Here are the last rankings columns of the year. Players are listed wherever they’re five-game eligible and then combined into an overall top-300 ranking.
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Top 300 | SP | RP | OF | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | C
Starting pitcher ROS Rankings
Dropping off: Joe Ryan (9th), River Ryan (54th), Ben Brown (107th), James Paxton (122nd), Matt Manning (128th), Tyler Phillips (130th), Logan Allen (137th), Jesús Luzardo (145th), Luis Garcia (146th), Spencer Turnbull (149th), Christian Scott (155th)
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Several pitchers have tumbled this month because of the expectation of lighter workloads or shutdowns. Tarik Skubal has dropped to 10th as part of an expected six-man rotation for the Tigers, and I imagine he’ll skip at least one start at the end of the year. Paul Skenes is probably going to be shut down at some point. Garrett Crochet apparently won’t be, but it’s already hard to tell the difference.
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I ranked Jacob deGrom 53rd last month thinking that we’d get a full September from him without any setbacks, but that’s not coming to pass. He’s looked terrific in his first two rehab starts since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he’s thrown a total of four innings. DeGrom is so exceptional that three or four five-inning starts will probably make him a top-50 pitcher in September. However, it remains to be seen if the Rangers will let him take it that far.
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Spencer Arrighetti falling out of the top 100 last month was a reaction to my expectation that he’d be left out of the Astros rotation after Justin Verlander returned. Now it’s clear he’s throwing far too well for that to happen, giving the Astros a six-man rotation for the moment.
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Despite being the longest of long shots in the playoff hunt now, the Reds are going to call up 2023 first-rounder Rhett Lowder to make his major league debut Friday after just one Triple-A start. Lowder had a 3.63 ERA and an impressive 113/24 K/BB ratio in 108 2/3 innings in the minors. That the Reds have a particularly difficult schedule remaining tempers my excitement here, but with very good command of plus stuff, he might offer some mixed-league value right away.
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Based on the way he threw in his last few Triple-A starts, it seemed things might be different for Jack Leiter this time around. Instead, facing a White Sox team that might as well have a Triple-A lineup, his command wavered and he lasted just four innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits and two walks. Leiter’s velocity has improved since the beginning of the year. I was wondering a month ago if he might wind up as a reliever, but he’s again looking like someone with real upside as a starter. Still, he didn’t resemble a mixed-league guy Wednesday.
