Starting Pitcher Chart – August 25th
by Paul Sporer
August 25, 2023
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!
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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
Hey Paul, ESPN app has Hunter Greene going today @Ari, where would he fit into the chart? Thank you!!
He might be starting tomorrow, reports are saying they’re giving him an extra day of rest.
Yes, they changed their minds…Greene going today