2018 Starter Rankings

Time for some post-All-Star break fun: here are my very, very preliminary 2018 player rankings. I’ve done my best to list players where they’ll be eligible next year, and the free agents-to-be are listed without teams. Players with options for next year are still listed with their current teams if those options are likely to be exercised.

Along with the position rankings is a top 300 list for 2018. Click to see other preliminary 2018 rankings:
 
Top 300 | SP | RP | OF | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | C | DH

Follow us at @Rotoworld_BB and @matthewpouliot on Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Introducing FanDuel Mixup, the newest way to play FanDuel Baseball. Smaller lineups, so you can draft your team on the go, plus fun themes every week! Play now.

2018 Starting pitcher Rankings

• Obviously, this week’s column is focused on next year, but I can mention here that I like Jose Quintana quite a bit better for the rest of this year now that he’s a Cub. Unfortunately, the Cubs’ defense isn’t what it was last year, but Quintana is still going to the easier league and he’s been throwing well of late anyway. I’m putting him 11th for next year, and I’d have him right around the same spot for the rest of 2017.

• The high pitcher here who probably won’t have a spot on Opening Day is No. 49 Alex Reyes; he figures to be a bit behind after Tommy John surgery in February. It’s realistic to expect him to perform as a top-30 pitcher while on the mound next year, but he’s going to have to deal with an innings limit. After Reyes is Tyler Glasnow at No. 65; he’s been such a disaster this year that he’s probably a long shot for Opening Day, but his potential is pretty much unlimited. Others in the top 100 who could open up in the minors include Francis Martes (Astros), Brent Honeywell (Rays) and Brock Stewart (Dodgers).

• The Dodgers have eight starters in the top 150, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if they still tried to add another top arm this winter. I’m pretty excited about Stewart, but since he’s going to have a hard time cracking the rotation, I couldn’t see listing him much higher than No. 97. Julio Urias, unfortunately, comes in at No. 137 with a return at the All-Star break probably the best-case scenario for him following shoulder surgery.

• On the other side of the ledger are the Orioles (Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy) and Rangers (Cole Hamels and Yohander Mendez), with just two starters listed apiece. The Marlins have three (Dan Straily, David Phelps and Jose Urena), but they insist on using Phelps as a reliever and both he and Straily could be traded this month anyway. They had better get some replacements if they go that route. 

• I’ll be curious to see what happens with Mike Minor, who has a 1.87 ERA in the Kansas City pen and is been throwing far harder as a reliever than he did as a starter before hurting his shoulder. The safe play would probably be for him to continue on as a setup man after becoming a free agent this winter (there’s a mutual option on his contract that probably won’t work out), but if he can hold on to some of the velocity gains, he could go back to being a No. 2 or No. 3 starter next year. He’s No. 109 on here for now.

Time for some post-All-Star break fun: here are my very, very preliminary 2018 player rankings. I’ve done my best to list players where they’ll be eligible next year, and the free agents-to-be are listed without teams. Players with options for next year are still listed with their current teams if those options are likely to be exercised.

Along with the position rankings is a top 300 list for 2018. Click to see other preliminary 2018 rankings:
 
Top 300 | SP | RP | OF | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | C | DH

Follow us at @Rotoworld_BB and @matthewpouliot on Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Introducing FanDuel Mixup, the newest way to play FanDuel Baseball. Smaller lineups, so you can draft your team on the go, plus fun themes every week! Play now.

2018 Starting pitcher Rankings

• Obviously, this week’s column is focused on next year, but I can mention here that I like Jose Quintana quite a bit better for the rest of this year now that he’s a Cub. Unfortunately, the Cubs’ defense isn’t what it was last year, but Quintana is still going to the easier league and he’s been throwing well of late anyway. I’m putting him 11th for next year, and I’d have him right around the same spot for the rest of 2017.

• The high pitcher here who probably won’t have a spot on Opening Day is No. 49 Alex Reyes; he figures to be a bit behind after Tommy John surgery in February. It’s realistic to expect him to perform as a top-30 pitcher while on the mound next year, but he’s going to have to deal with an innings limit. After Reyes is Tyler Glasnow at No. 65; he’s been such a disaster this year that he’s probably a long shot for Opening Day, but his potential is pretty much unlimited. Others in the top 100 who could open up in the minors include Francis Martes (Astros), Brent Honeywell (Rays) and Brock Stewart (Dodgers).

• The Dodgers have eight starters in the top 150, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if they still tried to add another top arm this winter. I’m pretty excited about Stewart, but since he’s going to have a hard time cracking the rotation, I couldn’t see listing him much higher than No. 97. Julio Urias, unfortunately, comes in at No. 137 with a return at the All-Star break probably the best-case scenario for him following shoulder surgery.

• On the other side of the ledger are the Orioles (Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy) and Rangers (Cole Hamels and Yohander Mendez), with just two starters listed apiece. The Marlins have three (Dan Straily, David Phelps and Jose Urena), but they insist on using Phelps as a reliever and both he and Straily could be traded this month anyway. They had better get some replacements if they go that route. 

• I’ll be curious to see what happens with Mike Minor, who has a 1.87 ERA in the Kansas City pen and is been throwing far harder as a reliever than he did as a starter before hurting his shoulder. The safe play would probably be for him to continue on as a setup man after becoming a free agent this winter (there’s a mutual option on his contract that probably won’t work out), but if he can hold on to some of the velocity gains, he could go back to being a No. 2 or No. 3 starter next year. He’s No. 109 on here for now.