Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings – 5/28 & 5/29

Every day of the 2022 baseball season, I’ll be looking at today and tomorrow’s slate of scheduled starting pitchers and ranking their matchups for your fantasy baseball streams.

There’s a lot that goes into this and you can hang out with me on Twitch.tv/pitcherlist to talk about the specific ranks as I make them every weekday morning from 9am – 11am ET. If you have questions to these ranks, please ask during the morning Twitch AMA. Those are my office hours as I generally don’t answer comments on the site.

There are four tiers to these rankings with 12-teamers in mind:

 

Auto-Start – Just do it. Don’t overthink this, start the man.

Probably Start – I’m likely starting these arms, though I recognize there is more risk than we’d like there to be. Either it’s a tough matchup for a good pitcher or a weak lineup for a volatile arm.

Questionable Start – There are situations where I’d take the chance, either with strong enough upside on the ability side, or a poor offense that a pitcher could take advantage of.

Do Not Start – The reward is not worth the risk. Don’t do it.

 

Obviously, there will be circumstances where pitchers should move between teams for your situation specifically and these new tiers should act as a little more help than the straight table from last year.

Please keep in mind that streaming is far from a perfect play. In fact, if they work out over half the time, I’d consider it a success. These matchup rankings & streamer picks are going to be wildly different than the actual results throughout the year, so please, have sympathy before the scathing comments and tweets. I’m only trying to help!

Make sure to read the notes if you’re wondering why I’m favoring certain pitchers over others – I won’t get to everyone and hopefully I answer what questions you will have.

There is a second table for tomorrow’s starting pitcher matchups as well, helping everyone get a jump on their nightly pickups. Please note that these matchups are subject to change, though, and there will be times when I have the incorrect pitcher going. I thank you for your future understanding.

Finally, there are my streaming picks of the day, and please keep in mind that I am forced to pick a streamer every day. Those highlighted in Green are in the second tier and I’d roll with them everywhere. The most common are those in Yellow in the third tier and should be decent if you’re searching for something on a given day. Finally, those are Red are those I really don’t want to start (they are labeled as “Do Not Start”, after all) but have no other choice. Don’t stream these guys until you are truly desperate. A streaming pick is defined as “rostered in 20% or fewer leagues,” which really emphasizes the point that I’d be happy if over 50% of these worked. I could do the whole sub 30/40% rostered, but there’s no fun in that. You can use the rankings to realize who would be those picks, instead.

(Opener) – Outlines that a pitcher is being opened for that day & the pitcher listed will follow the opener.

 

As I do my rankings, I thought it would be helpful to showcase a table of how we’re ranking offenses. Dave Swan does an incredible job of showcasing future SP matchups every 2-3 weeks in this article, and I’ve elected to use his offense ranks to share with all of you here:

 

 

I’m sure it’ll change through the year + there are differences to be made about teams vs. LHP or RHP, but it’s a great general table that y’all should keep in mind.

Alright, let’s get to it.

 

2022 Streamer Record: 29-19

 

Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

• We have a small top tier for Saturday’s games, with Joe Musgrove getting a wonderful matchup against the Pirates, elevating him to the #1 play of the day. Sorry, Gerrit Cole.
• Despite some recent turbulence, Nathan Eovaldi still has a spot in the top tier as he faces the Orioles. He found his splitter last time and should make your trust very worth your while.

 

• The second tier begins with Triston McKenzie, who just dispensed the Astros with ease. I still worry he doesn’t have the strongest command, though a date with the Tigers warrants a start in my book. Update: It’s Shane Bieber with Triston going tomorrow now. He’s an auto-start.
• Yes, I still have Alex Wood in the second tier despite his…rough season. The Reds are terrible against left-handers and Wood finally gets an easy matchup where his 92+ mph fastball and strong slider can properly run the gamut.

 

• After showcasing a tick of extra velocity last time out, I’m rolling with José Urquidy against the struggling Mariners offense. Let’s hope last start was a launching pad for a strong Urquidy stretch.
• Logan Gilbert follows, but is on the other side of the dividing line in Tier 3. I worry about his secondaries, even if he earned a fair amount of whiffs on his slider last time out. The Astros are tough and this could be a bit of a rough outing.

 

• The matchup between Michael Lorenzen and Yusei Kikuchi will be an interesting one. Lorenzen has been a solid arm for fantasy managers and facing an underperforming Jays offense, while Kikuchi is on a hot streak…that I don’t see lasting much longer. We’ll see how this one goes.
• The streaming pick of the day is the man I should have picked for his Monday outing and that’s Coffee Cakes himself, JT Brubaker. The Padres struggle against right-handers and Brubaker normally has a strong slider that is sure to mess up many of their hitters.

 

• The bottom half of this tier is certainly a step down from those at the top, starting around Zach Logue and Johnny Cueto. I recognize these players as coin flips and are generally not options I want to pursue in my leagues.
• Will Zach Eflin have his curveball again? Can Chad Kuhl find his slider? Will Taijuan Walker have his splitter and sit 94+? No idea.

 

• Keep in mind, we have another doubleheader with the Rockies and Nationals today. Don’t start Joan Adon or Aaron Sanchez, but consider Austin Gomber as a streaming option – I like him slightly more than Kuhl as he had a larger array of weapons in his arsenal.

 

• In the bottom tier, Corey Kluber and Merrill Kelly were dealt some rough opponents and it’s better safe than sorry in these cases.
• I see a world where Tucker Davidson and Elvin Rodriguez pull off productive outings against their weak opponents, but boy do I not want to rely on that. Update: With yesterday’s rainout, it’s Alex Faedo, which is an interesting streaming option with his solid slider.

 

• I don’t believe Chris Archer has it in him to go 5+ innings with any regularity, making his good matchup against the Royals go to waste.
• And maybe the debut of Matthew Liberatore was a poor indication of what’s to come, though I won’t bank on the fastball suddenly becoming a great offering against the Brewers.

 

Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

• Despite facing the Yankees, it’s hard to argue against Shane McClanahan earning the second spot on Sunday’s rankings. He’s been Money McShane all year.
• On the other side is Luis Severino, who hasn’t been as locked in as we want him to be, but began earning whiffs with his slider last start and could have found a new gear. I’m letting him loose everywhere.

 

• With Friday’s rainout, Triston McKenzie goes on Sunday, who just dispensed the Astros with ease. I still worry he doesn’t have the strongest command, though a date with the Tigers warrants a start in my book.
• José Berríos is The Great Undulater. Keep starting the man, even if it’s against the tough Angels offense.

 

• I’ve been slightly overrating the Blue Jays offense in the opening weeks of the year, which makes a date with Toronto a little easier to endure for Patrick Sandoval. 
• A luscious afternoon awaits MacKenzie Gore as he’s been dealt a matchup against the Pirates. I’d expect to go well in his favor.

 

• I know, Alex Cobb has been horrible for your fantasy teams as of late, but it’s the Reds. His luck is sure to fix itself and good times await.
• Do I think Tyler Anderson has a terribly high ceiling? No, I don’t believe he’ll earn another ten whiffs on his changeup and repeat his recent gem of an outing. That said, he’s on a winning club and gets the Sneks. That’s a wonderful thing.

 

• The top of the Questionable Start tier boasts Roansy Contreras as he faces the Padres. They haven’t fared well against right-handers this year and oddly enough, Contreras is rostered in under 20% of leagues, making him the streaming pick of the day. Let’s hope his command is a bit better and the debut’s erratic nature was a product of nerves.
• If you’re in need of another streamer, James Kaprielian is looking like a proper Toby and faces a mediocre Rangers offense. You could also consider Dane Dunning on the other side, hoping his command is at its peak.

 

• There’s also hope that Kyle Freeland provides value now that he’s outside of Coors and faces a middling Nationals lineup. This could work out well.
• And why not, Josiah Gray could rack up the strikeouts against Rockie Road on the other side of the bump. That slider was ridiculous last time out.

 

• I heavily debated where to place Tyler Mahle and those who want him in the bottom tier, I completely understand. I can’t rid myself of the idea that his luck should come back at some point, but this is at home and the Giants can put runs on the board in a hurry.
• In the final tier, you won’t find much respite, though there is an outside chance Elvin Rodriguez provides value as he gets another start for the Tigers. The Guardians don’t pose the largest threat and you could fine 5+ inning of quality here.

 

Featured Image by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)