Starting Pitcher Chart – July 8th, 2025
by Paul Sporer
July 8, 2025
Daily SP Chart archive
The chart includes their performance for 2025, their opponent’s wOBA rank versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far, 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 a much riskier 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 valuable focusing on roto.
Starter Notes July 8, 2025
| RK | PITCHER | GAME | 10 | 12 | 15+ | IP | ERA | WHIP | K-BB | 2025 wOBA RK | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Brown | HOU v CLE | x | x | x | 104 | 1.82 | 0.90 | 25% | 26th | Pushed back from original Monday schedule; has become a must-watch every time out |
| 2 | Logan Gilbert | SEA at NYY | x | x | x | 50 | 3.40 | 0.95 | 31% | 4th | |
| 3 | Nathan Eovaldi | TEX at LAA | x | x | x | 77 | 1.75 | 0.85 | 22% | 20th | |
| 4 | Robbie Ray | SFG v PHI | x | x | x | 107 | 2.68 | 1.09 | 18% | 8th | |
| 5 | Nick Pivetta | SDP v ARI | x | x | x | 97 | 3.25 | 1.04 | 22% | 1st | On track for a career year and a W here would tie his career-high (2022, 2023); shoutout to his proponents making the case this winter as I was a slow convert, but a convert nonetheless! |
| 6 | Merrill Kelly | ARI at SDP | x | x | x | 104 | 3.55 | 1.09 | 18% | 22nd | Has allowed more than 4 ER just 1x this yr & has 70 Ks in his last 60 IP |
| 7 | Chris Bassitt | TOR at CHW | x | x | x | 100 | 4.32 | 1.39 | 17% | 30th | Recovered from Fenway meltdown w/a W v. NYY |
| 8 | Ryan Pepiot | TBR at DET | x | x | x | 102 | 3.34 | 1.15 | 16% | 9th | I can’t really see sitting him even in a tough matchup |
| 9 | Shota Imanaga | CHC at MIN | x | x | x | 55 | 2.78 | 1.00 | 12% | 16th | |
| 10 | Seth Lugo | KCR v PIT | x | x | x | 95 | 2.65 | 1.09 | 14% | 29th | |
| 11 | Jacob Misiorowski | MIL v LAD | x | x | x | 19 | 3.20 | 0.92 | 15% | 2nd | It’s the Dodgers and I could see MIL being tight w/his IP ahead of the AS break, but I’m running him |
| 12 | Nick Martinez | CIN v MIA | x | x | x | 100 | 4.20 | 1.17 | 12% | 17th | Easy spot with MIA coming to visit |
| 13 | Mitch Keller | PIT at KCR | x | x | x | 106 | 3.64 | 1.19 | 13% | 28th | I was slow to adjust on Keller but now we’re looking at a 3.27 ERA/1.13 WHIP/14% K-BB in his L16 with only a pair of true duds |
| 14 | Clayton Kershaw | LAD at MIL | x | x | x | 44 | 3.43 | 1.25 | 10% | 10th | Dub machine going having won 4 in a row before 1-bad IP v. CHW cost him the streak |
| 15 | Clay Holmes | NYM at BAL | x | x | x | 93 | 2.99 | 1.24 | 9% | 13th | 8 BB to 3 K in his last 2, but just 3 ER thanks in large part to just 6 H; he’s nasty, but still lives on the wire a bit bc of the modest bat-missing |
| 16 | Brayan Bello | BOS v COL | x | x | x | 76 | 3.42 | 1.38 | 7% | 27th | No more than 3 ER in his any of his L8, good for a 3.00 ERA/1.16 WHIP though still just a modest 19% K; easy start here, but still a team streamer |
| 17 | Jack Flaherty | DET v TBR | W | x | x | 89 | 4.84 | 1.24 | 19% | 6th | Blazing hot Rays give me some pause, but he does have 16 Ks and just 1 HR in his L11 IP (6 ER) |
| 18 | Will Warren | NYY v SEA | x | x | 84 | 5.02 | 1.42 | 18% | 12th | Went w/the hot hand and got burnt at TOR; SEA is easier, but not easy | |
| 19 | José Soriano | LAA v TEX | x | x | 104 | 3.72 | 1.42 | 10% | 25th | Lack of whiffs makes him volatile, but elite HR suppression w/great raw stuff keeps him appealing | |
| 20 | Jeffrey Springs | ATH v ATL | x | x | 97 | 4.07 | 1.23 | 10% | 21st | 3 QS and a 5 IP/2 ER outing in his L4 at home paired w/hobble ATL tm raise my interest | |
| 21 | Eury Pérez | MIA at CIN | x | x | 22 | 4.50 | 1.18 | 11% | 7th | Excellent start last time out w/1 BB & I’d love to see another low-BB gm after 10 in his F4; sporadic control is common w/TJ returns | |
| 22 | Taijuan Walker | PHI at SFG | W | W | 54 | 3.64 | 1.33 | 10% | 21st | I don’t think he really needs to be built up so he can go 5+ if he’s throwing well, but it’s a pure W chase | |
| 23 | Didier Fuentes | ATL at ATH | x | 12 | 9.00 | 1.83 | 10% | 11th | 110 STF+ in his limited MLB work and a 29% K in his MiLB work give him some appeal.. HR issues at ATH is terrifying, though | ||
| 24 | Joey Cantillo | CLE at HOU | x | 31 | 3.41 | 1.39 | 17% | 3rd | Long-time Cantillo fan (long-time… he’s 25, lol), but I’m really scared of HOU and only taking it on in weeklies to get the 2-step (at CHW this wknd) | ||
| 25 | Jake Irvin | WSN at STL | x | 105 | 4.71 | 1.29 | 9% | 10th | Dud is always looming w/him: 3 already this yr + 3 other “soft-duds” (<=5 IP, 3+ ER); 4-start hot streaks in between his 3 duds, can this be start-2 of another run? | ||
| 26 | Simeon Woods Richardson | MIN v CHC | 63 | 4.41 | 1.34 | 11% | 3rd | Fantastic 4-start run (1.71 ERA/0.76 WHIP) clouded by a meager 11% K-BB and CHC really scares me, so I’m passing | |||
| 27 | Brandon Young | BAL v NYM | 16 | 7.02 | 1.98 | 5% | 5th | ||||
| 28 | Aaron Civale | CHW v TOR | 43 | 4.60 | 1.49 | 8% | 15th | ||||
| 29 | STL v WSN | x | x | x | 100 | 3.51 | 1.08 | 22% | 23rd | Gray in now and he’s auto-start, of course! | |
| 30 | Kyle Freeland | COL at BOS | 83 | 5.49 | 1.58 | 11% | 2nd |
Recommendations for Roto 5×5 Leagues |
KEY –
x-Standard Recommendation
W: Wins Chase meaning we accept some ratio risk for a chance to salvage a dub
2-START CHART
2-Start Chart for the Week of July 7th
| RANK | PITCHER | TYPE | MATCHUPS | IP | ERA | WHIP | K-BB | Pitch+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob deGrom | 1 | at LAA/at HOU | 95.1 | 2.08 | 0.88 | 20% | 110 |
| 2 | Cristopher Sánchez | 1 | at SFG/at SDP | 93.2 | 2.79 | 1.16 | 19% | 96 |
| 3 | Nick Pivetta | 1 | ARI/PHI | 91 | 3.36 | 1.03 | 21% | 114 |
| 4 | Nathan Eovaldi | 1 | at LAA/at HOU | 72.1 | 1.87 | 0.87 | 22% | 106 |
| 5 | Shota Imanaga | 1 | at MIN/at NYY | 49.2 | 2.54 | 1.03 | 11% | 112 |
| 6 | Ryan Pepiot | 2 | at DET/at BOS | 96.1 | 3.36 | 1.15 | 16% | 102 |
| 7 | Merrill Kelly 켈리 | 2 | at SDP/at LAA | 98 | 3.49 | 1.07 | 19% | 104 |
| 8 | Brady Singer | 2 | MIA/COL | 85.2 | 4.31 | 1.33 | 11% | 100 |
| 9 | José Berríos | 2 | at CHW/at ATH | 102 | 3.26 | 1.21 | 13% | 100 |
| 10 | Jack Flaherty | 3 | TBR/SEA | 84.1 | 4.80 | 1.23 | 18% | 100 |
| 11 | Will Warren | 3 | SEA/CHC | 80.1 | 4.37 | 1.32 | 20% | 101 |
| 12 | Yusei Kikuchi | 3 | TEX/ARI | 96.2 | 2.79 | 1.37 | 13% | 104 |
| 13 | Nick Martinez | 3 | MIA/COL | 94 | 4.12 | 1.16 | 13% | 109 |
| 14 | Shane Baz | 3 | at DET/at BOS | 90.2 | 4.37 | 1.26 | 13% | 98 |
| 15 | Tanner Bibee | 4 | at HOU/at CHW | 94.2 | 3.80 | 1.18 | 14% | 96 |
| 16 | Joey Cantillo | 4 | at HOU/at CHW | 28.1 | 3.81 | 1.38 | 18% | 99 |
| 17 | Janson Junk | 4 | at CIN/at BAL | 31.1 | 3.73 | 1.15 | 19% | 119 |
| 18 | Richard Fitts | 4 | COL/TBR | 25 | 4.68 | 1.28 | 12% | 101 |
| 19 | Simeon Woods Richardson | 4 | CHC/PIT | 58.1 | 4.63 | 1.39 | 12% | 97 |
| 20 | Landen Roupp | 4 | PHI/LAD | 81.1 | 3.43 | 1.44 | 11% | 106 |
| 21 | Jeffrey Springs | 4 | ATL/TOR | 92 | 4.30 | 1.24 | 11% | 97 |
| 22 | Noah Cameron | 4 | PIT/NYM | 51.2 | 2.79 | 1.01 | 10% | 101 |
| 23 | Zac Gallen | 4 | at SDP/at LAA | 97 | 5.75 | 1.41 | 11% | 104 |
| 24 | José Soriano | 4 | TEX/ARI | 97 | 3.99 | 1.47 | 9% | 110 |
| 25 | Andrew Heaney | 4 | at KCR/at MIN | 86.1 | 4.48 | 1.25 | 9% | 101 |
| 26 | Eury Pérez | 4 | at CIN/at BAL | 16 | 6.19 | 1.50 | 6% | 91 |
| 27 | Jake Irvin | 4 | at STL/at MIL | 99 | 4.73 | 1.30 | 10% | 106 |
| 28 | Yu Darvish | 5 | ARI/PHI | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A | #N/A |
| 29 | Brandon Young | 5 | NYM/MIA | 12.2 | 7.11 | 1.97 | 3% | 105 |
| 30 | Aaron Civale | 5 | TOR/CLE | 38 | 4.74 | 1.50 | 8% | 86 |
| 31 | Didier Fuentes | 5 | at ATH/at STL | 8.1 | 10.80 | 1.80 | 8% | 101 |
| 32 | Sean Burke | 6 | TOR/CLE | 81 | 4.22 | 1.42 | 9% | 101 |
| 33 | Andre Pallante | 6 | WAS/ATL | 87.1 | 4.43 | 1.35 | 8% | 103 |
| 34 | Kyle Freeland | 6 | at BOS/at CIN | 77.2 | 5.56 | 1.60 | 12% | 103 |
| 35 | Austin Gomber | 6 | at BOS/at CIN | 14.2 | 6.14 | 1.43 | 3% | 101 |
TYPE Key:
1 – Auto-Start | 2 – All Formats | 3 – Most Formats |
4 – Some Formats | 5 – YOLO | 6 – Hard Pass
1 – Auto-Start | 2 – All Formats | 3 – Most Formats |
4 – Some Formats | 5 – YOLO | 6 – Hard Pass
Not sonny gray today?
Guessing Paul did these rankings before the Cards made the change last night.
Yep, he does these the night before so misses some changes.
He has also said to keep pointing out the errors so he can correct them since he monitors the comments. . . .
I mostly just verify things i see b/c i dont trusy my googling skills/the internet. Paul’s analysis is invaluable!!!
Yes, def do these right as games start the night before so greatly appreciate when y’all hit me w/the changes!