Two Start Cookie Shop: May 27-June 2

The last couple weeks provided an abundance of guys you wanted to get into your lineup. This week offers a much less rich selection. It has more question marks, for sure.

I’m interested to see what happens with the home run rate across the league as we get into June. To this point, it has been lower than we’ve seen in a long time. The result has been turning guys you wouldn’t have ever considered in years past into usable options. I mean, Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber providing solid starts! Who saw that coming? Not me, that’s for sure. And based on their ADPs, neither did you.

You’ll see in the rankings below that I am incredibly skeptical Gomber keeps being a valid fantasy option. But if the baseballs stay as dead as they have been so far, who knows? If you can tell me for sure what’s going to happen, could you let me know? It would make doing this job a lot easier.

Anyway, here are your two start pitchers for the week.

What follows are our projections at time of writing as to who will be making two-starts this week, but weather, injuries, and secretive team management mean they are just that: projections. To stay as up-to-date as possible, consult Rudy Gamble’s invaluable Streamonator.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Must Start)

They are kings of the cookie world for a reason. A warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie just makes you feel happy. Sort of like getting to set your rosters knowing you get two starts this week from these guys.

Sugar Cookies (Should Start)

They’re fine. You could certainly do worse than having these guys in your lineup, but don’t expect it to be remarkable.

• The Braves are getting to be the bane of my existence. More than any other team this season they have had someone lined up to make two starts, just to end up making one. That being said, Morton is lined up for Monday and the Braves are scheduled for seven games this week. If he doesn’t start twice, I will be annoyed.
• As with Imanaga, Lodolo is not listed on Streamonator as this is being written. However, reports indicate he will be activated off the IL on Monday, which would line him up for double duty.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Could Start)

These aren’t for everyone. These are the pitchers that may be a pleasant surprise, or they could ruin your week. Tread lightly.

• Barring the Cubs deciding to really make me look stupid, Justin Steele will take the mound for two starts this week. But do you want those starts in your lineup? I’m not so sure. Since coming back from injury, his performances have not been impressive. I assume that at some point he’ll get back to being a trustworthy arm. However, I’d prefer to see it before I use him.
• Jakkers just wrote up a nice piece looking at Bryce Miller’s long-term fantasy outlook. In it, he paints an optimistic picture of the young hurler’s future. The near term, on the other hand, is not as rosy. He’s had a rough go of it lately, and it might be worth waiting to see him turn it around before getting him back in your lineup.
• What I just said about Steele goes extra for Blake Snell. It’s unclear if his struggles to this point are related to how late he signed this spring, or just that he does this sometimes. You can almost guarantee there will come a point when he is amongst the most chocolatey of chocolate chip cookies. But are you willing to bet this is the week he got the recipe right?

Fortune Cookies (Do Not Start)

Yeah, they’re technically cookies. Hold on, what does that little slip of paper say? “Bad times are heading your way.” Oh. Okay, then.

• Streamonator has Kyle Hendricks down as getting two starts for the Cubs this week, but according to the Chicago Sun-Times, it will be Brown getting one of the early week assignments. Each of his last three starts have been less than five innings. Don’t do it.