This week is not a good week for streaming two-start pitchers, let's get that out of the way first. But there are a couple of interesting young arms you can grab who could turn in some good performances this week. There are few aces and more pitchers to avoid this week than in the first few weeks of the season, but don't let that deter you from taking a chance on a few of these names.
For those new to this recurring column, each week this fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column will identify starting pitchers expected to make two starts in the upcoming week and can be considered as fantasy baseball streamers ahead of the Sunday night waiver wire runs for leagues with weekly transactions.
There are 32 pitchers currently scheduled to make two starts during this period. We will be looking at pitchers who are less than 50% owned in Yahoo leagues. Listed will be those who are rostered over 50%, those who are best available under 50%, and risky options under 50%. There are other two-start pitchers available, but they should be avoided.
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Two-Start Pitchers - Over 50% Rostered
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- Shane McClanahan - TB: @ BAL, @ NYY
- Nestor Cortes - NYY: vs. OAK, vs. TB
- Zac Gallen - ARI: vs. MIA, vs. SF
- Framber Valdez - HOU: @ LAA, @ CHW
- Logan Webb - SF: vs. WSH, @ ARI
- Logan Gilbert - SEA: vs. TEX, @ DET
- Max Scherzer - NYM: @ CIN, @ WSH
- Dylan Cease - CHW: @ KC, vs. HOU
- Lucas Giolito - CHW: @ KC vs. HOU
- Anthony DeSclanfani - SF: vs. WSH, @ ARI
- Mitch Keller - PIT: - vs. COL, @ BAL
- Marcus Stroman - CHC: vs. STL, @ MIN
- Graham Ashcraft - CIN: vs. NYM, @ MIA
- Zach Eflin - TB: @ BAL, @ NYY
- Andrew Heaney - TEX: @ SEA, @ OAK
- John Gray - TEX: @ SEA, @ OAK
- Miles Mikolas - STL: @ CHC, @ BOS
Best Available Two-Start Pitcher Streamers
Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Indians- 46% Rostered
Scheduled Starts: vs. DET, vs. LAA
Bibee probably won't be under 50% rostered for much longer. He may even be added enough times before his second start this week to not qualify for this list. Alas, here he is, still under 50%, so it's not cheating. It's only been two career starts, but he's been exceptional in them. Bibee's Baseball Savant page is lit up red, indicating his rankings are all elite thus far. The two stats he's average in are Whiff% and Chase Rate, but he still has struck out 13 batters in 11 innings.
Kyle Gibson, Baltimore Orioles 37% Rostered
Scheduled Starts: vs. TB, vs. PIT
Gibson doesn't have the best stuff or the best matchup, so if you go into these two starts against baseball's best teams expecting something great, you're going to be let down. The one thing Gibson has been this year is consistent, however. His ERA jumped up after his last start because he gave up six runs, but he was sitting at a 3.93 before that start. He's given up two runs through 12 2/3 innings at home.
Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks - 26% Rostered
Scheduled Starts: vs. MIA, vs. SF
One of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Pfaadt gets two good starts this week. He has an exciting fastball, though it's not overly fast and Pfaadt had the lowest walk rate in the Diamondbacks system at 4.8%. Getting two starts at home this week should help him settle in after struggling a bit at Texas on his first time out.
Louie Varland, Minnesota Twins - 5% Rostered
Scheduled Starts: vs. SD, vs. CHC
Varland was a 15th pick in the 2019 draft, he's ranked as the Twins' 10th-best prospect for 2023 and his overall scouting grade on MLB.com is a 45 out of 80. But the website also says underestimating Varland is a big mistake, having proved he's capable of getting a big-league shot. He had a 19.8% strikeout rate in the majors last year but through two games this season has it up to 29.8%. During his five-game audition in 2022, Varland had a 3.81 ERA.
Risky Two-Start Streamer Picks
- Kyle Freeland, 25% Rostered
- Eric Lauer, 20% Rostered
- Clarke Schmidt, 12% Rostered
- JP Sears, 3% Rostered
We've looked at some of the 32 pitchers who will start two games this week. There are others not listed, and you should try to avoid them as much as you can. Hopefully, this helps you better understand what moves to make for the upcoming week. Good luck fantasy baseball friends.
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