Who Are MLB’s REAL Aces? Eno’s Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings

Who are the best starting pitchers in baseball right now — and which arms actually belong in the ace tier? Eno Sarris returns with his updated starting pitcher rankings as DVR breaks down some of the toughest calls, biggest risers and most surprising placements on the board. Blake Snell is back in the top 10, landing at No. 10 after another strong stretch, while Drew Rasmussen climbs all the way to No. 11 as his health and consistency continue to change the way we value him. How sustainable are the pitch-mix and process changes that have helped pitchers like Snell and Rasmussen reach another level? Then there’s Bryan Woo at No. 22. Woo has flashed ace-level stretches and was pushed aggressively during fantasy draft season, but familiar home-road splits and questions about sustaining an elite strikeout rate may leave him looking more like a high-end SP2 than a true fantasy ace. Then, one of baseball’s top pitching prospects arrives. Kade Anderson is set to make his MLB debut Saturday against the Chicago Cubs after skipping Triple-A. The Mariners’ left-hander has dominated Double-A pairing elite command with a four-pitch arsenal. Finally, the guys preview the fantasy baseball waiver wire, including Ethan “Tugboat” Holliday, Ethan Pecko’s MLB debut, Jackson Kent’s second look and several pitchers who could matter during the fantasy playoffs. Rates & Barrels with Derek Van Riper and Eno Sarris delivers fantasy baseball strategy, MLB analysis, advanced pitching metrics, prospects, waiver-wire advice and everything you need for the stretch run. Like, Subscribe and drop us a comment! First Pitch Arizona: https://www.baseballhq.com/pricing/first-pitch-arizona-2026 Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris Executive Producer: McEnroe Francis Editor: McEnroe Francis Thumbnail Credit: Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images(SNELL) Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images(WOO) 00:00 Eno’s Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings 03:24 Blake Snell Is Back in the Top 10 05:16 Drew Rasmussen Keeps Rising 09:00 Logan Henderson vs. Kyle Harrison 11:48 Managing Pitcher Workloads Down the Stretch 12:43 When Will Chase Burns Be Shut Down? 14:58 Bryan Woo at No. 22 — Ace or SP2? 17:57 Why Is Joey Cantillo Ranked No. 40? 20:38 What’s Going Wrong With José Soriano? 25:19 Kade Anderson Is Coming to the Majors 26:35 What Should We Expect From Kade Anderson? 27:37 What Troy Melton Can Teach Us About Anderson 31:01 How Historic Is Anderson’s Double-A Dominance? 35:14 Does Dominating Double-A Predict MLB Success? 36:58 Projecting Kade Anderson in the Majors 38:18 Where Would Anderson Rank Right Now? 41:10 Should You Add Kade Anderson? 42:33 Why Second-Half Stats Can Mislead Us 42:52 Pete Crow-Armstrong & the Second-Half Trap 43:43 What Brice Turang Tells Us About Recency Bias 45:01 Can Second-Half Slumps Create Draft Bargains? 51:08 Waiver Wire & Baseball News 51:29 A’s Hit Hard By Season-Ending Injuries 55:09 Orioles Playing-Time Opportunities 57:43 What’s Going On With Ketel Marte? 59:09 Jordan Lawlar Gets His Opportunity 1:01:31 Rookie Pitchers to Target on Waivers 1:01:54 Tugboat, Ethan Pecko & Jackson Kent 1:07:00 Ethan Pecko’s Stuff & Role 1:07:28 What Happened With Tugboat’s Fastball? #FantasyBaseball #BlakeSnell #BryanWoo #MLB #Pitching #KadeAnderson #RatesAndBarrels Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.