Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Friday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Twitch.tv (https://twitch.tv/pitcherlist) weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Early Riser
Connelly Early (https://pitcherlist.com/player/connelly-early/) (BOS) vs TBR (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 96 pitches.
One of the challenges of the off-season is projecting the in-season development of young arms. Connelly Early displayed a fantastic skill set in the fall of 2025, and my aggressive ranking once he earned a rotation spot was based on the expectation that Early would take steps in-season to form into a true Holly by the summer. Friday’s 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 96 pitches (W) outing against the Rays sure felt like summer came…before we expected it to.
This wasn’t quite as smooth a start as you’d imagine. The Rays loaded the bases with no outs in the third (including a literal 0-2 backfoot breaking hitting Yandy’s foot) and Early escaped with a strikeout + double-play, and he didn’t hit his stride until the fourth, where he began a stretch of fanning five of his next seven batters. It wasn’t until then he really began looking like the pitcher I’ve waited for all season.
That version of Early is simple: A wide arsenal of sinkers, four-seamers, changeups, and curveballs to RHB, with fastballs + a sweeper for LHB. His sinker stays around 91 mph, while the four-seamer hangs around 93/94 mph, with extra extension and flame behind the high heater with two strikes as a putaway offering. I absolutely love seeing that ability, especially when his hardest fastballs came in the sixth and seventh frames. In other words, Early is a crafty southpaw who ramps up across outings, contrary to the common issue we see in many novice starters: Max-effort in the first and second, and a visible decline every inning after, often preventing them from seeing the end of the sixth.
I want to set expectations for Early, though. His stuff isn’t overpowering. His comp has been Max Fried for a while, and that may take some time to produce consistently. For now, consider Early a solid arm that lacks the explosiveness of others, but acts like a strong SWATCH you can rely on across the season in 12-teamers. He’s the high-floor arm of the youngins. (View Game Card).
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Mike Burrows (https://pitcherlist.com/player/mike-burrows/) (HOU) @ CIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 98 pitches.
Just gonna throw this out there – Burrows now has a 2.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with a 24% K rate and 7% walk rate across his last three outings against the Yankees, Fenway, and Great American Small Park. With that discussion donezo, I watched a lot of this and wasn’t impressed. I’m not seeing a pitcher with stellar command, with moments where he was cooking, and others where he was flinging pitches up there and getting fortunate. That isn’t to say he can’t be effective, obviously, and with SEA, @MIN, @TEX up next, it could be time to jump in. I’ll just push him in the Questionable Start tier, personally. (View Game Card).
Dylan Cease (https://pitcherlist.com/player/dylan-cease/) (TOR) vs LAA (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 97 pitches.
It’s always great seeing Cease without the desist. His slider demolished the Angels’ lineup, en route to another Gallows Pole and I’m glad he was able to fine more strikes than usual on the curve and sinker. No, he hasn’t fixed himself. He continues to be Dye Lawn. (View Game Card).
Jacob Misiorowski (https://pitcherlist.com/player/jacob-misiorowski/) (MIL) vs NYY (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 11 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 95 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Coronation day is here and I’m just so happy he’s regularly dealing. It’s a 40% strikeout rate right now and that’s hilarious. If he can go 70% strikes every game, he’ll be hard to beat for the King Cole. (View Game Card).
Michael McGreevy (https://pitcherlist.com/player/michael-mcgreevy/) (STL) @ SDP (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 94 pitches.
WHAT. Nine strikeouts?! Enjoy this Gold Star, fella. The fact that McGreevy still doesn’t have a strikeout rate above 20%, nor a 10%+ SwStr rate after this game should showcase how absurd this is. In fact, these nine strikeouts match his total from four different starts combined. He saw more two-strike counts due to the Padres fouling off 8/18 four-seamers without putting one in play, while his 60% overall putaway rate is stupidhigh (36% clip for the season!). That’s not to say he didn’t pitch well, though. He made sure to bury his slider and sweeper down-and-away to RHB, the sinker had extra two-plane movement, and his ten changeups were split evenly either as ball or a whiff, including four strikeouts. That’s the true boost in whiffs here and you should be careful picking him up for a date in Sacré Verde. Maybe steram against the Pirates, fine, but don’t act like he’s suddenly a strikeout-per-inning guy. (View Game Card).
Ben Brown (https://pitcherlist.com/player/ben-brown/) (CHC) @ TEX (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 46 pitches.
I’m a bit surprised the Cubs went with Brown instead of Assad as their starter, but both tossed 40+ pitches effectively, with Assad earning the dub across a boring line of 3.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 K – 4 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 41 pitches. Which one do you like more? Neither. Yes, that understands the no-hitter Brown was throwing before his hook. He’s a 2.5 pitch pitcher via four-seamer, sinker, and curve (I refuse to acknowledge the four changeups he threw. Not reliable at all), and even that curve is kinda like a gyro slider at 86/87 mph. Neither arm is stretched out yet, and if Brown continues to get the pearl in the first, then Assad is the one for highest potential given the elevated Win chance. I’d prefer to skip both. (View Game Card).
Mason Englert (https://pitcherlist.com/player/mason-englert/) (TB) @ BOS (L) – 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 46 pitches.
The Rays are planning on stretching out Englert and Jax, and I’m not nearly as interested in Englert. His stuff is incredibly mehsave for a kick-change he likes to both LHB and RHB. In short, it’s your standard command-focused changeup arm from the right-side and y’all know I’m not here for that. (View Game Card).
Foster Griffin (https://pitcherlist.com/player/foster-griffin/) (WSN) @ MIA (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 103 pitches.
This has been one incredible ride, eh? Just one earned run in his last three games (albeit, @CHW, MIL, @MIA) with a pair of legit strikeout games in the bunch as Griffin is commanding beautifully. Goold ole ‘Cannibal McSanchez’ action with changeups and sweepers underneath to RHB + much more separation between the cutter and four-seamer than what we saw earlier in the season. The tougher schedule is on the horizon now, though. He’ll head to Cincy, get respite against the Mets, then endure Hotlanta to complete a two-step. With the heater he’s on, you can’t deny his next outing, which means the only true question is Atlanta in two weeks. We’ll just have to wait until then to chat, eh? (View Game Card).
Ryne Nelson (https://pitcherlist.com/player/ryne-nelson/) (ARI) vs NYM (ND) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 95 pitches.
Atta boy, Nelson. Not the prettiest four-seamer performance to RHB I’ve seen from the fella, featuring the pitch well over the plate in concert with his sinker, but his LHB approach was so dang fun. He nailed that fastball inside to embrace its cut action, then played it off his 93 mph cutter further inside. His slider did the best it could to RHB for whiffs, and I’m a bit surprised he still struggles to putaway batters on the offering, but alas, it went just 1/7 getting the job done in two-strikes. We’re past the three-game gauntlet, and this was the start of a lovely run of easy lineups, with @TEX, SFG, and Rockie Road up next. All of y’all who held onto or picked up Ryne after his horrific week, I’m proud of you. (View Game Card).
Keider Montero (https://pitcherlist.com/player/keider-montero/) (DET) @ KCR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 71 pitches.
I gotta say, Montero doesn’t walk batters, and now has a sub 7.0 hit/9. That means his WHIP is under 1.00 through almost forty innings. And sure, just one game above five strikeouts, but I know y’all are looking at his next start against the Mets and wondering if it’s worth your time. Maybe. Just maybe. This is pretty unsustainable at the moment, though. He was shockingly efficient, even if located around the edges constantly. (View Game Card).
Robbie Ray (https://pitcherlist.com/player/robbie-ray/) (SFG) vs PIT (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 93 pitches.
Those walks, I know. Three came in the most hilarious third inning of men standing around and doing nothing across 31 pitches – two strikeouts, three walks, strikeout – and I could have sworn I heard the right-fielder shout FREE SNOWCONE AT THE END OF THE GAME. It means Ray actually had a great strike rate across all his pitches for the game, including 25 changeups with a 60% strike rate, nearly doubling his slider rate. I love how Ray has come into his feel for the pitch and I’m going for it against the Dodgers. (View Game Card).
Nolan McLean (https://pitcherlist.com/player/nolan-mclean/) (NYM) @ ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 100 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Don’t be alarmed by the drop in horizontal movement on his sinker and sweeper – that’s the road effect, away from Citi Field’s absurdities. McLean has been as advertised thus far…except for his Win total. Stupid Mets and their lack of a purple friend. (View Game Card).
Parker Messick (https://pitcherlist.com/player/parker-messick/) (CLE) vs MIN (W) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 95 pitches.
Messick is cruising and it’s hard not to love it. Sure, there were a few hits he could have avoided with better execution, but we’re cooking right now with a 17-18" vert four-seamer coming from a low arm angle. Don’t you dare get off this train now. (View Game Card).
Connor Prielipp (https://pitcherlist.com/player/connor-prielipp/) (MIN) @ CLE (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 93 pitches.
That first inning was stupid. It was cold, rainy weather and an 0-2 single on a hung slider, a literal backfoot slider HBP, an incredibly strange play of a grounder to second getting through due to the 1st-to-2nd runner obscuring the fielder, and it turned into 4 Runs on the board after a Bazanna two-run shot with just one earned. The point is, Prielipp didn’t pitch terribly, but it pushed his pitch count up, resulting in 93 pitches through five. He’s averaging just under five frames per game now and while I understand y’all might see that and think he doesn’t have the ability to go deep, I have to protest. He has a full arsenal, even embracing the curveball 17% of the time here for a 38% CSW and nearly 70% strikes. His high heater, low slider command is stellar. He’s legit and with MIA, HOU, @CHW up next, he’s worth your time. (View Game Card).
Emmet Sheehan (https://pitcherlist.com/player/emmet-sheehan/) (LAD) vs ATL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 88 pitches.
Hmmmmm. He was sitting 96.1 mph in the first, then never hit 96 mph again, hitting a major wall in the fourth frame (92.4 mph on average) and never recovered. I know it feels like it’s not worth monitoring anymore – this is who he is, Nick, and he has 25 strikeouts in three games! – but his lack of stamina growth is concerning, like he feels fine early in the game, then it pops up and he has to adjust. Whatever, SFG, @SDP, Rockie Road is surely a good enough schedule to keep starting him and hope for the best. (View Game Card).
Chris Sale (https://pitcherlist.com/player/chris-sale/) (ATL) @ LAD (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 102 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Dodgers Schmodgers, amirite? Sale is making an argument for SP #2 after sitting 96.4 mph in this one, up a tick overall and holding it the entire game, even popping 98 mph at times. He also introduced the changeup second time through the lineup and I sure do like a pitcher with more depth than his former self. (View Game Card).
Carmen Mlodzinski (https://pitcherlist.com/player/carmen-mlodzinski/) (PIT) @ SFG (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 74 pitches.
I went into this without a whole lot of confidence and I’m considering this a successful Dusty Donut that you’re going to be skeptical about for a while. You’re going to start him against Rockie Road, but it’s hard to get amped about it after a HAISTBMBWT?! against the Giants. (View Game Card).
Chase Dollander (https://pitcherlist.com/player/chase-dollander/) (COL) @ PHI (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 8
