It’s week three of Fantasy Baseball and that can only mean one thing: it’s time for overreactions! Jacob deGrom did what he does (20+ strikeouts between his 2 starts) with the Mets still managing to lose both games. One of those was on Saturday, where Trevor Rodgers went tit-for-tat with deGrom. We also, were treated to both versions of Frankie Montas, a stinker against the Dodgers where he lasted 2.2 innings and got shelled for 7 runs, and then on Saturday against another powerful lineup, the Astros, Montas went 6 innings of 1 run ball and 5 strikeouts, leaving us exactly where we were, not knowing which guy will show up. With many of the pitchers second starts coming Sunday, we should have a clearer picture on who is worth what by the end of said day, and this upcoming week has a lot of intriguing matchups so let’s get going.
THE GREAT: Start Them Without Question
1. Aaron Nola PHI: 4/13 @ NYM, 4/18 @ STL
-Nola was a bit shaky with control in his start against the Mets, expect him to get back on track against two subpar lineups.
2. Zach Greinke HOU: 4/12 vs DET, 4/17 @ SEA
– 2 great matchups for Greinke.
3. Gerrit Cole NYY: 4/12 @ TOR, 4/18 vs TB
– 7 innings, 1 run, 13 K’s in his start last week against Baltimore, Cole getting on track early.
4. Shane Bieber CLE: 4/12 @ CHW, 4/17 @ CIN
– Bieber has 2 QS this year, he’s walked 7 in two starts which is uncharacteristic but pair that with 12 strikeouts a piece in each outing and Bieber is poised for a huge year.
5. Blake Snell SD: 4/13 @ PIT, 4/18 vs LAD
– He’s had some unsavory pitch counts causing shortened outings, but a start against the Pirates will right the ship. With his strikeout stuff, its enough for me to rank him this high.
6. Kenta Maeda MIN: 4/13 vs BOS, 4/18 @ LAA
– Maeda is as steady as the come, he wont give you giant counting numbers, but he wont sink you either.
7. Yu Darvish SD: 4/12 @ PIT, 4/17 vs LAD
– Pirates on deck, set em’ up knock em’ down.
8. Hyun-Jin Ryu TOR: 4/12 vs NYY, 4/17 @ KC
– Not your fathers Yankees? we’ll see, The matchup against KC though has big game written all over it.
9. Clayton Kershaw LAD: 4/13 vs COL, 4/18 @ SD
– Kershaw is Kershaw. Start Him.
10. Stephen Strasburg WAS: 4/12 @ STL, 4/17 vs ARI
– Strasburg looked dominant in his start vs Atlanta, expect more of the same against 2 much weaker lineups.
11. Tyler Glasnow TB: 4/12 vs TEX, 4/17 @ NYY
– 12 Innings, 1 run, 2 BB, and 15 K’s, Glasnow has picked up where he left off before he got hurt. Both Matchups look great for him particularly vs the Rangers.
12. Max Fried ATL: 4/12 vs MIA, 4/17 @ CHC
– Fried was ambushed by the Nationals in his last game, I expect to him to be able to settle down at home vs the light hitting Marlins, followed by a Cubs team that does not have a deep lineup.
THE GOOD NOT GREAT
13. Pablo Lopez MIA: 4/12 @ ATL, 4/17 vs SF
– Lopez has looked solid so far, in his last start vs the Cardinals he went 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB and 6 K’s, Atlanta is a tough matchup to draw as their offense looks like its heating up, but a quality start is most definitely possible. The Giants are a great matchup to end the week.
14. Cristian Javier HOU: 4/13 vs DET, 4/18 @ SEA
– Javier has looked really good so far this year besides one bad inning, his last outing he looked dominant against the Athletics. As long as he can manage his pitch count, he should be in line for 2 really strong outings against inferior opponents.
15. John Means BAL: 4/13 vs SEA, 4/18 @ TEX
– John Means has always been a pitcher that defies the metrics, he has subpar strikeout stuff and velocity, his strength is being a control artist and keeping hitters off-balance with a good pitch mix. He continues to be that guy time and time again and I can see him working deep into both these games while keeping a low WHIP against two very subpar offenses.
16. Dallas Keuchel CHW: 4/13 vs CLE, 4/18 @ BOS
– He’s had some bad BABIP luck…(I think) or he might just be bad now, In 9 IP’s he has allowed 7 ER, 5 BB, and just 5 K’s. He’s never been a strikeout guy but the control issues are a bit worrisome, this could be the eventual decline of Keuchel but its a small sample size and I have to believe he rights the ship a little bit against 2 offenses that do not present any significant threats. With that said I have him in the danger zone right now.
THE QUESTIONABLE
17. Chris Bassitt OAK: 4/12 @ ARI, 4/18 vs DET
– I’ve never been a Chris Bassitt fan, he does not impress with the eye test and his peripheral stats are equally unimpressive, however you can’t deny the matchup upside here against two very weak hitting lineups.
18. Freddy Peralta MIL: 4/12 vs CHC, 4/18 vs PIT
– 7 IP’s, O ER, 7 BB, 14 Ks over two appearances, 1 start. This is Freddy Peralta in a nutshell, he has tantalizing strike out stuff and wild control issues, while I don’t expect the zero ER to hold up over the course of the next week, he should have 2 solid starts with a lot of strikeouts against 2 weak hitting lineups especially the Pirates. I would start him in points leagues but be weary of him in categories due to a high WHIP.
19. Taijuan Walker NYM: 4/13 vs PHI, 4/18 @ COL
– Walker looked great in his first start of the season Controlling the strike zone throughout his start. His matchups this week don’t look promising going up against a deep Phillies lineup, and then going to Coors field (we know what happens to pitchers in Coors). If he can come through these matchups at least looking competent it will go a long way in me trusting him. If he does not, I wont be out on him but he will definitely be in a wait and see scenario.
20. Ryan Yarbrough TB: 4/13 vs TEX, 4/18 @ NYY
– 10.2 IP’s, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K’s. Not an impressive line over 2 starts. Although, all of those ER’s came in his start against Boston where he got shelled. He’s striking nobody out but I would still give him the go ahead in Categories leagues against a bad Rangers lineup and a cold Yankees team.
21. Matthew Boyd DET: 4/13 @ HOU, 4/18 @ OAK
– Boyd has looked good so far. I feel like we’re waiting for the inevitable start where he blows apart and lets up 8 Runs and still strikes out 10 in 4 innings. He’s like a volcano waiting to erupt and cover his teammates in “liquid hot magma” ( Dr. Evil voice). It’s a good bet it could happen against Houston but I would still start him until he proves other wise.
THE CLOSELY MONITORED: Young Bucks To Keep an Eye On
Casey Mize DET: 4/12 @ HOU, 4/17 @ OAK
– He has the prospect pedigree as the former number 1. overall pick, he has the talent, time will tell if he can put it all together. He looked good in his first time through the lineup last start but inevitably ran into trouble as young rookie pitchers tend to do. He could get welcomed properly to the 2021 season by Houston who’s lineup looks great, and the A’s have even shown life recently after a very slow start. Mize is somebody you want to monitor closely.
Justus Sheffield SEA: 4/12 @ BAL, 4/18 vs HOU
– Sheffield was once a top prospect and he hasn’t looked terrible in his time in the bigs but he also hasn’t done anything special. He does not possess a ton of strike out value. However he is always a decent candidate to go 6 innings with 3 runs. I like the Baltimore matchup. Houston not so much. Consider him matchup dependent at this point. He has decent floor and a low ceiling.
Dane Dunning TEX: 4/12 @ TB, 4/17 vs BAL
– Dunning has good potential and looked pretty decent against Toronto last week. I worry about him being able to pitch deep into games at least early in the season but these matchups don’t scare me. Let’s see if he builds off his encouraging performance last time out against a good Toronto lineup.
THE DEEP STREAMERS
Kyle Gibson TEX: 4/13 @ TB, 4/18 vs BAL
– Gibson is inconsistent, yet somehow I guess he is the ace of this staff. I like the matchups but if one of them goes awry do not be surprised.
J.A. Happ MIN: 4/12 vs BOS, 4/17 @ LAA
– While neither of these matchups are particularly scary for me, you just really do not know how Happ will pitch. I like the Boston matchup more but he still has to build his pitch count up a bit and his control is hit and miss at this point in his career, start with caution.
Aaron Sanchez SF: 4/12 vs CIN, 4/18 @ MIA
– He had a nice start against the Padres last week, lets see if he can build off that, he draws a somewhat tough start against a (seemingly) hot Reds lineup, the Marlins are a bad offense, so keep an eye on him if he ends up having 2 good starts, he could be worth an add if needed.
Huascar Ynoa ATL: 4/13 vs MIA, 4/18 @ CHC
– He looked good in his first start of the year limiting the Nats to 5 hits in 5 innings. He draws two very good matchups this week so he’s worth a look but I wouldn’t add him just yet unless you’re desperate.
Wade Miley CIN: 4/12 @ SF, 4/18 vs CLE
– He looked good in his first start, but everyone looks good against the Pirates. This is strictly matchup based this week as he draws two decent matchups. I’d start him in Deep Leagues only.
Chase Anderson PHI: 4/12 @ NYM, 4/17 vs STL
– Anderson looked like the Anderson of old in his first start of the season, 5 innings, 2 ER, he isn’t flashy and won’t give you a ton of strikeouts, but he is a decent candidate to get a couple quality starts and a win this week.
Adbert Alzolay CHC: 4/12 @ MIL, 4/18 vs ATL
– I don’t like the matchups, but Alzolay has talent and upside. Let’s wait and see what he does here in a couple of tough matchups, he is worth keeping a wandering eye on.
THE DESPERATION PLAYS
Madison Bumgarner ARI: (4/12 vs OAK, 4/18 vs WAS), Ross Stripling TOR: (4/13 vs NYY, 4/18 @ KC), Danny Duffy KC: (4/12 vs LAA, 4/17 vs TOR), Antonio Senzatela COL: (4/13 @ LAD, 4/18 vs NYM), David Peterson NYM: (4/12 vs PHI, 4/17 @ COL), John Gant STL: (4/12 vs WAS, 4/18 @ PHI), Martin Perez BOS: (4/12 @ MIN, 4/17 vs CHW), Chad Kuhl PIT:(4/13 vs SD, 4/18 @ MIL), Dean Kremer BAL: (4/12 vs SEA, 4/17 @ TEX), Trevor Cahill PIT: (4/12 vs SD, 4/17 @ MIL).
This week is going to a very interesting week for a lot of pitchers and I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out. See you guys next week and good luck.
