Every day of the 2022 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 (Updated 9/10):
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 in the second tier and I’d roll with them everywhere. Those in Yellow 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:
I’m sure it’ll change through the year + there are differences to be made about teams vs. LHP or RHP, but it’s a great general table that y’all should keep in mind.
Alright, let’s get to it.
2022 Streamer Record: 83-66
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- In the top tier, I’ve elected to place Zac Gallen fourth as he continues his goal of making history with six straight scoreless games starts under his belt…even if it’s inside Coors. For what it’s worth, he’s performed well in Coors in his career. Go figure.
- The bottom two are Brady Singer and José Quintana as they face the Tigers and Pirates, respectively. I don’t see a reason not to start them in these wonderful matchups.
- In the second tier, I loved what I saw from Jesús Luzardo against the Phillies last time out, though the Mets are a tougher foe and elicits a touch of hesitation. I’m very likely still doing it, but I understand situations where you’d want to hold back.
- On the other side is Taijuan Walker as he gets the Marlins. It seems perfect…except he just stumbled against the Pirates and may not be 100% healthy. Something to think about.
- I’m still starting Andrew Heaney despite allowing HRs galore last time out. The ceiling is simply too high.
- Our streaming pick of the day is Wade Miley as he faces the Giants. It’s a weak offense and Miley is stretched out enough to go 5-6 frames with ease. It’s not my favorite stream, but a definitive step up from those in the third tier.
- Speaking of which, Joe Musgrove leads the third tier as he faces the Dodgers. I debated this spot a lot considering his struggles as of late and the powerful Dodgers offense, ending up at the top of a tier that I’m not starting guys 50% of the time. Be careful here.
- Jake Odorizzi is coming back from a skipped start due to the arm fatigue, making it a risky proposition against the Mariners. I’d wait a start before going back in on Odorizzi.
- I love Kyle Bradish’s slider, but I’m concerned for his heater and the Red Sox could punish him. I’d hold off on Bradish until he gets the Tigers in two starts.
- There’s a chance Martín Pérez has a bit more magic left in the tank, but him and the rest of the third tier are awfully questionable. These are bad matchups from Toby types and I’d just avoid wherever possible.
- Yes, that includes Cole Irvin, Marco Gonzales, Rich Hill, and Mitch Keller. Such risky propositions, but I understand that on a desperate Sunday, you’re looking for pitchers who could go six frames and they are a step above the bottom tier.
- That bottom tier begins with Aníbal Sánchez who could be grouped with Keller, but I just don’t buy his recent success in the slightest. It’s a low ceiling with a terrible floor. Not for me.
- There’s a slim chance for Justin Dunn to have his best breaker and survive against the Brewers, but he’s not nearly ready to give you a reasonable shot at success. He needs more time.
- You see the Royals and think Tyler Alexander is a decent bet to stream on Sunday. It’s not decent at all – it’s minimal and too small to risk it.
- Updates: The Yankees are turning to Domingo Germán to start on short rest against the Rays. I’d normally have him at the bottom of the second tier, but with an expected lower pitch count, he falls into the third tier.
- The Twins are going with Josh Winder instead of Aaron Sanchez and the Jays are starting Trevor Richards, pushing back José Berríos to Monday. Don’t start either of these arms.
- It looks like a bullpen day for the San Francisco Giants, in case you were holding out any hope for fantasy relevance there.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- I had a tough time with ranks on Monday and I elected to keep in mind that it’s Monday – you want to take fewer risks on Monday to not put yourself in a hole if you don’t have to. Keep that in mind.
- The top tier is clear as day and I love how easy it is to place Jacob deGrom at the very top. Framber Valdez gets the #2 spot because it’s the Tigers, Kyle Wright should rebound from his disaster, and it’s Tyler Anderson’s career year.
- The second tier is small and carries José Berríos and Reid Detmers. I know the volatility of Berríos has been a tough pill to swallow this season, though you’re starting him against the Rays if you have him rostered.
- Reid Detmers went from a tough matchup on Sunday against the Astros to getting pushed to the Guardians on Monday, and we’re all thankful for it. I’m going for it and hoping he made the right tweak to get back in order for Monday.
- I debated heavily if Glenn Otto and Trevor Rogers belonged in the second tier, as Otto is the streaming pick of the day with his breakers vs. a weak Marlins crew + Rogers is looking great with his changeup. They’re here as it’s Monday and I’m a bit conservative early in weeks.
- Alex Cobb also sits here as he made be worthwhile against Atlanta…or struggle against a tough offense.
- The bottom tier contains a lot of arms who could arguably be at the bottom of the third tier. Mike Minor gets the Pirates, Ryan Yarbrough could steal a Win, and even the lower arms of Hyden Wesneski and Ryne Nelson have some intrigue in their second MLB games. At the end of the day, I don’t expect success down here and think it’s best to flat-out avoid everyone here.
- Sorry Eduardo Rodriguez, your stuff just isn’t where it needs to be to endure the Astros.
And please don’t trust Kolby Allard, even against the Marlins.Jon Gray was announced to return moments after publication. It’s a Still ILL as we don’t know how many pitches he’ll be throwing, how rusty his command is, or what his velocity will be. Take caution.
Featured Image by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)