Top 10 Poker Players of All Time: Hellmuth, Negreanu & Ivey in an Epic Battle for the Top Spot

 

Photo Credit: PocketFives

I came up smack in the middle of the "Poker Boom". 

It was 2003, I was a junior in high school, and the man with the magic name made it all happen: Chris Moneymaker. We all believed we could be millionaires when Moneymaker - constantly referred to as "The Amateur" - took down the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in a massive field, one televised on ESPN and announced by the legendary duo of Lon Mceachern and Norman Chad. It was television magic, and novice players all over the world began to think, if Moneymaker could do it, why can't I? 

Here we are, nearly 20 years later, and I'm still following poker closely. Looking back on these past couple decades, I feel it's time to really take stock of things. Who are the best of the best? Who stands tall above the rest? Well hell, it's time to dive right in and find out. 

THE TOP 10 POKER PLAYERS OF ALL TIME 

HONORABLE MENTION 

Tom Dwan (currently 36 years old)

Resume: 

- $5.5 million in recorded earnings according to Card Player. 

- 0 WSOP bracelets.  

- Career highlight: Dominating High Stakes Poker at the height of viewer interest. 

The Artist Formerly Known As "Durrrr" is an absolute legend in the world of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em (NLH). Though he doesn't have a single WSOP bracelet to his name, Dwan dominated highly-anticipated cash games on both High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark when those were the coolest poker shows on TV. 

Further increasing his allure, at the time Dwan was merely in his early 20s. He represented a youth movement in the world of high stakes poker - one that also included Phil Galfond, Viktor Blom, Patrik Antonius and "Jungleman" Dan Cates - that signified the end of the old guard. Once an experienced player's game, NLH quickly became a young man's game controlled by forward-thinking strategists. Dwan represented the best of that particular period in time. 

Where is he now? You can actually find Tom playing the nosebleed games on the outstanding Triton Poker tour, founded by Paul Phua and Richard Yong. Dwan plays Short-Deck Hold 'Em as well as regular Hold 'Em. 

Johnny Chan (currently 65 years old)

Resume: 

- $7.5 million in recorded earnings. 

- 10 WSOP bracelets. 

- Career highlight: Stunning Erik Seidel to win the 1988 WSOP Main Event. 

Forever immortalized in the greatest poker film of all time, Rounders, Chan was reportedly a joy to work with for both Matt Damon and Ed Norton. In addition to being a good guy and poker coach, Chan has one of the most decorated WSOP resumes of all time. 

Unfortunately, in my opinion, he hasn't aged well with the game. As veterans like Seidel, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu continue to study and evolve with the times, Chan sits back and plays tighter and tighter. There's been no versatility to his game in recent years, making him predictable and a boring TV player. 

Jason Koon (currently 37 years old)

Resume: 

- $41 million in recorded earnings. 

- 1 WSOP bracelet. 

- Career highlight: Named Ambassador for both GG Poker and Triton Poker. 

"The Ambassador" is the epitome of a good guy. He plays the game straight up, seemingly gets along with everyone and crushes with big-time results. He's seventh all-time in earnings, but doesn't quite have the WSOP balance to crack my top 10... yet. 

THE TOP 10 POKER PLAYERS OF ALL TIME

10. Justin Bonomo (currently 37 years old)

Resume: 

- $60 million in recorded earnings - No. 1 of all time. 

- 3 WSOP bracelets. 

- Career highlight: Dominating the entire poker world in 2018. 

Purely on paper, Justin Bonomo might be the greatest poker player of all time. At just 37 years of age, he's already the winningest player in recorded history. But... well... there's always a but. 

Daniel Negreanu has openly blasted Bonomo as a cheater. This running board talks about the times Bonomo has actually been caught cheating. I even watched a recent telecast where legendary announcers Ali Nejad and Nick Schulman recounted a time they "thought" Bonomo was caught cheating during their broadcast. There are just too many breadcrumbs, for me. I think No. 10 of all time is a fair enough compromise, all aspects considered. 

9. David Peters (currently 35 years old)

Resume:

- $44 million in recorded earnings - No. 6 of all time. 

- 4 WSOP bracelets. 

- Career highlight: Over a $1 million score from his 4th WSOP win and bracelet. 

Out of this entire list - including Tom Dwan, Johnny Chan and Jason Koon in honorable mention - David Peters is undoubtedly the "quiet assassin" of the group. When you watch Peters play, it's nothing too flashy. He's not splashing around like an "Aussie" Matt Kirk or Rui Cao in the Triton circuit; no, Peters is just there - quiet, steady and winning. He's not hugely marketable as an explosive personality, but he is very clearly one of the best - and fastest rising - poker players in the history of the game. 

8. Fedor Holz (currently 29 years old)

Resume: 

- $38 million in recorded earnings - No. 11 all time. 

- 2 WSOP bracelets. 

- Career highlight: Dominating 2016 the way Bonomo dominated 2018. 

Thirty-eight million in earnings... and this wunderkind isn't even 30 years old yet! Fedor is already one of the most naturally intelligent poker players of all time, and I'm giving him this No. 8 spot because he has a better reputation than Bonomo, despite the latter's impressive resume. When Fedor is on, he steamrolls everybody and simply can't lose. 

He did retire once, though, so I docked him one spot. An argument could have been made for him to be No. 7 or 6 on this list. 

7. Johnny Moss (passed away at 88)

Resume: 

- 9 WSOP bracelets. 

- Mentored Doyle Brunson. "Dolly" said Moss was "head and shoulders above everybody else in talent."

- Career highlight: Won the first ever WSOP Main Event. 

When I think of the "OG" legends of poker, I immediately think of Tom Preston (better known as "Amarillo Slim"), Brunson and the man I'm ranking at No. 7 all time, Mr. Johnny Moss. Some say Moss was the most fundamentally-sound player in the history of the game. The stories about Johnny go on for days, weeks and years - as well they should. If you want to read like 15 of those anecdotes in one sitting, check out this awesome article from the Sports Illustrated vault. 

6. Stu Ungar (passed away at 45)

Resume: 

- 5 WSOP bracelets. 

- Considered by many to be the greatest card player that ever lived. 

- Career highlight: Winning the 1980 WSOP Main Event in dramatic fashion. 

Every sport has the player who could have accomplished so much more. Every person has the one who got away. Stu Ungar is the one who got away from the poker world, passing away at just 45 years old before he could solidify his position as the GOAT. "Unfinished business" doesn't even cut it. 

On pure, natural talent, many say Stuey was the greatest to ever play. An opinion like that is always subjective, but so many believe it to be true. Who are we to doubt it? 

5. Erik Seidel (currently 63 years old)

Resume: 

- $43 million in recorded earnings - No. 5 all time. 

- 9 WSOP bracelets. 

- Career highlight: Won more than $6.5 million... in just 1 year! (2011)

As I mentioned earlier, the game has pretty much passed Johnny Chan by. And what happened to guys like Scotty Nguyen, Joe Hachem, Allen Cunningham, Men Nguyen and Mike Matusow? As the ruthless, hardworking internet players made their collective rise, many of the seasoned veterans faded out of top-tier competition... but not Erik Seidel. 

Seidel's the versatile, flexible one - the one who can play all different games, against all different ages and still come out on top no matter what the circumstances. You could argue that Seidel is the most adaptable player in the history of the game. I have the utmost respect for this underrated poker legend. 

4. Doyle Brunson (currently 89 years old)

Resume:

- $6 million in recorded earnings. 

- 10 WSOP bracelets. 

- Career highlight: Consistently teaching the youngsters a lesson on High Stakes Poker 

For most who have been around long enough, the name "Doyle Brunson" is immediately synonymous with poker. Over time, I think it's fair to think of him as the permanent poster boy (man) for the game. In his respective field, he's like Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky. 

And while "Texas Dolly" has a strong resume accumulated over many decades, what's most astounding about him is the way he's been able to hang with the young guns over the past 20 years. As poker has risen to prominence in the internet/social media/streaming age, Dolly has continued to play well against the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and more of the like. 

A true legend never fades. Doyle Brunson stays sharp as a tack. 

3. Daniel Negreanu (currently 48 years old)

Resume: 

- $49 million in recorded earnings - No. 3 all time. 

- 6 WSOP bracelets. 

- Career highlight: Became the youngest WSOP bracelet winner of all time in 1998. 

Danny and I once had a legit Twitter war - see the full article here - but it was all in good fun. I happen to like Daniel Negreanu a lot - he's always been entertaining during televised games and he may have truly inspired me when he soul read during the WSOP. I patterned my early cash game play after him, opening wider than many would at the time - 5-6 suited, J-10 unsuited, etc. There's no question "Kid Poker" is a pioneer and all-time great. 

He was very close to grabbing the top spot on my list, but the resumes of the next two megastars are simply out of this world. Still, I respect Danny for studying and always evolving with the times in poker. 

2. Phil Hellmuth (currently 58 years old)

Resume: $25 million in recorded earnings. 

- 16 WSOP bracelets - by far the most of all time. 

- Career highlight: Winning his 16th WSOP bracelet in 2021. With each victory, the gap widens. 

Because of his very impressive lead over the field - 16 bracelets while no one else has reached 11 - I nearly gave the No. 1 overall spot to Mr. Hellmuth. On a personal level, he happens to be one of my favorite players of all time. Others used to poke fun at him on High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark, but all this legend does is win, win, win. 

He's also a surprisingly great guy, too. You could argue he holds two key distinctions: The greatest WSOP player of all time AND the greatest heads-up player. One of the top two players in the history of the game; no doubt. 

1. Phil Ivey (currently 45 years old)

Resume: 

- $37 million in recorded earnings - 9th all time. 

- 10 WSOP bracelets - tied for 2nd all time. 

- Career highlight: Beating Borgata for $10 million in a short period of time. (Even if they did settle to get some of it back.)

Wooooooooo.... this was a close one! Ivey's age is what ultimately gets him the crown. Three years younger than Negreanu, he has four more bracelets. Thirteen years younger than Hellmuth, he has time to catch up if he really wants to try. 

Then, looking at combinations, Ivey, Negreanu and Seidel are the only three in the top 10 in both career earnings and bracelets. So, Ivey covers all the bases - not to mention the fact that he was considered the most feared player in poker for many years - and he has plenty of prime years left to play. 

It was most certainly a tight one... but all things considered, I believe Phil Ivey is the greatest poker player of all time. 

John Frascella is a published sports author and sports writer for Razzball. He's currently in his 19th year as a cash game specialist. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 and @LegendPoker7 for all things poker and sports. 

Why THE SOCIAL NETWORK Is the Best Film of Its Generation

 

Photo Credit: No Film School 

It opens eerily. Right from the jump, there is something noticeably unsettling about David Fincher's masterpiece, The Social Network. 

PART I: A Chilling Opening

Sure, it starts in the middle of a now-famous breakup scene showcasing the talents and intelligence of both Jesse Eisenberg (playing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg) and Rooney Mara (playing his soon-to-be ex, Erica Albright), but I'm not even talking about that scene. I'm talking about the aftermath of that scene. 

Post-breakup, Mark rushes home to his dorm room with bottled anger and frustration. The Harvard campus is dark. The score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is chilling and ominous. But isn't this a rags-to-riches story about one of the most meteoric rises in the history of big business? Why the gloom and doom? What, exactly, is going on here? 

And that's where The Social Network grabbed me, right from the get-go. I had to know what was lurking in the background. This is the best film setup of Fincher's storied career. 

From there, the key is the structure of the film - or lack thereof, perhaps? As I noted @FrascellaMovies on Twitter, The Social Network is a Fincher film that feels like a Scorsese flick. The latter is one of the greatest of all time for many reasons, and one of the top reasons is that he simply refuses to rely upon plot. Scorsese films are quite often character-driven, and I think that's the key to realism, intrigue and audience investment. I often say and write that Scorsese's best movies are littered by short films within the film. Just think of the "funny how?" scene in Goodfellas - it could exist entirely on its own. It has rich characters, entertaining storytelling, build-up, suspense and humor. This is an important comparison because Fincher achieves such glory a number of different times in The Social Network. 

PART II: The Best Scenes in the Best Movie 

Let me take a long moment to list the incredible scenes that succeed entirely on their own in Social, in no particular order: 

1. When, in the climax of a back-and-forth scene, Zuckerberg zings the Winklevi's lawyer by viciously asking if he has adequately answered his condescending question. 

2. When the Winklevi protest Zuckerberg's intellectual property theft in president Larry Summer's office at Harvard. 

3. When Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake, at his career best by a landslide) makes his introduction to the audience. This is also our one-and-only interaction with young Dakota Johnson (playing Amelia "Amy" Ritter), who drops one of the best lines in the movie, "Well then, what was your latest preneur?" Johnson has since become one of my absolute favorite actresses, getting laughs in The Five-Year Engagement, elevating complete crap in The Fifty Shades trilogy and carrying one of the best rom-coms of its generation, How to Be Single. 

4. When Sean Parker takes Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield, a revelation), his girlfriend Christy (a sexy Brenda Song) and Zuckerberg out to a fancy "business" dinner. The captivating "Sean Parker Variety Hour" ensues. 

5. When the Winklevi realize Mark might be stealing their idea, they have a very interesting three-way pow-wow with their business partner, Divya Narendra (a sneaky good Max Minghella). 

6. When the Winklevi lose their crew race by a hair. The score choices from Reznor and Ross are as good as I've ever heard. 

7. When Eduardo warns Mark that he's "coming back for everything." Fincher is absolutely locked in in this scene. From the moment Eduardo bursts through the conference room doors, we are hooked.  

8. When Sean Parker tells Mark about Roy Raymond and the ascension of Victoria's Secret. What a parable, with electric atmosphere from Fincher. 

9. When Eduardo realizes Sean has weaseled his way in and now has entrepreneurial control over Mark.  

10. When Mark and Eduardo have their final fight before the double-cross. Mark may have already set the wheels in motion toward Eduardo's demise, but this argument absolutely seals his fate.

11. The Citizen Kane ending. Yes, Mark has become the youngest billionaire in the world. Yes, Facebook appears to be on its way to even bigger and better things. But, Mark Zuckerberg is all alone in that conference room. He friend requests his ex Erica, then slouches there quietly, refreshing the page. 

Now sit back and take a look at this compilation, here. Eleven truly great scenes in one, single film? Seriously... eleven?? 

Randomly, I was just having a conversation with someone about the film The Highwaymen, starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson - and I could only think of TWO good scenes in a movie that was 2 hours and 12 minutes long. And here's the kicker... the movie wasn't even that bad! 

So imagine successfully stuffing 11 incredible scenes into The Social Network. It's a seemingly impossible feat, but Fincher finds magical ways to get it done. 

PART III: Everyone is at the Height of their Powers 

We’re already hundreds of words in, and I haven’t even mentioned Aaron Sorkin yet. Sorkin is arguably the best – and certainly the most famous – screenwriter of his generation. I’m sure you know him from A Few Good Men, The West Wing and perhaps even To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway.

But like anybody else, there are two versions of Sorkin: Quite simply the “good” and the “bad”. “Good Sorkin” makes all of his character interactions interesting with a wide-ranging vocabulary and well-timed quips and zingers. “Bad Sorkin” knows exactly how he is perceived, then overdoes things. (See Molly’s Game, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and sometimes The Newsroom for examples of “Bad Sorkin”.)

Here in The Social Network, Sorkin scribes everything just right. It’s not too rushed – sometimes the case in Steve Jobs, which I love anyway – and it’s never too slow. Like the title of this section indicates, Mr. Sorkin is at the height of his powers here.

In terms of the actors and actresses, well, just look around! This is far and away the best performance of Armie Hammer’s trainwreck of a career. The same can also be said of Justin Timberlake. In smaller roles, these are all among the career best for Max Minghella, Dakota Johnson, Brenda Song, Rooney Mara, John Getz, David Selby and Douglas Urbanski. Only Joseph Mazzello (as Dustin Moskovitz) and Rashida Jones (as Marylin Delpy) sometimes seem overmatched and out of place.

And let’s talk about the big dogs, here: Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. This role is so central to Eisenberg’s career that I often think of him as Mark Zuckerberg in reality, and vice-versa. Would you buy stock in the former’s career now, though? Things were looking promising early for Eisenberg with The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland, Zombieland, The Social Network and The End of the Tour (another of my personal favorites), but far less so with Wild Indian, Resistance, The Art of Self-Defense and The Hummingbird Project in recent years. The Social Network remains – very clearly – his career highlight.

And how about Garfield? Well, the 39-year-old – who looks to be about 29 – is certainly considered a “serious thespian” at this stage in his career. But I hardly think Breathe, Under the Silver Lake, Mainstream and The Eyes of Tammy Faye are striking the zeitgeist the way The Social Network and his sympathetic portrayal of Eduardo Saverin did. When Mark pulls the rug out from underneath Eduardo’s feet, Garfield is the one who makes us really feel for him. He successfully makes us feel for a guy with a net worth of $6.41 billion dollars. That’s how good Garfield is in Social.

In my Top 10 Movies of the 2010s piece, I referred to the making of The Social Network as a “perfect storm”. And it really was, wasn’t it? Fincher, one of the greatest directors of his generation, locked-in and laser-focused in every possible way. Sorkin, one of the greatest screenwriters of his generation, note-perfect and never overextending himself. Reznor, best known for his days as the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails, doing the best musical work of his movie career.

Eisenberg. Garfield. Hammer. Timberlake… you get the idea. When I think about The Social Network, I think about those interviews with actors when they say, "You just don't get to be on a set like this. This is the type of filmmaking experience we really have to savor." 

PART IV: Historical Significance 

It feels weird to write "historical" when we're talking about a movie that came out around 2010. Nevertheless, The Social Network was the precursor to so many important developments in film, television and Silicon Valley tech. 

Yes, Silicon Valley was a thing long before Zuckerberg and Facebook - it goes way back to Hewlett-Packard in 1939, then really ramps up with Xerox, Atari and Apple in the 70s - but I firmly believe that The Social Network made Silicon Valley cool. Like Sean Parker said in the film, "The Facebook is cool, that's what it's got going for it... this is no time to take your chips down. A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool? A billion dollars. And that's where you're headed - a billion dollar valuation." 

Following The Social Network in 2010, here's a list of movies and shows I believe were inspired by the success and coolness of Fincher and Sorkin's fantastic film: 

1. Jobs (2013): A pretty terrible Ashton Kutcher movie. 

2. Silicon Valley (2014): A successful TV comedy on HBO. 

3. Atari: Game Over (2014): A documentary about the rise and fall of Atari. 

4. Steve Jobs (2015): Another great Sorkin screenplay, probably propelled by Social's success. 

5. General Magic (2018): A documentary about a failed Silicon Valley company - a lot of overlap with the "cast of characters" from Steve Jobs. 

6. The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019): Scary documentary about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. 

7. The Dropout (2022): Theranos and Holmes, again. This time Amanda Seyfried is winning awards for her portrayal of Holmes. 

8. WeCrashed (2022): Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway taking us through WeWork's dramatic demise. 

9. Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber (2022): Brian Koppelman, David Levien and Joseph Gordon-Levitt guiding us through the mercurial rise of Uber. 

And I'm sure there are plenty more, but those are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. 

In the end, The Social Network is as close to perfect as a film can possibly get. It truly has it all - world-class directing, all-time screenwriting, masterclass acting, superb pacing, intense conflict and reverberating historical significance. To me, it's the best film of its generation. 

John Frascella is a published author and 2nd generation film critic. Follow him on Twitter @FrascellaMovies for all things film, TV and entertainment. 

Frascella's Top 125 NFL QBs! Yes, seriously. 125. You gotta see this.

 

Photo Credit: Action Network

I promise you, you're not reading that wrong - I'm actually going to rank one hundred and twenty-five quarterbacks right now. Why? Well... why not, right? It's not like I've seen anybody else tackle this kind of project lately. I enjoy the research and the challenge. Now, let's establish some background and ground rules: 

My QB Power Ranking Archive

Here are some relatively recent iterations of mine, for context: 

1. 2022 NFL Offseason: My top 50 QBs (three total installments)

2. 2021 NFL Season: My top 34 QBs

3. 2020 NFL Season: My top 85 QBs

4. 2019 NFL Season: My top 50 QBs

5. 2018 NFL Season: My top 50 QBs

My Ranking System and Criteria 

1. This list can't ONLY be based on 2022 stats and performance. Otherwise, I could just provide you with a link to review the raw numbers on your own time. Let's say the 2022 season gets 65-75% of the weight. 

2. The context of the past couple seasons must at least be considered, as well. Really, the whole context of the player unless things have changed quickly and dramatically. 

3. All stats are accurate as of Sunday night, November 6, 2022. 

4. One sentence per player this time around because, well... who the hell has this kind of time, anyway? All right, let's jump right into this thing... 

TIER 11: Free Agents I've Never Actually Heard of Before

Source file here, from Spotrac. 

125. Cole Kelley: His best collegiate season at Arkansas featured a 127.5 QB rating, including a 57.6% completion rate. 

124. Brandon Peters: His best season at Illinois sported a 128.6 QB rating, including 18 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. 

123. Jarrett Guarantino: His best season at Tennessee topped out at 2,158 yards, including a 144.0 QB rating and 59.1% completion rate. 

122. Ryan Willis: His best season at Virginia Tech treated us to 2,716 yards, 24 touchdowns and a 58.5% completion rate. 

121. Drew Plitt: His best season at Ball State was smokin' to the tune of 2,918 yards, a 148.2 QB rating and 64.3% completion rate. 

120. Dustin Crum: His best season at Kent State kept it poppin' with a 148.9 QB rating and 3,206 yards on 64% completions. 

119. D'Eriq King: His best season at "The U" was undeniable: A 152.7 QB rating with 23 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. 

118. Jack Coan: Okay, I lied a little bit here because my father-in-law is a Notre Dame fan, so I've vaguely heard of Coan; 3,150 passing yards, 151.8 QB rating and a 65.5% completion rate. 

117. Anthony Gordon: His best season at Washington State almost doesn't seem real - 5,579 yards and 48 passing touchdowns?? 

116. Levi Lewis: His best season at Louisiana was a thing of beauty: 26 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions on the way to 3,050 yards on 64.3% completions. 

TIER 10: Free Agents I've Actually Heard Of

115. Jake Fromm: Ruined his own career with racism - got what he deserved. 

114. Carson Strong: Actually made my top 50 prior to this season because he was supposedly one of the top 4-to-7 QB prospects in his draft class. 

113. Kurt Benkert: I believe I've seen him listed as an actual backup QB for the Atlanta Falcons in the past. 

112. Ben DiNucci: Once started a real game for the Dallas Cowboys, and it was not pretty. 

111. Kevin Hogan: When he started for the Cleveland Browns, I specifically remember that he had a dead noodle arm. 

110. Jake Luton: He threw a long touchdown in a regular season game for the Jacksonville Jaguars, once. 

109. A.J. McCarron: I guess he was a system quarterback at Alabama, huh? 

108. Brett Hundley: Not the worst 3rd/4th stringer you could have. 

107. Mike Glennon: Relatively respectable career as a backup QB in this league. 

106. Tim Boyle: I actually thought he was fairly decent last season - was surprised to see him trashed and discarded on Hard Knocks this offseason. 

105. Colin Kaepernick: Was once one of the most electric QBs in the NFL, one who took his Niners all the way to the Super Bowl and a highly-controversial loss. 

104. Garrett Gilbert: Did a nice job filling in for Dak Prescott during the major injury year.

103. Matt Barkley: One of the most underrated and underappreciated backup QBs of his generation, IMO. 

102. Cam Newton: I think you know who he is, at this point. 

101. Ryan Fitzpatrick: Retired, but... ya never know? 

TIER 9: Best (Possible) Practice Squad Guys 

Source file from NFL.com, here. It's hard to find an up-to-date practice squad tracker, honestly. 

100. Chase Garbers, possibly Raiders practice squad: Out of the listed practice squad guys, I have the least faith in the Raiders' talent evaluators right now. 

99. Danny Etling, possibly Packers practice squad: Same idea - second-least faith in Matt LaFleur and the Packers' putrid evaluators. 

98. E.J. Perry, possibly Jaguars practice squad: I dunno, man... am I really taking the time to rank E.J. Perry right now? 

97. Jake Browning, possibly Bengals practice squad: Well they seemed to know what they were doing with Joe Burrow, right? (Same initials here.) 

96. Chris Oladokun, possibly Chiefs practice squad: Anyone good enough for Andy Reid and Eric Bienemy is good enough for me. 

95. Anthony Brown, possibly Ravens practice squad: They have one of the best QB tandems in the game with Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. 

94. Reid Sinnett, possibly Eagles practice squad: Anything the Eagles touch turns to gold right now. 

93. Josh Rosen, possibly Browns practice squad: I thought he was as good or better than Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield in their particular draft class. 

92. Davis Webb, possibly Giants practice squad: Always finds a way to get a job, so he must be well-liked along with a good mind for the position. 

91. Sean Mannion, possibly Seahawks practice squad: Probably not much worse than Drew Lock on his own team. 

90. Ryan Griffin, possibly Bucs practice squad: Feels like he's been directly associated with the Bucs' organization for 20+ years now. 

89. Jacob Eason, possibly Panthers practice squad: I feel like he was a seriously-taken backup for the Colts last season, but I could also be making that up. 

88. Nathan Peterman, possibly Bears practice squad: Got some opportunities with the Bills and Raiders. 

87. Jeff Driskel, possibly Texans practice squad: A pretty good backup QB at this level, IMO. 

86. Josh Johnson, possibly Broncos practice squad: Is definitely better than teammate Brett Rypien and is probably even better than Russell Wilson at this point too, lol. 

TIER 8: Actively on NFL Rosters 

Source file from ESPN, here. 

85. Kellen Mond, Browns: He's their third-stringer right now, but is really No. 4 when you consider Deshaun Watson. 

84. Feleipe Franks, Falcons: Never even heard of him before typing his name just now. 

83. Brock Purdy, 49ers: Has actually taken some snaps for the Niners this season, and they haven't been "Purdy," if ya know what I mean. 

82. Joshua Dobbs, Browns: Always seems to find work, somehow. 

81. Bryce Perkins, Rams: I'd like to think Sean McVay knows at least a little something about quarterbacks. 

80. Ian Book, Eagles: Like I said earlier... anything the Eagles touch turns to gold right now. 

79. Sam Howell, Commanders: Maybe he's better than Carson Wentz; who knows? 

78. Easton Stick, Chargers: He's like the better version of Davis Webb; maintains a job with a bit more talent. 

77. Will Grier, Cowboys: We saw some of his explosive athleticism with the Panthers. 

76. Shane Buechele, Chiefs: If you haven't noticed by now, I'm just assuming guys like Andy Reid, Eric Bienemy, Sean McVay, Bill Belichick, Nick Sirianni and Sean McDermott know a lot more than I do about NFL talent evaluation. 

75. Logan Woodside, Titans: Is probably better than Malik Willis right now, but he simply isn't getting the opportunities from Tennessee. 

TIER 7: A little better or more promising than the last group 

74. Trevor Siemian, Bears: Personally, I think he stinks - but he's made a very nice NFL career for himself, all things considered. 

73. Malik Willis, Titans: Looks like the worst QB in the league right now, but he's supposedly one of the top two in his draft class. 

72. Brett Rypien, Broncos: See my comment about Siemian, but we could probably just leave it at the "stinks" part. 

71. Chris Streveler, Jets: Arguably the best player in the entire NFL this preseason. 

70. Trace McSorley, Cardinals: Whenever he got sparing opportunities as a Raven, I thought he was good enough to be a serviceable backup. 

69. Blaine Gabbert, Bucs: Respected as a yearly backup in this league. 

68. Nate Sudfeld, Lions: Detroit definitely seemed to like him a lot more than both Tim Boyle and Dave Blough. 

67. Brian Hoyer, Patriots: In the Blaine Gabbert category, basically. 

66. Matt Corral, Panthers: Went down with a devastating injury early on, but I suppose he has the potential to become the best QB in his draft class (because none of them seem very good). 

TIER 6: Potential down the line or somewhat respectable 

65. Skylar Thompson, Dolphins: I don't think he expected to be thrust into action with Tua and Bridgewater ahead of him, but I thought he at least flashed some good physical tools. 

64. Nick Mullens, Vikings: Was definitely one of the elite backups in the entire league when he was with San Francisco. 

63. C.J. Beathard, Jaguars: Same sentence I just wrote about Nick Mullens. 

62. John Wolford, Rams: Showed some decent things in his one start for the Rams back in '20. 

61. Brandon Allen, Bengals: Being the primary backup to Joe Burrow is a nice honor in itself. 

60. Chase Daniel, Chargers: A nicely-paid backup who always gets a job and does well for himself. 

59. Mason Rudolph, Steelers: With Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky ahead of him in Pittsburgh, Rudolph did garner some trade interest around the league this offseason. 

58. Desmond Ridder, Falcons: Flashed some explosive scrambling in the preseason for Atlanta. 

57. Nick Foles, Colts: These aren't the "Philly Special" days, trust me - he's coming toward the end. 

56. Drew Lock, Seahawks: Remember when people were saying he should start over Geno Smith? 

55. Jarrett Stidham, Raiders: If Belichick liked him at one point, I'm cool with him too. 

54. Chad Henne, Chiefs: Secured that playoff victory over the Browns a couple years ago when Mahomes went down. 

53. Colt McCoy, Cardinals: Always one of the best and most reliable backups in the game. 

52. Jordan Love, Packers: Green Bay should move Aaron Rodgers this offseason, open up cap space and give Love his window of opportunity. 

51. Sam Ehlinger, Colts: This is probably gonna get real ugly for Sam with Jeff Saturday as head coach. 

50. Tyrod Taylor, Giants: A pro's pro in terms of seasoned backups. 

49. Trey Lance, 49ers: Had a 55.0 QB rating pre-injury. 

48. Kenny Pickett, Steelers: Somewhat overmatched, thus far. 

47. Mike White, Jets: Some people really do believe he's a better all-around quarterback than Zach Wilson. 

TIER 5: Good backups 

46. Sam Darnold, Panthers: I was right that he'd never be a great starting QB in the NFL, but I do like him as a backup with a good arm for intermediate throws. 

45. Case Keenum, Bills: We'll be seeing him out there very soon, but I simply don't think he's the same player he was in Minnesota. 

44. Kyle Allen, Texans: Was playing quite well was a starter for Washington, pre-injury. 

43. Joe Flacco, Jets: Played very well when he got rid of the rock quickly; unfortunately, he is very stubborn and stuck in his ways. 

42. Teddy Bridgewater, Dolphins: Not as good as he used to be, IMO. 

41. Taysom Hill, Saints: Certainly not a pure passer, but I still think he has potential as an all-purpose athleticism QB. 

40. P.J. Walker, Panthers: It's been an up-and-down ride for this scrappy QB with a big heart. 

TIER 4: The best backups and worst starters

39. Mitch Trubisky, Steelers: Had his shot earlier this season, but he looked slightly below average as always. 

38. Carson Wentz, Commanders: Yuck. 

37. Matt Ryan, Colts: I guess he's injured, but at full strength he's significantly better than Sam Ehlinger. 

36. Jameis Winston, Saints: I think this back injury is career-threatening. 

35. Baker Mayfield, Panthers: He's like a slightly better Darnold or Trubisky. 

34. Tyler Huntley, Ravens: I really like what I saw from him, filling in for Lamar Jackson the second half of last season. 

33. Cooper Rush, Cowboys: Did a fantastic job filling in for Dak Prescott this season. 

32. Gardner Minshew, Eagles: Arguably the best backup in the entire league. 

31. Mac Jones, Patriots: Belichick can only coach so much out of a physically-limited quarterback. 

30. Davis Mills, Texans: Needs a better head coach and offensive coordinator to deliver on his talent. 

29. Russell Wilson, Broncos: Over-the-hill on the field and acting weird off it. 

28. Taylor Heinicke, Commanders: Good moxie with average talent. 

27. Zach Wilson, Jets: Looking at the entirety of this list, Wilson has the potential to be as high as No. 18 if he simply commits to getting the ball out quickly. 

26. Bailey Zappe, Patriots: His QB rating would be in the top 6 if he had enough attempts to qualify.

25. Jacoby Brissett, Browns: I honestly think he's played quite well for the Browns this season.  

TIER 3: Rising up or falling off 

24. Andy Dalton, Saints: Still has one of the quickest release times in the entire NFL. 

23. Deshaun Watson, Browns: What if he comes back very rusty, gets suspended again or has future incidents which take him away from the field and his team? 

22. Justin Fields, Bears: Looks like the most dynamic rushing QB in the game right now, and his timing is improving in the passing game. 

21. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: Still looks like the best QB in his draft class, but certainly not by much. 

20. Marcus Mariota, Falcons: Consistently one of the most underappreciated QBs in the league. 

19. Daniel Jones, Giants: Is a back-end MVP candidate for me, but I believe he's playing a bit over his head, all things considered. 

18. Jared Goff, Lions: Is 11th in QB rating and his Lions are in the top 7 overall in offense. 

17. Derek Carr, Raiders: People loved him this offseason, now they hate him and say he's terrible. 

TIER 2: Consistent or close to elite 

16. Matthew Stafford, Rams: The Rams stink and Stafford simply isn't the same player this year with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. 

15. Kyler Murray, Cardinals: The offseason losses of Christian Kirk and Chase Edmonds hurt, but he's playing better since DeAndre Hopkins returned from suspension. 

14. Ryan Tannehill, Titans: You can clearly see how bad the Titans' offense is without him under center. 

13. Kirk Cousins, Vikings: Minnesota's fans tell me he isn't playing as well as last year, but at least the Vikes are 7-1 with Cousins calling the shots. 

12. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: If things continue to look as bad as they did this week, he'll be forced out of my top 15 sometime soon. 

11. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers: 6th in the NFL in QB rating and no one cares, as usual. 

10. Geno Smith, Seahawks: If we're only talking MVP, I have him in the top 3 - top 10 isn't effusive enough. 

9. Dak Prescott, Cowboys: I have no doubts about him in the regular season, I just worry about postseason performance. 

8. Justin Herbert, Chargers: Hasn't quite been the same after the rib injury, and it's not so easy without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. 

7. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins: Leading the league in QB rating by a landslide; getting the ball out quickly and efficiently to Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. 

TIER 1: The Best of the Best 

6. Tom Brady, Bucs: That epic late-game comeback over the Rams kept him in Tier 1 for the time being. 

5. Lamar Jackson

4. Jalen Hurts

3. Josh Allen

These 3 are extremely close right now; normally I would have Allen in the top 2, but he looked completely overmatched vs. my Jets and now he has a potentially-serious injury. 

2. Joe Burrow, Bengals: Quickly took the Bengals from a laughingstock to a Super Bowl appearance; has the confidence, talent, timing and ball placement to outplay anybody in the world at the quarterback position. 

1. Pat Mahomes, Chiefs: Still the safest bet atop my list, for now. 

I hope you enjoyed this! Bring on the heated debates @LegendSports7 on Twitter! 

John Frascella is a published sports author and Fantasy Football Writer for Razzball. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things football throughout another action-packed season! 

Ranking All 300 Starting Pitchers in the MLB: Lights-Out Lefties in the Top 10

 

Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Times

Now that my Mets completed yet another of the worst collapses in the history of the MLB, it's time for me to put a bow on this painful baseball season. For me, it ends with my final starting pitcher rankings of the year. Here are the criteria, please read this before arguing with me about the rankings: 

1. This is not ONLY based upon 2022 pitching statistics. Obviously I have to give the current season the most weight, but let's say that weight is about 60-70%. There are other factors at play, and other factors to consider. 

2. If it is close between two guys, the pitcher with more starts this season will get the tiebreaker. This is a starting pitcher list, after all. 

3. The second tiebreaker, if needed, will be average fastball velocity. Higher velocity starters simply get away with more mistake pitches in the long run. I'd rather have the 94.5 average than 90.1, etc. 

4. It's always reasonable to consider "the story" of the pitcher. For example, is Michael Wacha really a 3.32 ERA starting pitcher in the American League? Is Dane Dunning gonna remain a 4.46 ERA guy with an 86.9 MPH average fastball? Is German Marquez as bad as his 5.00 ERA this season? Etc. etc. you get the idea. Okay, let's go... 

TIER 1: The 40 Best Starting Pitchers in Baseball

1.   Justin Verlander – 28 starts, 1.75 ERA – 95.0 MPH

2.   Sandy Alcantara – 32 starts, 2.28 ERA – 98.0 MPH

3.   Julio Urias – 31 starts, 2.16 ERA – 93.1 MPH

4.   Shane McClanahan – 28 starts, 2.54 ERA – 96.7 MPH

5.   Dylan Cease – 32 starts, 2.20 ERA – 96.8 MPH

6.   Corbin Burnes – 33 starts, 2.94 ERA – 96.1 MPH

7.   Max Fried – 30 starts, 2.48 ERA – 94.0 MPH

8.   Shohei Ohtani – 28 starts, 2.33 ERA – 97.3 MPH

9.   Alek Manoah – 31 starts, 2.24 ERA – 93.9 MPH

10.                Shane Bieber – 31 starts, 2.88 ERA – 91.3 MPH

11.                Gerrit Cole – 33 starts, 3.50 ERA – 97.8 MPH

12.                Nestor Cortes – 28 starts, 2.44 ERA – 91.8 MPH

13.                Carlos Rodon – 31 starts, 2.88 ERA – 95.5 MPH

14.                Zac Gallen – 31 starts, 2.54 ERA – 94.1 MPH

15.                Yu Darvish – 30 starts, 3.10 ERA – 95.0 MPH

16.                Aaron Nola – 32 starts, 3.25 ERA – 92.8 MPH

17.                Kevin Gausman – 31 starts, 3.35 ERA – 95.0 MPH

18.                Logan Gilbert – 32 starts, 3.20 ERA – 96.1 MPH

19.                Framber Valdez – 31 starts, 2.82 ERA – 94.1 MPH

20.                Clayton Kershaw – 22 starts, 2.28 ERA – 90.7 MPH

21.                Zack Wheeler – 26 starts, 2.82 ERA – 95.9 MPH

22.                Joe Musgrove – 30 starts, 2.93 ERA – 92.9 MPH

23.                Logan Webb – 32 starts, 2.90 ERA – 92.4 MPH

24.                Brandon Woodruff – 27 starts, 3.05 ERA – 96.3 MPH

25.                Jacob deGrom – 11 starts, 3.08 ERA – 98.9 MPH

26.                Luis Castillo – 25 starts, 2.99 ERA – 97.1 MPH

27.                Max Scherzer – 23 starts, 2.29 ERA – 94.0 MPH

28.                Tyler Anderson – 28 starts, 2.57 ERA – 90.7 MPH

29.                Spencer Strider – 20 starts, 2.67 ERA – 98.2 MPH

30.                Kyle Wright – 30 starts, 3.19 ERA – 95.1 MPH

31.                Miles Mikolas – 32 starts, 3.29 ERA – 93.5 MPH

32.                Tony Gonsolin – 24 starts, 2.14 ERA – 93.1 MPH

33.                Drew Rasmussen – 28 starts, 2.84 ERA – 95.5 MPH

34.                Jeffrey Springs – 25 starts, 2.46 ERA – 91.4 MPH

35.                Cristian Javier – 25 starts, 2.54 ERA – 93.8 MPH

36.                Robbie Ray – 32 starts, 3.71 ERA – 93.4 MPH

37.                Triston McKenzie – 30 starts, 2.96 ERA – 92.5 MPH

38.                Luis Severino – 19 starts, 3.18 ERA – 96.3 MPH

39.                Chris Bassitt – 30 starts, 3.42 ERA – 93.2 MPH

40.                Blake Snell – 24 starts, 3.38 ERA – 95.8 MPH

TIER 2: Rock Solid with Some Potential Top-40 Guys for Next Season

1.   Martin Perez – 32 starts, 2.89 ERA – 92.7 MPH

2.   Jose Quintana – 32 starts, 2.93 ERA – 91.2 MPH

3.   Patrick Sandoval – 27 starts, 2.91 ERA – 93.1 MPH

4.   Brady Singer – 24 starts, 3.23 ERA – 92.7 MPH

5.   George Kirby – 25 starts, 3.39 ERA – 95.3 MPH

6.   Michael Kopech – 25 starts, 3.54 ERA – 94.9 MPH

7.   Merrill Kelly – 33 starts, 3.37 ERA – 92.6 MPH

8.   Sonny Gray – 24 starts, 3.08 ERA – 92.1 MPH

9.   Taijuan Walker – 29 starts, 3.49 ERA – 93.7 MPH

10.                Tarik Skubal – 21 starts, 3.52 ERA – 94.1 MPH

11.                Eric Lauer – 29 starts, 3.69 ERA – 93.3 MPH

12.                Joe Ryan – 27 starts, 3.55 ERA – 92.0 MPH

13.                Nathan Eovaldi – 20 starts, 3.87 ERA – 95.7 MPH

14.                Luis Garcia – 28 starts, 3.72 ERA – 94.0 MPH

15.                Pablo Lopez – 32 starts, 3.75 ERA – 93.5 MPH

16.                Jordan Montgomery – 32 starts, 3.48 ERA – 93.0 MPH

17.                Justin Steele – 24 starts, 3.18 ERA – 92.2 MPH

18.                Cal Quantrill – 32 starts, 3.38 ERA – 93.3 MPH

19.                Adam Wainwright – 32 starts, 3.71 ERA – 88.0 MPH

20.                Frankie Montas – 27 starts, 4.05 ERA – 96.1 MPH

21.                Walker Buehler – 12 starts, 4.02 ERA – 95.2 MPH

TIER 3: Clearly Above-Average

1.   Jesus Luzardo – 18 starts, 3.32 ERA – 96.3 MPH

2.   Edward Cabrera – 14 starts, 3.01 ERA – 96.1 MPH

3.   Lance Lynn – 21 starts, 3.99 ERA – 93.0 MPH

4.   Ross Stripling – 24 starts, 3.01 ERA – 91.9 MPH

5.   Andrew Heaney – 14 starts, 3.10 ERA – 93.0 MPH

6.   Johnny Cueto – 24 starts, 3.35 ERA – 91.4 MPH

7.   Marcus Stroman – 25 starts, 3.50 ERA – 92.4 MPH

8.   Alex Cobb – 28 starts, 3.73 ERA – 95.5 MPH

9.   Jameson Taillon – 32 starts, 3.91 ERA – 94.1 MPH

10.                Jon Gray – 24 starts, 3.96 ERA – 95.9 ERA

11.                Roansy Contreras – 18 starts, 3.79 ERA – 95.6 MPH

12.                Charlie Morton – 31 starts, 4.34 ERA – 94.9 MPH

13.                Ranger Suarez – 29 starts, 3.65 ERA – 93.2 MPH

14.                Noah Syndergaard – 24 starts, 3.94 ERA – 94.1 MPH

15.                Domingo German – 14 starts, 3.61 ERA – 92.7 MPH

16.                Freddy Peralta – 17 starts, 3.58 ERA – 92.6 MPH

17.                Marco Gonzalez – 32 starts, 4.13 ERA – 88.4 MPH

18.                Michael Wacha – 23 starts, 3.32 ERA – 93.0 MPH

19.                Nick Lodolo – 19 starts, 3.66 ERA – 94.4 MPH

20.                Jose Urquidy – 28 starts, 3.94 ERA – 93.5 MPH

21.                Cole Irvin – 30 starts, 3.98 ERA – 90.7 MPH

TIER 4: Minimum 15 Starts, Good Season and/or Usually Decent

1.   Zack Greinke – 26 starts, 3.68 ERA – 89.1 MPH

2.   Carlos Carrasco – 29 starts, 3.97 ERA – 93.2 MPH

3.   Mitch Keller – 29 starts, 3.91 ERA – 95.5 MPH

4.   Eduardo Rodriguez – 17 starts, 4.05 ERA – 91.7 MPH

5.   Drew Smyly – 22 starts, 3.47 ERA – 92.6 MPH

6.   Reid Detmers – 25 starts, 3.77 ERA – 93.2 MPH

7.   Dean Kremer – 21 starts, 3.23 ERA – 93.5 MPH

8.   Chris Flexen – 22 starts, 3.73 ERA – 91.7 MPH

9.   Tyler Mahle – 23 starts, 4.40 ERA – 93.2 MPH

10.                Adrian Sampson – 19 starts, 3.11 ERA – 92.5 MPH

11.                Braxton Garrett – 17 starts, 3.58 ERA – 91.4 MPH

12.                Keegan Thompson – 17 starts, 3.76 ERA – 93.5 MPH

13.                Lucas Giolito – 30 starts, 4.90 ERA – 92.6 MPH

14.                Mike Clevinger – 22 starts, 4.33 ERA – 93.6 MPH

15.                Jose Suarez – 20 starts, 3.96 ERA – 92.7 MPH

16.                Zach Davies – 27 starts, 4.09 ERA – 89.6 MPH

17.                Corey Kluber – 31 starts, 4.34 ERA – 88.9 MPH

18.                Michael Lorenzen – 18 starts, 4.24 ERA – 94.6 MPH

19.                Aaron Ashby – 19 starts, 4.44 ERA – 95.3 MPH

20.                Rich Hill – 26 starts, 4.27 ERA – 88.5 MPH

21.                Kyle Freeland – 31 starts, 4.53 ERA – 90.3 MPH

22.                Nick Pivetta – 33 starts, 4.56 ERA – 93.4 MPH

23.                Jordan Lyles – 32 starts, 4.42 ERA – 91.9 MPH

24.                James Kaprielian – 26 starts, 4.23 ERA – 94.0 MPH

25.                Tyler Wells – 23 starts, 4.25 ERA – 93.5 MPH

26.                Paul Blackburn – 21 starts, 4.28 ERA – 91.5 MPH

27.                German Marquez – 31 starts, 5.00 ERA – 95.6 MPH

28.                Zach Plesac – 24 starts, 4.31 ERA – 91.9 MPH

29.                Hunter Greene – 24 starts, 4.44 ERA – 98.9 MPH

30.                David Peterson – 19 starts, 3.83 ERA – 93.7 MPH

31.                Bailey Falter – 16 starts, 3.86 ERA – 91.4 MPH

32.                Jake Odorizzi – 22 starts, 4.40 ERA – 92.1 MPH

33.                Sean Manaea – 28 starts, 4.96 ERA – 91.2 MPH

34.                Jose Berrios – 32 starts, 5.23 ERA – 94.0 MPH

TIER 5: Minimum 10 Starts, We Start Running Out of Potential Quality After This Group

1.   Andre Pallante – 10 starts, 3.17 ERA – 95.2 MPH

2.   Matt Manning – 12 starts, 3.43 ERA – 93.2 MPH

3.   MacKenzie Gore – 13 starts, 4.50 ERA – 94.7 MPH

4.   John Brebbia – 11 starts, 3.18 ERA – 94.4 MPH

5.   JP Sears – 11 starts, 3.86 ERA – 93.2 MPH

6.   Nick Martinez – 10 starts, 3.47 ERA – 93.4 MPH

7.   Bailey Ober – 11 starts, 3.21 ERA – 91.5 MPH

8.   Zach Eflin – 14 starts, 4.04 ERA – 93.1 MPH

9.   Austin Voth – 17 starts, 4.34 ERA – 93.5 MPH

10.                Konnor Pilkington – 11 starts, 3.88 ERA – 92.1 MPH

11.                Anibal Sanchez – 14 starts, 4.28 ERA – 89.9 MPH

12.                Beau Brieske – 15 starts, 4.19 ERA – 94.3 MPH

13.                Jakob Junis – 17 starts, 4.42 ERA – 90.8 MPH

14.                Devin Smeltzer – 12 starts, 3.71 ERA – 89.5 MPH

15.                Dane Dunning – 29 starts, 4.46 ERA – 86.9 MPH

16.                Chris Archer – 25 starts, 4.56 ERA – 93.0 MPH

17.                Glenn Otto – 27 starts, 4.64 ERA – 92.1 MPH

18.                JT Brubaker – 28 starts, 4.69 ERA – 92.7 MPH

19.                Dylan Bundy – 29 starts, 4.89 ERA – 89.0 MPH

20.                Kyle Gibson – 31 starts, 5.05 ERA – 92.0 MPH

21.                Trevor Rogers – 23 starts, 5.47 ERA – 94.6 MPH

22.                Alex Wood – 26 starts, 5.10 ERA – 92.4 MPH

23.                Dakota Hudson – 26 starts, 4.45 ERA – 91.4 MPH

24.                Adrian Houser – 21 starts, 4.73 ERA – 94.3 MPH

25.                Brayan Bello – 11 starts, 4.71 ERA – 97 MPH

26.                Graham Ashcraft – 19 starts, 4.89 ERA – 97.3 MPH

TIER 6: Minimum 10 Starts - If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say, Don't Say Anything At All

1.   Drew Hutchison – 18 starts, 4.53 ERA – 92.4 MPH

2.   Spenser Watkins – 20 starts, 4.70 ERA – 91.4 MPH

3.   Madison Bumgarner – 30 starts, 4.88 ERA – 91.2 MPH

4.   Aaron Civale – 20 starts, 4.92 ERA – 90.7 MPH

5.   Kyle Bradish – 23 starts, 4.90 ERA – 94.6 MPH

6.   Daniel Lynch – 27 starts, 5.13 ERA – 94.0 MPH

7.   Josiah Gray – 28 starts, 5.02 ERA – 94.4 MPH

8.   Luis Cessa – 10 starts, 4.57 ERA – 93.3 MPH

9.   Kyle Hendricks – 16 starts, 4.80 ERA – 86.9 MPH

10.                Josh Winder – 11 starts, 4.70 ERA – 94.0 MPH

11.                Ian Anderson – 22 starts, 5.00 ERA – 94.0 MPH

12.                Chad Kuhl – 27 starts, 5.72 ERA – 92.7 MPH

13.                Brad Keller – 22 starts, 5.09 ERA – 94.5 MPH

14.                Zach Thompson – 22 starts, 5.18 ERA – 92.3 MPH

15.                Antonio Senzatela – 19 starts, 5.07 ERA – 94.2 MPH

16.                Tyler Alexander – 18 starts, 4.81 ERA – 90.1 MPH

17.                Jose Urena – 17 starts, 5.01 ERA – 96.1 MPH

18.                Taylor Hearn – 13 starts, 5.13 ERA – 94.8 MPH

TIER 7: The Worst of the Guys Who Made At Least 10 Starts

1.   Jonathan Heasley – 21 starts, 5.28 ERA – 93.4 MPH

2.   Kris Bubic – 27 starts, 5.58 ERA – 91.9 MPH

3.   Yusei Kikuchi – 20 starts, 5.19 ERA – 94.9 MPH

4.   Bryse Wilson – 20 starts, 5.52 ERA – 92.7 MPH

5.   Eric Fedde – 27 starts, 5.81 ERA – 93.1 MPH

6.   Patrick Corbin – 31 starts, 6.31 ERA – 92.1 MPH

7.   Steven Matz – 10 starts, 5.25 ERA – 94.5 MPH

8.   Paolo Espino – 19 starts, 4.84 ERA – 88.5 MPH

9.   Mitch White – 18 starts, 5.45 ERA – 93.7 MPH

10.                Kutter Crawford – 12 starts, 5.47 ERA – 94.6 MPH

11.                Austin Gomber – 17 starts, 5.56 ERA – 91.0 MPH

12.                Alex Faedo – 12 starts, 5.53 ERA – 92.7 MPH

13.                Ryan Feltner – 19 starts, 5.83 ERA – 94.5 MPH

14.                Mike Minor – 19 starts, 6.06 ERA – 90.4 MPH

15.                Jason Alexander – 11 starts, 5.40 ERA – 93.1 MPH

16.                Josh Winckowski – 14 starts, 5.89 ERA – 93.7 MPH

17.                Bruce Zimmermann – 13 starts, 5.99 ERA – 90.6 MPH

18.                Adam Oller – 14 starts, 6.30 ERA – 93.3 MPH

19.                Adrian Martinez – 12 starts, 6.24 ERA – 93.8 MPH

20.                Michael Pineda – 11 starts, 5.79 ERA – 89.9 MPH

21.                Elieser Hernandez – 10 starts, 6.35 ERA – 91.6 MPH

22.                Tucker Davidson – 11 starts, 6.75 ERA – 93.2 MPH

23.                Zach Logue – 10 starts, 6.79 ERA – 90.1 MPH

24.                Aaron Sanchez – 10 starts, 6.60 ERA – 92.4 MPH

25.                Joan Adon – 14 starts, 7.10 ERA – 95.0 MPH

26.                Dallas Keuchel – 14 starts, 9.20 ERA – 87.9 MPH

TIER 8: Ranking the Rest, Part I - Single-Digit Starts with Potential to Bounce Back or Improve

1.   Tyler Glasnow – 2 starts, 1.35 ERA – 97.4 MPH

2.   Lance McCullers – 8 starts, 2.27 ERA – 93.1 MPH

3.   Jack Flaherty – 8 starts, 4.25 ERA – 93.3 MPH

4.   John Means – 2 starts, 3.38 ERA – 91.8 MPH

5.   Dustin May – 6 starts, 4.50 ERA – 98.1 MPH

6.   Garrett Whitlock – 9 starts, 3.45 ERA – 95.1 MPH

7.   Cody Morris – 5 starts, 2.28 ERA – 94.6 MPH

8.   Jalen Beeks – 7 starts, 2.80 ERA – 95.0 MPH

9.   Chris Sale – 2 starts, 3.18 ERA – 94.5 MPH

10.                Wade Miley – 8 starts, 3.16 ERA – 89.1 MPH

11.                Matt Bush – 6 starts, 3.47 ERA – 97.3 MPH

12.                Bryce Elder – 9 starts, 3.17 ERA – 91.6 MPH

13.                Tanner Houck – 4 starts, 3.15 ERA – 95.2 MPH

14.                Clarke Schmidt – 3 starts, 3.12 ERA – 94.7 MPH

15.                Hunter Brown – 2 starts, 0.89 ERA – 96.5 MPH

16.                Javier Assad – 8 starts, 3.11 ERA – 92.9 MPH

17.                Chris Paddack – 5 starts, 4.03 ERA – 93.0 MPH

18.                Johan Oviedo – 8 starts, 3.21 ERA – 96.0 MPH

19.                Ryan Pepiot – 7 starts, 3.47 ERA – 93.9 MPH

20.                Daniel Castano – 7 starts, 4.04 ERA – 92.0 MPH

21.                Rony Garcia – 8 starts, 4.41 ERA – 92.9 MPH

22.                Trevor Williams – 9 starts, 3.21 ERA – 91.2 MPH

23.                Jordan Hicks – 8 starts, 4.84 ERA – 100.1 MPH

24.                Shane Baz – 6 starts, 5.00 ERA – 96.0 MPH

25.                Jesus Tinoco – 2 starts, 2.18 ERA – 96.1 MPH

26.                J.P. Feyereisen - 2 starts, 0.00 ERA – 92.2 MPH

27.                Scott Alexander – 4 starts, 1.04 ERA – 92.2 MPH

28.                Fernando Cruz – 2 starts, 1.23 ERA – 94.4 MPH

29.                Ryne Nelson – 3 starts, 1.47 ERA – 94.8 MPH

30.                Drey Jamison – 4 starts, 1.48 ERA – 95.9 ERA

31.                Matt Wisler – 5 starts, 2.25 ERA – 89.7 MPH

32.                JT Chargois – 3 starts, 2.42 ERA – 95.3 MPH

33.                Angel Zerpa – 2 starts, 1.64 ERA – 94.1 MPH

34.                Hayden Wesneski – 4 starts, 2.18 ERA – 93.1 MPH

35.                Joey Wentz – 7 starts, 3.03 ERA – 92.4 MPH

36.                Connor Overton – 4 starts, 2.73 ERA – 91.0 MPH

37.                Bryan Garcia – 4 starts, 3.54 ERA – 92.9 MPH

38.                Sam Long – 6 starts, 3.61 ERA – 94.7 MPH

39.                Ryan Yarbrough – 9 starts, 4.50 ERA – 86.7 MPH

40.                Dillon Peters – 4 starts, 4.58 ERA – 92.9 MPH

41.                Mark Leiter – 4 starts, 3.99 ERA – 91.1 MPH

42.                Jhonathan Diaz – 3 starts, 2.93 ERA – 90.1 MPH

43.                Jimmy Lambert – 2 starts, 3.26 ERA – 94.3 MPH

44.                Louie Varland – 5 starts, 3.81 ERA – 93.8 MPH

45.                Bryan Baker – 2 starts, 3.49 ERA – 96.2 MPH

46.                Will Vest – 2 starts, 4.00 ERA – 95.1 MPH

47.                Garrett Hill – 8 starts, 4.03 ERA – 92.0 MPH

48.                Shawn Armstrong – 3 starts, 4.38 ERA – 95.3 MPH

49.                Tylor Megill – 9 starts, 5.13 ERA – 95.7 MPH

50.                Michael Grove – 6 starts, 4.60 ERA – 94.4 MPH

51.                Touki Toussaint – 2 starts, 4.62 ERA – 93.1 MPH

52.                Matt Brash – 5 starts, 4.44 ERA – 96.9 MPH

53.                Vince Velasquez – 9 starts, 4.78 ERA – 93.2 MPH

54.                Garrett Richards – 2 starts, 5.27 ERA – 94.4 MPH

55.                Hyun-Jin Ryu – 6 starts, 5.67 ERA – 89.3 MPH

56.                Erasmo Ramirez – 2 starts, 2.92 ERA – 93.7 MPH

57.                Cody Poteet – 2 starts, 3.86 ERA – 94.9 MPH

58.                Nick Nelson – 2 starts, 4.85 ERA – 96.3 MPH

59.                Tommy Nance – 2 starts, 4.33 ERA – 93.8 MPH

60.                Kirk McCarty – 2 starts, 4.54 ERA – 92.5 MPH

61.                Mike Baumann – 4 starts, 4.72 ERA – 95.8 MPH

62.                Davis Martin – 9 starts, 4.83 ERA – 94.0 MPH

63.                Tyler Beede – 5 starts, 5.14 ERA – 95.8 MPH

64.                Ken Waldichuk – 7 starts, 4.93 ERA – 94.1 MPH

65.                Jackson Tetreault – 4 starts, 5.14 ERA – 94.6 MPH

66.                Corbin Martin – 2 starts, 4.84 ERA – 94.1 MPH

TIER 9: Ranking the Rest, Part II - Single-Digit Starts with No Hope

1.   Matt Swarmer – 5 starts, 5.03 ERA – 90.5 MPH

2.   Tyler Gilbert – 7 starts, 5.24 ERA – 89.5 MPH

3.   Tommy Henry – 9 starts, 5.36 ERA – 91.6 MPH

4.   Cory Abbott – 9 starts, 5.25 ERA – 91.3 MPH

5.   Cole Ragans – 9 starts, 4.95 ERA – 92.1 MPH

6.   Josh Rogers – 3 starts, 5.13 ERA – 90.4 MPH

7.   Daulton Jefferies – 8 starts, 5.72 ERA – 92.4 MPH

8.   Daniel Norris – 3 starts, 5.22 ERA – 91.3 MPH

9.   Trevor Richards – 4 starts, 5.34 ERA – 93.4 MPH

10.                Justin Dunn – 7 starts, 6.10 ERA – 92.1 MPH

11.                Packy Naughton – 3 starts, 4.78 ERA – 92.8 MPH

12.                Casey Mize – 2 starts, 5.40 ERA – 93.5 MPH

13.                Jared Koenig – 5 starts, 5.72 ERA – 89.3 MPH

14.                Bryan Shaw – 2 starts, 5.40 ERA – 92.4 MPH

15.                Josh Fleming – 3 starts, 6.43 ERA – 91.3 MPH

16.                Anthony DeSclafani – 5 starts, 6.63 ERA – 92.6 MPH

17.                Luke Farrell – 2 starts, 5.40 ERA – 91.1 MPH

18.                Cristopher Sanchez – 3 starts, 5.63 ERA – 93.0 MPH

19.                Mike Mayers – 3 starts, 5.68 ERA – 93.5 MPH

20.                Humberto Castellanos – 9 starts, 5.68 ERA – 89.4 MPH

21.                Austin Davis – 3 starts, 5.79 ERA – 94.1 MPH

22.                Cole Sands – 3 starts, 5.87 ERA – 91.6 MPH

23.                Max Castillo – 6 starts, 5.95 ERA – 93.0 MPH

24.                Matthew Liberatore – 7 starts, 5.97 ERA – 93.7 MPH

25.                Chase Silseth – 7 starts, 6.59 ERA – 95.4 MPH

26.                Chi Chi Gonzalez – 5 starts, 5.87 ERA – 92.6 MPH

27.                Chase Anderson – 8 starts, 6.38 ERA – 91.9 MPH

28.                Xzavion Curry – 2 starts, 5.79 ERA – 92.1 MPH

29.                Vladimir Gutierrez – 8 starts, 7.61 ERA – 92.8 MPH

30.                Luis Patino – 8 starts, 8.10 ERA – 94.6 MPH

31.                Alec Mills – 2 starts, 9.68 ERA – 88.6 MPH

32.                Reiver Sanmartin – 4 starts, 6.32 ERA – 90.9 MPH

33.                Carlos Hernandez – 7 starts, 7.39 ERA – 96.8 MPH

34.                Janson Junk – 2 starts, 6.48 ERA – 92.5 MPH

35.                Spencer Howard – 8 starts, 7.41 ERA – 94.4 MPH

36.                Max Meyer – 2 starts, 7.50 ERA – 94.9 MPH

37.                Kyle Muller – 3 starts, 8.03 ERA – 94.3 MPH

38.                Huascar Ynoa – 2 starts, 13.50 ERA – 96.4 MPH

39.                Ethan Small – 2 starts, 7.11 ERA – 91.0 MPH

40.                Kohei Arihara – 4 starts, 9.45 ERA – 92.0 MPH

41.                Caleb Kilian – 3 starts, 10.32 ERA – 93.9 MPH

42.                Chris Ellis – 2 starts, 10.38 ERA – 92.7 MPH

43.                Elvin Rodriguez – 5 starts, 10.62 ERA – 93.1 MPH

44.                Tommy Romero – 2 starts, 10.80 ERA – 90.3 MPH

45.                Tyson Miller – 2 starts, 10.97 ERA – 91.1 MPH

46.                Connor Seabold – 5 starts, 11.29 ERA – 92.1 MPH

47.                T.J. Zeuch – 3 starts, 15.19 ERA – 92.0 MPH

48.                Hunter Gaddis – 2 starts, 18.41 ERA – 93.4 MPH

I hope you've enjoyed this MLB season thus far! I haven't. I'll see ya next year, I guess. 

John Frascella is a published baseball author and Fantasy Sports Writer for Razzball. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 and @MetsDepression for all things baseball and fantasy sports.