Free Porn
xbporn
Home News Sports Top 100 Starting Pitchers: Where’s Waldron?

Top 100 Starting Pitchers: Where’s Waldron?

0


Happy Monday, Razzball faithful!

It’s been a week since the 2024 Father’s Day chaos, and the dust is starting to settle in MarmoVille. According to Alice Cooper, school’s almost out for summer, and we’re headed to the mid-point of our MLB season.

What better time to get ourselves ready for a beautiful beach scene?

I kicked around a few ideas for the lede this week, but one idea kept fluttering back into my head. Every time I wrote out a new title or looked at a different subject to dive more deeply into, this image just floated back into my brain. It continued darting here and there across the manic highway that makes up MarmosDad’s grey matter-filled skull.

So I figured, why not change up the grip a bit and just send it out into the wind to see how it dances in on your eyeballs?

Ok, so I made it a bit easier than it usually is.

 

It’s hot out. Nasty hot. We hit 108 F with the humidex this week in the icy north. I understand if somehow you can’t find Waldron here, but if that’s the case please make an optometrist appointment immediately.

The question, of course, is: “Where’s Waldron?”

The answer? Probably on the active roster of one of the teams that resides near the top of your league’s pitching ranks.

It’s a bit of a writing cop-out to just post a couple of videos here, but, honestly, I can’t think of a better way to get the point across.

(*Thanks to Talking Friars for this one)

Of course, it’s a handy cutoff point to use his last 8 games to build the narrative seeing as his May 5th game at Arizona was a disaster. But that’s not the point.

Over that 8 game span, Waldron’s numbers have been pretty filthy.

49.1 IP, 32 H, 10 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 47 K, 1.82 ERA.

The 8.57 K/9 and 2.19 BB/9 aren’t exactly elite, but what do you expect from a knuckleball pitcher?

Unless…you know how often he throws it. That’s the kicker here. Waldron ‘Frees the Butterfly’ just 38.2% of the time. 

The 90.9 MPH  fastball? That’s his second go-to pitch at 21.9% He mixes in a solid sweeper 19% of the time. 

Heck, he’s even throwing a 90.1 MPH sinker for 15% of his pitches. The cutter is down to 5.1%, (from 10% in 2023), but with the success he’s having with his other offerings, it’s obvious that Waldron doesn’t need to hide behind that.

I’m no major league hitter, (shocking news, I know), but when you’re mixing in a 77.3 MPH knuckleball with a 78.8 MPH that moves over a foot in or away from a batter (13.7 inches of horizontal break), that 90 MPH fastball has to look a heck of a lot quicker than it does on a radar gun.

If you don’t believe me, let’s listen to someone who actually IS an MLB hitter.

So now that we’ve seen some of what’s made Matt Waldron successful this year, I suppose there’s only one question left to answer.

When it comes to the Top 100 Starting Pitchers of 2024 Fantasy Baseball…Where’s Waldron?

Well, before we get to the list, I need to plug a couple of things for y’all first. If you want to check the spot I usually have open when flipping through my information on Sunday afternoons, you’re looking for that Player Rater leaderboard. This is always a great resource to use if you’re doing research. A bit of this, and a splash of that goes into the prep work for our weekly Top 100 Starting Pitchers list.

Of course, if you’re one of those doubting-your-own-gut-instinct fantasy managers, or just want to use a great resource that will point you in the right direction every week, The Streamonator is here to help you answer those burning questions. 

If you haven’t signed up for it, this should be your go-to reference for the entire season. It will save you a lot of time researching and often includes those “Oh, I never thought about that” solutions. The Razzball subscriptions are well worth the price of admission. If you’re serious about improving throughout the season, check the link, yo.

RANK

(LAST WEEK)

 Name TEAM NOTES
1 (2) Zack Wheeler Phillies Recency bias is hard at work here. A week after the wheels fell off at Baltimore, Zack bounced back with 7 IP, 1 ER, and 8 Ks vs ARI.
2 (1) Corbin Burnes Orioles Holding the top spot from wire to wire is tough for anyone, but Burnes’ 4 ER and 2 HR allowed at HOU cost him the spot.
3 (4) Tyler Glasnow Dodgers It’s feeling less like a two-horse race here for Top SP every week. 135 Ks in 100 IPs with excellent ratios.
4 (3) Tarik Skubal Tigers Back-to-back 4 ER outings. Slips just a bit but is still a top-tier ace.
5 (9) Ranger Suarez Phillies Enough is enough. He deserves to be here and is the TOP SP on the Player Rater (season-long).
6 (10) Tanner Houck Red Sox It’s time to give the Top 10 that Houck Tuah? (I’m sorry. It had to be done).
7 (13) Chris Sale Braves We take one week off from hyper-focusing on movement and end up with many new names in our top 15.
8 (23) Luis Gil Yankees He got humbled by the Orioles, but he’s been dynamite. More below.
9 (24) Garrett Crochet White Sox 88.1 IP, 124 Ks. More below.
10 (5) Kevin Gausman Blue Jays I know I’m higher than most (phrasing!), but he’s still up here because his list-mates are slipping, too. 
11 (6)  Shoto Imanaga Cubs Say it ain’t Sho! 3 IP, 10 ER. Barf emoji.
12 (7) Grayson Rodriguez Orioles 7 ER in 5 IP at HOU? I guess he only gave up one homer and still had 8 Ks, but still…
13 (8) Luis Castillo Mariners Pumped for another 5 ER in 5 IP last week at CLE.
14 (11) Max Fried Braves Keeps on shaving down his ratios. If he gets through the tough start at NYY (still to be played at the time of writing), he’s a must-start hosting PIT this week.
15 (12) George Kirby Mariners He’s been much more like the Kirby we expected over his last 5 starts. Three straight QS.
16 (14) Aaron Nola Phillies He had a good home start vs SD last week after getting Fenway’ed for 8 ER. 
17 (15) Cole Ragans Royals 109 Ks in 92 IP and just 4 wins to show for it. Oh, KC. Where’s Mondesi when you need him?
18 (16) Dylan Cease Padres Two rough ones in a row. Should bounce back at home against WSH this week.
19 (24) Jack Flaherty Tigers One solo home run is the only ER over his last 4 starts.
20 Seth Lugo Royals I still don’t fully buy it, but he is 10-2 with some solid ratios.
21 (45) Ronel Blanco Astros As much fun as it is to rip on him for the sticky stuff suspension, he’s given up just 2 ER in his last 20 IPs. La Flama Blanca is really sticking it to ‘em!
22 Logan Gilbert Mariners Back-to-back 8 IP shutouts. More below. 
23 (34) Sonny Gray Cardinals The Player Rater darling (11th) has thrown two quality starts in a row.
24 (21) Jared Jones Pirates A nice game after getting bounced around in Colorado. Still walking 3+ a game, though over his last 6 GS.
25 (18) Freddy Peralta Brewers A much-needed shutout (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). Needs more to move back up.
26 (17) Pablo Lopez Twins Another disaster, this time at home v TB. 10 HR allowed in his last 7 starts.
27 (31) Joe Ryan Twins He’s 16th on the Player Rater.
28 Paul Skenes Pirates Not-so-Skibidi-Skenes. Paul keeps flexing the Rizz. (Rays started hot against him yesterday though).
29 (35) Nick Lodolo Reds 8-2 with a 9.64 K/9? Yes, please.
30 (32) Mitch Keller Pirates Mitch better have my money! More below.
31 40) Bryce Miller Mariners He’s been great since a 7 ER implosion on June 4th at KC. Started yesterday at MIA so no two-start week for him.
32 (26) Logan Webb Giants This is a strikeout snub, but he’s still a good SP.
33 Bryan Woo Mariners Not a great start, and only 64 pitches, but it was his first since returning from forearm soreness. 
34 (47) Reynaldo Lopez Braves Another one that was fuelled by the Player Rater (17th). Back-to-back zero ER stats.
35 (51) Michael King Padres He’s given up just 5 ERs in his last 5 GS. 34 Ks in his last 26.2 IP. Yasss, Queen!
36 (27) Jose Berrios Blue Jays Handing out earned runs every start doesn’t help him stay close to the Top 25.
37 (36) Zac Gallen Diamondbacks The hamstring injury is progressing well. Could be back by next weekend.
38 Hunter Greene Reds 6 scoreless innings at PIT last week. The BBs are still there but so are the Ks.
39 (61) Gerrit Cole Yankees This feels like a good spot to ease on in for the return of the Cole-Train. Not a bad outing last week on a pitch count. Will move up quickly as he regains stamina.
40 (49) Gavin Stone Dodgers The strikeout numbers aren’t flashy, but the other ones are pretty impressive. 8-2 and Top 30 SP on the Player Rater.
41 (57) Tanner Bibee Guardians 6 IP, 3H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12Ks. And that’s how you move up the board.
42 (30) Carlos Rodon Yankees I said two weeks ago that I probably waited too long to move him up. Then he gave up 12 ER in his next two starts (8.2 IP).
43 (42) Javier Assad Cubs Right around where the Player Rater has him (49th).
44 (43) Nick Pivetta Red Sox I admit that I thought he’d be sent back to the bullpen in March. But I also assumed that Bello, Whitlock, Houck, and Kutter would push Giolito to a 5th starter role.
45 (62) Christopher Sanchez Phillies Full disclosure? When I rework this list each week, I move names around like a giant chessboard. Then I check my notes and sometimes find a gap in the rankings where I need to put a name in. More below.
46 (73) Matt Waldron Padres This feels like a healthy enough jump for our lede. He should jump even more over the next few weeks if he keeps this up. FWIW I had him at 55, then moved him up even higher.
47 (NR) Max Scherzer Rangers Activated to start yesterday at KC. 1 IP with a K at the time of writing. If he shows he’s healthy and doesn’t have setbacks, like Cole, he’ll move up quickly. *A nice milestone announcement,  too – Max passed Greg Maddux on the all-time strikeout list in the 5th inning yesterday*
48 (46) Brady Singer Royals The unmasked Singer, because you already know what you’re going to get. (Decent Ks and ratios).
49 (50) Framber Valdez Astros Full disclosure? This spot was between Framber and Buehler. And it went to the one who has been less of a tire fire lately.
50 (59) Nathan Eovaldi Rangers Needed a name to slide into our halfway spot here. He has given up more than 2 ER in just one of his last 7 starts.
51 (25) Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dodgers He’s still here because Dave Roberts ‘expects him to return this year’. Grey said it on the pod, it’s hard to believe he returns, and even if he does it won’t be until late August at the earliest.
52 (29) Justin Verlander Astros It felt right to slot him here beneath Yohi as both are headed to the IL. Verlander is expected back much sooner than Yamamtoto is, though.
53 (37) Bobby Miller Dodgers He was much higher based on the assumption that he’d be good after his IL stint. He has…not been good.
54 MacKenzie Gore Nationals I had copied him and was ready to paste him into the low 40s when I peeked in at the last start. More below.
55 (63) Ben Lively Guardians To be honest, he moves up a bit because I trust him more than some others who are below him here. The ratios are good.
56 (52) Yusei Kikuchi Blue Jays At the time of writing, he’d already given up 8 hits in 2 IPs. One would expect the rest of the numbers would be equally gross, but one would be wrong. (2 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks). Hey Google? How do you say ‘Volatility’ in Japanese? (FWIW, it sounds pretty funny). 
57 (53) Ryan Pepiot Rays Good. Not great. K/9 has been good. The BBs have not.
58 Bailey Ober Twins Two good starts in a row and we’re back! Kind of. Hopefully. Ugh.
59 (68) Nestor Cortes Yankees Followed up 6 shutout innings from last week with a QS against ATL yesterday.
60 (69) Jon Gray Rangers The 6 shutout innings on Saturday is the good news. The fact that he only had 3 strikeouts is not.
61 (64) Brayan Bello Red Sox I still believe in B.B.! (But cutting down on the hits and BBs would help).
62 (65) Mitchell Parker Nationals It feels like the regression fairies are building a pixie dust mountain in his locker, and he got roughed up in COL last week, but that 5.7 BB% is pretty great.
63 (66) Chris Bassitt Blue Jays Things are unraveling in Toronto, but the Bassitt hound just keeps on howling. He’s a Goldilocks. (Not too hot, not too cold).
64 (71) Kutter Crawford Red Sox It was between Kutter and Reese Olson for this spot. Player Rater has Kutter at 55. 
65 (60) Joe Musgrove Padres Due back after the all-star break. Currently working with a plyometric ball. Let’s hope he doesn’t drop it on his toes.
66 (44) Zach Eflin Rays Even this feels too high. Like Tommy Chong high. Like Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg compilation high. Like…well, you get the picture.
67 Clarke Schmidt Yankees He was transferred to the 60-day IL last week but the Yankees still haven’t said if he’ll be ready when he’s eligible July 26th. That’s the only thing keeping him from falling here.
68 (78) Brandon Pfaadt Diamondbacks 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 9 baserunners, 0Ks, ERA at 4.37. A fat donut in the K column is no bueno, but this is still better than a greasy helping of earned runs.
69 (81) Yu Darvish Padres Set to start at home v WSH on Tuesday. Will be on a pitch count, so be careful starting him if you’re chasing wins.
70 (93) Erick Fedde White Sox The team is horrendous, but Fedde has been the other bright spot in that rotation (next to Crochet). It was time to move him up and the Player Rater had him even higher (32nd).
71 (75) Hunter Brown Astros 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 0 ER, 6 K. This is his third solid start in a row. Could he be back? Would he? Should he? Who knows, but if you’re a gambler I could see buying low.
72 (84) Ben Brown Cubs Out with a sore neck, but Counsell has already hinted that he’ll be back this Sunday to pitch in MLW.
73 (NR) Jake Irvin Nationals This is the guy I said I would work with to replace Frankie Montas. He must’ve heard the buzz around him posting 5 QS in a row because he put up a stinker against ARI in his last one.
74 Jordan Hicks Giants He would’ve moved up last week, then back down this week. That’s called efficiency.
75 (92) Taj Bradley Rays The strikeout upside is moving him up. 3 ER total over his last 3 GS.
76 (72) Reese Olson Tigers He’s still way higher here than he is on the Player Rater (107th).
77 (99) Andrew Abbott Reds Player Rater LOVES him (43rd) and the 10 Ks last week doesn’t hurt its case. That’s not bad. But I wouldn’t say he’s good. I do know that he’s not Canadian, because he’d spell it “aboot”.
78 (NR) James Paxton Dodgers I resisted putting Paxton on the list until now. More below.
79 (82) Justin Steele Cubs He threw a QS against Webb last week. Coincidentally, Steele Webb is also what Darth Maul was shooting after his unfortunate mishap with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Should move up even further next week. (Steele, not Maul).
80 Kyle Gibson Cardinals The Player Rater loves this one too, but I can’t move him up. I’ll take a chicken farm’s worth of egg on my face if he finishes as a Top 50 SP. It probably helps my case that he was scratched with a sore back ahead of his last start.
81 (79)  Triston McKenzie Guardians I had him moved up, then saw that he got roughed up while I was writing this up yesterday. Two more HR allowed bring his total up to 11 over his last 6 starts. Woof.
82 (100) Dane Dunning Rangers So you’re looking for strikeouts, hey? How about a sweet 10.22 K/9?! (Just don’t look at the walks or the ERA).
83 Zack Littell Rays It was easier to just leave him here.
84 (NR) Miles Mikolas Cardinals I had an empty spot here, so I went to the “Last 8 weeks” Player Rater, and M.M. was ranked 15th. For the record, I’m also enjoying his character in this season of The Boys.
85 (86) Jose Soriano Angels Sent to IL with an abdominal infection. This sounds familiar to Angels fans who have been sick to their stomachs watching their team most nights. Should be back when eligible in early July.
86 (94) Dean Kremer Orioles An aggressive move up, especially coming off the IL, but he’s expected to get CLE or TEX at home this week.
87 (77) Alec Marsh Royals 3 IP, 7 ER last week. 5.2 IP 3 ER yesterday. It’s swamp-ass days in the Marsh.
88 (76) Jordan Montgomery Diamondbacks 44 strikeouts! Yes! What? That’s in 63 innings? Oh. Nevermind.
89 (70) Charlie Morton Braves This is probably too low because Morton is still providing strikeouts, but the rest has not been good. More below.
90 (89) Marcus Stroman Yankees The ratios are good, and he IS 7-3…but the 6.6 K/9 is funnier than a picture of him standing between Judge and Stanton.
91 (NR) DJ Herz Nationals It felt right to replace Williams with his real-life replacement. That Colorado game with 3 HR allowed “Hurts”, but the 13 Ks in the start before that is why he’s here…for now.
92 (55) Blake Snell Giants This big name needs a big correction. IL stint X2 means he needs to prove he can return to last year’s form before we move him back up.
93 (56) Shane Baz Rays Another big-time correction. I assumed Baz would steam through Durham and be back by the end of June. He’s still striking out a hitter per inning (37 Ks in 31.1 IP), but the other numbers are less steamy than that coffee you forgot about on your desk this morning.
94 (41) Jesus Luzardo Marlins Injured List. More below.
95 (48) Walker Buehler Dodgers This is probably too big of a dump, but the return trip to the IL (June 19) and the poor results have me wondering if he should be here at all.
96 (85) Braxton Garrett Marlins Between Reese Olson and Garrett, I flopped on two sonofabenches last week. I had Garrett up to 82 this week until he was placed on the IL yesterday.
97 (87) Luis Severino Mets 6.1 IP, 6 ER. People think that Mets fans are all doing “The Grimace” when Severino pitches, but they’re just holding their collective breath for a decent start.
98 (95) Bailey Falter Pirates Falter? I hardly even know her!
99 (96) Albert Suarez Orioles I wanted to move him up, but it’s not been great! He has yet to throw a QS in his six starts.
100 (98) Jameson Taillon Cubs Taill-one-on with some Jameson? It must be summertime.

BIGGEST DUMPERS: With apologies to Cal Raleigh, these are some of the biggest dumpers (in value, not pants size).

Kevin Gausman 10 (5) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 9 baserunners, 4 Ks, ERA at 4.24. The Cobra Chicken takes another one on the chin. This is what we call the Canada Goose, man. If the Thanksgiving bird could speak any last words, I assume it would be the same as what Jays fans are saying every time he starts a game. “Please don’t be cooked…please don’t be cooked…”

Carlos Rodon 42 (30) – Theeeeeeeeere’s the guy I held on to instead of Jordan Montgomery in TGFBI <*peeks out window pre-Tommen*>.

MacKenzie Gore 54 – This is a cheat in that Gore is not exactly a dumper. He’s just a guy who sits in this same area no matter how much I try to move him up. I said above that I copied his info here to paste into the low 40s, then saw his start last week (5 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 Ks). A snippet from Grey’s blurbs last week: “…maybe I want more people to profess love, but I see Gore lumped into starter groups every day where he’s much better.” Yes. This. If only MacK G. could put up more of those 2 ER (or fewer) outings in a row, he’d be ranked much higher. To be honest, he’d probably be right around Mitch Keller because my brain has a weird M.K.G. thing going. Like if Megan Fox’s husband had dyslexia.

Charlie Morton 89 (70) – If you’ve been a frequent reader here, (first off – thanks so much), you’ll know that I like Charlie Morton. Yes, he’s old enough to remember when the world had no internet access…ok, maybe he’s not that old. But this clip here made me say, “Of course, it was Morton pitching” out loud when I first saw it. He’s had less-than-ideal luck at times too.

 

Jesus Luzardo 94 (41) – “I am the Luzard-king! I can do anything!”. Ya. You can do anything except stay healthy. Jesus has a lumbar injury, (he was a carpenter after all), and was transferred to the 60-day IL yesterday. The earliest he can be activated is mid-late August. He’s not a hold in redraft leagues unless you have that unwavering Christian faith.

BIGGEST JUMPERS: Who’s got hops? These are some of the biggest jumpers in value this week.

Tanner Houck (6) – Houck Tuah! I assume you’ve all seen the social media explosion that connects to this one, so I’ll spare you the details. What I won’t spare is the statistics that Houck keeps beefing up in every game that he starts. His 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, and 5 Ks wasn’t exactly an earth-shattering game, but it kept his ERA down. When a starting pitcher is sitting at a 2.08 ERA heading into July? Ya, they call that really good. Here’s the link to my Houck lede from two weeks ago if you want more.

Luis Gil (8) – If the Mets are riding the purple juggernaut that is “Grimace” to victory, maybe the Orioles need to have Birdie, the chicken nugget McDonald’s mascot, come throw out a first pitch soon. It wouldn’t have made much of a difference for Gil as the only “O” he put up this week was in the win column at Baltimore. That said, (what a bad way to start a ‘jumper’ paragraph), he’s been lights out with 97 Ks in 81.1 IP and should have been much higher than he has been for the last few weeks. Grey mentioned him on the pod a couple of weeks back: “…the command isn’t good. The HR allowed and BB is worrisome…I like him, but I don’t know how long he keeps this up.” And that’s me paraphrasing Grey. He’s been very good, but under the hood, there are some bruises.

Garrett Crochet (9) – This is another boost that matches the Player Rater rankings. Not only is Crochet ranked just behind Gil there (9 and 10 respectively), but he comes in as the top option on Streamonator this week at a whopping $60.1 (vs LAD, COL). The Crotch Rocket is still soaring.

Logan Gilbert (22) –  Back-to-back shutout starts with just six total hits. 15 Ks. We need to start calling him “The Marathon Man” because he just jogs on and on…and never walks.

Mitch Keller (30) – True story alert! On Dad’s Day, I ran into a buddy who was working at our local IBL game (he’s a police officer and a Pirates fan). We talked about how he and his kiddo missed Skenes, Jones, and Keller when they caught the series in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. His son was not happy to have to settle for Bailey Falter and Quinn Priester. I said, “Hey, don’t worry. Pirates fans still have a solid 4-5 years before Keller and Skenes end up signing with the Yankees.” His reply? “Goddamn it. Gerrit Cole. I mean, I know Houston first, but Cole to NYY still stings.” The North remembers, indeed. Meanwhile, Jones and Skenes get all the headlines while Keller’s success falls on deaf ears.

Christopher Sanchez (45) – Tuesday’s blurb from Grey highlighted how egregious the nickname ‘Topher’ is, and I kind of feel the same way as he does about Sanchez. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop with him, but it feels like it’s either on a really high ledge or it’s not falling anytime soon. Speaking of not reaching really high ledges, Grey added that Sanchez reminds him of Marcus Stroman. “Not elite Ks, elite ground balls, and solid ratios”. Yep.

James Paxton (78) – 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 baserunners, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.65. Wait, James Paxton has 7 wins? And just one loss? (*Checks stats*). Wow, the Big Maple has more drip than a microwaved bottle of Aunt Jemima’s. 

OOF

Kyle Bradish (39) – The UCL injury finally finishes his season. TJS.

Robert Gasser (88) – One single tear for Bobby Fumes. He must have run out of doctors and 5th opinions.

Trevor Williams (90) – IL

Ryan Weathers (91) – Out with an ‘asymptomatic’ finger injury. Does that mean he’s faking it?

Frankie Montas (97) – I was duped by a couple of good starts.

WHEE!

Max Scherzer (47) – The return of the heterochromatic bulldog.

Jake Irvin (73) – Five straight quality starts and a nice, cozy 41 ranking on the Player Rater means he needs a spot. Take a good look now, though, because he might be gone-zo by next week.

Miles Mikolas (84) – We needed to slot someone in here and he was the highest-ranked guy for the last 8 weeks.

DJ Herz (91) – I HAVE TO ADD HIM FOR THE PUNS! CAN YOU IMAGINE THE RAVE THIS GUY WOULD PUT ON?! (That’s me trying to talk to someone standing right in front of DJ’s 20’ high speakers).

That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it! Next week, I’ll post the Top 100 Starting Pitchers with some write-ups on some of the arms that I think need a bit more attention than others. Then, I’ll try to keep cherry-picking names to highlight throughout the list as we progress through the season.

Drop some comments in the chat if you’re feeling extra fired up about some of the names I do (or don’t) have here. Have a great week!

Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social





Source link

RELATED ARTICLES

NO COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv
Exit mobile version