Fantasy baseball week 25 starting pitcher rankings

Source: CNNSI.com — Who is the top pitcher going into Week 25 for Fantasy Baseball?

The matchups and statistical data were pulled Friday, September 20 for fantasy baseball week 25. Please be aware these are subject to change.

Top starters

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
1	Adam Wainwright	STL	WSH, CHC	2.98	23.0%	3.7%
2	Yu Darvish	TEX	HOU, LAA	2.81	32.7%	9.3%
3	Mike Minor	ATL	MIL, PHI	3.19	22.1%	5.6%
4	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	COL	1.94	24.8%	5.8%
5	Cole Hamels	PHI	@MIA	3.48	22.2%	5.7%
6	Anibal Sanchez	DET	@MIA	2.51	26.7%	7.4%
7	Max Scherzer	DET	@MIN	2.95	29.0%	6.3%
8	Cliff Lee	PHI	@ATL	2.95	24.5%	3.9%
9	Stephen Strasburg	WSH	@ARI	2.96	26.7%	7.7%
10	Madison Bumgarner	SF	LAD	2.77	24.8%	7.7%
11	Homer Bailey	CIN	PIT	3.40	24.1%	5.7%
12	Gerrit Cole	PIT	@CHC	3.23	21.1%	6.1%
13	Zack Greinke	LAD	COL	2.75	20.4%	6.6%
14	Ivan Nova	NYY	@HOU	3.36	19.8%	8.0%
15	David Price	TB	@NYY	3.42	20.5%	3.8%
16	James Shields	KC	@CWS	3.33	20.6%	7.4%
17	Hisashi Iwakuma	SEA	KC	2.76	21.0%	4.9%
18	Chris Sale	CWS	KC	3.08	26.3%	5.4%
19	Ervin Santana	KC	@SEA	3.23	19.3%	5.7%
20	Felix Hernandez	SEA	OAK	3.01	25.6%	5.2%
21	Jered Weaver	LAA	OAK	3.36	18.9%	5.9%

Additional Information: Gerrit Cole has gotten better in each start since his call-up and now, Cole is at the point where he is pitching as an ace. For his nine starts, Cole only had 16.6 percent strikeout rate. In his last nine starts, he has a 25.7 strikeout rate. During the first nine starts, he threw his plus-plus (on the scouting scale) fastball nearly 75 percent of the time.

However, in the last nine starts he has utilized the slider and cutter more. Cole is the best pitcher on the Pirates staff and should start game one of the NLCS (if they make it to the NLCS). Jered Weaver was scratched from his start on Friday with forearm tightness. It’s still up in the air if he will pitch again the rest of the season. And if you are running fantasy baseball week 25 lineups, my hunch is that Weaver will not pitch again because the Angels have nothing to play for, and are better off giving Weaver the offseason to prepare for next season. That said, if he starts next week, you’re starting him.

Backend starters

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
22	Matt Cain	SF	LAD, SD	4.06	21.1%	7.1%
23	Derek Holland	TEX	HOU, LAA	3.48	21.0%	7.5%
24	Johnny Cueto	CIN	NYM, PIT	3.02	21.4%	7.0%
25	Zack Wheeler	NYM	@CIN, MIL	3.42	19.5%	10.7%
26	Alex Wood	ATL	MIL, PHI	3.24	23.6%	8.5%
27	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	@SF, COL	3.03	19.6%	6.4%
28	Francisco Liriano	PIT	@CHC	2.92	24.1%	9.6%
29	Shelby Miller	STL	WSH	3.01	24.1%	7.7%
30	Danny Salazar	CLE	CWS	3.08	30.3%	7.4%
31	Mat Latos	CIN	NYM	3.14	21.6%	6.5%
32	Julio Teheran	ATL	PHI	3.14	21.9%	6.1%
33	Jarrod Parker	OAK	@SEA	3.81	16.6%	8.0%
34	Gio Gonzalez	WSH	@STL	3.39	23.5%	9.6%
35	Joe Kelly	STL	CHC	2.74	15.0%	8.7%
36	A.J. Burnett	PIT	@CIN	3.43	25.6%	8.5%
37	Doug Fister	DET	@MIN	3.71	17.8%	5.1%
38	Jordan Zimmermann	WSH	@STL	3.33	18.6%	4.8%
39	Andrew Cashner	SD	@SF	3.21	17.7%	6.9%
40	Corey Kluber	CLE	@MIN	3.62	22.2%	5.5%
41	Patrick Corbin	ARI	WSH	3.17	20.6%	6.1%
42	Kris Medlen	ATL	PHI	3.32	18.8%	5.6%
43	Alex Cobb	TB	@NYY	3.02	22.6%	7.8%
44	Clay Buchholz	BOS	@BAL	1.51	24.7%	9.3%
45	Justin Verlander	DET	@MIN, @MIA	3.66	22.3%	8.1%
46	Hiroki Kuroda	NYY	TB	3.17	18.1%	5.1%
47	C.J. Wilson	LAA	@TEX	3.36	20.3%	9.4%
48	Sonny Gray	OAK	@SEA	2.50	25.8%	6.9%

Additional Information: Jarrod Parker’s start on September 15 was pushed back one day due to flu like symptoms. Parker proceeded to get rocked to the tune of eight runs (seven earned) in his last start (September 16). I’m giving Parker a free pass due to the illness, but I’ll be monitoring his start on Saturday closely to wind up fantasy baseball week 25. Justin Verlander is scheduled to pitch the last day of the season against the Marlins. The Tigers should have the Central sown up by that point and the Tigers will want to setup their starting rotation for the playoffs.

Spot starters

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
49	Eric Stults	SD	ARI, @SF	4.02	15.4%	4.7%
50	Bartolo Colon	OAK	@LAA	2.73	14.0%	3.7%
51	Michael Wacha	STL	WSH	3.21	24.2%	7.4%
52	Alexi Ogando	TEX	LAA	3.15	16.8%	9.3%
53	Dillon Gee	NYM	MIL	3.47	17.3%	5.7%
54	Jon Niese	NYM	@CIN	3.81	17.0%	7.9%
55	Ricky Nolasco	LAD	@SF	3.55	19.5%	5.6%
56	Jhoulys Chacin	COL	@LAD	3.22	16.1%	7.0%
57	John Lackey	BOS	@BAL	3.44	20.7%	5.2%
58	Rick Porcello	DET	@MIA	4.45	18.5%	6.0%
59	Chris Tillman	BAL	TOR, BOS	3.71	20.8%	8.3%
60	Chris Archer	TB	BAL, @TOR	3.02	18.3%	7.1%
61	Matt Moore	TB	@NYY, @TOR	3.34	22.8%	11.3%
62	Paul Maholm	ATL	MIL	4.35	15.6%	7.6%
63	Jorge De La Rosa	COL	@LAD	3.49	15.7%	8.7%
64	Ubaldo Jimenez	CLE	CWS	3.39	24.0%	10.5%
65	James Paxton	SEA	KC	2.12	15.7%	10.0%

Additional Information: Bartolo Colon’s fastball in his last start looked like the fastball he had to begin the year. Rick Procello has had an up-and-down year, but he has not pitched as poorly as his ERA would indicate, for all those keeping score in fantasy baseball week 25. With a xFIP of 3.32 and the face he’s still only 24 years old he is going to be someone I target in every draft next year.

In three major league starts (against the Tigers, Cardinals and Rays) James Paxton has been fairly effective posting a 15.7 strikeout rate and ten percent walk rate. Walks have been an issue for him this year in the minors because of his long arms and inconsistent delivery, but with a start at home against a team that has been struggling against lefties is worth a gamble.

Proceed with caution

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
66	Jose Quintana	CWS	TOR, KC	3.49	19.8%	6.8%
67	Tanner Roark	WSH	@STL, @ARI	1.08	20.8%	5.8%
68	Brandon McCarthy	ARI	@SD, WSH	4.57	14.0%	3.6%
69	Mike Leake	CIN	NYM	3.21	15.2%	6.1%
70	R.A. Dickey	TOR	TB	4.21	18.4%	7.8%
71	Jeff Samardzija	CHC	PIT	4.42	23.5%	8.6%
72	Martin Perez	TEX	HOU	3.64	15.0%	6.6%
73	Matt Garza	TEX	LAA	4.06	21.6%	6.6%
74	Kyle Lohse	MIL	@ATL	3.51	15.4%	4.6%
75	Brett Oberholtzer	HOU	NYY	2.99	16.0%	3.7%
76	Charlie Morton	PIT	@CHC, @CIN	3.35	17.3%	6.7%
77	Bronson Arroyo	CIN	PIT	3.56	15.3%	4.0%
78	Robbie Erlin	SD	ARI	5.18	14.9%	7.5%
79	Wade Miley	ARI	@SD, WSH	3.75	17.4%	8.1%
80	Wei-Yin Chen	BAL	@TB, BOS	4.03	18.1%	6.8%
81	Scott Feldman	BAL	BOS	3.49	17.3%	7.4%
82	Hector Santiago	CWS	@CLE	3.53	21.7%	11.1%

Additional Information: If you’re looking for more information about Tanner Roark, checkout last weeks starting pitcher’s rankings. Other than pitchers missing bats, I love pitchers who do not allow free passes. Brandon McCarthy, in his last five starts (38 innings) has only walked one batter. Rounding out fantasy baseball week 25, Matt Garza in his last ten starts has a 5.51 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Normally, Garza wouldn’t be this high in the rankings, but his upside is the highest of anyone not named R.A. Dickey in this section of the rankings.

Avoid

Rank	Name	Team	Opp.	ERA	K%	BB%
83	Todd Redmond	TOR	@BAL, TB	3.82	25.2%	6.9%
84	A.J. Griffin	OAK	@LAA, @SEA	3.78	20.5%	6.6%
85	Scott Kazmir	CLE	@MIN	4.34	22.7%	7.1%
86	Travis Wood	CHC	@STL	3.05	17.4%	7.7%
87	Nathan Eovaldi	MIA	PHI, DET	3.79	17.1%	9.1%
88	Randall Delgado	ARI	@SD	3.98	17.3%	4.8%
89	Dan Straily	OAK	@LAA	4.08	19.4%	9.0%
90	Jon Lester	BOS	@BAL	3.76	19.4%	7.4%
91	Jake Arrieta	CHC	PIT	5.06	19.7%	13.0%
92	Erik Johnson	CWS	KC	2.87	17.1%	10.5%
93	Yovani Gallardo	MIL	@NYM	4.29	18.1%	8.7%
94	Jason Vargas	LAA	OAK, @TEX	4.28	17.0%	7.3%
95	Garrett Richards	LAA	OAK, @TEX	3.77	17.1%	7.1%
96	Juan Nicasio	COL	@LAD	4.98	16.6%	9.1%
97	Jacob Turner	MIA	PHI	3.51	15.1%	10.6%
98	Scott Baker	CHC	@STL	0.82	13.2%	2.6%
99	Trevor Cahill	ARI	@SD	4.12	16.1%	10.3%
100	Tim Lincecum	SF	LAD	4.40	23.1%	9.2%
101	Yordano Ventura	KC	@SEA, @CWS	1.58	13.0%	8.7%

Additional Information: More for fantasy baseball week 25, A.J. Griffin has an extremely favorable week with starts at Seattle and Los Angeles. Griffin is an extreme fly ball pitcher as he leads all starters with at least 20 starts in fly ball rate (47.8 percent). It’s also no surprise that he has also allowed the most home runs (35). In 39 percent of his starts this year he’s given up four earned runs or more. Therefore, if you start him you’ll be playing with fire with your ratios.

Lastly, your welcome America. Yordano Ventura was up-and-down in his first career start. Specifically, his command was extremely loose which put him in extremely stressful situations the entire game. If it wasn’t for the three double plays he induced, his outing would have been far worse than the box score indicated. If you read my fantasy daily for Wednesday, you would have picked up and used Todd Redmond. Redmond has one extremely tough and one favorable matchup, which is why he is this low in the rankings.