given up eight runs in his last two. Still, I can’t speak to what he’s experimenting with and his only four MLB starts thus far were either scoreless outings or quality starts. The 95.2% strand rate helps, but he’s also good! His fastball and slider are the primary weapons, but his curve and changeup are plenty serviceable. Don’t lose sight of Brandon Pfaadt either!

Brayan Bello finally got to the mound this spring on Sunday, striking out three across two perfect frames. The BABIP gods were particularly cruel to Bello’s rookie campaign but this provides profit margins to be scooped up in ‘23. That .404 BABIP helped inflate his ERA to 4.71 (1.78 WHIP) despite a 2.94 FIP. He’ll need to hone his command, but his track record of plus whiffs, grounders, and mitigating home runs in the minors is promising indeed.

Clarke Schmidt made headlines with five perfect innings against the Pirates last week, which feeds the draft helium following Carlos Rodon’s injury. The Yanks were already down Frankie Montas but Domingo German was ahead of Schmidt in line. Now both are needed in the Bronx. We’ll see if Schmidt can handle lineups more than once through the order after performing admirably out of the ‘pen in 2022. The upside of a Yankee arm who can give us a strikeout per inning is worth the late-round dart.

Shintaro Fujinami is showing some bright spots this spring as he adjusts to MLB life. His 12 ⅔ IP over four starts has yielded 17 strikeouts, but the 4.26 ERA/1.58 WHIP keeps the hype temperature modest. And I doubt playing for Oakland affords him the same 3-0 record when the games start counting, but he’ll call pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum home (second-worst for offense per Statcast) and should have deep-league streaming appeal throughout 2023.

Jared Shuster looks to be Atlanta’s No. 5 pitcher, carrying a slight edge over Dylan Dodd after Ian Anderson was sent to Triple-A. The 24-year-old southpaw was excellent at Double-A last year, posting a 2.78 ERA/0.96 WHIP with a 30% strikeout rate over ~90 innings. He didn’t do as well over nine Triple-A starts, but he’s been lights out this spring (0.71 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 16 Ks in 12 ⅔ IP) to earn a look. Supported by a stellar offense and bullpen, Shuster is a nice flier.

Gavin Stone has been tabbed as this year’s Spencer Strider after a spicy spring has seen him strike out 14 of his 27 batters faced. He quickly advanced through the Dodger system in 2022, starting at High-A, crushing Double-A, and ending with 23 ⅓ stellar innings at Triple-A. And that was the PCL for Triple-A, which can be tough on a pitcher!

The overall 33.9% strikeout rate in ~120 IP backs up the hot spring. The Dodger rotation is already hurting and Stone could get a shot in short order. Bobby Miller is another young arm of interest in Hollywood, though Ryan Pepiot and his questionable control likely open the season covering the rotation’s back end. But it's only a matter of time until we get Stone's change on the big stage.

 

Other Young SPs of Note:

Kyle Harrison, Bryce Miller, Taj Bradley, Eury Perez, Tanner Bibee, Ricky Tiedemann.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More 2021 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF