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 10am – 12pm 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 (Updated 9/10):
Auto-Start – Just do it. Don’t overthink this, start the man. This includes “if I have them rostered, I’m starting them” pitchers.
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-not-elite pitcher or a weak lineup for a volatile arm. These pitchers have a 50% or greater chance of performing well in my view.
Questionable Start – Think of this tier as “I don’t want to start these pitchers in a vacuum, but you could do worse.” Streamers found in this tier are not pitchers I’m targeting and are only if you are in dire need of one. To play it safe with streaming, just start the Probably Start streamers.
Do Not Start – The reward is not worth the risk. Don’t do it. Seriously, these pitchers have a very slim chance of success or sometimes none at all.
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. Those in Yellow in the third tier and should be okay if you’re searching for something on a given day, but I don’t recommend streaming unless you’re in need. 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: 90-68
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- The top tier has some questions, particularly Shane McClanahan and
Carlos Rodón.McShane was phenomenal against the Jays in his return, but the Astros are the Astros…I’m leaning on the skills more than the team. As for Carlos Rodón, he was removed early in his last start with a cracked nail and blister, but he’s expected to make his start…in Coors. I’m confident his heater will still work per usual despite the conditions and would rather have him over the recent challenges of Charlie Morton and Pablo López.
- The second tier has Nick Lodolo and Carlos Carrasco at the top, a pair of arms who could arguably be in the top tier. Lodolo is a strikeout machine, but the Red Sox may give him a bit of a struggle, while Carrasco isn’t facing the Marlins or Pirates this time around.
- At the bottom of the tier, Adam Wainwright and Austin Voth have their question marks. I can’t help but wonder if fatigue is affecting Wainwright as he’s slowed down across the last month, but if you have him rostered, I think you’re still letting him fly.
- As for Austin Voth, he’s our streaming pick of the day against the Tigers because, well, it’s the Tigers. That said, Voth isn’t a blind start and has been a touch out of rhythm lately. Still, he’s worth the stream if you’re able to snag him.
- Other considerations for Tuesday’s SPotD can be found in the third tier with Adrian Sampson and Brayan Bello. I don’t have much adoration for Sampson’s schtick, but the Marlins make for a solid spin of the wheel. Bello has a tougher time inside Cincy and comes with a bit of volatility, but may reward trusting managers.
- No, I don’t like starting Dylan Bundy or Kyle Gibson in my leagues, but I do recognize that this could work, at least moreso than those in the bottom tier.
- There is a case to be made for some of these bottom tier arms, though. Michael Grove made it work in his spot start last week and are the Diamondbacks that much of a threat? Don’t expect more than five frames and who knows how consistent he actually is.
- There’s the fireballer Luis Ortiz making his second start of his career, but it’s against the Yankees. Watch this closely as he could be a wonderful stream against the Cubs on Sunday.
- Joey Wentz made things work last time out and now gets the Orioles, and hey, it’s Drey Jameson who was marvelous in his MLB debut. Now he gets the Dodgers, though, and we can’t trust a one start sample.
- The days of trusting Mike Clevinger are in the past, don’t let the name lure you in against the Cardinals.
- And lastly, Aaron Civale is coming back from the IL, but he’s a Still ILL here. Maybe next time against the Rangers.
- Updates: The Brewers are bringing Aaron Ashby back into the rotation and he’ll be a Still ILL against the Mets. There’s a chance they rest their starters after clinching a playoff berth yesterday, though I imagine they’re fighting for the top of the NL East still and won’t take their foot off the gas pedal.
- Looks like you won’t have to make the tough decision of Carlos Rodón in Coors after all – the Giants pushed him back to Friday to give him more time to heal his cracked nail.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- Take note – the Padres have pushed back Sean Manaea, pushing Blake Snell into the first tier facing the Cardinals. Make sure he’s in your lineup.
- Today marks what may be the very first Auto-Start streaming pick of the day in Drew Smyly against the Marlins. He’s been on a tear since the All-Star break, executing the BSB to perfection, and now he gets the lowly Marlins. Take advantage of this one.
- The second tier also has streaming options as I’d be pushing these starters instead of waiting later in the week. Jordan Lyles is a right-hander facing the Tigers who has gone 6+ frames multiple times. Bailey Ober is looking like himself and can take advantage of the Royals. Start these men.
- Logan Webb can also be found in the second tier as he heads to Coors. It’s a tough call, I know, and I’m leaning start as he’s been able to handle tough matchups previously.
- I had a tough time figuring out what to do with Roansy Contreras and elected Tuesday morning to move him from the second tier to the third as he faces the Yankees. I love the slider and velocity, though the Yankees are volatile + we don’t know how long the Pirates will let Roansy go in this one after getting an early hook last time out.
- It’s weird seeing Luis Severino and Zack Wheeler down here, but it’s a pair of Still ILL situations where we don’t know how long they’ll go or if they’ll have any rust. Wheeler has it particularly tough against the Jays, as well.
- I can see some wanting to favor Matt Manning against the Orioles and I still have my hesitations. I’m sure you’re sick of hearing it, but I don’t think Manning’s fastball + slider combo is all that great. It opens the door for a whole lot of disappointment here.
- Don’t rule out Dane Dunning having one of his great nights against a middling Angels offense, but don’t resort to this start if you don’t need to.
- The bottom tier doesn’t hold much at all, per usual. Josiah Gray always has a chance to explode with his breakers, James Kaprielian can always go 5-6 frames, and Connor Seabold may have a decent shot at production against the Reds, though the chances are slim for all of them.
Featured Image by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)