Advertisement

May Starter Rankings

Here is the May edition of my rest-of-season position rankings and overall top 300 for 5x5 leagues. I’m using five-game eligibility, so plenty of players have added new positions since Opening Day. Because I love you, I’ve also tweaked the top 300 to include previous rankings this year.

Listen to the Rotoworld Baseball Show for the latest player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Click to see other May ROS rankings:

Top 300 | SP | RP | OF | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | C

ROS Starting pitcher Rankings

May

Starting pitchers

Team

April

1

George Kirby

Mariners

2

2

Tarik Skubal

Tigers

3

3

Zack Wheeler

Phillies

5

4

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Dodgers

4

5

Corbin Burnes

Orioles

7

6

Logan Gilbert

Mariners

6

7

Tyler Glasnow

Dodgers

10

8

Pablo Lopez

Twins

8

9

Joe Ryan

Twins

14

10

Kevin Gausman

Blue Jays

11

11

Max Fried

Braves

12

12

Luis Castillo

Mariners

21

13

Freddy Peralta

Brewers

26

14

Dylan Cease

Padres

22

15

Cole Ragans

Royals

23

16

Shota Imanaga

Cubs

37

17

Logan Webb

Giants

17

18

Zac Gallen

Diamondbacks

18

19

Framber Valdez

Astros

13

20

Aaron Nola

Phillies

15

21

Tanner Bibee

Guardians

16

22

Justin Verlander

Astros

30

23

Zach Eflin

Rays

25

24

Bailey Ober

Twins

24

25

Chris Sale

Braves

34

26

Hunter Greene

Reds

32

27

Sonny Gray

Cardinals

58

28

Gerrit Cole

Yankees

31

29

Justin Steele

Cubs

28

30

Walker Buehler

Dodgers

36

31

Bryce Miller

Mariners

39

32

Bobby Miller

Dodgers

9

33

Kyle Bradish

Orioles

42

34

Nick Lodolo

Reds

54

35

Grayson Rodriguez

Orioles

20

36

Reid Detmers

Angels

61

37

Ryan Pepiot

Rays

55

38

Nathan Eovaldi

Rangers

48

39

Blake Snell

Giants

40

40

Michael King

Padres

35

41

Kodai Senga

Mets

45

42

Jared Jones

Pirates

136

43

Carlos Rodon

Yankees

43

44

Chris Bassitt

Blue Jays

41

45

Joe Musgrove

Padres

27

46

Jose Berrios

Blue Jays

49

47

Aaron Civale

Rays

46

48

Jack Flaherty

Tigers

96

49

Luis Severino

Mets

60

50

Mitch Keller

Pirates

33

51

Jordan Montgomery

Diamondbacks

50

52

Jesus Luzardo

Marlins

19

53

Max Scherzer

Rangers

73

54

Ranger Suarez

Phillies

81

55

Yu Darvish

Padres

38

56

Nestor Cortes

Yankees

62

57

MacKenzie Gore

Nationals

97

58

Cristopher Sanchez

Phillies

59

59

Tanner Houck

Red Sox

103

60

Yusei Kikuchi

Blue Jays

76

61

Paul Skenes

Pirates

132

62

Cristian Javier

Astros

69

63

Sean Manaea

Mets

53

64

Edward Cabrera

Marlins

115

65

Brandon Pfaadt

Diamondbacks

63

66

Taj Bradley

Rays

92

67

John Means

Orioles

52

68

Shane Baz

Rays

65

69

Erick Fedde

White Sox

158

70

Ronel Blanco

Astros

139

71

Braxton Garrett

Marlins

66

72

Reynaldo Lopez

Braves

75

73

Kutter Crawford

Red Sox

87

74

Marcus Stroman

Yankees

67

75

Zack Littell

Rays

90

76

Bryan Woo

Mariners

83

77

Charlie Morton

Braves

70

78

Kenta Maeda

Tigers

68

79

Clarke Schmidt

Yankees

95

80

Jose Soriano

Angels

60 RP

81

Keaton Winn

Giants

150

82

Reese Olson

Tigers

84

83

James Paxton

Dodgers

74

84

Brady Singer

Royals

119

85

Alex Cobb

Giants

78

86

Andrew Abbott

Reds

79

87

Hunter Brown

Astros

44

88

Dane Dunning

Rangers

86

89

Garrett Crochet

White Sox

189

90

Eduardo Rodriguez

Diamondbacks

85

91

Jordan Hicks

Giants

116

92

Merrill Kelly

Diamondbacks

57

93

Brayan Bello

Red Sox

82

94

Triston McKenzie

Guardians

72

95

Luis Gil

Yankees

133

96

Javier Assad

Cubs

143

97

Jon Gray

Rangers

98

98

Casey Mize

Tigers

111

99

Dean Kremer

Orioles

80

100

Logan Allen

Guardians

88

101

Jameson Taillon

Cubs

107

102

Nick Pivetta

Red Sox

121

103

Gavin Williams

Guardians

51

104

Kyle Harrison

Giants

104

105

Lance Lynn

Cardinals

89

106

Gavin Stone

Dodgers

100

107

Jose Butto

Mets

157

108

Hayden Wesneski

Cubs

147

109

Ben Brown

Cubs

180

110

Tyler Wells

Orioles

56

111

Garrett Whitlock

Red Sox

93

112

Christian Scott

Mets

176

113

Jacob deGrom

Rangers

126

114

Matt Manning

Tigers

101

115

Griffin Canning

Angels

77

116

Ross Stripling

Athletics

105

117

Chris Paddack

Twins

71

118

Cody Bradford

Rangers

91

119

Seth Lugo

Royals

125

120

DL Hall

Brewers

94

121

Trevor Rogers

Marlins

161

122

AJ Smith-Shawver

Braves

110

123

Graham Ashcraft

Reds

109

124

Albert Suarez

Orioles

NR

125

Emerson Hancock

Mariners

212

126

Simeon Woods Richardson

Twins

391

127

Clayton Kershaw

Dodgers

131

128

Jordan Wicks

Cubs

137

129

Jakob Junis

Brewers

112

130

Ryan Weathers

Marlins

162

131

Max Meyer

Marlins

129

132

Patrick Sandoval

Angels

135

133

Cole Irvin

Orioles

113

134

Ryan Yarbrough

Dodgers

124

135

Jeffrey Springs

Rays

142

136

Bryce Elder

Braves

165

137

Chase Silseth

Angels

108

138

Nick Martinez

Reds

114

139

Ben Lively

Guardians

221

140

Frankie Montas

Reds

128

141

Joe Ross

Brewers

146

142

Michael Wacha

Royals

153

143

Spencer Turnbull

Phillies

200

144

Landon Knack

Dodgers

261

145

Mike Clevinger

White Sox

138

146

Quinn Priester

Pirates

313

147

David Peterson

Mets

154

148

Trevor Bauer

122

149

Robert Gasser

Brewers

167

150

Paul Blackburn

Athletics

174

151

Miles Mikolas

Cardinals

134

152

Emmet Sheehan

Dodgers

102

153

Jake Irvin

Nationals

214

154

Cade Horton

Cubs

223

155

Louie Varland

Twins

99

156

Andrew Heaney

Rangers

118

157

JP Sears

Athletics

127

158

Spencer Arrighetti

Astros

233

159

Drew Rasmussen

Rays

163

160

Steven Matz

Cardinals

120

161

Jack Leiter

Rangers

324

162

Slade Cecconi

Diamondbacks

241

163

Joe Boyle

Athletics

140

164

Kyle Hendricks

Cubs

117

165

Jose Urquidy

Astros

106

166

Bailey Falter

Pirates

173

167

Yariel Rodriguez

Blue Jays

169

168

Jose Quintana

Mets

171

169

Cade Povich

Orioles

276

170

Ryne Nelson

Diamondbacks

182

171

Clayton Beeter

Yankees

194

172

Domingo German

Pirates

123

173

Tyler Anderson

Angels

181

174

Kyle Gibson

Cardinals

149

175

Ricky Tiedemann

Blue Jays

130

Dropping off: Spencer Strider (No. 1), Shane Bieber (No. 29), Eury Pérez (No. 47), Bowden Francis (No. 141), Sawyer Gipson-Long (No. 144), Michael Soroka (No. 145), Zack Thompson (No. 148)

  • I’m still pretty low on the Red Sox pitchers. Yeah, Andrew Bailey is obviously a great pitching coach, but that’s just such a tough ballpark and defensive situation. The Red Sox have also thus far been in a pretty easy portion of what is quite likely the league’s most difficult schedule. Tanner Houck has definitely taken a big step forward and Kutter Crawford was already quite good, but I still think it’s going to be pretty difficult for them to remain difference makers in mixed leagues.

  • Paul Skenes has gotten up over 70 pitches in his last two Triple-A starts and made it through six scoreless innings on Tuesday. It doesn’t sound like he’s made his final start for Indianapolis, but the move to Pittsburgh can’t be far away.

  • In spite of his delayed debut, John Means was one of my favorite end-game picks this spring, and I should be excited now that he’s rejoining the Orioles rotation this weekend. However, his velocity still isn’t all of the way back after Tommy John. Maybe he’ll get stronger with time, but I’m not as optimistic about him as I was. At least he is in the great situation in Baltimore, especially since he’s a flyball left-hander pitching in Camden Yards half of the time.

  • Jordan Wicks is someone I was planning on moving way up before he went on the IL with a forearm strain. That’s typically a very scary diagnosis, but it sounds like it might be a pretty minor one. If so, he seems like a mixed-league guy to me. His velocity is up a bit, and he had a 28/9 K/BB ratio in 23 innings before going down.