Starting Pitcher Chart – June 2nd

June 2, 2023

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.

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Friday, June 2nd Starter Notes

RK	PITCHER	TM		OPP	10	12	15+	IP	ERA	WHIP	K-BB	wOBA RK	NOTE
1	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at	HOU	x	x	x	65	2.91	0.95	24%	15th	If you have Ohtani and have to choose each week, have you been using him more as a hitter or pitcher?
2	Bailey Ober	MIN		CLE	x	x	x	40.1	2.68	1.02	17%	30th	Has only allowed more than 3 ER just once this year and he’s a big reason why their staff is 3rd in ERA and 1st in FIP
3	Framber Valdez	HOU		LAA	x	x	x	72	2.38	1.04	22%	18th	Got moved to Friday… an all formats must-start
4	Luis Castillo	SEA	at	TEX	x	x	x	63.2	2.69	0.99	24%	6th	Not an easy matchup but he doesn’t sit anywhere
5	Clayton Kershaw	LAD		NYY	x	x	x	62.1	3.32	1.14	23%	7th	4 ER in each of his last 2 but still had 12 Ks in 8.7 IP
6	Corbin Burnes	MIL	at	CIN	x	x	x	63.2	3.68	1.19	13%	13th	Bounced back nicely from the 5 ER dud w/1 of his best starts of the season (7 IP/1 ER/8 Ks)
7	Zack Wheeler	PHI	at	WSN	x	x	x	65	3.60	1.14	22%	20th	If he gets his 68% LOB rate back toward his 74% average, he still has sub-3.00 ERA skills
8	Logan Webb	SFG		BAL	x	x	x	72	2.75	1.07	22%	17th	Now has a 1.68 ERA in his L7, allowing 2 or fewer in all of ’em
9	Merrill Kelly 켈리	ARI		ATL	x	x	x	63.2	2.83	1.07	18%	18th	Career-high 12% SwStr has him rolling and after 17 BB in his first 5 starts, he has just 8 in his last 6 (6% BB)
10	Justin Verlander	NYM		TOR	x	x	x	30	4.80	1.10	13%	2nd	Certainly hasn’t been his elite self yet but I’m nowhere near sitting him right now
11	Edward Cabrera	MIA		OAK	x	x	x	52	5.02	1.50	13%	29th	3 straight w/3 or fewer ER and even had a combined 1 BB in the first 2, but then his old control woes returned with 4 BB in his latest… always super-risky
12	Jon Gray	TEX		SEA	x	x	x	57.2	2.81	1.11	12%	14th	Dialed in right now with a 1.00 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in his L4 including 27 Ks in 27 IP
13	Tyler Glasnow	TBR	at	BOS	x	x	x	4.1	6.23	1.38	37%	10th	Schedule gods didn’t bless him with LAD/BOS off the IL, but I’m fine starting him in most spots
14	Garrett Whitlock	BOS		TBR	x	x	x	21	5.14	1.19	15%	7th	ER in his 4 starts: 5, 1, 5, 1… the upside keeps me interested
15	Luis Severino	NYY	at	LAD	x	x	x	11.1	1.59	0.79	14%	5th	Has been solid in his 2 starts since coming off the IL, hopefully the 10% SwStr starts to tick up toward the 12% we saw last yr
16	Michael Wacha	SDP		CHC		x	x	57.1	3.45	1.10	15%	24th	He’s been cooking lately (1.46 ERA, 0.76 WHIP)… of course the .189 BABIP won’t maintain, but this is a good spot to see if he can stay hot
17	Charlie Morton	ATL	at	ARI		x	x	57.2	3.59	1.47	15%	4th	ARI is tough on righties and I don’t mind sitting Morton in his toughest matchups if you can afford it
18	Josiah Gray	WSN		PHI		x	x	61.2	2.77	1.41	8%	21st	Has really quelled the HRs but in exchange the Ks are down & BB up so the 1.41 WHIP looms ominously
19	Dean Kremer	BAL	at	SFG		x	x	59	4.58	1.44	12%	23rd	Not a bad stream in 12s or deeper as he’s been throwing well of late w/a 2.45 ERA & 1.30 WHIP… the high WHIP underscores the risk but this a solid spot
20	Jack Flaherty	STL	at	PIT		x	x	58	4.81	1.53	10%	28th	Has a pair of 7 IP gems in his L3 but it still only got his ERA down to 4.81; it’s risky but I’d take shot in the right situation
21	Chris Bassitt	TOR	at	NYM			x	66.1	3.80	1.15	11%	12th	Survived 2 starts ago w/4 UER but velo ws down nearly 1.5 mph & he allowed 3 HR… next start saw another velo dip, 7 ER, and 2 HR; I’m inclined to sit this one out
22	Aaron Civale	CLE	at	MIN			x	12.2	2.84	1.03	12%	16th	First start back from the IL so it’s always an option to skip with non-studs
23	Mike Clevinger	CHW		DET			x	47.1	4.56	1.46	9%	19th	He’s pitching OK, but still living on a wire and while DET’s offense isn’t particularly scary, this is far from an automatic for me
24	Reese Olson	DET	at	CHW				#N/A	#N/A	#N/A	#N/A	27th	Interesting rookie making his debut has good stuff, but he’s very raw and I’d definitely wait and see with him
25	Roansy Contreras	PIT		STL				52	4.33	1.38	6%	8th	I’m keeping tabs on him as I think he’ll be startable at some pt in the summer, just not right now
26	Brandon Williamson	CIN		MIL				14.1	5.02	1.47	5%	30th	Seeing that “30th” in the wOBA rank always makes me give someone a 2nd look and I just can’t get there w/his skills
27	Jameson Taillon	CHC	at	SDP				31.1	8.04	1.69	14%	26th	He has been very hittable making him a nearly impossible start even with a league average 14% K-BB
28	Chase Anderson	COL	at	KCR				20.2	1.31	0.97	6%	11th	Don’t get fooled by the 91% LOB rate in 3 starts with COL
29	Jordan Lyles	KCR		COL				61.2	7.30	1.38	8%	1st	No thanks
30	Hogan Harris	OAK	at	MIA				5.1	10.13	1.50	-4%	9th	He’ll be in a follower role w/Fujinami opening

Recommendations for Roto 5×5 Leagues

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LightenUpFGmember

10 months ago

If this was the WWE, I’d want Hogan in the follower role after a match has started to lay into whatever the manager was doing with the chair, help revive the unconscious ref, and just rev up the Hulkamaniacs in the audience. However, once you add “Harris” after Hogan, the python size (and motivation to include him in a lineup) just diminishes…

Last edited 10 months ago by LightenUpFG

GoatHerdermember

Reply to LightenUpFG

Hulk is leading the league in wREV+, sound strategy.