Baseball is back!!! I'm so excited and I'm assuming you are too if you are here reading the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Planner (3/30 – 4/9).
No more speculation, no more Spring Training games. We know who made the rosters. We've also drafted our Fantasy Baseball teams. Now it is finally time to see how things shake out for real.
For those not familiar with the pitching planner let me explain what this post will be about. We will be diving into the upcoming week and the pitching matchups. We will be mentioning some players that are worth starting, sitting and then some streaming options.
Now we won't be talking about Gerrit Cole or Corbin Burnes, you are obviously starting your aces. We will be looking at the pitchers where it might not be so obvious of a decision.
There will also be a table listing all the two-start pitchers and grading each start. This lets you know if they are actually good two-start pitchers. Too many times I see people automatically plug in a two-start pitcher in hopes of racking up two wins and strikeouts. Instead, they get beaten up and you get two horrible starts out of it. Or one mediocre start and one bad start.
However, this first week of the MLB and Fantasy Baseball season we will not have the table. Just about every pitcher is going to make two starts for the extended first week of action here so there is no reason to display a table listing 100 pitchers. Expect to see it in the next Pitching Planner.
Also new this year is we will be placing some of this article so that only our All-Access Members can view it. This week we are giving it away for free so you can see what it is all about.
2023 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Planner (3/30 – 4/9)
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Start 'em
David Peterson, New York Mets (at Miami Marlins)
Peterson won the fifth rotation spot thanks to a fantastic Spring. He did not allow a run and held batters to a .028 average.
Now he gets to open up his 2023 season facing one of the worst offenses in baseball, the Miami Marlins. Last year they scored the third-fewest runs in baseball and I don't see that changing much this season.
His second start is against Milwaukee too. Not great but I don't think he gets shelled in that one to the point where I would bench him if my lineup is locked and lose the start against Miami.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers (at Tampa Bay Rays)
Some might look at the team E-Rod is facing and shy away from this, but not me. Did you know the Rays scored the 21st most runs in baseball last season? Great team and they likely win this game, but it will be due to their pitching.
As for E-Rod he looks like he is back in form this Spring after having a tough 2022. He has allowed just three runs in 18.1 innings. He has also struck out 21 batters.
Now be careful if you are in a league where your pitchers lock for the entire scoring period because his second start is against Houston. No thanks, I'd probably pass on E-Rod if that is the case.
Sit 'em
Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks (at Los Angeles Dodgers)
Don't get me wrong Kelly is a fine pitcher and is usually a start, but I don't like his games against the Dodgers. Last season he faced them five times. He allowed 22 runs in 24 innings. That equates to an 8.25 ERA. His full-season ERA was 3.37.
On top of that Kelly has already come out and said that he is a bit behind where he usually is entering the season. This is due to him going to the World Baseball Classic and only pitching three innings in both of his outings. It is very likely that his first couple of starts will be shorter than usual because he is not stretched out, even if he is pitching well.
Merrill Kelly is a bench for me for the entire scoring period as he is going to go against the Dodgers in both matchups.
Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox (at Houston Astros)
We all want Giolito to be the Giolito of old. This Spring he has pitched well, striking out 21 in 14.2 innings. He has allowed five runs, but that still only gives him a 3.07 ERA. Not too shabby.
As much as we want Giolioto to have a bounce-back season, I'm not going to see if that is going to happen again the Astros. That offense is just too good for me to take a chance on a guy like Giolito.
His second start is not too bad though as he gets the Pirates, so if you can swap him back in, I would for that one. If your lineup locks for the scoring period, pass.
Streamers
Below I will give you a list of players who are low-rostered but could be serviceable streamers if you need them.
- Hayden Wesneski, Chicago Cubs (@CIN)
- Graham Ashcraft, Cincinnati Reds (PIT, @PHI)
- Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers (@TB, @BOS)
- Ryan Pepiot, Los Angeles Dodgers (COL, @ARI)
This list will be longer most weeks, but the pitchers we think are good are all highly rostered right now. This makes sense as very little has changed since you drafted your team(s).
Matthew Boyd is somebody you need to keep an eye out for a potential injury update. He was scratched from his latest start. Unfortunately, we do not have a reason why. If he is fine then I put him out there as he has been really good this Spring, striking out 21 in 13 innings and he has only walked three.
The rest of these guys are all young and could easily blow up, but I like the matchups for all of them, outside of the Philly game for Ashcraft. All three have pitched fantastically this Spring and will probably get picked up in more leagues if they have strong starts to the season.
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