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:
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: 81-64
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- Lots of fun to be had in the top tier on Wednesday, with all of these arms being clear starts for your squads. Not much to do but lean back and enjoy.
- The second tier is a short one, but contains our streaming pick of the day in Bailey Falter. He’s been on a roll and gets the Marlins – this feels like shooting fish in a barrel.
- Also in the second tier is Jeffrey Springs, who has a tough line of opponents ahead, beginning with the Red Sox. He’s carried his elite changeup recently and should be able to handle Boston effectively.
- The third tier is a clear drop off on Wednesday, leading with Domingo Germán and
Dean Kremeragainst a pair of strong lineups. Be careful – you may have better options over the weekend and you don’t need to over-extend yourself with this crop of arms.
- We have a pair of Still ILL pitchers in Michael Kopech and Zack Greinke. I have a little more faith in Kopech, but not much more and I’d prefer to have them both sit out as we plan for their next matchup instead.
- Trevor Rogers had a brilliant changeup in his previous start and could be moving in the right direction. Unfortunately, he gets the Phillies here, but it could be a launching pad for a pair of starts against the Nationals.
- I don’t have the guts to start Alex Cobb in my leagues, nor do I want to chance it with Drew Hutchison against the Angels. It’s really not a fun third tier on Wednesday.
- Maaaaybe Javier Assad has his best cutter as he gets one of the best matchups around as he hosts the Reds in Wrigley. It’s a desperate play, though.
- In the bottom tier, it’s a horrid crew of matchups + Mike Minor against the Cubs. Please, don’t chase these arms. There has to be better on the wire later in the week.
- Updates: The Yankees/Twins game rained out last night and will be played as a doubleheader today. That means Gerrit Cole and Joe Ryan have their starts today – make sure they are in your lineups.
- The Twins are calling up Louie Varland for the second game against the Yankees. I don’t start pitchers in their MLB debuts, but he’s worth the spec add as he’s rapidly moved up the ranks this year & would get the Royals next Tuesday if he sticks.
- Lastly, Tyler Wells has been reinstated from the IL and will start tonight in place of Dean Kremer. It’s a clear Still ILL, especially against the Jays. I want no part in this.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- Not a whole lot to talk about for Thursday. You have your standard aces + Adam Wainwright and Kyle Gibson at the end of the tier facing two of the weakest offenses around. Let em fly.
- There may be some hesitation surrounding Freddy Peralta as his command has been a bit wonky since his return, though the ceiling is too high & the floor is reasonable enough even with the erratic arsenal.
- In the second tier, it’s just Sonny Gray as he faces the Yankees. I was tempted to slot him in the top tier, though his ceiling feels a bit capped unlike the others there. You’re very likely starting him with the NYY offense laboring tremendously over the past month.
- The third tier begins with Gray’s opponent, Nestor Cortes. He sits in the lower tier as he gets the Still ILL label – I’m not sure if he’ll have some rust and how long he’ll go in this game.
- The Athletics have the reluctant streaming pick of the day in JP Sears. I wouldn’t call myself the largest fan of his repertoire, though he’s been able to toss 5+ competitive frames with regularity. Luis Cessa vs. Adrian Sampson has an interesting case as well (which side would you choose?), though I think Sears has done a bit more as of late.
- The final two options are Jakob Junis and Josiah Gray. Junis has his wicked slider, but not his changeup and a rather weak sinker, making for a low floor and limited ceiling. As for Gray, it’s dangerous against the Cardinals, though if you’re chasing strikeouts, he could tally 7+ here regardless of the ratios.
- Oh, and the Giants are starting Sean Hjelle in game two of the doubleheader…or possibly just a bullpen game. Again. No thanks.
Featured Image by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)