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: 30-19
Today’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.
- Update: With Wade Miley dealing with a shoulder issue, Marcus Stroman has been pushed up and will start on Sunday. You should be safe starting him against the White Sox.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- Only three sit atop the top tier for Monday, leading with Walker Buehler against the Pirates. Sure, he hasn’t been what we’ve wanted him to be this season, but it’s the Pirates and you should anticipate a great outing in Los Angeles.
- Zac Gallen is coming off a rough outing, but I expect him to bounce back against an Atlanta squad that’s struggled against right-handers.
- The second tier begins with Drew Rasmussen, who has gone two straight starts of earning whiffs on his slider and cutter. It could be a step forward in the strikeout department, though his ratios did rise as well. A date with Texas should side with the sweet more than the sour.
- Aaron Ashby is making his second start as a locked member of the Brewers rotation and I like his chances of success against a middling Cubs offense.
- The second tier ends with Pablo López as he faces a date in Coors. I imagine myself still starting him in most cases, but I have to recognize the risk of dealing with Coors. It’s no fun.
- Charlie Morton joins Pablo at the bottom of the tier as he heads to Arizona. His recent struggles have given us caution and the Diamondbacks should ease most of our fears.
- We have our streaming pick of the day leading off the third tier in David Peterson as he faces the Nationals. I know, they just roughed up fellow southpaw Austin Gomber, but I’m digging the shape of Peterson’s slider and I can see this one playing out well.
- It’s not a pretty tier one Monday, elevating Nick Martinez to the #10 spot even if I’m not very confident in this outing. I think his stuff is generally solid while the results haven’t quite panned out for him so far. I’d generally avoid the third tier and lower to start your week.
- Yes, that includes Tobys who reside at the bottom of Tier 3 – Paul Blackburn and Kyle Gibson – as they face some difficult bats. I would prefer not to risk it.
- And Rich Hill is getting the Orioles, but doesn’t go long in games and has a lower floor than I’d like.
- In the bottom tier, there’s a chance that Dylan Bundy can pull off a start against the Tigers. He tossed his elite slider 30% of the time in his last start and if he keeps leaning in heavily into the breaker, there’s a window for success.
- The same goes with Zach Plesac, who finally had his excellent slider last outing. He’s still missing his changeup, though, and if he can find that secondary too, then he could cruise against the Royals.
Featured Image by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)