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 about 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:
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: 78-59
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- We have a bevy of top tier options on Tuesday and I doubt we’ll see many complaints across the Top 10 ranks here, though things haven’t gone Logan Webb’s way for a moment. Let’s hope he rebounds against the Padres.
- At the bottom we have Cole Irvin and Andrew Heaney. Irvin should continue his legacy against Natty Lite, while Andrew Heaney tossed six frames and more than 90 pitches in his last start. I know the Mets can put up a fight, though I think it’s well worth the gamble with Heaney’s stuff.
- In the second tier, Lucas Giolito squares off against Brady Singer and it’s difficult to choose the victor. On one hand, Giolito has the better matchup and a good enough handle on his repertoire to perform against the Royals (though he’s still a bit underwhelming), while Singer has been on a tear…except for a previous outing against the very same White Sox. Either way, you should be starting both.
- The other name here is Jameson Taillon as he faces the Angels on the west coast. Taillon’s stuff isn’t elite and he’s struggled against weak lineups before, though it’s a spin of the wheel weighted in your favor.
- The third tier begins with a trio of streaming options, leading with Dakota Hudson against the Reds. Do I love any of these? Not really, but Hudson does have 6+ inning upside with a wonderful defense and offense behind him.
- Spenser Watkins and Matt Manning are the other two names of consideration. Watkins has had Orioles magic on his side and spun more gems than duds as of late, while Manning is making it work with four-seamers and sliders. It’s a bit risky with both, though, so be careful.
- The bottom pair of the third tier have a tough challenge ahead and I’d sit them in most situations – Marcus Stroman faces the Jays & Taijuan Walker gets the Dodgers. This can go well, but it could destroy your week quickly, too.
- As always, hold yourself from diving into the bottom tier. I don’t trust Mitch Keller in the slightest, Adrian Houser is a clear Still ILL, we don’t trust Erick Fedde even against Oakland,
and while I want Trevor Rogers to suddenly be fixed (worth a spec add if you have an empty spot), I’m not starting him in his first game back.
- Update: The Marlins swamped Jesús Luzardo and Trevor Rogers, with the former starting on Tuesday. I love his changeup and the Rays are not enough of a threat to hold him back in this one. Let him fly.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- Where do you rank Joe Musgrove for Wednesday? I was tempted to place him as low as #8 given his recent struggles, but he gets the Giants and I have to believe his slider will overwhelm them per usual.
- Drew Rasmussen has been hot lately and has all the reasons to soar against the Marlins. I like the floor of Freddy Peralta and Triston McKenzie a touch more, and you can’t go wrong.
- At the bottom of the tier are José Quintana and Tyler Anderson. Quintana improved his command in the last start and should keep the ball in the park decently well in Cincy.
- Meanwhile, you haven’t regretted starting Tyler Anderson all year, why start now, even against a strong Mets lineup?
- In the second tier, Marco Gonzales leads the way with his incredible changeup against the paltry Tigers offense. It’s hard to deny him the top spot.
- The rest of the options are a bit more contentious. Joe Ryan’s heater was improved last start, but the Sawx could challenge him. Martín Pérez has been one h*ck of a Vargas Rule, and I imagine you’re still starting him despite facing the Astros. Patrick Sandoval just earned 26 whiffs and the Yankees are a volatile offense. Lastly, Luis Garcia has been trending down for nearly a month now, making it a tough call against the Rangers.
- In the third tier, Michael Wacha stumbled last time out and now faces the solid Twins offense. Be careful here, if the changeup isn’t working, it may be a disaster.
- Our streaming pick of the day is Bailey Falter against the Sneks. I don’t love his 90/91 mph heater, but he elevates it well and comes with a pair of solid breakers. He’s gone six frames in each of his last three starts and can make this work.
- Despite walking six Yankee batters in his last start, James Kaprielian should also be considered for a stream. Natty Lite is far easier and I’m willing to wager it was an off day instead of a sign of the times.
- The rest of the tier is not too exciting. Jordan Lyles may have some Orioles magic, Alex Wood has been rough lately, and Mitch White couldn’t take advantage of the Angels, what hope is there for the Cubs?
- In the bottom tier, I recommend stashing Trevor Rogers to see how he pitches in his first start back from the minors. I’d hold off from risking the performance, but there’s potential of production that will have everyone rushing to the wire Thursday morning.
- Please resist Aníbal Sánchez against the Athletics. You want nothing to do with this.
Featured Image by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)