Two Start Pitchers that need to be picked up for your fantasy team
Over the course of the season, exploiting Two Start Pitchers in a given week can be a major advantage so let’s see who’s out there this week!
Since it’s the start of the MLB season, this list might be a little skimpy this upcoming week. Teams have more scheduled off days with the unpredictable weather so the picking might be just a little slim. Still, there are pitchers out there that could be on two starts this upcoming week that can give your team a boost. There’s only three this week but as the season kicks into full gear, the goal is four or five a week. It’s never too early to win a matchup that could come in handy around playoff time! Let’s dive into our Two Start Pitchers!
Domingo German, Yankees – Owned in 23 percent of Yahoo leagues
Matchups – vs. Detroit Tigers, at Baltimore Orioles
The righty for the Yankees flashed some strikeout stuff last season with a K rate of 27.2 percent that meshed with his swinging strike rate of 14.9 percent over the course of 85.2 innings. Usually, pitchers that pitch one game in Yankee Stadium aren’t likely to make the list but German is an exception. The Tigers were one of the worst teams in the league against righty pitchers in 2018, ranking in the bottom five in average, ISO, OPS, OBP, wOBA and wRC+. They combined that with striking out 23 percent of the time, 11th worst in the league.
The Orioles were just as atrocious, stoking out at a higher clip and that was with Manny Machado. Now that he’s gone, there is little left to write home about from the Baltimore offense. I have to admit that 14 runs in Yankee Stadium this past three game set was a little surprising but the numbers certainly point towards that being an exception. German is a risky pitcher but this is the week to try and get him right.
Matt Strahm, Padres – Owned in 61 percent of Yahoo leagues
Matchups – vs Arizona Diamondbacks, at St. Louis Cardinals
Strahm is a little higher owned than what will normally be featured in this spot but we have to get on board now while there’s still a chance. The big lefty checks into the season with all sorts of promos and boasts a big K rate of 10.13 per nine innings last year in 61.1 innings pitched. It would be nice if his fly balls came down a bit from the 43 percent he had last year but he’s not in a terrible spot against the Diamondbacks. Since they lost AJ Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt during the offseason, they are bereft of big lefty mashers. Even though Strahm may have an innings limits, five strong in each start is a possibility.
The Cardinals matchup is a tiny bit scary, especially since Goldschmidt is on that team now. Goldy hammered lefty pitching last year to the tune of an OPS approaching 1.000, and ISO over .270 and a wOBA over .400. The plus side for Strahm is he dominated righty hitters last year. Surrendering just a .148 average and a .211 wOBA over the course of 44.2 innings against righties, he should have his way against a righty-heavy lineup like the Cards.
Ryan Yarbrough, Tampa Bay Rays – Owned in 13 percent of Yahoo leagues
Matchups – vs Colorado Rockies, at San Francisco Giants
This is a deep league special after the much heavier owned Strahm and it might seem a little odd to be picking up a player that technically isn’t even starting. The Rays are continuing to utilize the “opener” strategy and that led Yarbrough to pitch in 38 total games last year and rack up 16 wins. Not only do you have a somewhat reasonable shot at a cheap win, the matchups are quite nice for Yarbrough. He manages to draw the Rockies away from Coors and that’s a huge difference. Colorado is an average offense against lefties on the road and the two biggest threats are Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story. The good news – since Yarbrough doesn’t start and Arenado bats third, he misses him the first time through the order. He may even miss Story if he’s really lucky.
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Pitching in San Francisco is one of the best gifts a pitcher can have and the Giants offense looks like a pop-gun unit so far. They’ve only scored five runs through four games so far and there’s no end in sight. The 20.4 percent strikeout rate for Yarbrough isn’t special but this is a streaming pitcher we’re talking about. If you get solid contributions and a win, you’re golden.