Starting Pitcher Chart – August 25th

D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Daily SP Chart archive

The chart includes their season performance, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness over the last 30 days, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s basically a risky stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more value focusing on roto.

From Miller to Keller is an 11-pitcher group that presents a ton of fun options to stream across many formats. There are some tricky spots, but plenty of upside!

Starter Notes August 25,2023
RK PITCHER GAME 10 12 15+ IP ERA WHIP K-BB wOBA RK L30/Season NOTE
1 Spencer Strider ATL at SFG x x x 146.1 3.57 1.08 30% 30th/20th
2 Framber Valdez HOU at DET x x x 154.2 3.55 1.12 18% 29th/27th
3 Gerrit Cole NYY at TBR x x x 160.1 3.03 1.07 20% 4th/2nd
4 Zach Eflin TBR v NYY x x x 138.1 3.58 1.03 21% 28th/27th 3 duds sprinkled over his L7 (just 2 ER in the other 4 combined) have pushed his ERA to the mid-3.00s despite an MLB-best WHIP
5 Brandon Woodruff MIL v SDP x x x 28 2.89 0.86 23% 24th/19th
6 Braxton Garrett MIA v WSN x x x 128 3.94 1.17 21% 15th/7th
7 Lance Lynn LAD at BOS x x x 144.2 5.60 1.36 19% 8th/6th I always had so much trouble getting away from Lynn despite the obvious struggles as he really seemed a tweak or two from dominance
8 Logan Webb SFG v ATL x x x 169 3.36 1.09 20% 1st/1st Yes, it’s the toughest matchup going but I’m starting unless it’s fullll protection mode (& it seems unlikely to be in that mode this early)
9 Dylan Cease CHW v OAK x x x 133.1 4.32 1.39 16% 20th/29th It does feel weird to rank him this low v. OAK, but has he really earned a better ranking? I’m still starting him everywhere, just w/less confidnece
10 Kodai Senga NYM v LAA x x x 129.2 3.19 1.25 17% 27th/8th LAA ended up 25th in wOBA vR w/Trout out (18th vL) which of course included other injuries, too; Trout’s back out & they remain hobbled
11 Yu Darvish SDP at MIL x x x 132.1 4.35 1.28 17% 26th/25th Has allowed 4+ ER in 10 of 23 starts after just 5 all of last yr so there could be some sits if you’ve added several rotation staples in shallower lgs
12 Chris Bassitt TOR v CLE x x x 151.2 3.92 1.21 15% 16th/21st
13 Tanner Bibee CLE at TOR x x x 113.2 3.01 1.21 16% 25th/13th Has avoided hitting the dog days wall by dialing up a 2.47 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 18% K-BB in 7 starts since the ASB
14 Bryce Miller SEA v KCR x x 97.2 3.78 1.01 18% 5th/26th Not a must-start in 10s given the depth but certainly playable
15 Cristopher Sánchez PHI v STL x x 64.1 3.36 1.03 18% 12th/15th Like Miller, very playable in 10s if you need someone
16 Sonny Gray MIN v TEX x x 143 3.15 1.21 16% 13th/3rd This is the kinda spot where I’d sit Gray and opt for Miller/Sanchez in those shallower formats where you can pick and choose
17 Brandon Pfaadt ARI v CIN x x 61.2 6.13 1.41 13% 17th/12th Toting a 3.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 17% K-BB in 6 starts since his recall w/0 HR in the L3… CIN is a HR tm that presents some risk, but I’m a Pfaadt Pfan
18 Cole Irvin BAL v COL x x 58 4.66 1.38 13% 25th/29th Irvin & Hendricks are similar soft-tossing finesse types w/great matchups, both viable if the options above are available
19 Kyle Hendricks CHC at PIT x x 92.1 4.00 1.15 12% 10th/22nd
20 Dane Dunning TEX v MIN x x 132.2 3.19 1.16 12% 7th/9th Dunning & Mikolas are similar to Irvin & Hendricks but his matchups aren’t as good
21 Miles Mikolas STL at PHI x x 152.1 4.55 1.30 12% 6th/11th
22 Brady Singer KCR at SEA x 139.1 5.04 1.36 13% 3rd/15th Dud at Wrigley interrupted a 2.85 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 21% K-BB 6-start run… startable but far from must as his blowups are just so painful
23 Kutter Crawford BOS v LAD x 96 3.66 1.09 18% 21st/4th Love the arm & he’s running well, but even a cooled of LAD team is scary… it’s unnecessary risk if you aren’t chasing and hoping to catch fire
24 Mitch Keller PIT v CHC x 155.2 4.22 1.28 19% 2nd/7th Dialed back in and coming off a 12-K gem, but the Cubs are toooough and like Singer, his bad starts are absolute killers
25 Tyler Anderson LAA at NYM 113 5.50 1.54 9% 14th/22nd
26 Joan Adon WSN at MIA 18 7.00 1.11 15% 22nd/24th
27 Matt Manning DET v HOU 64.2 4.31 1.14 9% 14th/18th
28 Kyle Freeland COL at BAL 129 5.02 1.47 8% 11th/10th
29 Brett Kennedy CIN at ARI 12 3.00 1.00 6% 23rd/10th
30 Zach Neal OAK at CHW 8.2 6.23 1.73 12% 29th/30th
Recommendations for Roto 5×5 Leagues

 





Paul is the Editor of Rotographs and Content Director for OOTP Perfect Team. Follow Paul on Twitter @sporer and on Twitch at sporer.

7 Comments
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Evan
1 year ago

Hey Paul, ESPN app has Hunter Greene going today @Ari, where would he fit into the chart? Thank you!!

jsintonMember since 2025
1 year ago
Reply to  Evan

He might be starting tomorrow, reports are saying they’re giving him an extra day of rest.

DouglasMember since 2017
1 year ago
Reply to  jsinton

Yes, they changed their minds…Greene going today