Another Sunday, another trip to the dive bar. At least that’s what my 20s looked like. You? No? Just me? OK fine then, well-adjusted member of society. Bully for you.
There are a few very attractive choices this week, but even better, The Well is chock full of pitchers who, while they possibly won’t be amazing in both starts, should combine their outings for a pretty decent return.
As an example, only four pitchers scheduled for just one start this week– Kevin Gausman, Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, and Robbie Ray– are projected to as much value by Rudy Gamble’s Player Rater as the minimum threshold to be a bolded entry in The Well. None of them are projected to the value of the lowest pitcher in the Top Shelf.
Shall we take a look, then?
The bold pitchers below are the most extreme version of each section. The best of the Top Shelf, the safest of the Well, the worst of the Bar Mat.
The Top Shelf
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Bassitt, NYM | MIL(TU) | MIA(SU) |
| Logan Gilbert, SEA | MIN(TU) | LAA(SU) |
| Alek Manoah, TOR | BAL(MO) | NYY(SA) |
| Aaron Nola, PHI | MIA(MO) | @WSH(SA) |
| Nathan Eovaldi, BOS | OAK(TU) | STL(SU) |
| Brady Singer, KC | @SF(MO) | @OAK(SU) |
Notes
- Lots of two-home-start pitchers this week, and for some of these, the weakness of one of their opponents is doing the heavy lifting. Fingers crossed Alek Manoah doesn’t have a truly terrible Saturday in the park.
- Brady Singer is on a road trip, but he gets to come to the barren expanse that is The Coliseum in Oakland, so, y’know, good for him!
The Well
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Flexen, SEA | MIN(MO) | LAA(SA) |
| Alex Wood, SF | KC(MO) | @PIT(SU) |
| Shane Bieber, CLE | @COL(TU) | @LAD(SU) |
| Yusei Kikuchi, TOR | BAL(TU) | NYY(SU) |
| Sandy Alcantara, MIA | @PHI(MO) | @NYM(SU) |
| Cristian Javier, HOU | @TEX(MO) | CHW(SU) |
| Dane Dunning, TEX | HOU(TU) | @DET(SU) |
| Nestor Cortes, NYY | TB(TU) | @TOR(SU) |
| Mike Minor, CIN | @ARI(MO) | MIL(SU) |
| Zach Eflin, PHI | MIA(TU) | @WSH(SU) |
| Alex Faedo, DET | CHW(TU) | TEX(SU) |
| Tony Gonsolin, LAD | LAA(TU) | CLE(SU) |
| Merrill Kelly, ARI | CIN(MO) | MIN(SA) |
| Noah Syndergaard, LAA | @LAD(TU) | @SEA(SU) |
| Rony Garcia, DET | CHW(MO) | TEX(SA) |
Notes
- Shane Bieber is a good pitcher, and I’m not saying don’t start him. But he’s here and not on the Top Shelf because, my goodness, what a terrible draw of starts for the week. Road starts in Coors and at Los Doyers? Yeesh.
- Of the bottom half of this group, I actually think I like Zach Eflin best. His opponents this week have combined for a 50-68 record, a .424 winning percentage that would qualify for 9th-worst in the majors if it was one team. Get ’em.
The Bar Mat
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Archer, MIN | @SEA(MO) | @ARI(SU) |
| Stephen Strasburg, WSH | ATL(TU) | PHI(SU) |
| Josiah Gray, WSH | ATL(MO) | PHI(SA) |
| Johnny Cueto, CHW | @DET(MO) | @HOU(SU) |
| Kyle Bradish, BAL | @TOR(MO) | TB(SA) |
| Ian Anderson, ATL | @WSH(MO) | @CHC(SU) |
| Corey Kluber, TB | @NYY(TU) | @BAL(SU) |
| Zach Davies, ARI | CIN(TU) | MIN(SU) |
| Mitch Keller, PIT | @STL(MO) | SF(SU) |
| Justin Steele, CHC | SD(MO) | ATL(SA) |
| Taylor Hearn, TEX | HOU(MO) | @DET(SA) |
| Adrian Houser, MIL | @NYM(TU) | @CIN(SU) |
| Jordan Lyles, BAL | @TOR(TU) | TB(SU) |
| Kyle Hendricks, CHC | SD(TU) | ATL(SU) |
| Jared Koenig, OAK | @BOS(TU) | KC(SU) |
| Packy Naughton, STL | PIT(MO) | @BOS(SU) |
| Nabil Crismatt, SD | @CHC(MO) | @COL(SU) |
| Antonio Senzatela, COL | CLE(TU) | SD(SU) |
Notes
- How many names on this list have, at some point in their career, been top-ten-round selections in fantasy drafts? Stephen Strasburg, Johnny Cueto, Chris Archer, two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber? Bench ’em, the lot of them.
