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: 87-69
My pick yesterday: Cristopher Sánchez vs. MIA
PL Bot’s 2023 Streamer Record: 79-77
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Emmet Sheehan @ 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
Kevin Gausman vs. KCR – Aces gonna ace.
Logan Webb vs. COL – Webb hosting Rockie Road is glorious.
Justin Steele vs. ARI – He’s competing for the Cy Young, after all.
Merrill Kelly @ CHC – With his recent strikeout dominance, he gets a boost, even against the Cubs.
Bobby Miller @ WSN – Hard not to love this matchup against the Nats.
Tarik Skubal vs. CHW – His heater is still so good.
Probably Starts
Aaron Nola vs. MIA – If you have Nola, you’re riding out this storm. You have to do it and I wish you luck.
Chris Sale vs. BAL – His velocity has been weird and to see a sub 4.00 PLV on his four-seamer last start (despite chucking 96 in his last two pitches) is anxiety-inducing.
Jon Gray vs. OAK – His fastball is good enough to allow the slider to soar against the Athletics.
Michael King vs. MIL – King is our streaming pick of the day as he’s getting stretched out and the Brewers aren’t scary enough to hold back.
Lucas Giolito @ LAA – Nick, he just allowed 9 ER! Yep, and you rarely see a pitcher do that twice. The Angels are an atrocity of an offense and Giolito is better than the results have been.
Aaron Civale vs. SEA – I was shocked to see Civale fan 12 batters and against a hot Seattle offense, we could see a vastly different result.
Kenta Maeda vs. NYM – His splitter and slider were better against the Rangers, making me believe he’s on the right track against the Mets.
UPDATE: Nathan Eovaldi vs. OAK – We’re worried about his usage and velocity, but it’s Oakland. Surely this won’t hurt you, right?
Questionable Starts
Bryan Woo @ TBR – Velocity was down across the board + the four-seamer isn’t dominating as it should.
Jack Flaherty @ BOS – Y’all are probably sick of Flaherty on your teams by now, but he’s been pitching better than the lines. That said, the Red Sox offense fares far better in Fenway and you may still want to avoid this one.
Zack Thompson @ CIN – I dig what Thompson does with his curveball, cutter, fastball mix, though there is still some polish left to add. Facing the Reds in GABP is not nearly as dangerous as we once thought, too.
Cristian Javier vs. SDP – We finally saw Javier have both his slider and four-seamer cooking in his last outing and if that returns, he can get through the Padres. However, it was just one outing and the floor is made of lava.
Seth Lugo @ HOU – It’s the Astros. Lugo has been great n all, but that’s not a good time.
Wade Miley @ NYY – Miley is generally a decent streamer, but the Yankees are an elite offense against LHP.
Tyler Anderson vs. CLE – The changeup is solid, the question is if the rest of his repertoire does enough to get through it.
Jared Shuster vs. PIT – This is your Win chance stream. Good luck.
Chase Anderson @ SFG – Hear me out. Anderson has been productive as a starting pitcher in 43% of the starts he’s made this year. Throw in a higher floor facing the Giants in Oracle Park, and this is a better dart throw than it may seem.
Carson Spiers vs. STL – Spiers has a solid breaking ball and if he’s able to command it with his 93/94 mph heater in the zone, then things could work out here. He carries the Shag Carpet, though, and that’s not a fun thing to deal with at this point in the year.
UPDATE: Dylan Dodd vs. PIT – Atlanta is going with Dodd today, Winans tomorrow. I’m not sure how long Dodd will go and it’s possible Darius Vines shows up to steal a Win later in the game.
Do Not Starts
Johnny Cueto @ PHI – Maybe there’s some Cueto magic…?
Michael Kopech @ DET – It’s Kopech. You don’t do this.
David Peterson @ MIN – Peterson doesn’t have the slider we want him to have, leaving him without firepower in his arsenal.
Jake Irvin vs. LAD – We’ve seen some games where Irvin can spot his two heaters at 95/96 mph and land pretty curveballs, but this is the Dodgers and the ceiling is far too low to justify this.
Johan Oviedo @ ATL – It’s Atlanta and a Cherry Bomb.
Zack Greinke (Opener) @ TOR – Greinke does what Greinke does.
Kyle Muller @ TEX – Muller doesn’t bring enough to the table.
UPDATE: Seattle Bullpen @ TBR – The Mariners are skipping Bryan Woo this week, turning this into a bullpen game.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Gerrit Cole vs. MIL – Aces gonna ace.
Pablo López vs. NYM – Aces gonna ace.
Corbin Burnes @ NYY – Burnes has thrown us for a loop all year…and yet you can’t deny this one.
Zach Eflin vs. SEA – Eflin’s command was gone last time out and this is the Mariners. I imagine he just needs a reset.
Grayson Rodriguez @ BOS – Grayson has become the guy we envisioned in March. Fenway ain’t fun, though.
Clayton Kershaw @ WSN – His velocity was far down last time as his shoulder was barking at him. I wonder if he actually makes this start and if so, if he’ll get an early hook.
Tanner Bibee @ LAA – Bibee has been gold for your squads, even if the command weirds me out.
José Berríos vs. KCR – He’s allowed 2 ER in each of his last three starts and yet, you’re doing this. Small sample size, small sample size…
Cole Ragans @ TOR – It’s the first true test for Ragans and are you actually benching him? I didn’t think so.
Hunter Greene vs. STL – The arsenal is where we want it to be and the Cardinals are not turning me away. I can’t imagine not starting Greene here.
Probably Starts
Jon Gray vs. OAK – His fastball is good enough to allow the slider to soar against the Athletics.
Jesús Luzardo @ PHI – With Sandy hitting the IL, the Marlins are truncating their six-man rotation, forcing Luzardo to face the Phils instead of the Brewers. Sigh. He’s come through as of late, tossing fewer sliders over the heart of the plate, and even against an elite Phillies offense, I think I’m doing it in most cases.
Bryce Miller @ TBR – This is the last start we’re letting Miller fly for this season with Seattle’s rugged schedule the rest of the way (or is Texas not elite anymore…?) and with Bryce’s four-seamer fluctuations, this isn’t as much of a lock as you want it to be.
Brayan Bello vs. BAL – Bello’s new slider is interesting, though likely not the true dominant pitch we want to be. Regardless, his sinker and change are good enough for the Orioles.
Kyle Hendricks vs. ARI – He’s our Spider-Man in a good matchup.
Allan Winans vs. PIT – Ayyyy he’s back! He let us down the last time he started, but this is the Pirates and with a great Win chance and easy lineup, it makes for a solid stream.
Tylor Megill @ MIN – I’m pushing him into the second tier as I like Megill’s four-seamer and slider combo at the moment. He’s in a solid rhythm and I’d stream him here, hoping this lasts throughout the month.
Questionable Starts
Brandon Pfaadt @ CHC – I still can’t decide if I like Pfaadt’s repertoire or if it’s too mid for me to consider regularly. The Cubs have thump in their lineup, turning this into a coin flip.
J.P. France vs. SDP – France was far better than the horrible Red Sox outing, though the Padres are dangerous. This is a Win chance start if you want it.
Ranger Suárez vs. MIA – It’s not a bad matchup, but I haven’t seen Suárez get into his classic rhythm yet. The changeup needs work.
Peter Lambert @ SFG – It’s Oracle Park and a terrible Giants lineup. There’s a higher chance than you think that Lambert produces across six frames.
Sawyer Gipson-Long vs. CHW – It’s an MLB debut on a desperate Sunday. The pros: The White Sox are poor and Gipson-Long has a filthy slider he can exploit them with. The cons: Sawyer came in relief his last two games in Triple-A, his fastball was at 94 mph in relief, but 91/92 as a starter, and it’s an MLB debut that generally comes with jitters and the worst version of the Shag Rug. Good luck.
Do Not Starts
Kenny Rosenberg vs. CLE – He’s a boring lefty with a good changeup and slow heater. He returned a Quality Start last time out and could do it again…? Probably not.
Jesse Scholtens @ DET – We’ve seen moments of bliss from Scholtens, but the probability of production is far too low here, even against the Tigers.
Miles Mikolas @ CIN – Mikolas just isn’t worth it. The ratio hit can be so cruel.
Luis Medina @ TEX – The Rangers aren’t as venomous without Adolis in the lineup + their bats have gone relatively cold. If his slider is still cooking, he may have some shocking value for those in dire need of strikeouts.
Trevor Williams vs. LAD – Team #NeverTrevor.
Keaton Winn vs. COL – If I believed the Giants were going to let Winn actually start and go at least five frames, he’d be under Medina. I highly doubt that, sadly.
Luis L. Ortiz @ ATL – It’s Atlanta, even if Ortiz’s changeup has propelled him lately.
Rich Hill @ HOU – Hill doesn’t go long and it’s the Astros. Please don’t.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)
Where is the info that winans is the starter tomorrow?