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.
Streaming record is determined by “Was this a productive game for 12-teamers if I started them?” Roughly a PQS with a Win and a strikeout per inning with a sub 1.20 WHIP. Close calls are decided by Twitch chat.
Nick’s 2023 Streamer Record: 50-40
My pick yesterday: Osvaldo Bido vs. MIL
PL Bot’s 2023 Streamer Record: 47-43
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Carlos Carrasco vs. SFG
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
Gerrit Cole @ STL – Aces gonna ace. The slider is back y’all.
Zack Wheeler vs. WSN – The fastballs are elite and I’m not worried about the dumb cutters from his last outing.
Dylan Cease @ OAK – The slider has returned and it’s Oakland. H’oh boy.
Tyler Glasnow @ SEA – We’ve seen both sides of the Glasnow coin and an outing against the whiff-heavy mariners should provide dividends.
Justin Verlander vs. SFG – Verlander is a safe play relative to the others in this tier.
Corbin Burnes @ PIT – Burnes has been a bit all over the place with a cutter he doesn’t get down enough and two secondaries that don’t earn the whiffs they used to. That said, it’s Pittsburgh, surely that’s a safe environment for him?
George Kirby vs. TBR – The Rays are monstrous, but if you have Kirby, you have to start him regardless.
Charlie Morton vs. MIA – Morton’s volatility is no secret, though the Marlins provide a higher floor.
Marcus Stroman vs. CLE – He’s below Morton for the sake of fewer strikeouts + the blister that gave him an early exit in London.
Eury Pérez @ ATL – It’s so much fun watching Eury and while some may want to bench him against Atlanta, I think you go for it if you have him.
Probably Starts
Julio Urías @ KCR – It looks like a Still ILL, but given the Royals’ dearth of offensive punch, Urías is still a safe start, even if he’ll likely be on a limited pitch count.
Tanner Bibee @ CHC – Bibee did all the right things in his last start and the Cubs don’t scare us.
Bailey Ober @ BAL – Ober has executed his gameplan consistently this season. It’s not electric, but it works.
Yusei Kikuchi vs. BOS – Kikuchi has figured out how to get curves and sliders inside the zone frequently and it’s catalyzed a fantastic run across the last month.
Hunter Brown @ TEX – It’s a terrifying matchup but if we have Hunter, I don’t think we can deny him time on the bump.
Nathan Eovaldi vs. HOU – I’m scared of the velocity dip and the Astros could punish him quickly.
Johan Oviedo vs. MIL – He’s our streaming pick of the day as the slider + curve make for a solid duo inside the zone. Just throw strikes against the Brewers and everything should be fine.
Questionable Starts
MacKenzie Gore @ PHI – The strikeouts have been there while Gore’s consistency hasn’t. We want him to be a BSB faithful and I hope he has another start to showcase that belief. The Phils are a difficult lineup and it could be another rough ratio + solid strikeout game for the young southpaw.
UPDATE: Luis Severino @ STL – It’s a doubleheader today, pushing Severino to today and Cole tomorrow. Sevy got through the Rangers in his last outing, but his command and repertoire were horrific. Don’t take this risk if you don’t have to.
James Kaprielian vs. CHW – He’s lowered his velocity to throw more fastballs and sliders over the plate and it’s worked well for him. Here’s your sneaky stream for the day.
Tyler Anderson vs. ARI – The changeup was brilliant last time out, though the Diamondbacks are a dangerous crew.
Kyle Bradish vs. MIN – Bradish has a chance to be legit if he’s able to wield both his slider and curve throughout an outing. Despite the recent hot stretch, I’m still not fully onboard (even against the Twins) as he hasn’t displayed consistent command of his arsenal.
Jack Flaherty vs. NYY – He was scratched last time out with a hip injury and while I’m glad he’s stepping back onto the bump, I’m skeptical we’ll like his ability, even against a middling Yankee offense.
Anthony DeSclafani @ NYM – He was a bit better last time out with his command and yet, I’m not sold against the Mets.
Do Not Starts
Ryne Nelson @ LAA – The changeup became a major weapon last time out and I have little faith it’ll repeat its success.
Michael Wacha? @ CIN – I’m not confident Wacha will even make this start after enduring shoulder fatigue and if he does, I anticipate it to be on a very limited pitch count.
Kutter Crawford @ TOR – I dig Crawford as a PLV darling, but not in the short term against the Jays.
UPDATE: Matthew Liberatore vs. NYY – It’s a doubleheader today and Liberatore was pushed to today. The slider is gone and the velocity is dampened. No thanks.
Daniel Lynch vs. LAD – The fastball/changeup combo is…okay. This matchup against the Dodgers is absolutely not.
Brandon Williamson vs. SDP – Williamson has little to offer in his repertoire and hosting the Padres in Cincy is a horror film.
Tyler Alexander @ COL – It’s Coors.
Peter Lambert vs. DET – Coors, it is. It may not be Lambert in the end, but it doesn’t matter.
UPDATE: Yankee Bullpen – There could be a bulk reliever in here, but this isn’t what we chase.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Spencer Strider vs. MIA – Duh.
Gerrit Cole @ STL – Duh again.
Kevin Gausman vs. BOS – Triiiiiiiiple Duh.
Luis Castillo vs. TBR – I know it’s the Rays, but you’re doing it.
Zac Gallen @ LAA – He didn’t have the change and cutter last time. Please fix that.
Framber Valdez @ TEX – Texas is scary and you’re still gonna do it.
Sandy Alcantara @ ATL – If you want to put him in the second tier, I completely get it. I think if you have him, you start him, even against Atlanta.
Probably Starts
Ranger Suárez vs. WSN – He’s been such a good run and now gets the Nationals.
Taj Bradley @ SEA – How can you deny Taj a start against the whiff-heavy Mariners?
Reid Detmers vs. ARI – The strikeouts are flowing with the tweaked slider.
Sonny Gray @ BAL – Gray focused on his breakers last time and we keep riding this rugged train.
Yu Darvish? @ CIN – He’s been under the weather and it’s Cincy. Monitor his status – he could be limited, which would pull him to the bottom of the tier.
Tony Gonsolin @ KCR – I don’t love what he does, but it’s the Royals.
Michael Kopech @ OAK – The fastball was worse against the Rangers, but who cares? It’s Jokeland.
Jordan Montgomery vs. NYY – The Bear has been far better over the last month and the Yankees aren’t scary.
Andrew Abbott vs. SDP – I hate the matchup and question the stuff. However, you could call Abbott’s early run a mini Vargas Rule, which has you starting him even against the Padres.
Garrett Whitlock @ TOR – I imagine a lot of you will disagree with this one. The Jays are good and Whitlock has suffered in his last two outings and yet, I trust the skills. Two starts do not define a pitcher.
Aaron Civale @ CHC – He’s a Toby in a good matchup.
Paul Blackburn vs. CHW – Ditto. Fortunately, this one is barely rostered, making him the clear pickup for Sunday.
Questionable Starts
Colin Rea @ PIT – Maybe Rea does as well. I really don’t like what he brings to the table, though.
Jameson Taillon vs. CLE – It’s a rough crew in the third and fourth tiers for Sunday, and I’ve raised up Taillon as a guy who could potentially go six frames.
David Peterson vs. SFG – I don’t trust the Peterson that did well in his first game back, but hey, why not.
Cole Irvin vs. MIN – Is he stretched out enough after the three-inning hook caused by a massive rain delay?
Rich Hill vs. MIL – I want to believe this, but he’s failed against weak teams across the last month.
Andrew Heaney vs. HOU – Heaney is struggling with his slider and change and it’s the Astros. Chase this if you’re searching for strikeouts.
Brady Singer vs. LAD – This is a Cherry Bomb with all the reasons to be more bomb than cherry.
Alex Wood @ NYM – I hate it, but I recognize you’re more willing to go after guys on a Sunday. So fine, there’s a dark horse chance here.
Do Not Starts
Trevor Williams @ PHI – There’s a slim chance here for Williams as well, but nah. I just can’t do it, the ceiling is too dang low.
Connor Seabold vs. DET – It’s Coors.
Matt Manning @ COL – It’s SUPER DUPER Coors. Which means nothing, but I needed to get your attention to make sure you don’t actually start Manning.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)
Whitlock overhyped by PLV. “Two starts do not define a pitcher.” Riiiight. His season ERA is over 6, xERA not much lower. His season has defined him as volatile and a matchup play. Toronto ain’t it.
I wasn’t going to start Eury today, but after reading the streamer post, I figured, why not start your studs. Oh well?