Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings Fantasy Baseball – 9/27 & 9/28

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 Playback.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 Playback 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.

The 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, with a minimum of 5 IP. Close calls are decided by Playback chat.

 

Nick’s 2023 Streamer Record: 99-75

My pick yesterday: Adrian Houser vs. STL (I mislabeled a Loss on 4/23 for Bailey Ober if you’re wondering why this looks like a Win [it’s not])

PL Bot’s 2023 Streamer Record: 86-87

PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Paul Blackburn @ MIN

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.

 

Wednesday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Gerrit Cole @ TOR – Aces gonna ace.

Pablo López vs. OAK – Aces gonna ace.

Grayson Rodriguez vs. WSN – Aces gonna ace.

Tarik Skubal vs. KCR – Aces gonna ace.

Tyler Glasnow @ BOS – Aces gonna ace, yes even after his recent struggles + Fenway.

Kodai Senga vs. MIA – He’s been too good to sit.

José Berríos vs. NYY – One more start to bring it home.

 

Probably Starts

 

Ranger Suárez vs. PIT – He’s locked in and it’s the Pirates.

Framber Valdez @ SEA – This is a tough call. I love how Valdez began leaning more on curves and cutters after over-utilizing his sinker early against the Royals. I have no issue with anyone benching Framber, I’m personally going for it.

Brandon Pfaadt @ CHW – I like Pfaadt’s sweeper enough to take down one of the worst offenses around.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Wade Miley vs. STL – He’s a Toby and this is a simple outing against a middling squad. A solid 5/6 inning game should be on the horizon.

UPDATE: Braxton Garrett vs. NYM – I dig where Braxton is at with his repertoire and it’s enough to go after against the Mets in situations where you need a Toby. Not the highest ceiling, though. (Tuesday’s game rained out.)

Brayan Bello vs. TBR – Y’all know the drill with Bello. It’s in there, the floor ain’t too pretty though.

Shane Bieber vs. CIN – I didn’t see the best version of Bieber in his first start back from the IL, but there’s hope he has better breakers in a lovely matchup. At least he can go more than 80 pitches this time around.

Andrew Abbott @ CLE – He’s let us down in September, turning him into a Cherry Bomb instead of a Toby. If he can locate his four-seamer effectively, this could be an easy day at the park. I worry it’ll be another 4/5 inning game of mediocrity.

Bryce Miller vs. HOU – His four-seamer hasn’t been overwhelming and I’m not sure we can bank on his cutter/slider saving him if he doesn’t have the heat. It’s the Astros, after all.

Dane Dunning @ LAA – Dunning had his slider last time and the Angels aren’t too scary. This could go south quickly, though.

Griffin Canning vs. TEX – I like Canning’s breakers > four-seamer approach, but he didn’t have his slider last time out + the Rangers aren’t a fun team to pitch against.

Emmet Sheehan @ COL – We saw Sheehan’s slider get some life last time out, but this is Coors and I’m not buying that he has the breaker ready to go. How long will he actually throw?

Matt Waldron @ SFG – Waldron shocked us last time out, having success not just with the knuckleball. Pitching for the Padres is a great thing to do and this may be a super sneaky stream.

UPDATE: Zack Thompson @ MIL – His repertoire is a discount Kershaw and the Brewers have been strong at home. I’m still waiting for a start that gets him locked into a groove.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Sean Manaea vs. SDP – He’s been pitching much better now that the Giants have actually allowed Manaea to start, but against the Padres as a LHP…I’m still too worried about the floor while the ceiling isn’t that high.

Darius Vines vs. CHC – We’ve seen Vines have success in the past with his changeup, the question is more if Atlanta is letting him comfortably toss at least five frames.

Johan Oviedo @ PHI – He’s a Cherry Bomb against an elite offense.

Johnny Cueto @ NYM – Maybe there’s some Cueto magic still in the tank. I don’t want to be the one who finds out.

Luis Medina @ MIN – The slider showed promise in his last start, though there’s not a whole lot else to offer. The Athletics have been strange about the innings they’ve given their young arms and I question if Medina has the chance to go a full five, even if the slider is there. UPDATE: There’s a chance it’s Joey Estes, which could mean a piggyback start, it could also mean Medina gets pushed back to Thursday. There are a lot of implications for how streamers set up the rest of the way (Boyle, Blackburn, Sears, etc.) if so. Keep an eye on it.

UPDATE: Joey Estes @ MIN – It is Joey after all, which messes up Paul Blackburn, as he won’t make another start this year (it does mean Waldichuk gets the Angels and not Twins though…). ANYWAY, with Estes, the good news is the fact he threw 90 pitches in his MLB debut. He’ll have a decent leash once again, though the skills are another question. It’s very possible he had MLB debut jitters that prevented him to carry precision and if he can live on the edges, his changeup will thrive.

UPDATE: Angel Zerpa (Opener)@ DET – I completely overlooked the chance of Zerpa getting this start and he’s shown the ability to go four or five with an opener for a decent amount of strikeouts…? That’s the best I got.

Jameson Taillon @ ATL – I dig what Taillon has been doing lately and it feels cruel to have him finish his regular season against Atlanta. We can’t do this.

UPDATE: Patrick Corbin @ BAL – At least I can actually fathom him getting six frames and maybe he actually goes BSB and has his peak slider?

Miles Mikolas @ MIL – When was the last time this worked? Mikolas hasn’t allowed fewer than 3 ER since the start of August. But hey, he’s going to be on of the very few to toss 34 starts. Wild.

Anthony Veneziano? @ DET – He may get a shot for the Royals in his MLB debut. You don’t want to chase this low-90s sinker + changeup arm. If it’s not Anthony, the other options aren’t any better.

UPDATE: Enmanuel De Jesus – He doesn’t strike many batters out, walked eight in his last two starts combined…this isn’t it.

Luis Patiño vs. ARI – Hey, it’s Patiño! I hope he gets a proper leash in what may be an early audition for the 2024 rotation (Probably not since he tossed just two frames in relief on 9/20). I really hope he shows us a bit of what got us excited when he was in Tampa.

Noah Davis vs. LAD – It’s Davies. It’s Coors. It’s the Dodgers. Come on y’all.

 

 

 

Thursday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

 

Zack Wheeler vs. PIT – Aces gonna ace.

Cole Ragans @ DET – He just took down the Astros and now it’s the Tigers. GET PUMPED – We’re watching this start (against SGL) live on playback.tv/pitcherlist at 1:10 pm ET. You better be there (it’s 100% free!).

Corbin Burnes vs. STL – He feels like an ace, but y’all know he hasn’t pitched like an ace.

Sonny Gray vs. OAK – Sonny has been stellar all year and his last stage features the Athletics. You can’t say no to that.

Chris Bassitt vs. NYY – He’s opponent agnostic, why stop now?

Jesús Luzardo @ NYM – Luzardo struggled in back-to-back starts against the Brewers, but the Mets shouldn’t be an issue…right?

 

Probably Starts

 

Sawyer Gipson-Long vs. KCR – We saw a bit more of the floor last time out from SGL (fewer strikes on changeups). It’s not enough to scare us away, just be aware that this isn’t a locked in 100% dope awesome-o start.

Jordan Montgomery @ SEA – Monty has been cruising, though the Mariners are a dangerous crew to face with October around the corner.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Dean Kremer vs. BOS – I worry that Kremer is running out of gas and may not have his best cutter and four-seamer here.

Chris Sale @ BAL – The Orioles have gone 3-for-3 destroying Sale this season. I generally avoid small samples like this, but it’s something to consider here. They may have his number.

Logan Gilbert vs. TEX – Gilbert’s four-seamer just isn’t what it used to be. He’s adapted to use more sliders in its place, but hot dang, he needs that pitch.

David Peterson vs. MIA – We’ve seen Peterson find strikeouts in different ways and now he gets the Marlins. There’s a chance for a solid 5+ frames here.

Ryne Nelson @ CHW – The White Sox are rough as an offense and if Nelson has a decent enough set of secondaries, he’ll be fine.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Dakota Hudson @ MIL – This is your desperate Quality Start play if you must. Don’t expect strikeouts or a good WHIP along the way.

Ryan Yarbrough @ COL – Pay attention to this one. Remember, the Dodgers like to use both the Fratty Pirate and Gavin Stone together, opening the door for a potential vultured Win if you pick the right one. That said, they both floundered against the Giants over the weekend.

Touki Toussaint vs. ARI – Touki is a desperate strikeout play, even if that wasn’t the case recently. It’s all about 30-40% curveballs and a whole lot of splitters.

Marcus Stroman @ ATL – He’s likely under 80 pitches and it’s Atlanta. Nooooope.

Luke Weaver @ TOR – Weaver was able to go five frames against the Sneks, but even that wasn’t worthwhile and felt like a peak.

Luis Medina @ MIN – The slider showed promise in his last start, though there’s not a whole lot else to offer. The Athletics have been strange about the innings they’ve given their young arms and I question if Medina has the chance to go a full five, even if the slider is there.

Dylan Dodd vs. CHC – We haven’t seen Dodd perform well in far too long but at least there’s a chance here to snag a Win.

Chris Flexen vs. LAD – No thanks, I’m good.

Luis L. Ortiz @ PHI – He doesn’t go long and it’s the Phils.

 

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