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.
Nick’s 2023 Streamer Record: 34-29
My pick yesterday: Luis Medina vs. MIA
PL Bot’s 2023 Streamer Record: 31-32
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Colin Rea @ CIN
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 vs. CLE – Ryan had a stumble last time out but it’s the Guardians. This is cool.
Sandy Alcantara vs. OAK – It’s been a wild ride of a season, but Sandy could go eight strong against the Athletics.
Zac Gallen vs. ATL – His command has been slightly off lately and Atlanta is tough. Still, you start him, of course.
Nathan Eovaldi vs. SEA – Eovaldi has been cruising and the Mariners shouldn’t be a major bump in the road.
Probable Starts
Tyler Wells @ SFG – It’s hard to deny Wells with his high heater and effective secondaries.
Marcus Stroman @ SDP – He’s hot off a perfect game bid, though the Padres should put up a fight.
Bobby Miller vs. NYY – I’ve loved the command and deep repertoire of Bobby in his first two starts, making me lift him above the other young options as he can maneuver around the fastball-focused Yankee offense.
Taj Bradley @ BOS – Bradley’s high heater + cutter is a great combo and should make for another strong strikeout game.
Miles Mikolas @ PIT – Mikolas is overperforming at the moment, and it could continue for another outing against the Pirates across 7+ innings.
Bryce Miller @ TEX – He got trounced by the Yankees and the Rangers are a tougher crew to
J.P. France vs. LAA – He has the skills to produce across 5/6 frames for a winning team.
Michael Kopech vs. DET – The strikeouts have been there and the Tigers create a decent floor.
Questionable Starts
Ranger Suárez @ WSN – His command was much better last time out and it could be the start of a Suárez run against a weak offense.
Anthony DeSclafani vs. BAL – I worry if the fastball command is good enough against the Orioles.
Triston McKenzie @ MIN – It’s a Still ILL and I’m excited to see Triston back in action.
Paul Blackburn @ MIA – I was impressed by Blackburn’s curveball and slider landing in the zone and the Marlins make for a sneaky stream.
Michael Soroka @ ARI – Soroka’s fastball and changeup looked great in his return, though the slider needs some work. I want to see another start or two before elevating him to the second tier.
Ben Lively vs. MIL – The slider has been fantastic and the Brewers make for a good streaming opportunity.
Brady Singer vs. COL – He’s a Cherry Bomb but the Rockies make for a safer floor than usual.
Kodai Senga vs. TOR – The forkball was incredible in his last start and if he can replicate it against the Jays he can produce despite the matchup.
Domingo Germán @ LAD – The Dodgers are tough and I’m not completely convinced he’s back to his old SwStr ways.
Do Not Starts
Matthew Boyd @ CHW – The slider is improving but I need to see the whiffs to return across multiple starts.
Griffin Canning @ HOU – The Astros create too low of a floor, but there is a chance Canning produces with his secondaries.
Tanner Houck vs. TBR – The command didn’t return for a second start and the Rays are a strong crew.
Kyle Freeland @ KCR – Freeland has had a wild season and maybe the Kauffman helps him a bit.
Adrian Houser @ CIN – Houser can get fortunate with his heaters, but it’s not a gamble I want to take.
Yusei Kikuchi @ NYM – The curveball emphasis has improved Kikuchi, but it’s too risky against the Mets.
Ryan Weathers vs. CHC – He couldn’t handle the Marlins.
Rich Hill vs. STL – There’s an outside chance but the Cardinals are not a bottom-tier offense.
Trevor Williams vs. PHI – Williams doesn’t bring enough to the table to start.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Shane McClanahan @ BOS – The clear #1. Y’all don’t need me.
Aaron Nola vs. DET – He hasn’t been the guy lately, but it’s Detroit and you have to keep starting him.
Probable Starts
JP Sears @ PIT – The whiffs could easily come back and Pittsburgh is a fantastic matchup.
Braxton Garrett vs. KCR – The cutter has worked wonders for Garrett and the Royals make for the perfect Monday streamer.
Blake Snell vs. CHC – He performed well last time out, but there’s still work to be done for Snell
Mike Mayers @ MIA – Mayers would be the stream if not for Garrett as he’s been fantastic with his slider.
Johan Oviedo vs. OAK – The matchup against Oakland is too good to pass up, though his command was way off last time out.
Questionable Starts
Brayan Bello vs. TBR – Bello has intriguing upside, but he hasn’t achieved it yet and the Rays are a strong crew.
Martín Pérez vs. STL – He got demolished by the Tigers and he could get redemption against the Cardinals.
Luke Weaver vs. MIL – If Weaver is able to go armside with changeups and gloveside with cutters, this can go well against the Brewers.
Brandon Bielak @ TOR – His changeup has been solid and I’d encourage this more if it weren’t the Jays. There’s a chance he steals a Win here.
Do Not Starts
Joey Wentz @ PHI – Wentz hasn’t put it all together yet.
Kyle Hendricks @ SDP – Hendricks is going just fastball/change and I’m not a fan of it. We need the hook.
Julio Teheran @ CIN – He just went six shutout without a single strikeout. Maybe there’s witchcraft at play.
Alek Manoah vs. HOU – Manoah isn’t close to redemption and it’s the Astros.
Adam Wainwright @ TEX – Wainwright hasn’t been productive and the Rangers are as rough as any.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)
Looks like Andrew Abbott will pitch on Monday as well. Where would you rate him?