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: 57-44
My pick yesterday: Steven Matz vs. WSN
PL Bot’s 2023 Streamer Record: 53-48
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Steven Matz vs. WSN
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
Joe Ryan @ OAK – It’s Oakland and the others have rough matchups.
Gerrit Cole @ COL – I wrestled with the ranks below Ryan and I’d say we go with Cole and that’s that.
Max Scherzer vs. LAD – Scherzer gets the Dodgers and if he starts, we start him.
Zack Wheeler vs. SDP – Wheeler has been a little off here and there, but so have the Padres.
Jesús Luzardo @ BAL – Love this matchup for Luzardo inside Camden.
Zach Eflin @ KCR – You don’t need me, Eflin is killing it and it’s the Royals.
Justin Steele vs. BOS – Steele’s fastball has been great and the Red Sox aren’t enough to stop us from starting him.
Bryce Miller vs. DET – It’s a great situation, though I question how long the Mariners will let him go after he’s been off the bump for a few weeks.
Probably Starts
Bobby Miller @ NYM – I believe in Miller across the second half, but he may need another start or two to get calibrated.
Jack Flaherty vs. WSN – Flaherty seems like he’s in a good place at the moment and it’s Washington.
Kyle Bradish vs. MIA – Bradish has been in a good groove and it’s the Marlins. Let’s hope the curve does good things.
Seth Lugo @ PHI – Lugo is fresh off an 18-whiff game with a great defense behind him.
Questionable Starts
Cristian Javier @ LAA – Do what you want here. I don’t believe Javier is destined to struggle forever and the Angels don’t have Mike Trout.
JP Sears vs. MIN – He’s a bit of a Cherry Bomb these days and this could work if he gets his four-seamer up enough with sliders down to take down the Twins.
Yusei Kikuchi vs. ARI – He’s earning strikes with breakers, but the curve is hung a little too much for my liking, especially with the fastball not landing on the edges. Throw in the Diamondbacks’ thump and I’m concerned.
Reese Olson @ SEA – Here’s a fun one for a desperate Sunday. Olson could lean on the changeup and slider, exploiting the Mariners’ tendency to swing outside the zone.
Dylan Cease @ ATL – Cease is already volatile and Atlanta is as dangerous as any offense in the bigs.
Tanner Bibee @ TEX – I was tempted to place him in the bottom tier, but if Bibee gets locked in with his secondaries, he could come through despite the matchup.
Alex Wood @ PIT – He just went five frames against Rockie Road and the Pirates aren’t much different.
Martín Pérez vs. CLE – He’s a Toby in a decent matchup.
Kutter Crawford @ CHC – If Crawford leans heavily into his slider and sweeper, this could be the start of a second-half surge. Or he could still go kutter-heavy and disappoint.
Do Not Starts
Osvaldo Bido vs. SFG – There’s a lean toward the third tier given we’ve seen Bido come through here and there, but I think the odds are not in your favor.
Josiah Gray @ STL – Gray’s command is too chaotic for me and his heaters get crushed.
Adrian Houser @ CIN – Maybe he can chuck fastballs that find gloves one more time.
Brady Singer vs. TBR – It’s the Rays and you can’t trust Singer.
Tyler Anderson vs. HOU – Anderson’s changeup isn’t what it was last season and it’s the Astros.
Kolby Allard vs. CHW – Don’t let the eight-strikeout game make you believe in Dralla.
Tommy Henry @ TOR – The slider disappeared last time for some reason and the Jays are a tough lineup to endure.
Ben Lively vs. MIL – The slider isn’t as good as we saw early on from Lively.
Chase Anderson vs. NYY – It’s Coors.
UPDATE: Marlins Bullpen – Luzardo was pushed to Monday and Hoeing could toss an inning or two, but came in relief recently, preventing a start.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Shane McClanahan @ TEX – It’s the toughest matchup and we don’t care.
Jesús Luzardo @ STL – Love this matchup for Luzardo against the Cardinals
Logan Webb @ CIN – He’s on a roll and even in Cincy, I’m favoring Webb.
Logan Gilbert vs. MIN – The fastball and splitter are weird and I imagine they get sorted out.
Sonny Gray @ SEA – He’s on the upswing and gets a delicious matchup against the swing-heavy Mariners.
Tyler Wells vs. LAD – I know it’s the Dodgers, but if Wells starts, you start him.
Probably Starts
Emmet Sheehan @ BAL – I see Sheehan as a touch above a Toby and Camden makes for a good situation.
Domingo Germán @ LAA – His curve is elite and if you roster Domingo, he gets the nod with Trout out of the lineup.
Questionable Starts
Griffin Canning vs. NYY – I went back and forth with Canning and ultimately decided he’s not worth the gamble after the long break + a rough night against the Dodgers. There’s a chance this is Patrick Sandoval instead with Canning going on Tuesday. Keep an eye on it.
UPDATE: Grayson Rodriguez vs. LAD – The Orioles are calling him up and I’m awfully curious what he looks like. I don’t suggest running him out there the first time – he clearly had nerves in his first trip to the bigs + the Dodgers are rough – but we’re absolutely stashing him.
MacKenzie Gore @ CHC – Same goes for Gore, but his volatility makes for too much of a risk to slot him into the second tier. Very close, though.
Miles Mikolas vs. MIA – Mikolas’ last outing was cut short by rain and I wonder if it means he’ll be slightly limited here going on short rest.
Nick Pivetta @ OAK – I don’t like it (even against the Athletics), but he always had a chance to fan seven or more.
Matt Manning @ KCR – He’s fresh off 6+ no-hit frames and yet I don’t believe in it, even against the Royals.
Jameson Taillon vs. WSN – His command was far better last time out, I want to see him replicate it before trusting him, even with a start against the Nationals.
Paul Blackburn vs. BOS – Blackburn is a decent play for 5-6 innings on a given night, though I’d prefer to pass wherever possible.
Do Not Starts
Quinn Priester vs. CLE – It’s an MLB debut and we don’t start those regardless. There’s some debate about what his actual repertoire is, but according to Savant across his last three Triple-A outings, he throws sinkers in the low 90s with a focus on a slider or curve. I don’t think it’s exceptional enough to chase, but if you want to spec add him and make a decision after this game, by all means.
Brandon Williamson vs. SFG – He’s a discount Wade Miley and that’s not someone I chase after.
Dane Dunning vs. TBR – It’s the Rays.
Hunter Gaddis @ PIT – It’s Gaddis. We think.
Jordan Lyles vs. DET – It’s Lyles, yes, even against the Tigers.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)