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 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 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.
Nick’s 2023 Streamer Record: 3-2
My pick yesterday: Zach Plesac @ OAK
PL Bot’s 2023 Streamer Record: 3-2
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Ryne Nelson vs. SDP
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- We have many aces returning for their second starts of the season and you can’t go wrong with anyone in the top tier. Yu Darvish may feel a little left out as he makes his season debut (WBC hangover and six-man rotation in San Diego) and I’m excited to see what he does with his slider and four-seamer.
- Zac Gallen can be represented by this GIF as he sits in the second tier. It’s been a rough few weeks and a date with the Padres makes it a bit more concerning. That said, if Gallen is re-calibrated, it doesn’t matter who his opponent is.
- Joining Gallen in the second tier is Kenta Maeda as he gets a lovely introduction to 2023 as he squares up against the Marlins. I’m projecting a ramp-up for Maeda as he finds his former rhythm and Miami’s bats make for a smooth start.
- I’m starting both Hayden Wesneski and Andrew Heaney where I have them. They both feature fantastic sliders that can rack up the strikeouts and while the matchups aren’t ideal, it’s a case where I’m more inclined to let it ride this early in the year.
- The third tier carries our streaming pick of the day in Nick Pivetta. I’m not thrilled about it, but his new curve looked good in the spring and Pivetta’s fastball has been a solid PLV offering. The Pirates will let some of his mistakes go unpunished as well, making for an overall decent chance for production.
- Another consideration is Yusei Kikuchi, who tallied a boatload of whiffs in March. The Royals pave the way for a high Win chance, but walks still plague Kikuchi and may terrorize his evening.
- The rest of the Questionable Start tier is filled with there’s a chance plays. Domingo Germán could have his best curve against the Phillies, JP Sears has improved his slider and may cruise through the Guardians, Tyler Wells demanded a roster spot over Grayson Rodriguez, and Steven Matz was once a dependable southpaw…even if he gets Atlanta.
- I’m excited to get a glimpse of Dylan Dodd in his MLB debut against the Cardinals. It’s a difficult matchup to start a career, but if he’s able to overcome jitters, there’s upside to be had here.
- The final two of the tier are Roansy Contreras and José Suarez. I don’t have much faith in Contreras’ four-seamer, but there’s a chance his slider does enough to rack up the strikeouts against Boston.
- As for Suarez, he had a fantastic second-half stretch in 2022 and I won’t rule out his success carrying over into this season. He obliterates left-handers with his breaking ball, but the question each night comes down to how he mitigates damage against right-handers.
- In the bottom tier, Chad Kuhl and Kris Bubic have a shot at surprising managers, but it’s far too risky to chase.
- Germán Márquez came out firing in his opening day start against the Padres and in another game outside of Coors, there’s hope he can dominate once again…versus the Dodgers. I just can’t lean into a Márquez start after just one game.
- Update: The Orioles had to use Tyler Wells on Monday, which makes for a confusing next couple of days in the Baltimore rotation. It could be Kyle Gibson today (he would be at the end of the third tier) or a possible bullpen game or a random call-up. We’re not sure, it’s best just to ignore it.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
- Oh my look at all those aces! I know that the majority of you will disagree somewhere with the order of the top tier, but does it really matter? Start them all, yes even Aaron Nola in New York after his rough opening start. It’s Aaron Nola. He’s had a bad start in his life before.
- I originally had Pablo López ranked higher, but I may be overreacting to his initial start to the year with all of these highly-rated pitchers with better track records. Still, get amped for his upped velocity and new sweeper. This could be a phenomenal season.
- With the first tier jam-packed, the third tier is awfully small. Marcus Stroman is a clear play against the Reds, but there is a tinge of risk pitching inside Great American Small Park.
- David Peterson wasn’t at his best against the Marlins and the Brewers make for a bit more of a challenge, but I imagine Peterson will make the right adjustments to get his slider located gloveside and be the man we know he should be.
- The streaming pick of the day is labeled in green despite the name being Corey Kluber. Was it a good first start? Absolutely not! But he gets the Pirates instead of the hot Orioles offense and could cruise to a Win without damage. It’s borderline, but I’m going for it.
- I debated if I wanted to have anyone in the third tier here, and it’s possible the first option doesn’t even start. Tyler Wells had to pitch on Monday after Kyle Bradish exited early, and it’s possible Kyle Gibson pitches on Tuesday, with Austin Voth or another arm going Wednesday. Either way, I’m not too encouraged by Gibson against Texas, but it’s possible he has his best slider and changeup to make it worthwhile.
- I was encouraged by Eduardo Rodriguez’s first start of the season against the Rays and if he faced an easier opponent, he’d be in the second tier. But it’s the Astros and we all emit a deep sigh of sadness.
- Two more options squeezed into the third tier – Kyle Muller and Miles Mikolas. The former wasn’t at his best on opening day, but Muller may have his better secondaries against the Guardians and make this worthwhile. Mikolas has a tough challenge against Atlanta, but the powerful Cardinals bats may have his back for a Win.
- In the bottom tier, Mitch Keller isn’t doing enough with his arsenal for me to risk a potential blowup against the Red Sox.
- Hunter Gaddis is…okay, but after watching Zach Plesac get demolished by the Athletics, I think it’s best just to sit this one out.
- The final options inspire little excitement. Zack Greinke is a tough play in general with low strikeout and Win rates and a date with the Jays makes it a clear avoid. Chris Flexen is stepping in for Robbie Ray and I wouldn’t anticipate a ton of pitches out of the gate, let alone his middling repertoire against a dangerous Angels lineup.
- We know to skip Patrick Corbin – obviously – but some may remember Bryce Elder having some good stretches last year. He’s struggled through the spring, though, and you don’t want to chance it against the Cardinals right now.
Featured Image by Drew Wheeler (@drewisokay on Twitter)