Plenty of good options in the Dive Bar this week, but a lot of pitfalls to watch out for. There are a dozen players up on the Top Shelf this week, and I know everyone comes here to have me let them know that, yes, it is a good idea to start Shohei Ohtani in a two-start week. Really. Go ahead.
So, why don’t you and I dive right in?
Pitchers’ projected starts for the next week are sourced from Rudy Gamble’s Streamonator as of the update at 4:20pm Eastern.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob deGrom, TEX | @KC(MO) | OAK(SU) |
| Shohei Ohtani, LAA | @BOS(MO) | KC(SU) |
| Corbin Burnes, MIL | @SEA(MO) | BOS(SU) |
| Zack Wheeler, PHI | @CHW(MO) | COL(SA) |
| Clayton Kershaw, LAD | NYM(TU) | @CHC(SU) |
| Lance Lynn, CHW | PHI(MO) | @TB(SU) |
| Kevin Gausman, TOR | @HOU(MO) | @NYY(SU) |
| Hunter Greene, CIN | TB(MO) | @PIT(SA) |
| Jesus Luzardo, MIA | SF(MO) | @CLE(SU) |
| Cristian Javier, HOU | TOR(MO) | @ATL(SU) |
| Nick Lodolo, CIN | TB(TU) | @PIT(SU) |
| Dustin May, LAD | NYM(MO) | @CHC(SA) |
Notes
- Like the only dudes in here who are maybe not absolute no-brainers are Jesus Luzardo and Dustin May, but yeah, start them too.
The Well
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Sonny Gray, MIN | @BOS(TU) | WSH(SU) |
| Eduardo Rodriguez, DET | CLE(MO) | @BAL(SU) |
| David Peterson, NYM | @LAD(MO) | @SF(SA) |
| Alex Cobb, SF | @MIA(TU) | NYM(SU) |
| Bailey Falter, PHI | @CHW(TU) | COL(SU) |
| Marcus Stroman, CHC | @OAK(TU) | LAD(SU) |
| Jack Flaherty, STL | ARI(MO) | @SEA(SU) |
| Hunter Gaddis, CLE | @DET(MO) | MIA(SU) |
| Tylor Megill, NYM | @LAD(TU) | @SF(SU) |
Notes
- Lots of good pitchers in this group, though they all have question marks. Which is kind of a bummer, as you probably spent a reasonably hefty amount of draft capital to get most of these guys. Proceed with caution, but proceed.
The Bar Mat
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Wood, SF | @MIA(MO) | NYM(SA) |
| Brayan Bello, BOS | LAA(MO) | @MIL(SU) |
| Chris Flexen, SEA | MIL(MO) | STL(SU) |
| Clarke Schmidt, NYY | LAA(TU) | TOR(SU) |
| Hayden Wesneski, CHC | @OAK(MO) | LAD(SA) |
| Merrill Kelly, ARI | @STL(MO) | SD(SA) |
| Drey Jameson, ARI | @STL(TU) | SD(SU) |
| Jared Shuster, ATL | @SD(MO) | HOU(SU) |
| Vince Velasquez, PIT | @COL(TU) | CIN(SU) |
| Jordan Lyles, KC | TEX(MO) | @LAA(SU) |
| Ryan Weathers, SD | ATL(MO) | @ARI(SU) |
| Rich Hill, PIT | @COL(MO) | CIN(SA) |
| Jalen Beeks, TB | @CIN(MO) | CHW(SU) |
| Kyle Freeland, COL | PIT(MO) | @PHI (SA) |
| Jose Urena, COL | PIT(TU) | @PHI (SU) |
Notes
- Man, I have a ton of shares of Merrill Kelly this year. I’d shy away from all of these pitchers, folks, especially those from Shuster on down.
