Happy June, Dive Bar Patrons! We are just about 1/3rd of the way through the 2023 season. If you’ve been hanging on to players you spent draft capital on, but who haven’t worked out, it might be time to consider putting them out to pasture. Now might be the time to sell high on the season’s surprises, and buy low on those vets who’ve had slow starts but you feel good about their rest-of-season.
But you didn’t come here for fantasy baseball advice! Ha! Of course not. You came here to see which two-start pitchers you should start this week in your weekly-change fantasy baseball leagues!
Oh. Wait.
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 11:55am 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Shane McClanahan, TB | MIN(TU) | TEX(SU) |
| Kevin Gausman, TOR | HOU(TU) | MIN(SU) |
| Aaron Nola, PHI | DET(MO) | LAD(SU) |
| Freddy Peralta, MIL | BAL(TU) | OAK(SU) |
| Nestor Cortes, NYY | CHW(TU) | BOS(SU) |
| Hunter Greene, CIN | LAD(TU) | @STL(SU) |
| Lucas Giolito, CHW | @NYY(TU) | MIA(SU) |
| Shane Bieber, CLE | BOS(TU) | HOU(SU) |
Notes
- As per usual, no real surprises in the Top Shelf. Start these fools.
The Well
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Blake Snell, SD | CHC(MO) | @COL(SU) |
| Spencer Strider, ATL | WSH(FR) | Point of Reference |
| JP Sears, OAK | @PIT(MO) | @MIL(SU) |
| Alek Manoah, TOR | HOU(MO) | MIN(SA) |
| Kyle Gibson, BAL | @MIL(TU) | KC(SU) |
| James Paxton, BOS | @CLE(TU) | @NYY(SU) |
| Luke Weaver, CIN | MIL(MO) | @STL(SA) |
| Hunter Brown, HOU | @TOR(TU) | @CLE(SU) |
| Tony Gonsolin, LAD | @CIN(TU) | @PHI (SU) |
| Bryce Elder, ATL | NYM(TU) | WSH(SU) |
| Louie Varland, MIN | @TB(TU) | @TOR(SU) |
Notes
- Here’s where things get interesting! First off, Spencer Strider is this week’s Point of Reference, slotting in a bit closer to Blake Snell than to JP Sears in the list above.
- Speaking of Sears, an Oakland pitcher? With no home starts? Boy, what games against Milwaukee and Pittsburgh will do for a pitcher.
The Bar Mat
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Oviedo, PIT | OAK(MO) | NYM(SU) |
| Joey Wentz, DET | @PHI (MO) | ARI(SU) |
| Braxton Garrett, MIA | KC(MO) | @CHW(SU) |
| Julio Teheran, MIL | @CIN(MO) | OAK(SA) |
| Carlos Carrasco, NYM | @ATL(TU) | @PIT(SU) |
| Brayan Bello, BOS | TB(MO) | @NYY(SA) |
| Martin Perez, TEX | STL(MO) | @TB(SU) |
| Alex Wood, SF | @COL(TU) | CHC(SU) |
| Adam Wainwright, STL | @TEX(MO) | CIN(SU) |
| Hayden Wesneski, CHC | @LAA(TU) | @SF(SU) |
| Kyle Hendricks, CHC | @SD(MO) | @SF(SA) |
| Tommy Henry, ARI | @WSH(TU) | @DET(SU) |
| Mike Mayers, KC | @MIA(MO) | @BAL(SU) |
| Brandon Bielak, HOU | @TOR(MO) | @CLE(SA) |
| Jake Irvin, WSH | ARI(TU) | @ATL(SU) |
| Dinelson Lamet, COL | SF(TU) | SD(SU) |
Notes
- The Bar Mat always seems full of two types of player: Has-Beens and Never-Wases. Poor Julio Teheran and Carlos Carrasco.
