Nick Mariano’s updated fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings for Week 6 (2025). Baller Ranks is a weekly rankings list for the top-101 starting pitchers.
The warmer weather signals the start of our lengthy midseason stretch, where you can either keep attacking or fall into a complacent jog with the pack. You know we aren’t easing up around these parts as we unveil the latest FSWA-award-winning Best Baseball Series in the march toward victory. Let’s dive into this week’s edition of my weekly Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks!
Readers will find my SP thoughts with tiered ranks (the tiers are critical, please don’t sacrifice blood pressure over ordinal slots within a tier), complemented by a rest-of-season auction value ($), their Previous Week’s Value (PV), the trend between the two, and a (+/-) column denoting the rank shift compared to last week. There is also a prospect table at the end via our star scout, Eric Cross.
As always, these ranks are geared toward traditional 5×5 roto leagues, and I typically exclude most injured SPs unless they’re about to come back. I’ll soon find a neat way to tie in the injured players, but nothing has felt right thus far. I also write this before Tuesday’s games, but will splice in brief thoughts on that as I go if it’s appropriate. Now, let’s dig in!
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Starting Pitcher Rankings Analysis for Week 6
-Cole Ragans shook off the groin scare by tying a season-high mark with 11 strikeouts over five innings, dominating the White Sox for his fourth outing of double-digit Ks in seven turns. His 57 Ks in 35 ⅔ IP give him a league-leading 38.5% strikeout rate.
Cole Ragans has allowed 0.69 homers and struck out 11.16 batters per nine innings through 50 starts with the @Royals.
The only other pitchers since 1901 with a sub-0.80 HR/9 rate and a 11.00+ K/9 rate through 50 starts with a team are Kevin Gausman (TOR) and Nolan Ryan (TEX). pic.twitter.com/0StErmWkIB
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 5, 2025
**Logan Gilbert is second at 37.6% as we hope he can return by the end of May, and MacKenzie Gore (36.4%) is third. Those are the only arms above 33.3% (min. 30 IP) in the early going. It’s no surprise that they also comprise the top three in K-BB% and SIERA.
–Hunter Greene owns fourth place with the 33.3% K rate, and his average fastball velocity snuck back up to 99 mph flat on May 2 after sitting at 98.8 mph in the previous two games. His spin rates have also held steady, and his four-seamer just had the highest in-zone rate of the year at 74.2%, though the splitter went from the usual 40-50% in-zone rate to 10%. The Nationals gave him little reason to press, striking out 12 times in the stellar win. Enjoy the fireballing show.
–Chris Sale needed to show us that he can devastate opponents who aren’t named the Rockies, and he delivered against Cincinnati. The slider was beautiful, earning a 38% whiff rate and 44% CSW rate en route to 10 total strikeouts for Sale on 112 pitches. Back-to-back games with double-digit Ks and a 3.02 FIP behind the 4.07 ERA mean we’re in business.
-Carlos Rodon was becoming notorious for pitching well only to poison the night with a couple of punished mistakes. Well, now he’s only given up two earned runs over his last four combined starts (25 ⅔ IP). He may never give us a set-and-forget level of comfort, but he’s performing well with plus whiffs on a winning team. Can he turn in a full start against the A’s in their smaller park next?
–Spencer Schwellenbach looked strong early, but has absorbed two rough matchups at Arizona and hosting the Dodgers of late. For all of the recent griping seen on social media, the man still has a 3.92 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over seven starts. The command hasn’t been crisp, though I want to see him operate in a more neutral matchup first. It must be noted that his breaking balls averaged 2,400 rpm last year and started there this year, but have slid near 2,300 over the last month.
The fastballs are steadier, but have gone from around 2,300 to 2,250 of late. And his arm angle is slightly higher this year. However, he is a young arm still battling the MLB adjustment game, all with a robust 4.1% walk rate. Let’s see how he fares in a home matchup with the Reds on Thursday.
–Aaron Nola and Robbie Ray have looked like themselves again. Rejoice, rejoice. I’ll need more than two tidy home outings against iffy offenses out of Ray before I endorse a road date at Wrigley, but he’s on his way. There’s also this for Nola backers:
Aaron Nola when caught by JT Realmuto this season:
4 GS, 25.1 IP, 21 H, 2.49 ERA, 5 BB, 22 K
When caught by Rafael Marchan:
3 GS, 15.2 IP, 20 H, 7.47 ERA, 8 BB, 23 K
Could be nothing, but will be keeping a close eye on this the next month.
— The Good Phight (@TheGoodPhight) May 4, 2025
–Dylan Cease continues to battle on the bump, requiring 91 pitches to get through four innings in Pittsburgh. He only gave up two runs on three hits and three walks, but that’s not a matchup he should struggle with. He’s only had one good start out of seven tries, and that came back on April 2.
Unfortunately, he gets the Yankees in the Bronx on Wednesday. Perhaps he has a Zac Gallen/Tomoyuki Sugano-style whiff surge against the Yanks, but the downside is frightful. Let’s see how he attacks them and circle back next week.
–Corbin Burnes is slated to make his start after missing a turn due to right shoulder fatigue. Not only have we been skeptical of his performance to date, but now we have this to worry about, AND he lines up to face the Dodgers. Triple yikes! Shockingly, he wasn’t placed on the 10-day IL, but a clean MRI and flat-ground throwing session seems to be enough. Would you rather have someone struggling like this or how Cease is?
–Framber Valdez gave up four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks over five innings against the White Sox, failing to capitalize on momentum from back-to-back quality starts. He is capable of looking like an ace at times, but the inconsistency and lack of strikeouts when off limits his overall appeal.
–Sandy Alcantara did better in a rematch with the Dodgers, but the bar was extremely low after giving up seven runs in 2 ⅔ IP back on April 29. This time, the righty held them to five runs over five frames, with Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani homers doing the bulk of the damage.
We can excuse struggling against the Dodgers, and honestly, should excuse a tough first month after Tommy John surgery. But he will need to show life against the White Sox this weekend if we’re going to build any hope before June. Drafters knew it could be bumpy early. Are you deploying the parachute?
–Cristopher Sanchez brought his average velocity on the sinker back up to 95.7 mph after it had fallen to 94.7 alongside the forearm scare. We’re not out of the woods, but this is all he could’ve done to encourage us at this point.
–Ryan Pepiot didn’t have it in his latest turn against the Yankees, striking out just one over 4 ⅓ IP of two-run ball. These are two straight subpar K games from a pitcher who is supposed to always give us that in return for HR volatility. Now, the Padres and Yankees are tall orders, and I won’t be surprised at all if his arsenal surges this summer, but results are results.
His 1.41 WHIP is not built on an insane BABIP (.294), and a 21% K rate won’t help us tread water. All eight homers allowed this year have come at home, but Steinbrenner Field will only become a bigger problem as the weather warms. Just be careful. At least Shane Baz has had four gems and a 26% K rate amidst the other two blowups.
–Grant Holmes flashed the upside seen last year in his latest outing, a six-inning QS with nine strikeouts against the Dodgers. He started off the contest with consecutive Ks against Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, retiring the Dodger lineup in order the first time through.
If we see anything like this on Wednesday against the Reds, then the hype train will be fully rolling. Lest one forgets that he led MLB in swinging-strike rate as a starter, if you lower the IP threshold enough to squeeze him in!
–Tony Gonsolin had another strong showing against Miami on Tuesday, striking out eight over five innings. The only blemish being a two-run home run allowed to Liam Hicks, though Andy Pages robbed a would-be HR earlier in the game. Consider things square after the outfield didn’t do Gonsolin many favors in his 2025 debut.
The starter now has a 17:2 K:BB in 11 IP after two Miami starts, with Gonsolin also averaging 94.1 mph after a 92.6 mark in the first outing. He saw a similar rise on all pitches. He’ll see harder matchups, but his arsenal and team environment are fantasy-friendly.
–Ben Casparius reached 70 pitches over four innings of action on Monday, striking out five while allowing one run on five hits and two walks against the Marlins. He followed Jack Dreyer’s opener and threw his balanced four-pitch mix at Miami, tossing each of the fastball, cutter, slider, and curveball at a 20% or higher clip. The overall 32% whiff rate on 37 swings is impressive, and his velocity actually went up a tick with more work.
Perhaps they’ll keep using an opener with him, but that just gets him closer to qualifying for a win if they curtail his pitch counts. If you give me a rising Dodger arm, then I’ll take it over most streaming/lagging SPs. It’s too bad he draws the D-backs in Arizona next, though it’s a great test.
Casparius doesn’t generate tons of extension, more so below average, but his four-seam IVB sits in the high-end range (18-19 inches).
He located his pitches well, with all four-seam whiffs in the upper parts or above the zone. Meanwhile, most of his slider and curveball whiffs… pic.twitter.com/gFbiAI7nRg
— Corbin (@corbin_young21) May 6, 2025
–Max Meyer has to perform against the White Sox after two certified stinkers. If not, then we’re squarely in wait-and-see mode with the youngster.
–Gunnar Hoglund won his MLB debut with one run allowed and a 7:0 K:BB over six innings against the Marlins. We’re happy to pick on Miami, but Hoglund flashed strong raw metrics as well. His fastball only averaged 93.6 mph, but above-average movement makes it a live offering. His sinker works against righty-swinging bats while the changeup and slider help mitigate lefty hacks.
Hoglund held a 2.43 ERA/1.04 WHIP with a 30:7 K:BB over 29 ⅔ IP at Triple-A prior to the promotion. At times, he’s struggled to put things together in finishing at-bats, but pitching in Las Vegas at the A’s Triple-A affiliate is far from friendly for a guy who ran 40% fly-ball rates. But he’s also an older prospect (25) who should have a leg up on the competition down there. The A’s should keep him up as long as he succeeds, with Wednesday’s home tilt vs. Seattle up next. Can he maintain plus command against a better MLB lineup?
–Matthew Liberatore spearheaded a 2-1 Tuesday victory over Pittsburgh with seven strong innings, which gives him four QS in his last four games outside of last week’s rain-shortened start. He outdueled Paul Skenes, earning 17 swings and misses to Skenes’ 13 thanks to a 33% whiff rate on four of his pitches and a slight velo bump.
He’s not a volume or luck merchant early on either, lowering his FIP to 2.28 on the night, which is the eighth-best FIP among 117 SPs with over 30 IP. It’s unlikely he becomes a massive K booster, but there’s all-around talent to be tapped here now that he’s finally being given a consistent starting role.
-Lance McCullers Jr. must show he can still get enough strikeouts to make the elevated walk rate worth it. Getting his changeup dialed in will unlock the big games. Just remember that he’s been out since 2022, and there will be speed bumps, likely sacrificing some WHIP in the process.
–AJ Smith-Shawver handled Coors well before taking a comebacker off of his elbow in the sixth inning, and followed that up by taking a no-hit bid into the eighth on Monday against the Reds. He’s been in MLB conversations since 2023, so it’s easy to forget that he’s just 22 years old with plenty of promise. He is squarely on the streaming radar in Pittsburgh over the weekend, and is the type we play with the hopes he dazzles again and sticks.
Top 101 Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball – Week 6
Top Starting Pitcher Stashes for Fantasy Baseball – Week 6
Here are the key SP stashes from our esteemed, industry-leading prospect analyst, Eric Cross. You can also read his full Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash article which is updated weekly!
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