Two-Start Pitchers: 6/12-6/18

Welcome to this week’s edition of the 2023 two-start pitcher rankings!

My rankings have four tiers: Set and Forget, Probably Start, Questionable, and Avoid. Set and Forget starters are simply that; get them in your lineup and don’t think twice. The Most Likely Start tier includes players with the mix of skill and matchups that make them almost certainly two-start plays, but not without some elevated risk compared to the top tier. Questionable starters are those best suited for daily lineup leagues where you can bench them against the tougher of their two opponents. Finally, we have the Avoid tier, which includes two-start SPs who should remain on your bench or the wire.

Each week, I’ll be selecting my Two-Start Streamer of the Week. The criteria for a streamer will be a roster-rate under 50% in Yahoo or ESPN leagues. The Streamer of the Week will be highlighted in the tables in green. Reach out to me in the PL Discord or on Twitter @AnthonyTucker81  and let me know if you’d grade the weekly streamer as a win or loss.

As a friendly reminder, the projected starters are just that, projections and subject to change. 

 

Set and Forget

 

• Chris Bassitt faces a pair of up-and-coming threats in the American League. His deep arsenal of pitches has induced soft contact all season. He’ll be up to the challenge.

 

• After becoming the highest paid free agent acquisition in team history, Zach Eflin is having a career year in about every sense of the word. His 2.97 ERA and 0.96 WHIP are sterling. He’s posted career bests in K% and BB% and gets a ton of groundballs. To top it all off, he’s a PLV favorite at 5.30.

 

Most Likely 

• Charlie Morton has the pedigree, strikeout potential, and a pair of opponents that all suggest he belongs in tier one. You’re absolutely starting him. He’s not quite as safe an option, however, as the names above him. The 39-year-old has struggled with walks this year and it’s led to a 1.46 WHIP.

 

• Luis Severino is showing some signs for concern after his last two outings where command was an issue and his average fastball velocity was slightly down. Despite the recent red flags, he’s worth a gamble. In daily leagues, it’s well worth monitoring his performance against a Mets lineup that’ll be without Pete Alonso.

 

Questionable

 

• There’s little out there this week in terms of streaming-quality pitching rostered under 50%. Outside of the deepest of leagues, you should likely sit this week out in the search for two-start streamers. Highly reluctantly, Reese Olson is the Two-Start Streamer of the Week. A start against Atlanta could put your ratios behind the eight ball and in daily leagues you should absolutely avoid here with the potential to start against the Twins.

 

• Zack Greinke, Jameson Taillon, and Dean Kremer all have favorable opponents in one of their starts. In the search for one-start streamers, however, you can likely find greener pastures elsewhere.

 

 

Avoid

• Matthew Liberatore had a promising first start since joining the Cardinals rotation, but it hasn’t clicked since. If you needed any reason to avoid outside of the low strikeout rate and all the hard contact he’s given up, Liberatore had lower velocity on all pitches in his last start.

 

• Dane Dunning has outperformed just about all of the other pitchers in this tier. With an inability to get whiffs and a 4.96 xERA, there’s a lot of regression coming for the Rangers starter. It might come next week with two lineups their fair share of superstar hitters.

 

Two-Start Streamer of the Week Record: 3-4.