Welcome to the 2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 23 Drop List. This week focuses on starting pitchers. Specifically, starting pitchers in H2H leagues.
Rotisserie leagues are a bit different as they weigh more of the players' overall performance for the entire season.
Considering the above qualifiers, we are dropping two starting pitchers, both for the Texas Rangers.
Head on to our Week 23 drop list to find out more!
2023 Fantasy Baseball Week 23 Drop List
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Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Texas Rangers
After suffering a forearm in late July, Eovaldi has made only three starts in the second half of the MLB season (two since returning from the IL).
Up until then, Eovaldi was amazing. Through the first half, Eovaldi was 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He also struck out 109 batters.
Eovaldi's first half was glistening with success. There's really nothing more you could have asked of him considering he was drafted at an average of 221 overall and as SP65.
Unfortunately, Eovaldi was hit with a forearm injury on July 30th and hasn't looked amazing since he returned from the IL.
In his first game back from the IL, Eovaldi gave up four runs in 1.1 innings vs. the Astros and then limited the total damage in his second start vs. the A's (if this even counts) with 2.1 innings pitched and three strikeouts. Eovaldi's start against the A's was limited due to a pitch count but he could have been worse.
His next start is against Toronto who ranks in the top half of the MLB rankings in both average and .OPS. The Blue Jays are also fighting for a Wild Card spot in the AL, so expect them to be swinging for the fences.
I expect Eovaldi to have a short leash as the Rangers are also fighting for playoff contention and have no room for error. If Eovaldi gets into trouble, expect Texas to pull him very quickly.
Eovaldi is a drop right now. I don't feel comfortable with him going into the final weeks of the fantasy season with his limited innings and subpar performance in his two starts since returning from the IL.
Jordan Montgomery, SP, Texas Rangers
Montgomery was serviceable with the Cardinals throughout the first half of the season.
In his time with the Cards in 2023, he started 21 games on his way to a 3.42 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. It's not a line that stands out for a pitcher in today's game, but it certainly didn't hurt.
Montgomery was drafted at an average of 167 overall and as SP50, so you can't really dislike that performance.
However, since being traded to Texas on July 30th, Montgomery has regressed.
In his time with Texas, he has started seven games on his way to a 2-2 record with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. It's not considerably worse than his stats with St. Louis this year, but it isn't great.
More specifically, he has given up 14 runs in only 14.2 innings over his last three starts with Texas.
Along with Eovaldi, his next start is slated to come against the Blue Jays, at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays are no slouches and as mentioned above, they are fighting for a playoff spot just like the Rangers are.
While Montgomery's leash is certainly longer than Eovaldi's at this point in the season, I do not expect a stellar performance.
His next start is most likely going to come against Boston. The Red Sox rank 10th in average and 12th in OPS in the MLB against LHP. Moreover, Boston is also 1st in the MLB in average and third in OPS in home games.
Montgomery's time has come to an end in 2023.
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