Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings Fantasy Baseball – 5/27 & 5/28

Here are today’s daily SP Streamer rankings.

Every day of the 2023 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. 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 that day’s streaming pick in the second tier and I’d roll with them everywhere. Those in Yellow are 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 (in Alphabetical order):

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

Alright, let’s get to it.

 

This year, with our new daily fantasy baseball projections powered by PLV, I’ll be competing against PL Bot to pick the best streaming option each day.

To get access to PL Bot’s picks each day, sign up for PL Pro here.

 

Nick’s 2023 Streamer Record: 30-25

My pick yesterday: JP Sears @ SEA

PL Bot’s 2023 Streamer Record: 27-28

PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Brandon Pfaadt vs BOS

Want PL Bot’s pick today? Sign Up for PL Pro here.

 

With the new formatting for the notes, I’ve made the streaming pick of the day Underlined and Italicized.

 

Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Shohei Ohtani vs. MIA – Jeeeeeeeeez.

Luis Castillo vs. PIT – The four-seamer was up two ticks last time out…

Framber Valdez @ OAK – It’s Oakland, even if he isn’t an AGA like the others.

Corbin Burnes vs. SFG – He’s been shaky lately and lost his AGA label, but the Giants make for a solid floor.

Zack Wheeler @ ATL – Wheeler has been one of the more unfortunate pitchers out there.

Logan Webb @ MIL – I wonder what the leash will be on Webb as he deals with a back issue.

Chris Bassitt @ MIN – He’s been on a roll since his 9 ER game to kick off the season and the Twins aren’t a major threat.

Clayton Kershaw @ TBR – I want to emphasize that Kershaw’s last outing was influenced by sad personal news. I hope he’s emotionally ready to go.

Pablo López vs. TOR – The Jays are as tough of a matchup as you’ll see, but it’s PabLó. You do it.

Justin Verlander @ COL – I initially had him in the second tier, but if you have Verlander, it’s hard to resist, even with Coors.

 

Probable Starts

 

Luis Severino vs. SDP – He’s one start removed from the IL, but he should be stretched out enough to go 80-85 pitches in this one. Velocity n all are back.

Charlie Morton vs. PHI – He had a rough one last time, but the CSW rates were there.

Josiah Gray @ KCR – I wouldn’t call myself a major Josiah fan at this point, but the Royals are far from a team to fear.

Andrew Heaney @ BAL – The strikeout ceiling is too high to put him in the third tier, though I recognize that if the slider isn’t there, this could be rough.

Tanner Bibee vs. STL – He didn’t have his arsenal depth last time out and the Cardinals has thump in it. Still, Bibee has a high QS chance here and it’s worth the gamble.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Jack Flaherty @ CLE – This feels like it should be a strong game for Flaherty as he gets the Guardians, not the Dodgers like last time out. That said, we’ve seen him waver consistently through the season and it’s hard to lean into this with conviction.

Tyler Glasnow vs. LAD – It’s a Still ILL against a strong offense, even if he’s tossed 70 pitches in Triple-A for rehab. I just don’t know what we’re going to get.

Michael Lorenzen vs. CHW – Despite not coming through for us last time, Lorenzen has enough in the tank to make this stream work against an often lacking offense.

Michael Wacha @ NYY – If he has his changeup on point (and four-seamer, for that matter), Wacha could cruise 6+ against the Yankees.

Edward Cabrera @ LAA – The walk rates have fallen across the last two games, though his fastball control hasn’t normalized. The change and curve are legit, though.

Brady Singer vs. WSN – He’s a Cherry Bomb – if the slider is there, then we’re golden.

Garrett Whitlock @ ARI – It’s a Still ILL and I dig Whitlock once he gets his heels dug into the rubber. Seems like this is best as a “wait-and-see” as we leave him on the IL.

Brandon Williamson @ CHC – The cutter + four-seamer worked in Coors and there’s a chance it works against the Cubs.

Tommy Henry vs. BOS – He was able to whip out a legit curve last time out and I wonder if he can replicate it against the Sawx.

Dean Kremer vs. TEX – The four-seamer can get whiffs at times but the Rangers are awfully scary.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Roansy Contreras @ SEA – I hate the heaters and the slider needs to be that good to make this work.

Update: Vince Velasquez @ SEA – It’s a Still ILL as I hope he’s still slider-focused.

Jameson Taillon vs. CIN – He hasn’t found a groove that makes me think he’s ready to soar against the Reds.

Update: Zach Davies vs. BOS – It’s a Still ILL and I’m curious if he has his best changeup.

Jesse Scholtens @ DET – I don’t think there’s enough here for you to chase.

Chase Anderson vs. NYM – It’s Chase. It’s Coors. It’s sadness.

Hogan Harris vs. HOU – He’s getting the chance to start for Oakland and he has to endure the Astros. Nope.

 

Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Spencer Strider vs. PHI – The strikeouts are insane.

Cristian Javier @ OAK – Javier gets the push up considering it’s the Athletics.

Gerrit Cole vs. SDP – He’s still my ROS SP #1, but I recognize how hot Strider is right now and he doesn’t get the Athletics.

Yu Darvish @ NYY – Darvish does what Darvish does regardless of opponent.

Dylan Cease @ DET – Surely Cease can come through against the Tigers, right? Just throw strikes, kid – I say, getting flashbacks of my ninth-grade travel coach.

Eduardo Rodriguez vs. CHW – He stumbled last time out but we have to give him the benefit of the doubt right now.

 

Probable Starts

 

Drew Smyly vs. CIN – He’s on an insane run and we can’t stop now that he’s hosting the Reds.

Alex Cobb @ MIL – The slider isn’t there but that’s okay against the Brewers, right? He was heavy curveball last time and I’m curious if Cobb keeps that up. Probably not.

Patrick Sandoval vs. MIA – Despite the low strikeout totals (and high WHIP), we start Sandoval against the Marlins.

Merrill Kelly vs. BOS – He’s a Toby and this is a decent enough start.

Jordan Montgomery @ CLE – Monty has disappointed me a bit this year, but it’s Cleveland. You do this.

Eury Pérez @ LAA – I love Eury and the Angels aren’t an elite offense that would deter me here.

Marco Gonzales vs. PIT – In typical Toby fashion, Gonzo is our streaming pick of the day against a poor offense.

Tanner Houck @ ARI- I’m not sure how much I buy into the elite command Houck expressed in his last start, but I feel like it’s worthwhile to chase against the Diamondbacks.

Questionable Starts

 

MacKenzie Gore @ KCR – I’ts hard to gauge how much you can trust Gore right now, even against the Royals. He’s a Cherry Bomb at the moment.

Bailey Ober vs. TOR – I dig Ober, I don’t dig the matchup against Toronto.

Taj Bradley vs. LAD – Taj is still working out the kinks and the Dodgers are scary. Decent strikeout upside, though.

Dane Dunning @ BAL – I really don’t buy the run Dunning is on and Baltimore can mess pitchers up quickly.

José Berríos @ MIN – He’s boasted a sub 3.00 ERA across his last fifty frames, but he’s The Great Undulator for a reason. Here’s to more sinkers in the zone at low hard contact rates.

Colin Rea vs. SFG – Hey, Rea made it work against the Astros. There’s a chance he replicates it against a worse offense.

 

Do Not Starts

Roansy Contreras @ SEA – I don’t like the four-seamer at all and while the floor is a little higher than the others here, I think we’re far from greatness.

Daniel Lynch? vs. WSN – Lynch is making his season debut and I’m awfully curious what we get. Let’s wait and see.

Luis Medina vs. HOU – He’s a desperate PQS play and the Astros are oddly streamable at times.

Kyle Bradish vs. TEX – The slider is all he has and it abandoned him last start + it’s Texas.

Graham Ashcraft @ CHC – He’s allowed 7+ ER in three of his last four games. Give him a break for a second.

Hunter Gaddis vs. STL – Gaddis was worthwhile last time out, but that felt like a Birthday Party instead of a display of legitimacy.

Gavin Stone @ TBR – There are kinks to work out here and the Rays are legit.

Dylan Covey @ ATL – He was great last time out, but we don’t actually believe in Covey, right? Against Atlanta?!

Austin Gomber vs. NYM – It’s Coors.

Tylor Megill @ COL – It’s Coors.

 

Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)