Just how good is the National's rotation? 

My May 19th Starting Pitcher Rankings will be similar to what I gave you on May 8th. There was a handful of big time changes in my top 50 due to injuries, hot streaks and some dominating performances. This list is put together as I perceive each of these pitcher's value heading into the rest of the season. In parenthesis next to each name I will give you the player's ranking from my last article. 


May 19th Starting Pitcher Ranks
1. Justin Verlander DET (2)
2. Jered Weaver LAA (1)
3. Clayton Kershaw LAD (3)
4. Cole Hamels PHI (5)
5. Cliff Lee PHI (11)
6. Roy Halladay PHI (4)

Cliff Lee (up 6 spots) makes the jump into my top 5 this week. Since coming off the DL he has pitched 14 innings (3ER) and has 16 strikeouts. Roy Halladay fell out of my top 5 not only to make room for Lee but because his K/9 rate is its lowest since 2007 and he's throwing the second most pitches per inning over his past 5 seasons. Keep in mind he's 35 years old and has logged in at least 220 innings pitched over the past 6 years. 

7. Felix Hernandez SEA (6)
8. Matt Cain SF (7)
9. Zack Greinke MIL (8)
10. Stephen Strasburg WAS (10)
11. CC Sabathia NYY (9) 
12. David Price TB (12)

Strasburg maintains a top 10 rank as he posts a 2.25 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 3-1 record as he looks to improve to 4 wins tomorrow against the Baltimore Orioles. David Price concerns me a bit with his home/road splits. This year at home he has a 1.16 ERA in 23.1 innings but in his 29 innings on the road he sports a 4.66 ERA. I would make a big deal out of it but his road starts were against the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays (twice) and the Rangers. With a 3.10 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP Price is still a top 12 guy. 

13. Yu Darvish TEX (15)
14. Gio Gonzalez WAS (19)
15. Matt Garza CHC (16)

Gio Gonzalez climbs 5 spots in my rankings. During the month of May (3 starts) he has a 26:7 strikeout to walk ratio with a stellar 3-0 record. I believe Gio has the best lefty curveball in all of baseball and it comes out of the same arm slot as his 96 mph fastball. Yu Darvish is well on his way to winning rookie of the year, even though he's played pro ball before, with 6 wins and 58 K's in 52 innings. I'd say money well spent for Nolan Ryan and company.

16. Brandon Beachy ATL (23)
17. Madison Bumgarner SF (13)
18. James Shields TB (14)
19. Jordan Zimmermann WAS (21)
20. C.J. Wilson LAA (18) 

Some big time moves here with Beachy (plus 7), Bumgarner (down 4) and Shields (down 4). Beachy has been great all year not giving up more than 2 runs in any game. He also posts a 0.89 WHIP proving that not only is he a solid strikeout guy but he has ace-like control on the bump. I was asked by a friend of mine the other day if he should trade Beachy for Bonifacio. I think that if you are trying to get rid of Beachy you better get more than just Bonifacio. Bumgarner falls off a bit as he hasn't has more than 6 strikeouts in any game this year. Shields is down mostly because he has given up 16 runs over his last 30.1 innings.

21. Brandon Morrow TOR (29)
22. Dan Haren LAA (17)
23. Ian Kennedy ARI (20)
24. Anibal Sanchez MIA (27) 
25. Ricky Romero TOR (22) 
26. Jon Lester BOS (24)

A lot has been made of Brandon Morrow's mechanical adjustments (his lift leg now swings behind his plant leg) because it's working. Earlier today he throw a 3 hit shutout of the New York Mets (just the third time all year the Mets have had 3 hits or less). Morrow came up as a flamethrower but now he is settling down and developing into a real pitcher. One day soon he will replace Ricky Romero on top of that rotation, he's already past him in my rankings. Anibal Sanchez continues his season long success as he moves up 3 spots. Sanchez averages 9 K's per 9 innings and he has cut back on his walks lowering his WHIP to 1.07 on the season. Sanchez quietly moves into my top 25 this week.

27. Jake Peavy CHW (34)
28. Johnny Cueto CIN (30)
29. Jeremy Hellickson TB (28)
30. Tim Lincecum SF (25)
31. Yovani Gallardo MIL (33)

I'm starting to think that Peavy is back. He may not be the Cy Young winner he once was but he does offer up a great 2.65 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and a 4-1 record (48 strikeouts). I've been down on Lincecum all year and I'm close to dropping him out of my top 30. I'm going to keep a close eye on him over the next few weeks.

32. Ted Lilly LAD (40)
33. Wandy Rodriguez HOU (38)
34. Josh Beckett BOS (31)
35. Shaun Marcum MIL (32) 

Wandy moves up 5 spots this week after proving he not only can shut down weak teams (May 13th @PIT: 8 innings, 1ER, 7 strikeouts) but he can limit the heavy hitters (May18th vs. TEX: 6 innings, 3ER, 4 strikeouts). Wandy, on the season, has a 2.24 ERA and 40 strikeouts through his first 9 starts. Ted Lilly from the Dodgers moved up 8 spots as he has continued his great year. Lilly has a 1.79 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and hasn't lost a game all season (5-0). He may not be flashy but Ted Lilly is a fantasy ace right now.

36. Johan Santana NYM (42) 
37. Tommy Hanson ATL (35)
38. Matt Latos CIN (37)
39. Adam Wainwright STL (36)

I think that Wainwright's early season struggles are just a case of a pitcher trying to find his old comfort zone. I think Adam is in line for a big second half which makes him a legit buy low candidate.

40. Brandon McCarthy OAK (39)
41. Tim Hudson ATL (NR)
42. Josh Johnson MIA (NR)

I think that Josh Johnson may have figured something out over his last two starts. 14 innings, 12 strikeouts and 4 earned runs allowed make me think that maybe he is on the verge of getting back to his old self. I will be interested to see how he performs tomorrow at Cleveland.

43. Daniel Hudson ARI* (44)
44. Jaime Garcia STL (41)
45. Bud Norris HOU (NR)

I've always been a closet Bud Norris fan and I'm just now admitting it. Norris has always intrigued me with his strikeout potential and it looks like this is the year we will start to see his potential come into fruition. He has 50 strikeouts in 50.1 innings this season and is most likely available in your league.  

46. Colby Lewis TEX (NR)
47. Lance Lynn STL (48)
48. Chad Billingsley LAD (NR)
49. Carlos Zambrano MIA (NR)
50. Chris Sale CHW (NR)

Here is a list of pitchers just outside the top 50 that should be considered good streaming options and spot starters. You can go to the home page and find a couple of "pitch" or "ditch" guys I put up at the beginning of each week.

Just outside the top 50:
Neftali Feliz TEX
Ervin Santana LAA
Gavin Floyd CHW
Derek Holland TEX
Doug Fister DET
Ryan Vogelsong SF
Henderson Alverez TOR
James McDonald PIT
Ryan Dempster CHC
Ricky Nolasco MIA
Jeff Samardzija CHC
Kyle Lohse STL
Wei-Yin Chen BAL
Andy Pettitte NYY
Chris Capuano LAD 




There you have my May 19th Starting Pitcher Rankings. Ricky Nolasco fell out of my top 50 this week but I'm still sticking with the "Nolasco Line" as the title of my pitcher rankings/philosophy. If you have any questions or just want to discuss my selections hit me on twitter @Awies28

Alex Wiesner